Allocate more funds for defence mid-fiscal: Parl panel

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence has recommended that the Ministry of Defence be allocated more funds during the course of the next fiscal to ensure combat readiness of the forces at an optimum level. The committee also asked the forces to follow laid-down timelines of induction of latest techology.

The committee chaired by BJP MP Radha Mohan Singh presented its report in Parliament on Monday. “If needed, the Ministry of Defence may be allocated additional funds at revised estimates stage so that combat preparedness of our forces constantly remain at an optimum level,” read the report.

The revised estimates of the budget are presented in October each year. The report was addressing the allocation of defence budget for the FY2025-26.

The committee said it had noted the Ministry’s submission that defence budget had increased at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.94 per cent from FY2020-21 to FY2025-26, greater than the inflation rate each year.

The report said though modernization could not be predicted and accordingly it was crucial to have an intensive study and knowledge of emerging trends in technology that will have an impact on war and the art of warfare.

The ministry has identified three key sectors -- robotics automation, velocity for hypersonic drones and intelligence warfare like artificial intelligence, data analytics and machine learning.

The committee mentioned a paradigm shift in the technology used in fighting wars. There have been innovations and experiments in western countries, and the use of drones, including sea-drones, space, cyberspace, kinetic and non-kinetic format have enveloped the sphere of war, which can now be fought from distant locations through a remote-controlled methodology.

The committee mentioned the National Quantum Mission and high-power computing AI cloud that would enable armed forces to develop a robust digital infrastructure, besides improving the existing weaponry.

The committee recommended that “all the initiatives and programmes on technology must follow laid-down timelines to enable the forces to adapt new tech in a timely manner.