Op Sindoor Jacks Up Defence Budget Rs 80K Cr Next Yr
The country's defence budget will likely go up by `70,000 crore to `80,000 crore, as India is looking to buy more arms and ammunition in view of the conflict with Pakistan, said sources.
NEW DELHI: The country's defence budget will likely go up by `70,000 crore to `80,000 crore, as India is looking to buy more arms and ammunition in view of the conflict with Pakistan, said sources.
While the Union finance ministry has indicated that it does not see any significant hike in the Defence Budget outlay for 2025-26 due to Operation Sindoor, sources said that amid the heightened tensions with Pakistan, Indian armed forces were looking to buy more ammunition, missiles and drones to prepare for any further contingency. Defence forces are also looking to sign deals for some ammunition major platforms to enhance firepower. It will likely push up the overall Defence Budget.
In fact, amidst the conflict with Pakistan, Defence Acquisition Council headed by the defence minister Rajnath Singh had granted the Army, Navy and Air Force emergency procurement powers of an overall `40,000 crore to replenish weapons and ammunition used during the Operation Sindoor. Under this, the armed forces can sign a single contract of up to `300 crore through fast track rather than follow the long-drawn bureaucratic process. However, special permission will be needed for buying any imported armament.
Besides, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is pursuing the government for the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) project under which 126 jets are to be acquired. The IAF's current strength has dropped to 30 squadrons, well below the sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons. Also, two squadrons of MiG-21 are set to be retired this year.
The Defence Budget was hiked by around 9.5 per cent to ₹6.81-lakh crore for 2025-26. However, only a quarter of it was kept for the procurement of new weapons and the development of critical infrastructure for the Indian armed forces.
The capital outlay for buying weapons and infrastructure development was hiked by a mere 4.65 per cent to ₹1.80-lakh crore. While the Defence Budget constituted 13.45 per cent of the Union Budget, it is still less than 2 per cent of the GDP.