Mumbai, Feb 8: Defending India's military expenditure, President A P J Abdul Kalam today said the defence spending was necessary for the country's political and economic freedom, especially in the light of some neighbouring countries possessing nuclear arms.
The President, who is also the supreme commander of the armed forces, said the defence expenditure of around five per cent of the total budget was, however, quite less compared to other countries. ''In India, we spend 95 per cent on developmental activities,'' Dr Kalam said.
Defence expenditure was necessary in view of the fact that some neighbouring countries possess nuclear arms, therefore it was imperative for India to have a decent defence budget, said Dr Kalam who as a top scientist at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was closely associated with India's nuclear and missile programmes.
Dr Kalam, also described as India's 'missile man', pointed out that in the past 3,000 years, there had been several invasions into the country. ''The British came here, did as the French, Dutch and Portuguese, and hence to maintain the economic and political freedom, a decent defence spending is necessary,'' the Bharat Ratna awardee said. Bureau report