Letter to BS: Indian Army still mired in high personnel costs

This refers to “Navy, Air Force modernise; Army still mired in high personnel costs” (February 5). Procurement of modern equipment and adoption of new technologies, which will also result in trimming the unwieldy manpower especially in the Indian Army (with around 1.4 million serving and 1.1 million in reserve), should continue to be a priority for India’s defence forces.
 
The glaringly low budget provided for the Army, with practically nothing left for modernisation of equipment and ammunition, needs to be reviewed. Such an approach may give credence to the criticism that defence procurement is guided by the lobbying power