Press Conference

Date : Wednesday, 11th February 2009
Time: 11 am to 11.30 am only
Venue: Press Club, Behind Post Office, Cubbon Park, Bangalore

Organised by
Control Arms Foundation of India, New Delhi
FEDINA, Bangalore
School of Law, Christ University, Bangalore

Bangalore: Around 600 Indian and international companies come together in Bangalore for Asia's largest air force exhibition, Aero India 2009, starting on February 11, 2009. With attendees such as EADS, Lockheed Martin and Dassault, the event is a central meeting point for the international arms trade.  India is one of the world's largest weapons importers.

According to Binalakshmi Nepram, Secretary General of Control Arms Foundation of India, New Delhi, “1,135 companies in 98 countries manufactures arms, ammunitions and components. 90 % of Conventional arms exports in the world are from the permanent five members of the United Nations Security Council namely USA, UK, Russia, China & France. The countries of Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East hold 51 per cent of the world’s heavy weapons. In 2002, arms deliveries to Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa constituted 66.7 per cent of the value of all arms deliveries worldwide”.

“The global trade that fuels the epidemic of armed violence is not subject to international regulation. The arms industry is unlike any other. It operates without regulation. There are more regulations in music and film industry than in arms”, Ms Nepram adds.

Developing nations like India continue to be the primary importers of arms. In 2007, 70.5 per cent of the arms transfer agreements were made in favour of developing nations. Between 2000 and 2007 India ranked world’s second largest arms importer accounting for 7.5 per cent of all major weapons transfers. It stood fourth among the largest military spender in terms of purchasing power in 2007 followed by US, China and Russia.

If we consider the current budget allocations in India for the year 2008-09, allocation for defence is Rs 105,600 crore which is 14.06 per cent of total budget and around Rs 48,007 crore i.e. 45.5 per cent of the defence budget is spent on arms and ammunitions. According to Dr Duarte Barreto, Executive Trustee of FEDINA, Bangalore, “While 900 million people of our country lacks social security protection, a demand for unilateral 10 percent reduction in military expenditure is not a big deal”.

One third of the world’s poor lives in India. India spends eight times of its budget on the military than clean water and sanitation while more that 4,50, 000 people die every year due to diarrhoea. When people are dying of poverty, can security and arms provide them with a basic square meal?

As criticism towards the Indian militarization grows bigger, the Indian civil society is organizing a parallel event in Bangalore as an alternative action to the Aero India 2009. Three days of meetings, demonstrations and a round table conference will be held in Bangalore. The event is titled “Disarmament for Peace, Human Security and Development in 21st century India”, focusing on the consequences of the arms trade and the way military spending is prioritised over the wellbeing of people.

"In a country where poverty is rampant and where there is a great deal to be done in the fields of health and education, we cannot be spending so much on defence. Our battle is against starvation and deprivation, which cannot be fought with guns and missiles" says Arvind Radhakrishnan of School of Law, Bangalore's Christ University.

The press conference will take place on 11th February 2009 at Press Club, Bangalore. It is organized by Control Arms Foundation of India (CAFI), New Delhi, The Foundation of Educational Innovation in Asia (FEDINA), Bangalore, and School of Law, Christ University, Bangalore.

For photo opportunity, please join us at
Indian Civil Society Peace Vigil at the start of the Aero India Fair 2009

Date:  Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Time: 11 am to 4 pm
Venue: Mahatma Gandhi Square & in front of Aero India Exhibit Halls, Yelahanka

For more information and a detailed program, click HERE or contact us:

Ms Binalakshmi Nepram (Control Arms Foundation of India)
Tel.: 09868233373 or E-mail: binalakshmi@gmail.com

Ms Mita Dutta (FEDINA)
Tel.: 9886091050 / 080 25353190 or E-mail: fedinablr@gmail.com

Mr Arvind Radhakrishnan (School of Law, Christ University)
Tel.: 9886529302 or E-mail: arvind.radhakrishnan@law.christcollege.edu