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This is the first budget since Operation Sindoor, the Indian armed forces' strike on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), and a "double-digit" increase for the defence ministry is on the anvil A similar increase in the defence ministry's capital budget-- which is, largely, to buy weapons for the Army, Navy and Air Force --has been planned. As a result of this substantial jump, the defence budget will be well above Rs 7 lakh crore and the pivotal capital budget, above 2 lakh crores-- the highest ever.Double-digit,of course, means ten percent or more. While all three services benefit, the IAF will get a hefty increase as air-to-air refuellers and the airborne warning and control system (AWACS) are likely to be purchased
in the coming financial year. The "costing" for the AWACS, a force multiplier like the refuellers, has already been done. The USA and Israel are involved in the refueller while Brazil will be involved in the AWACS.
There is also a slight possibility of the 30 billion Euro deal for the 114 Rafale fighters happening by March 2027, but there's still a long way to go as the Defence Acqusition Council, headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh, has to clear it. After that, the price negotiations and discussions about indigenous content begin. There will also be allocations for the collaboration between Safran and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the development of aircraft engines. This could be a 3 billion Euro project and the note for the Cabinet Committee on Security is being readied. The last defence budget had expenditure at Rs 6,81,210.27 crore, with the increase from the previous year being below ten percent. Capital expenditure comprised over 26 percent of the total budget at Rs 1,80,000 crore. The new budget figures will be "well above" last year's, high levels sources told TIMES NOW. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the budget on February 1.
