Defence Ministry utilises over 50 pc of capital outlay by Sep in current fiscal

New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS) The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has utilised more than 50 per cent of capital outlay this fiscal (FY26) by the end of September and in absolute terms, the capital expenditure stands at Rs 92,211.44 crore, it was announced on Monday.

The capital expenditure at Rs 92,211.44 crore (51.23 per cent) is out of the total allocation of Rs 1,80,000 crore.

The MoD had utilised 100 per cent of capital expenditure amounting to Rs 1,59,768.40 crore in the last financial year.

The utilisation of over 50 per cent of capital outlay will result in ensuring timely delivery of vital platforms such as aircraft, ships, submarines, weapon system, etc. required for the modernisation of the Armed Forces in the coming year.

Majority of the expenditure has been on aircraft and aero engines, followed by land systems, electronic warfare equipment, armaments, and projectiles.

Capital expenditure is crucial for the defence sector as it funds the acquisition of new assets, research and development, and infrastructural development in the border areas, which are all essential for the country's national security. Moreover, capital expenditure has a multiplier effect on economic growth and employment generation.

“With this pace of expenditure and big-ticket projects which are at advanced stages of approval, MoD is committed to fully utilising the allocation under capital head by the end of the current FY also,” it noted.

In parallel, the Ministry is working on the budgetary projections to be discussed for revised estimates. It is to be highlighted that in the current FY, Ministry of Defence had been allocated Rs 1,80,000 crore under capital head at the BE stage by Ministry of Finance.

This allocation was 12.66 per cent higher than the actual expenditure of FY 2024-25.

Since FY 2020-21, Ministry of Defence has been consistently strengthening the domestic industries by earmarking funds for procurement from them.

For FY 2025-26, Rs 1,11,544.83 crore has been earmarked for the domestic industry. Significant expenditure to the extent of 45 per cent has been recorded till date out of the funds earmarked for domestic procurement.

—IANS

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