India: Weapon Purchase Spree Ignores Woes of Millions of Poor
By YFK
June 22,2016
Recently India has increased its defense spending by 7.9% in the fiscal budget for the year 2015-16 with the amount now reaching to $40 bn (2.47 trillion Indian Rupees). For the last three years India has been the world’s top arms buyer (In 2013 India spent $6 billion on buying equipment, Diplomat). The aim is to counter the rising Chinese influence by replacing old Soviet military equipment. It is expected that over the next one decade India shall spend $100 billion in this regard. According to a statement by the Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley the increase was meant to augment the local Indian defense industry and decrease reliance on foreign equipment. In his words this is an extension of the “Make in India” policy to the defense sector.
The Modi regime after coming into power eagerly expressed its ambitious designs and opened the Indian defense sector for foreign investment. Previously the investment cap was at 26% and now there are plans on the table to raise the mark to 50%. The greed for latest weapons doesn’t stop here but according to anonymous government officials, India’s Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion has initiated a document of discussion regarding permitting DI up to 100%. Officials from Britain, USA and France have rushed to India to woo the government there. It is noteworthy that India is world’s largest arms importer and now eyes to become the largest manufacturer too.
According to the World Bank statistics, the Indian arms imports during the period 2009-2013 stood at $ 5581,000,000. In the year 2013 alone, India spent $6 billion on the import of weapons while the Indian defense budget stood at $47.4 billion (Stockholm International peace Research Institute SIPRI). Previously Russia was the main supplier of weapons to India as during the period 2009-2013 it supplied 75% of Indian weapons however, now this role has been replaced by Washington. In 2013, India had imported a military kit worth $1.9Bn from the US last year. With $5.9Bn of defense imports India is now the most active buyer from the USA lagging behind only Saudi Arabia. The weapon shopping doesn’t stop here, but Dessault of France is also working to finalize an agreement of Rafael fighters up to $20bn.
These stats shed light on the Indian jingoism that is manifested in the hysterical buying of arms from all over the world. The attitude has evoked an arms race in the region as small Indian neighbors’ feel increasingly threatened. The rage is increasing with every passing day while on the other hand millions in India live below the poverty line.
India has world’s third largest population of poor and a third of the slave population of the world too. The grim picture of abject poverty in India is reflected by the fact that 56% of the percent of the Indians, around 680 million, don’t have enough means to meet their basic needs (The Empowerment Line). 43 million people just above the poverty line are vulnerable. Similarly 40% of the unmet needs of the Indian people by value are health care, drinking water and sanitation.
On the other hand the growth rate of Indian economy is not at the desired 8% which the Government thinks is necessary to get rid of the poverty. In the last quarter of 2013, the growth rate of Indian economy was 4.7%, the fifth consecutive quarter where the growth rate has been below 5%. The fact that till 2010, only 34% of the Indian population had improved sanitation facilities itself speaks volumes about the adversity of situation in India. Sanitation was highlighted during the 2014 Indian elections and was a topic frequently discussed with candidates putting it on their manifestos.
With such a sad state of affairs at home, the rage displayed by India to acquire modern arms and ammunition, in turn evoking an arms race in the region is questionable by every sane person. Although India aims high for occupying the place of a global power but with such grim situation in the country and the sharp contradictions in the priorities of the state portray a gloomy picture for the poor.
India: Weapon Purchase Spree Ignores Woes of Millions of Poor
By YFK
June 22,2016
Recently India has increased its defense spending by 7.9% in the fiscal budget for the year 2015-16 with the amount now reaching to $40 bn (2.47 trillion Indian Rupees). For the last three years India has been the world’s top arms buyer (In 2013 India spent $6 billion on buying equipment, Diplomat). The aim is to counter the rising Chinese influence by replacing old Soviet military equipment. It is expected that over the next one decade India shall spend $100 billion in this regard. According to a statement by the Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley the increase was meant to augment the local Indian defense industry and decrease reliance on foreign equipment. In his words this is an extension of the “Make in India” policy to the defense sector.
The Modi regime after coming into power eagerly expressed its ambitious designs and opened the Indian defense sector for foreign investment. Previously the investment cap was at 26% and now there are plans on the table to raise the mark to 50%. The greed for latest weapons doesn’t stop here but according to anonymous government officials, India’s Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion has initiated a document of discussion regarding permitting DI up to 100%. Officials from Britain, USA and France have rushed to India to woo the government there. It is noteworthy that India is world’s largest arms importer and now eyes to become the largest manufacturer too.
According to the World Bank statistics, the Indian arms imports during the period 2009-2013 stood at $ 5581,000,000. In the year 2013 alone, India spent $6 billion on the import of weapons while the Indian defense budget stood at $47.4 billion (Stockholm International peace Research Institute SIPRI). Previously Russia was the main supplier of weapons to India as during the period 2009-2013 it supplied 75% of Indian weapons however, now this role has been replaced by Washington. In 2013, India had imported a military kit worth $1.9Bn from the US last year. With $5.9Bn of defense imports India is now the most active buyer from the USA lagging behind only Saudi Arabia. The weapon shopping doesn’t stop here, but Dessault of France is also working to finalize an agreement of Rafael fighters up to $20bn.
These stats shed light on the Indian jingoism that is manifested in the hysterical buying of arms from all over the world. The attitude has evoked an arms race in the region as small Indian neighbors’ feel increasingly threatened. The rage is increasing with every passing day while on the other hand millions in India live below the poverty line.
India has world’s third largest population of poor and a third of the slave population of the world too. The grim picture of abject poverty in India is reflected by the fact that 56% of the percent of the Indians, around 680 million, don’t have enough means to meet their basic needs (The Empowerment Line). 43 million people just above the poverty line are vulnerable. Similarly 40% of the unmet needs of the Indian people by value are health care, drinking water and sanitation.
On the other hand the growth rate of Indian economy is not at the desired 8% which the Government thinks is necessary to get rid of the poverty. In the last quarter of 2013, the growth rate of Indian economy was 4.7%, the fifth consecutive quarter where the growth rate has been below 5%. The fact that till 2010, only 34% of the Indian population had improved sanitation facilities itself speaks volumes about the adversity of situation in India. Sanitation was highlighted during the 2014 Indian elections and was a topic frequently discussed with candidates putting it on their manifestos.
With such a sad state of affairs at home, the rage displayed by India to acquire modern arms and ammunition, in turn evoking an arms race in the region is questionable by every sane person. Although India aims high for occupying the place of a global power but with such grim situation in the country and the sharp contradictions in the priorities of the state portray a gloomy picture for the poor.
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