Manpower, Modernisation, and Method

The provision of healthcare coverage for Central Armed Police Forces personnel and their dependents through Ayushman Bharat represents a shift toward scheme-based, standardised welfare delivery.

- VALAY VAIDYA & SIMRAN BHARDWAJ

India’s police expenditure for FY 2026-27 under the Union Budget, stands at Rs.1.73 lakh crore, reflecting a year-on-year increase of a little over 7 per cent. While the magnitude of the allocation invites attention, its analytical significance lies less in its size than in its internal composition.

The distribution of expenditure across revenue and capital heads, and across operational and institutional functions, provides insight into how policing capacity is being incrementally structured.

Capital expenditure on police rose from approximately Rs.16,020 crore in FY 2025-26 to Rs.21,272 crore in FY 2026-27, representing an increase of nearly 33 per cent. This expansion materially alters the expenditure mix by increasing the share of spending devoted to asset creation. In public finance terms, this indicates a shift toward investments with longer gestation periods and longer institutional payoffs—such as infrastructure, equipment, laboratories, and information systems—rather than an exclusive reliance on recurrent spending.