While we need to fully appreciate the importance of other sectors especially infrastructure and health care in times of COVID affected economy and escalating fiscal deficit, a nation can only be strong if its defence against threats that challenge its national interest and sovereignty have the resilience to deter and defend.
Diplomacy without defence has its limits. The threats are NOT at the door but entered inside.
The present allocation is woefully inadequate to meet both desired modernization and border infrastructure development and with inflation, cost escalation etc subpar spending power. Limited scope for any major new schemes as most modernization budget will get sucked in committed liabilities.
The nation must understand that while defence budget is non-populist yet it is insurance to its development and preservation of national interest.
We cannot allow our brave and gallant soldier lives to be cannon fodder in the absence of desired levels of modernization and technology induction. Neither does an adverse equipment vintage profile or a knee jerk emergency procurement augur well for the Nation.
