India Military Sees Tiny Budget Rise Despite Modernization Plan
- Border tensions with neighbor China continue to linger
- Shortage of funds to buy new equipment hinders revamp plans
Indian Army soldiers march during the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, on Jan. 26.
Photographer: T. Narayan/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
India increased its planned defense spending by about 5%, a marginal rise that casts doubts on its longstanding plans to modernize its military even as a protracted standoff with China along their disputed Himalayan border continues.
Overall, military spending increased to 3.85 trillion rupees ($51.5 billion), up from 3.68 trillion rupees a year ago, according to the budget unveiled on Tuesday. India’s expenditure is about a quarter that of China’s which pegged it at over $200 billion last March, an increase of 6.8%, according to data from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.