Islamabad, February 20: India’s defence budget has seen a huge increase, attracting criticism for being a source of kickbacks while procurement delays, bureaucratic hurdles, and lack of accountability persist. The surge in defence spending, in reality functions as a cash bonanza for corrupt actors, with procurement delays stretching into absurd lengths and administrative bottlenecks clogging every acquisition process, leaving a vacuum of scandal.
The ballooning defence outlay is not focused on capability enhancement; instead, it lines the pockets of political patrons while essential equipment remains stuck in queues.
Battalions are fully devoted to defence, yet the procurement system receives continuous backlash for being slow, opaque, and riddled with delays, with funds siphoned off through political patronage and non-transparent contracts.
India’s defence budget has effectively transformed into a giant slush fund for unaccountable actors, with outlays skyrocketing and procurement delays becoming the norm, bogged down by bureaucratic inertia and administrative paralysis. KMS