India’s defence budget may get a Rs 50,000 crore boost as a result of Operation Sindoor, government sources told media Friday morning. The boost, which will likely be provided through the supplementary budget, will take overall defence allocation past Rs 7 lakh crore, source said.
A record Rs 6.81 lakh crore had been set aside for the armed forces in the 2025/26 budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1. This year’s allocation was already a significant 9.2 per cent increase from the Rs 6.22 lakh crore in 2024/25.
The increased budget – approval for which will be sought in Parliament’s Winter Session – will likely be used for research and development, and the purchase of weapons, ammunition, and other necessary equipment.
Defence has been a focus of the Narendra Modi administration since 2014; the Defence Ministry had been given Rs 2.29 lakh crore in 2014/15, the first year of the BJP government.
India’s defence readiness and the (likely) increased budget allotment comes amid continuing tension with Pakistan.
