NO CRUNCH
| Date :26-Jun-2019 |
THAT lack of funds would not hamper the country’s defence-preparedness, was a statement the people often yearned to hear, but no such assertion came in such definitive terms as did from Defence Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh in Rajya Sabha. The Government would allow no compromise in his regard, he stressed. This assertion will pave the way to better defence-preparedness, which every Indian would welcome. It must be appreciated that in the past few years, India’s defence sending has gone up considerably. As much as 32.19% -- that is approximately one-third -- of the total capital expenditure is being done by the Ministry of Defence, the highest among all allocations to central ministries. In years to come, this allocation is slated to grow manifold. indicating the change of focus in the Government’s thinking.
By any standard, this is good news. India’s spending on Defence was terribly limited in early years after Independence -- for two reasons: one, the country’s resources were limited; and two, the leadership did not find it necessary to allocate massive amounts for Defence, thanks to the adoption of wrong definition of what constituted peace and what made the country strong. Even in those early days when Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s confused thinking affected spending on Defence, there were people who asked for bigger allocations of money to spruce up national security. But they were derided as hawks and isolated from mainstream politics. No matter that, the country’s defence-related research was kept alive though on rather a low key. That did not serve any purpose and the country dragged its feet in such a crucial sector. Despite the fact that India tested nuclear devices and spent a lot of money on space programme, the overall spending on Defence was, no doubt, pretty small.
In sharp contrast, China was allocating ever greater resources to Defence, thereby making India’s effort look terribly insignificant, so much so that the common Indian people started developing certain sense of helplessness as against the superior Chinese preparedness. There did come a time in India when the common people started feeling that China was impossibly stronger and even invincible. To a large extent, that perception had substance, which unfortunately the Government refused to acknowledge. It continued to harbour dreams of the peace of the weak and allowed the Defence sector to suffer a great deal. Fortunately, a few years ago, the picture started changing for the better. The national leadership realised that diplomatic stridency and military prowess have to be used in a complimentary manner to further national interest.
Mere lip service, then, gave way to proactive thinking on stepping up spending on Defence-preparedness in the last five years. The quick pace of defence deals, security-related Memoranda of Understanding, various high-end Defence acquisition -- all these are now taking place at a pace the country had never seen before. It is in this context that Mr. Rajnath Singh’s assertion in Parliament assumes a great significance. India may never match China’s level of spending on Defence.
For, in a democracy, people-orientedness of the national planners is as important as anything else. In the past few years, India’s ordnance industry also grew exponentially, thus making the country self-reliant at many points. All this flurry of activity indicates that India never lacked resources; it lacked the political will. That constraint removed, there appears no looking back now. In the years to come, India’s Defence-preparedness will rise to a healthier level, thereby enhancing the common people’s sense of legitimate pride in the entire effort. Mr. Rajnath Singh’s assertion in the Rajya Sabha has to be viewed from this perspective.