Budget 2019: India is looking at a year divided between an Interim Budget 2019 on 1st February 2019 and a full-fledged Budget 2019-20 post July this year. Given the latest developments on the defence side, wherein China’s President Xi Pin has alerted its defence forces to be combat ready, and the relations with Pakistan too can be called anything but cordial, the Defence Budget for 2019 has to be put forth and the Indian Army, Air Force and Navy be allotted enough budget to ensure their Projects are adequately funded.

The Indian Army has time and again pointed at the fact that nearly 68% of its equipment is outmoded. Although, counted as the world’s third largest army, it is marred by an urgency to modernize and upgrade its apparatus, armaments and artillery.

Currently, India spends around 1.6% of its GDP on defence budget, which is far beyond China that spends 2.1% and Pakistan that’s spending even more at 2.36% of its GDP per annum. Furthermore, around 85% of the Defence budget is currently spent on meeting human resource expenses that leaves a narrow room for upgradation of wartime weaponry.

Budget 2019-20 is especially crucial for the Defence forces to carry on with procuring the advanced technology that’ll arm its personnel in times of utmost need.

The BJP government has time and again boasted about how it has empowered the Indian Army and the defence forces in general. Surgical strikes after Uri Attacks, procurement of missile loaded Rafale aircrafts, strong foothold at Doklam at Indo-China border are some of the feathers the ruling BJP flaunts in its cap.

BJP President Amit Shah had quoted that his party will fight General Elections 2019 on the grounds of development, defence and self-respect of the country. Given BJPs seriousness towards a strong Defence force, it is only to wait and watch how FM Arun Jaitley structures the Defence Budget in the Interim Budget 2019.