The dominant theme at this year's ceremonial parade at the Kartavya Path, and other associated celebrations, has been the sesquicentenary of the national song, 'Vande Mataram.'
The sesquicentenary of 'Vande Mataram' was the overriding theme of the ceremonial event held at the Vijay Chowk and presided over by President Droupadi Murmu, who arrived at the venue in a traditional buggy to the sound of bugles, adding a ceremonial grace to the occasion.
Defence minister A K Antony on Sunday visited a forward post in north Kashmir's Kupwara sector.
Amid demands by the armed forces for a war memorial in Delhi, Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday said things were progressing in a "comfortable" manner on the issue. "I can tell you that things are now progressing very well. Things are progressing very well," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function to pay homage to the martyrs of defence forces on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas.
Defence Minister, along with the Army Chief General Deepak Kumar and Defence Secretary Vijai Singh, is likely to arrive at Tawang where state Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu would receive them. Antony is scheduled to visit some forward areas in the border district before flying by chopper to Tenga, an important Army base in the district. The visit of Antony assumes significance in the light of recent disclosure that China has laid claim for Tawang.
Defence Minister A K Antony and Army Chief Gen V K Singh on Tuesday paid tributes and laid wreaths at the cemetery of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw on his 98th birth anniversary.
Indian Defence Minister A K Antony is 'very suspicious of the private sector', leading Indian business baron Jamshyd N Godrej has said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced last week in Imphal that the government was considering amendments in AFSPA, which has evoked resentment from a cross-section of the people of Manipur where it is in force.
With A K Antony speaking of involvement of Pakistani troops in the LoC attack, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday came out in support of the government on the response over the killing of Indian soldiers, saying it was happy that the defence minister has accepted his mistake and rectified it.
Some bold measures from Chinese Defence Minister General Liang Guanglie and his Indian counterpart A K Antony are essential to make the former's visit successful, notes Srikanth Kondapalli.
The annual meeting of the defence ministers of India and Russia, slated for Thursday, has been deferred till October 10 due to inability of the visiting minister to reach New Delhi.
Defence ministers of India and China will hold talks in New Delhi on Tuesday during which they are expected to take a decision on resuming the military exercises of their Armies stalled since 2010.
March 9, 2007, Defence Minister Antony cited intelligence reports to inform the Lok Sabha of the possibility that terrorists would use sea routes to enter the country. In his statement, Antony identified maritime terrorism, gun-running and piracy as major threats along India's seas, and said the government had worked out a menu of measures aimed at enhancing coastal security.
Ways to strengthen military ties and sale of Japanese amphibious aircraft to Indian armed forces are expected to be discussed during the meeting of the Defence Ministers of the two countries in New Delhi in New Delhi.
The armed forces are quite happy with the attention paid to their concerns, reports R S Chauhan.
Regretting that corrupt practices were happening despite taking precautions, Defence Minister A K Antony has said that the government will further tighten norms to prevent controversies such as the VVIP chopper deal and rely less on imports.
'A month after assuming charge, Parrikar promised a policy within six months to "end or at least reduce" terrorist infiltration across the Line of Control.' 'However, infiltration continued apace, leading to high-profile terrorist attacks in Gurdaspur, Pathankot, and Uri.' 'During this phase, he made the controversial suggestion that India should fight terror with terror, hinting at supporting terror groups to strike in Pakistan,' observes Ajai Shukla.
Veteran Congress leader and former Defence Minister A K Antony said on Tuesday that his son, Anil K Antony, who is contesting as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate in the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, should not win the election.
As an IAS officer in Kerala, Gyanesh Kumar -- who the Congress described as Amit Shah's 'right hand man' -- had a good working equation with the state's Congress and Left leaders.
The finance minister hiked the total defence expenditure from Rs 203,672 crore in FY 2013-2014 to Rs 229,000 crore for FY 2014-2015. Though the increase appears substantial, it is insufficient to undertake the military modernisation necessary to meet the emerging threats, feels Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd).
The defence modernisation had "slowed down" in the last few years and providing the required equipment to the armed forces in a speedy manner would be the top priority of the Modi government, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said on Tuesday.
