💰 Total Allocation: ₹6.81 Lakh Crore (Approx. $78.7 Billion)
Increase: 9.5% over the previous fiscal year.
Share of Union Budget: 13.45% – the highest among all ministries .
🛡️ Capital Outlay for Modernisation: ₹1.80 Lakh Crore
Domestic Procurement: ₹1.11 lakh crore (75% of the modernisation budget) allocated for indigenous acquisitions, including:
156 Prachand light combat helicopters.
307 advanced towed artillery gun systems.
Ongoing projects like 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets and three Scorpene submarines .
Private Sector Involvement: ₹27,886 crore earmarked for private industry participation under the “Make in India” initiative .
👥 Manpower Costs and Pensions: ₹4.7 Lakh Crore
Defence Pensions: ₹1.61 lakh crore (13.87% increase) to support approximately 34 lakh pensioners .
Ex-Servicemen Welfare: ₹8,317 crore allocated to the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), marking a 19.38% increase .
🔬 Research & Development: ₹26,816 Crore
Focus Areas: Indigenous technology development, public-private partnerships, and innovation.
Key Initiatives:
Technology Development Fund.
Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI) scheme .
🌐 Infrastructure Development
Border Roads Organisation (BRO): ₹7,146 crore allocated for strategic infrastructure projects, including tunnels, bridges, and roads in border areas like Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir .
Indian Coast Guard: ₹9,676.70 crore allocated, with a 43% increase in capital expenditure to enhance maritime security capabilities .
🚀 Defence Startups and Innovation
iDEX Scheme: ₹518 crore allocated to support startups and MSMEs in developing innovative defence solutions .
Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL): Anticipated benefits from a ₹40,000 crore defence R&D push, with a focus on missile development and indigenous production .
🔮 Long-Term Outlook
Projected Growth: India’s defence budget is expected to increase to ₹31.7 lakh crore by 2047, positioning the country as the world’s third-largest defence spender .
Strategic Shift: Emphasis on reducing reliance on foreign imports and bolstering domestic manufacturing capabilities.
