OPERATION SINDOOR'S BOLD ECHO

India's journey towards being self-reliant and a major power in the region is changing. India's decisive strides towards defence superpower status is a story of strength, new ideas, and a strong national spirit

- GIRISH LINGANNA

India is standing at a point where its defence strength is growing stronger than ever before. The government's decision to put an extra ₹50,000 crore into the defence budget, taking it past ₹7 lakh crore, shows a strong commitment. This extra money, expected to be approved in the Parliament's Winter Session, comes after Operation Sindoor, a successful military action that showed India's smart tactics and home-grown technologies like the Akash missile system, BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, and Bhargavastra anti-drone system.

More Money for Defence: Making Our Future Safe

The ₹50,000 crore increase in the 2025-26 defence budget builds on a strong base. Earlier, on February 1, 2025, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had already allocated ₹6.81 lakh crore for defence. This was a 9.2 per cent increase from the ₹6.22 lakh crore given before, making defence the ministry with the most money at 13 per cent of the total national budget.

This extra money will help in research, buying advanced weapons, and using new technologies, making sure our armed forces are always ready. This isn't just about spending money; it's a smart move in a world that's constantly changing.

The terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, where 26 people, mostly tourists, lost their lives, showed the necessity of a strong defence. And fittingly, Operation Sindoor, India's quick and accurate response, proved our ability to strike back and protect ourselves, leading to this budget increase.