Defence Budget

TPS

Defence Budget : 2020-21

Dear Thakur Saheb and Nirmala Ji,

Aane wala saal 101 varshon ke baad aata hai. 2020 hum sab logon ki zindagi ka ek bahut khas varsh hoga. Aaj jo log zinda hain unme se shayad hi gine chune log 1919 ya us se pehle paida huey honge. 2121 mein aaj jeevit vyaktiyon mein se bahut kam log bachenge. Hum to katai nahi honge. Aap ke bare mein pata nahi. Ho sakta amrit pi kar aaye hon aap.

Thakur saheb yeh aapka pehla defence budget hoga. 1973 ke ‘black budget’ se (YB Chavan as FM) 2019-20 tak ke budget mein koi khas badlave nahi aya defence budget ke bare mein. Har guzarte saal ke saath desh ki suraksha ke upar sawaliya nishan bahri aur androoni khatron ke roop mein badhta gaya lekin desh ki suraksha ke liye zimmedar desh ki fauj ‘gharib’ hoti gai. Fauj ke is haal ki puri zimmedari aap se pehle ke Raksha Mantriyon ki hai.

Krishna Menon sahib nein fauj ki takat barkarrar rakhne ke liye bahut unda faisle liye. Unhone defence budget ko GDP ke do pratishat se zyada karvaya. Unke Raksha Mantri rahte huey desh ka sabse mazboot shastra jiska nirman Hindustan mein hua tha, desh ki fauj mein pravesh kiya. Bhartiya nirmit MARUT viman sansar ke adhunik jahazon mein ek tha. Menon sahib ki doorandeshi ka ek aur atyant mazboot udaharan hai. Unhone Raksha Mantri pad tyagne se pehle USSR (Russia) se MiG-21 viman ko kharidne ka masauda taiyaar kar diya tha. Menon Saheb ke baad ke kisi Raksha Mantri ne desh mein nirmit aur yudh mein istemaal hone wala koi bhi samaan nahi banaya.

Ham jin haalaton se guzar rah hain us se ek baat bilkul saaf hai. Hamari faujon ko bahri mulkon se hi samaan kharidna padega kum se kum agle tees saal tak. Aap bhi isme koi bhi badlave nahi la sakte lekin koshish kar sakte hain . Sirf nek iradon se beete huey samay ki hamari nishkriyata ke afsane khatam nahi ho jayenge. Aaj ki tareekh mein na to hum Desh mein nirmit  hawai jahaz, tank ya yudhpot bana sakte hain aur na hi koi ati-adhunik shastra, jaise ki hawa mein hawa se door tak mar karne wali missiles vagairah vagairah.

AGNI, BRAHMOS aur PRITHVI missile ke bharose mat rahiyega. Tejas aur Rafale mein udaan bharne ke liye mubarakbad. Lekin yeh sirf ek publicity stunt se zyada kuch nahi tha. Hum actual ladai ki baat kar rahe hain jo ki hamare upar kabhi bhi thopi ja sakti hai.

Aapko nirnaye sirf ek cheez ka karna hai. Kya aap bhi apne se pehle ke Raksha Mantriyon ki tarah  “LAKIR KE FAKIR”  bane rahenge ya kuch asli badlave lane ki koshish karenge?

Aaj ki tarikh mein fauj ke halaat kuch is tareh hain:-

Hamari atyant bahadur aur khuddar fauj desh ki seemaon ke pratyake inch ki raksha karne ke liye mustaid hain. Lekin kya hamne apne sipahiyon ko mazboot aslahon se lass kiya hai? Saare ke Saare Raksha Mantri is ahem masle ko kabhi nahi hal kar paaye KYONKI KABHI BHI KOSHISH NAHI KI. Saaf taur se yeh kahna galat nahi hoga ki unme se kisi ne bhi koshish nahi kari. Bahadur se bahadur sipahi bagair unda bandook aur aseemit goliyon ke bhandar ke bina ladai nahi jeet sakta. Raksha Mantralaya mein baithe huey sachivon ne is vishay mein behad gair zimmedarana ravaiyya apnaya hai pichle takriban 60 saalon mein. Aapko ise badalna hoga. Bagair goli ki bandook se dushman nahi marte.

Chief of Defence Staff ke appointment ko bana karke aapki sarkar nein koi teer nahi mara hai. Yeh ek gair zaroori mudda tha. Kaam ka Mudda sirf ek hai.

“Kya hamari fauj ke paas plan ke mutabik 30 dinon ki bhayankar ladai ke liye kafi aslahe hain?”

 Imaandari se iska uttar hai “NAHI”. Aap se pehle ki Raksha Mantri Nirmala Ji nein is mudde par karib ek saal pehle diye gaye apne bayan mein kaha tha ki hamari faujon ke paas kafi aslahe hain; unhone galat kaha tha. Ho sakta hai ki unko galat jankaari di gai ho.

