Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 10:25am on 01 Feb 2026,Sunday Defence
The government has raised the defence budget to Rs 7.85 lakh crore for FY26, up from Rs 6.81 lakh crore last year, marking an increase of about 15 per cent. The Budget speech did not include any defence policy announcements, but allocations show higher spending on military readiness and upgrades. Defence capital expenditure rose 28 per cent to Rs 2.31 lakh crore for new equipment and systems. The move supports ongoing modernisation and domestic manufacturing goals. The increase comes after recent security tensions in the region. Customs duty was also exempted on key imported raw materials used for defence maintenance, repair, and overhaul work. (PC: India Today)
