HAL Chairman Meets Nirmala Sitharaman, Chiefs of Armed Forces

Chairman R Madhavan reportedly met Nirmala Sitharaman to give a brief about HAL’s financial woes.

HAL Chairman and Managing Director R Madhavan.

(Photo: IANS)

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Chairman R Madhavan met Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with chiefs of armed forces in Parliament on Wednesday, 9 January 2019.

News agency ANI reported that Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, and Navy Chief Sunil Lanba attended the meeting with the defence minister.

Army Chief Bipin Rawat arrives in Parliament.

Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa at Parliament in New Delhi.

Naval Chief Sunil Lanba arrives before the meeting with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Amid the ongoing controversy over HAL not being made an offset partner in the Rafale deal, Madhavan met the defence minister to reportedly give a brief about the aircraft-manufacturer’s financial woes.

Earlier, a Defence Ministry official had told ANI:

“The HAL chairman is likely to meet the defence minister along with the Director of Finance Ananth Krishnan on Wednesday and brief her about the financial issues in his organisation.”

The financial situation of HAL was discussed in a board meeting on Tuesday, 8 January. The company had to borrow about Rs 962 crore for paying the salaries of its employees.

The meeting comes at a time when the Congress President Rahul Gandhi attacked Sitharaman for "lying" in Parliament about placing Rs 1 lakh crore worth of orders to HAL.

(With inputs from ANI)