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India Set To Hike Defense Budget By Rs 50,000 Crore After Operation Sindoor: Report

The additional funds are likely to be directed towards research and development, procurement of advanced weaponry, ammunition, and critical equipment to strengthen operational readiness.

Joint Military Press Briefing On Operation Sindoor
Joint Military Press Briefing On Operation Sindoor Photo: PIB
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India바카라™s defense budget could receive a Rs 50,000 crore increase following the successful execution of Operation Sindoor, NDTV reported. The proposed boost, expected to be routed through a supplementary budget, would push the total defense allocation for 2025바카라“26 beyond Rs 7 lakh crore 바카라” a historic high.

Earlier this year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had earmarked Rs 6.81 lakh crore for defense in the Union Budget, marking a 9.2% increase from the Rs 6.22 lakh crore allocated in 2024바카라“25. If approved, the revised budget will further consolidate defense as the top expenditure priority of the Narendra Modi government.

NDTV reported that the additional funds are likely to be directed towards research and development, procurement of advanced weaponry, ammunition, and critical equipment to strengthen operational readiness.

The supplementary allocation is expected to be tabled for approval during Parliament's Winter Session, the report showed.

The increased focus on defense spending comes in the wake of Operation Sindoor, India바카라™s swift and strategic military response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. The operation, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, highlighted the Indian military's high-level coordination, bolstered by cutting-edge air defence capabilities.

Defence analysts have drawn parallels between India바카라™s integrated air defence network and Israel바카라™s Iron Dome, particularly praising indigenous systems like the Akash missile defence system that featured prominently during the operation.

Since taking office in 2014, the Modi government has made national defence a strategic priority. At the beginning of its first term, the Defence Ministry was allocated Rs 2.29 lakh crore 바카라” a figure that has more than tripled in the past decade. Defence now commands the largest share of any ministry, accounting for roughly 13% of the total Union Budget.

The latest push underscores the government바카라™s intent to modernise the armed forces amid rising regional tensions, particularly with Pakistan, and to reduce reliance on foreign defence imports through a stronger domestic manufacturing ecosystem.

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