The Goa chief minister does not fit the paradigm of a standard politician yet he can be relied on to add a new dynamic to proceedings at the Centre, Aditi Phadnis reports
Reinforcing Defence Minister A K Antony's virtual no 2 slot in the United Progressive Alliance II government's pecking order, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is understood to have issued a communication that the former will chair union cabinet meetings, if required, during his visit to Iran.
With the armed forces going on a fast-track modernisation drive after 26/11 terror strikes, Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday said that the "Unnecessary procedures, bottle-necks and red-tape should be cut down for hastening procurement procedures." Antony was addressing the "Jumbo" Majumdar Seminar on 'Dominance of Aerospace Power', in New Delhi.
Antony, along with his wife Elizabeth, reached Chandy's residence in Thiruvananthapuram to bid adieu to his trusted lieutenant during trying times of their decades-long political career.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday said that expenditure on defence is bound to increase as the armed forces need to have access to the latest technologies and equipment to counter any threat. "With the projected growth of the Indian economy expected at a trajectory of 8-10 per cent for the next two decades, expenditure on defence in absolute terms is bound to increase," Antony said.
The defence ministry is not very hopeful about getting an additional Rs 40,000 crore for modernisation of the armed forces, with Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday saying he was struggling to get even the Rs 1.93 lakh crore allotted by the government in the budget. "Now I am struggling to get the budgetary amount," he told reporters when asked if he was hopeful of getting the additional Rs 40,000 crore sought by his ministry for the modernising of the three services.
Defence Minister A K Antony arrived in Washington on Monday to hold a wide-range of bilateral talks with top Barack Obama administration officials, which would include strengthening military-to-military ties, regional security and purchase of United States defence equipments. Security issues -- both regional and global --- are likely to come up prominently during Antony's talks with top officials including his US counterpart Robert Gates, spread over the next two days.
Indian Defence Minister A K Antony -- on his maiden visit to the United States met Defence Secretary Robert Gates in the Pentagon on Tuesday. Antony was received with full ceremonial honours in the River Parade Field before engaging in over an hour-long discussion on bilateral, regional and international issues with Gates. Sources said that no major bilateral agreements vis--vis military sales or contracts were signed during the meeting.
During the meeting, Antony accompanied by a delegation comprising the Defence Secretary and the Director General of Procurement is expected to exchange views on not only the status of the bilateral defence and security cooperation but also the next steps that are being envisioned. It is learnt that Antony and Gates would also be discussing global and regional issues, including the recent developments in the sub-continent.
In order to review the security situation and the state of preparedness of the armed forces, Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday held a meeting with the three service chiefs and senior defence ministry officials. "The minister held a meeting with the chiefs of the three services and the defence secretary to review the overall security situation and to take stock of the state of preparedness of the armed forces," a defence ministry official said.
Launching a fresh attack on Defence Minister A K Antony, Narendra Modi on Tuesday charged that the country's defence had suffered seriously during his stewardship and said he owed an explanation to the people for this.
Commerce ministry had recently brought out a discussion paper that called for allowing 100 per cent FDI in the defence sector.
'The defence minister is stuck in the trivial and frivolous with a clerical mindset merely to prove his so-called 'honesty" overlooking the primary aim of adding sufficient military muscle and firepower to the defence services,' says Bharat Verma.
Union Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said it was "unfortunate and painful" that 70 per cent of the defence equipment was still being imported and informed the Lok Sabha that government was working towards manufacturing state-of-the-art equipment indigenously.
'Pappa (A K Antony) was seen sitting with utmost pain in a corner of the house. I have never ever seen him so weak like this in my life. He did not shed tears, that's all'
A purported video in which veteran Congress leader A K Antony's wife Elizabeth was seen justifying their elder son's recent entry into the Bharatiya Janata Party has gone viral on social media platforms, putting the Congress party in a fix in Kerala.
Defence Minister A K Antony will arrive in Australia n Tuesday on a maiden visit as part of his three-nation tour aimed at strengthening India's defence ties with the countries in Asia Pacific region.
Shah said the 'friendship' between Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the deal, and Congress' top leadership is 'time tested and deep'.
Union Defence Minister A K Antony arrived in Moscow on Tuesday for a crucial meeting of a key joint defence commission as the two countries are poised to finalise new co-ventures in strategic weapons, including investment and technical parameters of 5th generation fighters.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances