Sources say the government is looking to invest in equipment for the armed forces to boost capability in dealing with possible threats from across the border.
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.
A Parliamentary committee has expressed concern that India’s defence expenditure at 1.56 per cent of GDP in 2017-18 — down from 2.6 per cent in 2014-15 — is at its lowest since the 1962 war with China.
The narrations linked to ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ sit far outside authenticated Hadith literature, yet modern amplification has turned a weak report into a slogan with political afterlife.
Once acquired by IAF, the medium transport aircraft (MTA) will replace both AN-32s and IL-76s, it is learnt. The idea behind the revamp is to meet modern operational needs.
It is a brilliant, reasonably priced, and mostly homemade aircraft with a stellar safety record; only two crashes in 24 years since its first flight. But its crash is a moment of introspection.
COMMENTS