Views on Defence Budget

by Brig Sanjay Agarwal

Sanjay Agarwal, a distinguished professor at SRM University Chennai's NCR campus, and a former fulltime advisor to the National Highway Authority of India, introduced himself to the audience by mentioning his long career in the Indian Army and his current work as a motivational speaker and teacher at various institutions. He emphasized on the defence budget as one of the key topics of discussion in his interview.

Points Highlighted by Sanjay Agarwal:

1. Introduction of himself as the full-time advisor to the National Highway Authority of India and a distinguished professor at SRM University Chennai.

2. His 36 years of experience as an officer in the Indian Army and his current role as a motivational speaker.

3. Overview of the Union Budget and the allocation of 593,000 crores to the Total Defence Budget.

4. Capital expenditure increased by 7% and revenue expenditure increased by 16% compared to last year.

5. Overview of the Agneepath scheme, a key motivator behind the budget.

6. 23% of the capital expenditure goes to the Army, 32% to the Navy, and 35% to the Air Force.

7. Only 10% of the defence budget is allocated for research and development.

8. Discussion on the new tax regime and how the Baklava people being in the 12 to 15 lakh slab will pay only 20% tax.

9. The Agneepath scheme is proposed to exempt the corpus received from tax, allowing the young man or woman to keep the kitty intact.

10. The financial motive behind the Agneepath scheme.

Sanjay Agarwal, a retired army officer and a distinguished professor at SRM University in Chennai, is an expert in security and defense matters. In a recent interview, he discussed the Indian Union Budget and its impact on the country's defense. Key points covered in his talk include:

The current union budget has allocated 593,000 crores to the total defence budget, with a 7% increase in capital expenditure and a 16% increase in revenue expenditure. The defence pensions have also gone up by 15%. The allocation of the defence budget among the Army, Navy and Air Force shows that the Navy and Air Force receive approximately onethird of the budget while the Army receives one-fourth and the remaining 10% is allocated for research and development.

Sanjay Agarwal highlighted that the allocation for research and development is not as high as one would have hoped. However, he did mention that there is a bright spot in the budget with the allocation for agro tech startups. He also pointed out that the new tax regime in India, with people in the 12 to 15 lakh slab now paying only 20% tax, could positively impact the defence budget. The Agneepath Scheme, which provides a Corpus for young men and women joining the defence forces for four years, is also proposed to be exempt from tax, keeping the Corpus intact in the person's hands. Sanjay Agarwal mentioned that the financial motive behind this scheme is the prime mover. He highlighted that the Union Budget has allocated 593,000 crores to the Total Defense budget, with an increase of 7% in capital expenditure and 16% in revenue expenditure. Within the defense budget, the Army receives 23%, the Navy 32%, and the Air Force 35%. Research and development only receive 10% of the allocation.

The Agneepath scheme, which provides incentives for young men and women to join the military for four years, has been proposed to be exempt from taxes. This is seen as a financial motivator for the scheme.

With the new tax regime, individuals in the 12 to 15 lakh slabs will pay only 20% tax. This will have a positive impact on the defense budget.

Sanjay Agarwal also highlights the importance of increasing the allocation for research and development in the defense sector, and the potential benefits of the Agneepath scheme for the country's security.

In conclusion, Sanjay Agarwal's view on the defence budget highlights the increase in allocation, the distribution among the three services, and the importance of research and development. He also talked about the potential positive impact of the new tax regime and the Agneepath Scheme on the defence budget.