From being known as an apostle of peace to being the third-largest spender on defence armaments and military paraphernalia in the world, India sure has come a long way. Global military spending touched $2.1 trillion in 2021, an increase in real terms at the rate of 0.7 per cent as compared to the previous year, almost 2.2 per cent of the world’s GDP. It is interesting to note that despite the industrial slowdown, widespread poverty, and the consequent economic downturn owing to Covid, India has spent $76.6 billion on defence acquisitions. Interestingly the country’s spending on the education, health and social sectors has seen a steep regression in inflation-adjusted terms. We are funnelling out money from more important heads and criminally wasting it on fuelling and burnishing our self-anointed status as a global superpower/ vishwaguru even as a third of the country goes without two square meals a day. It may be argued that India faces the twin threats of China and Pakistan on the eastern and western sectors respectively but this kind of humongous expenditure on the procurement of war machines beggars belief, especially given the fact that 30 million Indians descend into poverty every year. Where are we heading as a nation?
