Surgical strike after ‘specific, very definite’ inputs, govt rejects defence budget ‘cut’

THE “SURGICAL strike” on terror launchpads across the Line of Control in Kashmir was carried out after “specific and very definite” inputs on possible attacks on the country, the government said in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

The strikes were carried out last year with absolute precision and the targets were completely destroyed with no casualty being sufferedbyindianforces,minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said while replying to the debate on the Defence budget.

He said, “When we received the specific and very definite inputs across the border that there were several terrorist teams positioned at the launch pads, ready to carry out a strike in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of country...our Army conducted a surgical strike with precision without causing any casualty on our side, but causing destruction of terrorists and people supporting them.”

Bhamre said that in 2016 and 2015 there were 228 and 152 ceasefire violations, respectively, by Pakistan. In 2016, 27 infiltration bids were stopped, leaving 37 terrorists dead, he added.

On the Opposition’s charge thatdefencebudgetinproportion to GDP has come down, Bhamre said it may not always be proper to consider defence spending in termsofeconomicoutput.hesaid spending decreases as a percentage of GDP if the economy grows at a faster pace but that does not mean the level of spending has fallen or has become inadequate.

Earlier, intervening in the debate, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said the armed forces are fully prepared to deal with any threat to the country.

Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia had accused the government of cutting defence spend withrespecttoitsshareofthegdp. He also alleged that the government was not meeting the financialrequirementofthethreeforces meant for their much-needed modernisation. “Our Army is not gettingnewweapons.thebudget for them is not adequate, and still all of it is not being spent,” Scindia said. “Rs 7,000 crore of capital expenditure has been returned and Rs 13,000 crore was returned in the preceding year.”

Jaitleyrejectedthecharge,saying the government had signed 147procurementcontractsworth more than Rs 2.96 lakh crore in three years. He cited contracts to procure weapons and equipment for all three wings of the forces — 155-mm ultra-light Howitzer gunsandbrahmosmissilesforthe Army, deep sea rescue missions for the Navy, and Apache attack helicopters for the Air Force.

“This impression should not go that procurement is not happening,” he said, adding that the matter of preparedness of defence forces should be bipartisan.

Jaitleyalsorejectedthecharge that the ‘Make in India’ scheme had “failed” in the defence sector.

He said 134 proposals worth morethanrs4.45lakhcrorewere signed.

Anil Sharma Defence Minister Jaitley with Cabinet colleague Naqvi and SAD MP Naresh Gujral outside Parliament on Friday.