Bureaucratic delays: Indian PM's direct hotline with Chinese PM
New Delhi More than two years after it was agreed upon at the highest level, India and China have not been able to establish a hotline at the Prime Ministers level because the Indian side is yet to come up with suitable encryption technology. The Chinese side has not only finished preparations but has also delivered its decryption equipment here to be installed at the Prime Ministers Office. The uninstalled Chinese equipment has been lying idle for at least three months now, also because the PMO has still not designated a location for the hotline.
The decision on setting up a hotline was taken in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg at a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese President Hu Jintao on the margins of the 2009 BRIC summit. At that time, the idea was to set it up within a month. But technical negotiations carried on and a formal pact was signed by the two Foreign Ministers last April.
There will be two hotlines one set up by India and the other by China. If New Delhi were to initiate a call, the Indian hotline would be used and if Beijing were to make the call, the Chinese line would be operational. Both sides were to use their own encryption and decryption technology to secure their respective lines.
China, which has such hotlines with other countries, was quick off the block and set up its line within months after the formal agreement. Necessary equipment, including those required for encryption, were installed at the Beijing-end and the decryption equipment was brought to Delhi. Chinese engineers have handed it over with all necessary instructions to their Indian counterparts.
While all went smoothly on the Chinese side, India realised it would need a qualitatively higher grade encryption-decryption technology for a hotline with Beijing. Until now, sources said, the only hotline at the PM-level is with Russia and the technology used is a decade-old and outdated.
So, a call was taken to develop indigenous technology and the task was given to the Defence Research Development Organisation. A few weeks ago, sources said, the DRDO conveyed that it has come up with some equipment and is ready to offer it for inspection and trial.
While this delay has carried on, the PMO is yet to allot a room for the hotline to be installed. This flows from a decision that the China hotline will be put up in a separate room and not in the PMs office. A room, sources said, was designated but as matters dragged, the room was taken away and allotted for some other purpose.
The committee, which was set up to operationalise this hotline, finally asked the PMO last month to find a place for the hotline so that at least the Chinese line could be made operational.
Delhis hotline to Beijing waits for room in PMO, tech upgrade to match the Chinese - Express India
This is a perfect example of bureaucratic functioning in India like in bofors gun's case they have all the blue prints etc. still they were sitting on drawings and not manufactured single howitzer despite we have paid for ToT and manufacturing rights etc.
New Delhi More than two years after it was agreed upon at the highest level, India and China have not been able to establish a hotline at the Prime Ministers level because the Indian side is yet to come up with suitable encryption technology. The Chinese side has not only finished preparations but has also delivered its decryption equipment here to be installed at the Prime Ministers Office. The uninstalled Chinese equipment has been lying idle for at least three months now, also because the PMO has still not designated a location for the hotline.
The decision on setting up a hotline was taken in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg at a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese President Hu Jintao on the margins of the 2009 BRIC summit. At that time, the idea was to set it up within a month. But technical negotiations carried on and a formal pact was signed by the two Foreign Ministers last April.
There will be two hotlines one set up by India and the other by China. If New Delhi were to initiate a call, the Indian hotline would be used and if Beijing were to make the call, the Chinese line would be operational. Both sides were to use their own encryption and decryption technology to secure their respective lines.
China, which has such hotlines with other countries, was quick off the block and set up its line within months after the formal agreement. Necessary equipment, including those required for encryption, were installed at the Beijing-end and the decryption equipment was brought to Delhi. Chinese engineers have handed it over with all necessary instructions to their Indian counterparts.
While all went smoothly on the Chinese side, India realised it would need a qualitatively higher grade encryption-decryption technology for a hotline with Beijing. Until now, sources said, the only hotline at the PM-level is with Russia and the technology used is a decade-old and outdated.
So, a call was taken to develop indigenous technology and the task was given to the Defence Research Development Organisation. A few weeks ago, sources said, the DRDO conveyed that it has come up with some equipment and is ready to offer it for inspection and trial.
While this delay has carried on, the PMO is yet to allot a room for the hotline to be installed. This flows from a decision that the China hotline will be put up in a separate room and not in the PMs office. A room, sources said, was designated but as matters dragged, the room was taken away and allotted for some other purpose.
The committee, which was set up to operationalise this hotline, finally asked the PMO last month to find a place for the hotline so that at least the Chinese line could be made operational.
Delhis hotline to Beijing waits for room in PMO, tech upgrade to match the Chinese - Express India
This is a perfect example of bureaucratic functioning in India like in bofors gun's case they have all the blue prints etc. still they were sitting on drawings and not manufactured single howitzer despite we have paid for ToT and manufacturing rights etc.
