Last week, China increased its defence budget by 20 per cent whereas our Finance Minister did so by 10 per cent. The Budget allocation does not meet the country's defence requirements. The increase is eaten away by price rise. For the first time, a comparative study suggests, India has lost its edge over Pakistan's armed forces. Thanks to the US, the Pak Army has never failed in getting sophisticated machines. Whatever war machinery India is getting from Israel is being opposed by outside supporters of the Government, the CPM.

Moscow, too, is supplying such machines but they are overcharging for inferior technologies as compared to the US machines being supplied to Pakistan. Encirclement of India by China, right from Gwadar in Pakistan on the West to Bangladesh and Myanmar in the East, is apparent. The Himalayan barrier is no more unsurpassable for China. They have build metallic roads up to Arunachal, Sikkim and Nepal.

The Economist of London wrote a piece, how the Indian Army is not fit and is short of nearly 12,000 officers. I am writing this not to demoralise but to warn the nation. There is no denying the rampant corruption in recruitment of jawans. Often, stories of riots are heard at recruitment centres. Yet, as far as the officer cadre is concerned, their emoluments are no more attractive. The educated youth is no more charmed. Add to this anomaly, injustice galore can be retold endlessly. A Paramveer Chakra awardee, Captain Bana Singh, feels desperate and humiliated and says that a militant gets Rs 2,000 a month when he surrenders and I get Rs 166 as extra reward for serving the nation -- I am insulted. I am helpless. If the Government does not react, I will return the award. Needless to say, till date nothing has happened.

Everybody knows that Siachen is the most inhospitable terrain; the highest battlefield in the world with sub-zero temperatures where the stool passed by humans turns rock hard within no time. The Raksha Bhavan mandarins are so insensitive towards the safety of life that they are unwilling to consider life-saving requirements of the Armed Forces posted there. One can recall that George Fernandez was the first Defence Minister who visited Siachen and also made some highly placed bureaucrats visit Siachen to see the ground situation.

Afzal Guru, chief conspirator of the attack on Parliament, is enjoying the Government's hospitality in jail. The Government is kind enough to keep the gallows as far away from him as possible, whereas the families of policemen who saved Parliament are suffering.

How callous can Government officials be when we learn that none worth naming was present in Dharamshala at the funeral of Anant Singh Pathania, winner of the Military Cross. Neither any politician nor any bureaucrat paid tribute to the departed soul. One would believe that the UPA Government has decided to provide relief packages to dependents of terrorists killed by Armed Forces in encounters in J&K.

In an unrelated incident, a 76-year-old war veteran was denied his superannuation benefits on basis of non-existent rules. It's a pity that soldiers perform heroic deeds ungrudgingly but when the event passes by their perks and other entitlements are denied to them.

Even promises made to the families of the martyrs are conveniently forgotten.

Ex-servicemen are the lowest paid strata of the society. In war, there are no trophies to be given, no crowds to cheer like those for cricket-heroes who collect crores in one stroke. On the contrary thousands of petitions for pension are lying pending. Either the Defence Minister or the Finance Minister has never been that generous to the Armed Forces as they have been to defaulting loanees.

Acceding to Sachar Commission recommendations the Government in its current budget has communalised this financial functioning also. Had the Government considered the amount of even a per cent of the Sachar budgeting for our jawans who serve to uphold integrity of the nation, there would have been some consolation.

There is a question looming in the political circles as to how much of the budget bonanza or the gift from forthcoming Pay Commission report would fetch votes to the ruling parties. If by some bad luck even 30 per cent of monsoon fails, populist measures would get swept away.

First, election results depend upon the clouding electoral weather of preceding fortnight of the elections.

Populist budget bonanzas would look like forgotten echoes. Third, flaring price rise of the last four years has been causing consistent pain in the neck of at least 90 per cent people of the country and our kind Finance Minister has promised costlier wheat, pulses and edible oils just this week. Last, at least seven months are there to go for elections if not an year and in politics even 15 days is too much time.

Courtesy: www.dailypioneer.com, March 09, 2008