Budget 2019: Defence allocation disappoints military

  1. Union Budget has allocated Rs 3.18 lakh crore for defence.The allocation is estimated to be at around 1.6% of the GDP which experts have said is the lowest since the 1962 war with China.
  2. The defence officials has said that the capital expenditure allocated for the Navy and the Indian Air Force(IAF) does not meet their committed liabilities.
  3. Committed liabilities are payments for deals already signed and typically spread over several years.The remaining part of the capital head goes for new procurements.
  4. The industry is also disappointed as the expected easing of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the defence sector has also been excluded.
  5. However,the only relief the services were given was waiver of basic customs duty for import of equipment not manufactured in the country.