New Delhi, Feb. 25 -- The Union budget for 2026-27 signals a consolidation of the Indian defence industry's transition. Its allocation of Rs.7.85 trillion to India's ministry of defence-15.2% higher than in 2025-26 and 14.7% of total central government spending-is not a symbolic increase. It positions defence as a core component of state capacity rather than a discretionary outlay. It is consonant with the Narendra Modi-led government's vision of an 'Atmanirbhar, Agrani and Atulya Bharat' (self-reliant, pioneering and unparallelled India) by 2047, where strategic autonomy underpins national power.

Consider the scale of the shift. India's defence budget has risen from Rs.2.53 trillion in 2013-14, an increase of Rs.5.32 trillion in just ov...