Govt responds to reports of Indian Army's temporary allowance being put on hold, says more funds to be given when needed

New Delhi: Amid reports that the Indian Army has put on hold temporary allowances due to lack of funds, the defence ministry Tuesday said the shortfalls are not permanent and additional money will be provided if need arises. The temporary allowances are paid to officers when they travel for purposes such as tours and training. The army has a strength of 1.3 million personnel and at least 1,000 officers are on the move or on “temporary duty” to attend courses, planning conferences or participating in exercises, among other things, at any given point of time. Reacting to the reports, the defence ministry said adequate funds stand allocated under all heads, including the heads for temporary and permanent duty. “At times, however, the allocated funds to specific head, which is based on predicted/ envisaged expenditure, may fall short of the actual expenditure. These shortfalls are only temporary and are resolved through routine reappropriation. Additional funds will be provided if necessity arises,” a defence ministry spokesperson said in a statement.