Army, Navy and Air Force were hoping for increased allocation as they are in the midst of a modernisation process, with several projects waiting to be kicked off.
The letter, tweeted by Nirmala Sitharaman’s office, supports govt’s move to tax disability pension of military personnel who retired after full service.
Amid increasing military ties between China & Cambodia, US Vice-President Mike Pence has raised concerns that these facilities could be put to naval use.
Israel's response to Iran's retaliatory attack was relatively small and also downplayed by Tehran. But there are factors that could jeopardise this perceived reprieve.
The 125 APAs include 86 Unilateral APAs (UAPAs) and 39 Bilateral APAs (BAPAs). The total number of APAs since the start of the APA programme has risen to 641, with 506 UAPAs and 135 BAPAs.
Towards the end of UPA II, when high economic growth and tax buoyancy had both receded, Dr Singh told a meeting of top military officers, Gentlemen, we will have to cut our coat according to the cloth. After five years of an underperforming economy, that holds true for India even now. First, in terms of better understanding of what it costs to keep India safe, we should add the figure of pensions as well. Our pension bill is roughly equal to Pakistan’s defence budget. 2. Comparisons with China’s defence spending are of limited relevance, although it is our foremost adversary. It has a much larger economy, and it is facing the United Stares, whereas India only faces an occasional tweet from the great man. 3. India has forbidding development challenges. Funding those should be a higher priority than being ready to fight a two front war, with 45 squadrons of grotesquely expensive fighter aircraft, among other things. Our foreign policy should better reflect our national imperative of removing mass poverty and becoming a middle income society. A GDP of $ 5 trillion would still mean a per capita income of about $ 3,600, which is not really middle income.
Towards the end of UPA II, when high economic growth and tax buoyancy had both receded, Dr Singh told a meeting of top military officers, Gentlemen, we will have to cut our coat according to the cloth. After five years of an underperforming economy, that holds true for India even now. First, in terms of better understanding of what it costs to keep India safe, we should add the figure of pensions as well. Our pension bill is roughly equal to Pakistan’s defence budget. 2. Comparisons with China’s defence spending are of limited relevance, although it is our foremost adversary. It has a much larger economy, and it is facing the United Stares, whereas India only faces an occasional tweet from the great man. 3. India has forbidding development challenges. Funding those should be a higher priority than being ready to fight a two front war, with 45 squadrons of grotesquely expensive fighter aircraft, among other things. Our foreign policy should better reflect our national imperative of removing mass poverty and becoming a middle income society. A GDP of $ 5 trillion would still mean a per capita income of about $ 3,600, which is not really middle income.