Abstract:
India’s aspiration to become a major power through military
dominance and arms competition has been threatening regional peace and
cooperation. Such hegemonic designs are also making India vulnerable
against its internal human development challenges. The first important
theme, which the study will explore, is that the overambitious plan to
develop a well-equipped and modernised armed force has compelled India
to increase its defence budget by almost 164.5 per cent from 2004 to 2014.
Despite such a huge budgetary increase India has failed to boost its
indigenous defence industry. India has now a top arms importer, fulfilling
almost over 70 per cent of its defence needs through foreign imports, but
Indian armed forces are still considered ‘antique’ and ‘ageing.’1
The
second important theme of the study is to analyse that occupied in a neverending arms race, India has failed to address its major human
development challenges. Poverty, quality education, healthcare, and other
socio-economic deprivations afflict a large majority of the Indian
population. Millions of Indians are living below the poverty line and more
than half of its population lacks access to basic civic necessities. The state
of India’s human development indicators is in stark contrast with the
minimum requirements to qualify for a major power status. The study
concludes that India’s rapid defence spending can destabilise the regional
peace, and that a state like India cannot acquire a major power status by
neglecting its key human development issues. Huge defence spending
cannot protect a nation against internal social and economic deprivations.
