Experts say defence needs more capital for capacity building, modernisation

A Rs 1,80,000 crore allocated for the capital expenditure sub-head is an increase of about Rs 8,000 crore. This fund is used for fresh projects and procurements. As per the 2024-25 data, of Rs 1,72,000 crore allocated, Rs 12,500 crore had to be surrendered as it remained unspent.“To push modernisation and fill the capability gap, the defence budget should be around 2.4% of the GDP,” said retired Commodore Anil jai Singh. “The budget appears to be status quoist as the international dynamics and the geo-politics is changing fast. Modernisation and capacity building require funds,” he added.“Of the Rs 26,817 cr allocated to DRDO, Rs 14,924 is meant for its capital procurement and R&D. So, this does not reflect well for a country which is aiming to match the niche/high end technology,” Singh said.



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