At a time when India is facing a two-front threat from hostile neighbours – Pakistan and China – the challenges facing the defence sector, like inordinate delays in procurement of required weaponry, lack of coordination among the stakeholders and inadequate budgetary allocations must be addressed on priority. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence in its latest report tabled in the Lok Sabha has rightly flagged the concerns of the armed forces and called for increasing the capital budget of the army. This would go a long way in enhancing the deterrent capabilities to meet any external challenges. While the defence ministry’s efforts towards the indigenization of military platforms are appreciable, the long delays in domestic procurements will only negate the objectives of the indigenization drive.
Of particular concern is the delay in the supply of 40 Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, a public sector undertaking. The Tejas LCA – an all-weather, multi-role fighter aircraft that can be deployed for offensive air support, close combat and ground attacks – is critical for the country’s military readiness. The procurement of additional fighter jets should not be delayed any further. It is inexcusable that issues pertaining to the premier fighter jet’s design, systems and weapons have still not been resolved. The 2023-24 union budget too had come as a big disappointment because the capital outlay for modernisation and infrastructure development was inadequate. It has been pegged at Rs 1.62 lakh crore, which is only a marginal rise of 6.7 percent over the previous year. Earmarking adequate funds is one of the prerequisites to ensure that the projects related to defence modernisation and indigenization are not held up. Optimum, time-bound utilisation of these funds also has to be prioritised.