Defence ministry: Used 50% of capital outlay this fiscal

NEW DELHI: The defence ministry on Monday said it utilised over 50% of its capital outlay by end-Sept in the ongoing fiscal, which will ensure timely delivery of vital aircraft, warships, submarines, weapon systems to the armed forces in the coming year."In absolute terms, the capital expenditure stands at Rs 92,211 crore (51%) out of the total allocation of Rs 1.8 lakh crore. Majority of the expenditure has been on aircraft and aero engines followed by land systems, electronic warfare equipment, armaments, and projectiles," the MoD said.It, for instance, includes the first instalment for the largest-ever contract worth Rs 66,500 crore inked with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for 97 Tejas Mark-1A fighters on Sept 25. TOI was the first to report that the contract would be inked to ensure budget spending timelines were met despite IAF's objections that it was yet to get even the first such 'improved' jet of the 83 ordered earlier for Rs 46,898 crore in Feb 2021.