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Wednesday, April 29, 2026
TopicDefence expenditure

Topic: defence expenditure

Decoding India’s defence budget & how various govts struggled to spend it—from UPA to NDA

Every February, headlines focus on defence budget allocation. But real question is—how much money was actually spent & why did promise-delivery gap widen in some years, narrow in others?

Defence budget through the years: Big leap for 2026-27, but what numbers since 1999 reveal

ThePrint’s analysis of all budgets from 1999-2026 shows that the capex as total share of defence budget was the highest under UPA I & II. Multifold jump in pension outlays.

Piloo Mody on Russian ‘friendship’ trap and how India paid the price when shopping for arms

On 21 April 1975, Godhra MP and founding member of Swatantra Party spoke in the Lok Sabha during a debate on defence expenditure and purchase of arms. 'We have been, especially since the last war with Pakistan, shopping round the world.'

Defence innovation will cost money, private control. Else be happy with drone light shows

Govt procedures that masquerade as safety nets for minimising financial loss can only stifle innovation. Modi govt's well-intentioned iDEX scheme seems headed that way.

India can learn from Azerbaijan how to spend smart on military when budget is thin

Modi govt's capital budget allocation for 2021-22 is lower than the amount armed forces had sought in 2014-15. But spending more is not the answer, spending right is.

House defence panel must ask 4 key questions — from lower expenditure to pension bill

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence can bring much needed clarity on India's national security that Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget didn’t answer.

Not fair to cut defence pay, pensions and inject funds in airlines, banks

The armed forces community refused to grasp the consequences of a slowing economy. OROP was made into an emotive issue.

Veterans must know that rising defence pension bill needs to be tamed for military’s own good

Modi govt needs to come out with a new National Pension Scheme for India's armed forces to give them extra in comparison to the civilian workforce.

Modi govt eyes export of defence products in Indian Ocean region and Africa

A consolidated list of items for possible exports, both from the government and private sector, is being worked upon.

Modi govt made defence exports jump 700%. Now it must radically reform ordnance factories

PM Modi targets $5 billion in defence exports in next 5 years. If 'Make in India’ reaches its full potential, $10-15 billion is achievable in a decade.

On Camera

New promo video by PLA Navy is a teaser of China’s deep blue capabilities

Rather than functioning as conventional propaganda, the video operates as a device for interpretation, subtly shaping expectations about future developments in China’s naval trajectory.

Lesson for India from the West: AI is hollowing out white-collar jobs & birthing a new middle-class elite

Post-2022 as AI has spread in developed economies, it is leading to another round of polarisation—the middle class jobs are being lost in offices rather than in factories.

Fourth S-400 sets sail for India, to arrive by mid-May; likely to be deployed along Pakistan border

The fifth S-400 air defence system is undergoing various stages of production trials, and will be delivered by November-December this year, it is learnt.

Trump, Netanyahu’s Iran gamble: The regime change rebound

American objectives are unmet. They neither have muscle nor motivation to resume the war. As for Iran, the regime didn’t just survive, it’s now led by more radical individuals.