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Govt willing to hike defence budget

Gurdip Singh in New Delhi

Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha today said that he would not hesitate to hike the defence budget to meet the requirements of the armed forces in the context of the Kargil conflict.

''Whatever be the requirements of the ministry of defence and our armed forces they will be fully met,'' Sinha told UNI in an interview.

''There should be no doubt about either our willingness or our capacity to meet the requirements of the defence,'' he said.

He warned hoarders that stringent action would be taken against them in case they indulged in speculative activities creating hardships for the common man.

A contingency plan has been chalked out to make the people aware of the emergency measures in the case of any attack.

Reliable sources said an environment of uncertainty is prevailing among the people of border areas. They are living in fear but prepared to face any odds.

According to highly-placed sources, a contingency plan has been implemented by the security and administrative agencies in the Jammu city as well as the whole region.

''It has been decided in the civil defence meetings that people should be made aware about the measures to protect themselves in the event of war. They will be told how they could be able to minimise the loss and fear coming from the war,'' the sources said, adding that ''If we will be prepared in advance for any eventuality, we shall not be caught unawares so the enemy would get a befitting reply and will not be allowed to make more damage on our soil.''

UNI

The Kargil Crisis

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