A bigger, not better, defence budget

Even as the total allocation has increased, it has fallen as a percentage of GDP

In a perception management exercise that accompanied the annual Union Budget on Tuesday, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) sought to convey that it has significantly raised the defence allocations and created the policy conditions needed for the domestic defence industry to flourish and thrive. In a series of upbeat press releases, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s formidable public relations machinery put out the following factual points: First, of the total government outlay of Rs 39.45 trillion in the Union Budget of 2022-23, the MoD was allocated Rs 5.25 trillion, or 13.31 per cent of total government spending. There was silence on