Indian splurge kicks up a storm in Britain

India has been slammed by British taxpayers, who have been providing a financial aid to the country, after it emerged that the nation is set to spend over 1 billion pounds on three warships.

Britain is handing over 280 million pounds a year to India, despite the latter admitting that it doesn't need the help and regards the amount as "peanuts".

While the UK's Royal Navy suffers severe budget cuts, India has splurged on Russian-built frigates, including one, which is believed to carry the world's fastest Cruise missile.

The news follows after India announced that it is planning to spend over 50 million pounds for an unmanned spacecraft mission to Mars.

"Just a couple of weeks after learning how they are effect­ively subsidising India's mission to Mars, British taxpayers will be dismayed to discover that the Indian government is splashing the cash on these new warships," the Daily Express quoted Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, as saying.

"India can afford to spend billions on ventures and equipment that the British government goes without. This only goes to emphasise the absurdity of British aid going to India," he added.

While India is known to be the world's largest importer of arms, yet millions of its citizens still live in poverty, the paper said.

"It seems to me that a country that spends billions on defence is more than capable of looking after its own people without 280 million pounds a year from British taxpayers. They could just spend 280 million pounds less on defence," Conservative MP Philip Davies said