India’s Defense Budget Hits ₹8 Lakh Crore: A Strategic Leap Toward Atmanirbharta and Modernization

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh recently highlighted a landmark achievement in India’s strategic planning, noting that the national defense budget has surged from ₹2.5 lakh crore to ₹8 lakh crore over the last decade. This nearly three-fold increase reflects a paradigm shift in India’s approach to national security, transitioning from a reactive posture to a proactive, self-reliant defense ecosystem. The core of this budgetary expansion is the "Atmanirbhar Bharat" initiative. For decades, India remained one of the world's largest arms importers. However, the current policy framework prioritizes domestic procurement, with a significant portion of the capital outlay now earmarked for the Indian industry. The implementation of Positive Indigenisation Lists and the Defense Acquisition Procedure (DAP) has catalyzed the growth of the domestic defense industrial base, involving both Defense Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and private players, including MSMEs and tech startups.