India’s defence purchase worth Rs 86,741 crore budgeted for 2013 ‐14 fiscal will remain unaffected by the central government’s austerity measures and the 10 per cent budget cuts in non‐Plan expenses announced for all departments and ministries. A day after the Finance Ministry issued an office memorandum on the budget cuts, under which air travel and conference in five‐star hotels have been frowned upon, Defence Ministry officials said here that the intimation had clearly exempted “defence capital” expenditure, apart from salaries and pensions under the revenue expenditure. This decision of the government not to cut the capital expenditure of the Defence Ministry for this year, at least for the time being, may help the armed forces to firm up some of the deals for their immediate requirements, sources said.
Source: Indian Express
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