Union Budget 2019: Defence salary bill leaves less for new weaponry

Government sources argue this year's capital allocation of Rs 108,248 crore cannot be increased further, since it already accounts for one-third of the central government capital expenditure

The modest 6.35 per cent rise in defence allocations – from Rs 405,193 crore in last year’s revised estimates, to Rs 431,011 crore in Friday’s Budget – presents an even more worrying picture when the budget is disaggregated.

A Business Standard analysis of the defence budget in a three-year window indicates that most of this scanty rise is accounted for by the revenue heads of manpower and running expenses. Meanwhile, the important capital budget component, which funds equipment modernisation, has grown significantly slower.

From the baseline of the 2016-17 budget to the present, three annual increments have raised spending on the three