<b>Ajai Shukla:</b> Deja vu on the defence budget

Equipment procurement continues to be crowded out by steadily rising manpower costs

The defence allocations, presented as part of the Union Budget on February 1, highlighted the drawbacks that plague our defence planning. Once again, the military emerges as an over-manned, poorly equipped, early twentieth century force; with a bloated salary bill that leaves little for modernising a vast inventory of obsolescent equipment. The depressing surrender of Rs 7,000 crore of capital budget underlines again our structural incapability to spend even the inadequate allocations we lament. The discussions on the Budget make it evident that the political and strategic elite and the public remain largely oblivious to the continuing and dangerous hollowing