MES chief Lt Gen Rohella stresses ethics and accountability at IDSE 77th Raising Day
Synopsis
At IDSE's 77th Raising Day, MES chief Lt Gen Vikas Rohella tied defence infrastructure governance to the Viksit Bharat @ 2047 vision, pointing to the Electronic Measurement Book as a concrete step toward transparent procurement. Separately, the Army's Rashtriya Military Schools conference instituted a new award in the name of a Param Vir Chakra hero — a symbolic statement about the values the institution intends to instil.
Key Takeaways
Lieutenant General Vikas Rohella , Engineer-in-Chief, MES, addressed the IDSE 77th Raising Day conference in New Delhi on 17 September 2026 .
He highlighted the Electronic Measurement Book as a key reform to strengthen transparency in public procurement.
The conference was themed 'Ethics, Accountability and Excellence towards achieving Viksit Bharat @ 2047' and included participants from the Ministry of Railways , Central Vigilance Commission , and other bodies.
The Annual RMS Conference 2026 was held on 15 September 2026 at Manekshaw Centre , chaired by Lt Gen Vipul Shinghal .
A new Best RMS Trophy was instituted in honour of Captain GS Salaria , Param Vir Chakra , to recognise overall institutional excellence among Rashtriya Military Schools.
Lieutenant General Vikas Rohella, Engineer-in-Chief of the Indian Army's Military Engineer Services (MES), on Thursday, 17 September 2026, called for stronger ethics and accountability across all stages of public procurement, addressing officers of the Indian Defence Service of Engineers (IDSE) at their 77th Raising Day conference in New Delhi. The day-long event brought together participants from multiple ministries and departments to deliberate on governance and institutional excellence.
Key Highlights from the IDSE 77th Raising Day Conference
Themed 'Ethics, Accountability and Excellence towards achieving the aim of Viksit Bharat @ 2047', the conference saw Lieutenant General Rohella highlight recent institutional reforms within MES, including the introduction of the Electronic Measurement Book — a digital tool aimed at improving transparency in procurement processes. He underscored that every stage of public procurement and discretionary decision-making must be guided by ethical principles.
The conference was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Railways, Central Vigilance Commission, Defence Accounts Department, National Highway Authority, and several Public Sector Undertakings. Senior officers of the Corps of Engineers and representatives of cadre associations — including Surveyors, Architects, Barrack and Stores, and Administration — were also present.
Why Ethics in Defence Procurement Matters
Public procurement in defence infrastructure has historically been a domain prone to oversight challenges. The MES, responsible for constructing and maintaining military infrastructure across India, handles contracts spanning billions of rupees annually. Initiatives like the Electronic Measurement Book represent a broader push within the Ministry of Defence to digitise and audit procurement at the ground level, reducing discretionary scope and improving accountability. Notably, this aligns with the Centre's wider governance reform agenda under the Viksit Bharat @ 2047 vision.
Annual Rashtriya Military Schools Conference: A New Trophy Instituted
In a separate development, the Annual Principals' and Administrative Officers' Conference 2026 of Rashtriya Military Schools (RMS) was held at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, on 15 September 2026, chaired by Lieutenant General Vipul Shinghal, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Information Systems and Training).
Distinguished alumni Shri Ashok Lavasa, IAS (Retd), and Lieutenant General SN Handa (Retd) attended as Guests of Honour. The conference reviewed institutional progress and shared best practices in academics, leadership, discipline, and holistic cadet development, according to the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of the Ministry of Defence.
A significant milestone at the conference was the institution of the Best RMS Trophy, named in honour of Captain GS Salaria, Param Vir Chakra awardee, to recognise overall institutional excellence among Rashtriya Military Schools. The initiative, according to the Army, reaffirms the RMS ethos of character building, discipline, leadership, and nation building.
What This Signals for Military Governance
The confluence of these two events — an ethics-focused IDSE conference and the honouring of military school excellence — reflects a broader institutional effort within the Indian Army to reinforce values-based governance at both the engineering and educational arms of the defence establishment. With the Viksit Bharat @ 2047 framework increasingly being cited as a benchmark for public sector accountability, such initiatives are likely to gain further institutional weight in the coming years.
Point of View
And the MES's shift toward digital measurement tools is overdue. The Electronic Measurement Book is a meaningful step, but institutional reform in procurement is only as strong as the enforcement behind it — a point the Central Vigilance Commission's presence at the conference implicitly acknowledged. The Viksit Bharat @ 2047 framing gives these initiatives political cover, but the real test will be whether ethics benchmarks translate into measurable reductions in procurement irregularities. Tying conference themes to national vision documents is common; tying them to auditable outcomes is rarer.
NationPress
17 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Indian Defence Service of Engineers (IDSE) 77th Raising Day?
The IDSE 77th Raising Day marks the anniversary of the Indian Defence Service of Engineers, the civilian engineering cadre under Military Engineer Services in the Ministry of Defence. The 2026 event was held as a day-long conference in New Delhi on 17 September, focused on ethics, accountability, and excellence.
What is the Electronic Measurement Book introduced by MES?
The Electronic Measurement Book is a digital tool introduced by the Military Engineer Services to improve transparency and accountability in public procurement. It digitises the measurement and recording process for construction and infrastructure contracts, reducing the scope for discretionary manipulation.
What is the Best RMS Trophy and why was it instituted?
The Best RMS Trophy is a new award instituted at the Annual Rashtriya Military Schools Conference 2026 to recognise overall institutional excellence among RMS campuses. It was named in honour of Captain GS Salaria, a Param Vir Chakra recipient, to underscore the values of character, discipline, and leadership that the schools seek to instil.
Who chaired the Annual Rashtriya Military Schools Conference 2026?
The conference, held on 15 September 2026 at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, was chaired by Lieutenant General Vipul Shinghal, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Information Systems and Training). Distinguished alumni Shri Ashok Lavasa, IAS (Retd), and Lieutenant General SN Handa (Retd) attended as Guests of Honour.
Which organisations participated in the IDSE 77th Raising Day conference?
The conference brought together participants from the Ministry of Railways, Central Vigilance Commission, Defence Accounts Department, National Highway Authority, and various Public Sector Undertakings, alongside senior MES officers and cadre association representatives.
