The defence ministry on Thursday accorded its approval to procure 30 MQ-9B Predator drones from the US to crank up the surveillance apparatus of the armed forces, especially along the frontier with China, people familiar with the development said.
Against the backdrop of recent incursions by Chinese troops into India, the two countries are working to conclude a new border defence agreement with an aim of signing it when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh travels to Beijing possibly in October.
It said the acceptance of necessity accorded to the procurement by the Defence Acquisition Council noted the estimated cost of $3,072 million as provided by the US government, adding the price will be negotiated once policy approval from Washington is received.
The capital outlay to cover the modernisation programmes have got a hike of 10.05 per cent.
The Imphal Valley in Manipur remained peaceful but tense on Friday, however intermittent gunfights between militant groups and security forces were reported from the hill districts surrounding the valley.
The state government was informed about the Rs 500 crore bill by the Union home ministry through a letter dated February 6.
'Everyone I know has somebody kidnapped or murdered by the terrorists.'
More and more women are making their presence felt in jobs related to sciences, technology, and engineering across organisations.
'We are an inherently Maritime Nation -- with the sea on three sides and high mountains on the fourth. It is but natural that the oceans would play a vital role in India's growth and prosperity,'
The army chief also appealed the cadets to keep abreast with new technology to counter the contemporary challenges.
As she walked near the tricolour-wrapped coffin, tears welled up in her eyes. She then, carefully touched the surface of the wooden coffin, and then laid her head on it, and cried, "Bhai (brother)", multiple times.
Two Army Majors were on Friday decorated with the country's second highest peace-time gallantry medal Kirti Chakra, including one posthumously, for their bravery during counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
The nation has the fifth largest defence budget in the world, at $52.5 billion in 2017 ($51.1 billion in 2016), overtaking the UK whose defence budget fell from $52.5 billion in 2016 to $50.7 billion in 2017.
The army also stated that allocation of Rs 21,338 crore for modernisation is insufficient.
Clearly, he is in the right place, at the right time.
The Xi Jinping regime might try to quell internal distress by directing nationalism and militarism against India, warn Ajay Shah and Gautam Bambawale.
Gen Naravane said a "befitting response" was given to the "conspiracy" to make unilateral changes on the border and that the sacrifice of the Galwan heroes in eastern Ladakh will not go waste.
Over a million officials are said to have been punished in Xi's anti-corruption campaign according to the official media accounts. The intensity of the campaign also attracted criticism that Xi made effective use of it to silence his critics and rivals within the party.
Several groceries in the metro ran out of milk, curd, bread, and milk powder and some of them displayed "no milk, curd" boards.
All equipment from the Army which were part of the Republic Day celebrations are made-in-India, Chief of Staff Delhi Area Maj Gen Bhavnish Kumar had earlier said.
Celebrating its 89th anniversary, the Indian Air Force on Friday put up a dazzling show with 75 aircraft, drawn from its vintage and modern fleet, performing skilful manoeuvres also marking the platinum jubilee year of India's Independence.
A grateful nation pays tributes to the supreme sacrifices made during the Kargil War on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, July 26, 2022.
The meeting was conducted over a period of two days from February 24 to 25.
The Army has lost 21 soldiers due to bunkers caving in and damage to barracks along LoC in Rampur, Uri, Baramulla and Tangdhar sectors, a defence spokesman told PTI.
Former Army Chief General K V Krishna Rao was on Sunday cremated with full military honours in New Delhi.
Meet Major Hemant Raj from the army's 28 Madras Sapth Shakti command, mobilised a team of retired defence personnel and local fishermen to shift hundreds of stranded people to safety.
She says her priority areas would be military preparedness, defence indigenisation, and the welfare of soldiers.
Ruling out the possibility of deploying the army in anti-Naxal operations, Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said the real answer lies in strengthening local and central police forces.
With Pakyong now usable by AN-32s, the Indian Army can quickly move soldiers, weapons and supplies to this highly sensitive sector, which includes flashpoints like Doklam, Nathu La and the Siliguri Corridor.
'Amid the frequent cries that the defence budget falls short of what is needed, we tend to ignore the reality that any enhancement in the allocation is just not possible, and the armed forces have no option but to operate within this constraint.' 'So, unless deadwood -- especially manpower -- is identified and eliminated, we simply cannot have a modern military of the type that India needs,' says Vice Admiral Premvir Das (retd).
The Indian Army is short of over 11,387 officers, Union Defence Minister A K Antony told the Lok Sabha on Monday.
'There will be much for President Trump and Prime Minister Modi to discuss including growing Chinese military cooperation with Pakistan, which heralds a new attempt by China and Pakistan to neutralise India's influence in its Indian Ocean neighbourhood,' notes Ambassador G Parthasarathy.
After cost inflation, this year's allocation will buy significantly less than last year's, says Ajai Shukla
It said that the transit was "ongoing" and that there had been "no interference from foreign military forces so far."
That Australia is ready for a substantive engagement is evident from its 2013 Defence White Paper, which emphasised the need to build stronger defence relations with India, says Ajai Shukla
In a major embarrassment to the Army, three of its officers, including a Lieutenant Colonel, now deputed on the United Nations Peace Mission in Congo, have been accused of raping a woman in South Africa while they were holidaying there, an allegation that has prompted the defence ministry to order a probe."We have ordered an enquiry into the incident," Defence Minister A K Antony said on the sidelines of an Indian Air Force function on Tuesday.
'This letter is not a complaint, it's more indignation, because we do not like being used as political tools by people of various parties.'
Last year, the country's defence budget was $175 billion.
Currently women are allowed in a number of select areas including in medical, legal, educational, signals and engineering wings of the army.
