DAC meeting rescheduled due to a CAG report highlighting delays in Emergency procurement?

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting, slated for December 26 and expected to clear defence purchases worth ₹80,000 crore, has been quietly pushed to next week. Though the Defence Ministry has offered no official reason, senior officials hint the delay coincides “uncomfortably close” to the December 18 CAG report that sharply criticised emergency procurement practices. The audit revealed delays in 72 per cent of such contracts and warned against the Defence Ministry’s trend of “regularising deviations” post‑facto. With several similar cases on the DAC’s current agenda, the timing may have prompted caution within the bureaucracy. Sources say officials sought more time to “bulletproof” the proposals before approval to avoid immediate audit scrutiny. Strategically, the pause lets the ministry rework files and ensure compliance before pushing big procurement clearances early next week.