The Navy was allocated Rs 56,388 crore in 2019-20, of which Rs 25,656 crore was for capital expenditure
The chief of naval staff (CNS), Admiral Karambir Singh, has admitted that the Navy’s declining budget has forced him to re-evaluate his long-term plan to field 200 warships by 2027. This target is institutionalised in the Navy’s Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP) for 2012-2027. To media queries about how many ships could realistically be expected to be in service by 2027, the Navy’s vice chief, Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar, replied “about 175”. The CNS, however, termed that figure “optimistic”.
Singh was addressing the media on Tuesday, on the eve of Navy Day. The Navy currently has about 130 warships, he said, and another 50 are under construction in shipyards in and outside the country. “The Navy’s share of the defence Budget has declined from 18 per cent in 2012 to approximately 13 per cent in the current financial year (2019-20),” stated Singh.
The Navy was allocated Rs 56,388 crore in 2019-20, of which Rs 25,656 crore was for capital expenditure, or the payment for new ships. An estimated 90 per cent of this was already earmarked for paying instalments for warships and equipment purchased in previous years. “We have projected (our additional requirement) and our hope is that we’ll get some more money. Based on that we will prioritise our requirements so that the maritime interests of the country are not compromised”, said the CNS..
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