Thakur Saheb aaj ki taareekh mein hamari faujon ke paas 30 dinon ki bhayankar ladai ke liye sahi matra mein aslahe nahi hain. Aapko sirf do udaharan deta hoon:-

  • Sun 1987 operation Brasstack ke dauraan Bharatiya Vayu Sena ke paas Mirage 2000 viman to the lekin us jahaz mein upyog hone wale astra-shastra nahi the kyonki us samay ke raksha sachiv ko is bare mein kuch pata hi nahi tha.
  • Sun 1999 mein KARGIL yudh ke dauraan BOFORS gun ke istemaal mein aane wala saare Hindustan ke liye kharida gaya sara aslaha kum pad gaya tha. Hindustan ko ladai ke dauraan hi BOFORS ka ammunition bahri mulkon se mangana pada tha, dugni/chauguni keemat par.
  • Kargil war ke dauraan hi Mirage 2000 ke liye ek special TARGETING POD (LITENING) Israel se mangana pada tha halanki iski kharid ke liye 1991 mein proposal bheja ja chuka tha.

Thakur Saheb Ladaiyan is tareh nahi ladi aur jeeti jaati hain. Chaliye ab mudde par aate hain aur defence budget ki baat karte hain. Main ‘3% of GDP as Defence Budget’ waale gang ka member na tha aur na hi hoon. Desh ki suraksha ke liye koi bhi budget nishchit roop se nahi fix kiya ja sakta na kiya jaana chahiye.

I will quote what POTUS Ronald Reagan said when questioned by US Congress about expenditure involved in STARWARS project “Our great nation does not limit expenditure on national security matters as a percentage of national budget”.

Thakur Saheb kabhi kabhi doosron se seekhne mein koi burai/harja nahi hai. Yadi aap wakai kuch karna chahte hain to defence budget ka swaroop badal dijye. Piti hui lakir ko peetne se kuch nahi banega. Mujhe poori ummeed hai ki aap apni doorandeshi ka parichay defence budget ke purane swaroop ki tilanjali kar ke sabhi bhartiyon ko denge.

Mere sujhav is prakar hain:-

  • Pay and Pension. Seva ratt evam seva nivratt sainikon ki TANKHVAH/PENSION aur BHATTE defence budget ka hissa nahi hone chahiye. Yeh ek naitik rashtriya zimmedari hai aur usko raksha budget se jodna nihayet gair zimmedarana harkat hai jo ki barson se chali aa rahi hai. Is nagawar harkat ko band kar dena hi rashtra hit mein hoga.
  • Weapons for Existing Platforms. Abhi Maujood WEAPONS PLATFORMS ke dwara istemaal karne wale astra-shastron ke liye kum se kum 1% of GDP ka budget hona chahiye. Inke kharid ka poora zimma Service Chief ka hona chahiye. Raksha Mantralaya ke sachiv ya kisi aur ohdedar ka isme koi bhi dakhal nahi hona chahiye. Thakur Saheb 36 Rafale khareedne ka koi phayda nahi hai yadi aap sirf ek darjan SPICE-2000 bombs aur keval 10 METEOR missile khareedenge. Yadi yahi aapne bhi kiya to RAFALE sirf GANTANTRA DIVAS FLY PAST ke liye hi munasib hoga. Yadi paise ki kami hai to 30 RAFALE kharidye aur baki 6 RAFALE ki keemat ke aslahe kharidye is jahaz ke liye. Aap to thakur hain; bina goli wali bandook ki ahmiyat jante aur samajhte hain.
  • New Inductions. Kam se kam 1% of GDP ka budget naye platforms khareedne ke liye hona chahiye.
  • Research & Development. Aap R&D ke liye alag se kam se kam 0.5% of GDP (preferably 1%) budget ke liye government par zor dijye. Pichle 70 varshon mein R&D ke liye ek paisa bhi nahi budget mein diya gaya hai. Hamare liye yeh sharm ka Vishay hai ki GOOGLE jaisi companiyan R&D par hamse zyada kharch karti hain.

Thakur Saheb niyati ne aapko ek sunehra avsar diya hai Desh ki seva karne ka. Pichle Raksha Mantriyon ki tarah ghisa pita defence budget pesh karke is swarnim avsar ko mat gavaniye.

Oft quoted paradox ‘we will fight with whatever we have’ is a tacit acceptance of incompetence and inability to deliver when and where needed most. You are morally obliged to equip every soldier better than his probable adversary. Failure to do so will be an anti-national act. No excuses please.

Reduce and/or cut expenditure on subsidies or any other head and provide it to the soldier.

Bhagwan aapko aur Nirmala Ji ko sadbuddhi de!

Pranam,

 

Gp Capt TP Srivastava

9818926254

30th December, 2019

 

p.s. Naya varsh mangalmay ho!

Published by TPS

Born in a legal practitioner’s family of repute in 1950, I chose to serve the finest institution of any nation, The Military. Over three decades with the IAF, I spent nearly quarter century sitting in the close confines of magnificent flying machines viz MiG-21 and MiG-29, a different world altogether. I have had the opportunity to walk the corridors of power and witness profligate governance by the politicians and bureaucrats alike with military leadership not lagging too far behind. I have traveled extensively across Middle East, South East Asia, most of Europe, China and the USA. I have authored a book titled “Profligate Governance--- Implications for National Security” dealing with national and international affairs, specific military affairs, geo-strategic scenario etc. In the twilight of my life my interest revolves around improving standards of Primary Education in the country. Whatever I save from my pension goes towards establishing libraries for children in village schools.

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