Defence Minister A K Antony has ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into Army chief General V K Singh's allegation that he was offered a bribe Rs 14 crore to sanction the purchase of a consignment of sub-standard vehicles.
The Prime Minister's Office on Thursday night rubbished as "mischievous" the reports that a statement on the killing of five Indian soldiers on the Line of Control was changed at its behest. "Such allegations being made are mischievous and have no basis," a PMO spokesman said.
American Defence Secretary Robert Gates will visit India from Tuesday on a three-day trip to boost defence ties and step-up cooperation on regional security.
The just retired Army Chief General V K Singh may find himself embroiled in inquiries into some of his bold acts while in the service.
Rajnath Singh believes it would be naive to see disengagement of the armies from the LAC as the end of the trouble. The defence minister has urged the defence forces to be ready for a long haul
India will launch its first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant on Monday, making an entry into a select club of countries capable of designing and building a carrier of this size and capability.
Defence Minister A K Antony was on Wednesday given a glimpse of the expansive scope and scale of the Indian Navy.
Retreating from his hard positions in the last few days, Army Chief Gen V K Singh on Friday said "rogue elements" were trying to project a "schism" between him and Defence Minister A K Antony and made it clear that he was duty bound to serve the country.
Tension between India's civilian and military leadership has steadily increased over the past few months and now appears to be at the highest it has been in decades. In his latest fusillade, the chief of army staff, General V K Singh, has said that he was offered a Rs 14 crore bribe by a retired army officer in order to clear the purchase of a set of armoured vehicles.
With coastal security becoming a major area of conern, India's first Coast Guard Academy would be set up at Azheekkal near Kannur in north Kerala, Defence Minister A K Antony said on Sunday.
The government has given the nod for the purchase of six C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft at an estimated cost of Rs 4,000 crore from the US.
Admiral Sam Locklear heads the US Pacific Command, making him the most powerful military commander on earth. With 60 per cent of the US Navy under him, PACOM oversees 52 per cent of the planet. Locklear is America's military pointsman for 36 countries, including India and China.
With the Comptroller and Auditor General reports providing ammunition to the Opposition to attack the prime minister, Congress on Friday dismissed Bharatiya Janata Party's demand for his resignation while party chief Sonia Gandhi held a "strategy meeting" with senior ministers and party leaders.
Nomination papers of Pranab Mukhejee, for the Presidential poll on July 19, are being readied, according to sources. Senior Union ministers and Members of Parliament have been summoned to Parliament House on Wednesday to affix their signatures on Mukherjee's papers.
Adarsh Society's members have approached the defence ministry and the Central Bureau of Investigation, seeking quashing of the FIR filed in the alleged multi-crore scam in the housing society, in the wake of a judicial probe of the Maharashtra government which had stated that the land belonged to the state and not the defence forces.
As voters queued up in Kerala to cast their ballot in the assembly polls on Wednesday, Union defence minister and senior Congress leader AK Antony reiterated that the United Democratic Front will come to power in the state with a thumping majority.
A day prior to his retirement, Army Chief Gen V K Singh on Tuesday sought to downplay the controversies surrounding him, saying there is "no misunderstanding" between him and the defence ministry. He also said Defence Minister A K Antony was "very clear headed" in supporting the armed forces.
Speeding up the military modernisation process, the defence ministry on Friday cleared procurement projects worth over Rs 7,000 crore including the long-pending acquisition of 145 Ultra Light Howitzers from the United States under a Rs 3,000-crore deal.
India was training armed forces personnel from Sri Lanka in different states of the country including Tamil Nadu as part of exchanges with neighbouring countries, Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Voicing concern over the misuse of United States' military aid by Pakistan, India on Friday asked America to set up a "monitoring mechanism" as a remedial measure, but got no clear assurance in this regard.
With increasing terror attacks in Pakistan raising concerns over the safety of its nuclear arsenal, Defence Minister A K Antony said the threat of these weapons falling in wrong hands was an "area of serious concern" and its consequences would be "unimaginable".
"The Letter of Request (LoR) for procuring 145 Ultra Light Howitzers for the Indian Army through the Foreign Military Sales route would be issued in October," a Defence Ministry official told PTI on Friday.
Former Defence Minister A K Antony tells Amit Agnihotri that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's statement is an insult not only to the Indian Army but also the previous National Democratic Alliance government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Home Minister P Chidambaram was on Friday appointed the head of the Empowered Group of Ministers on spectrum auction that was reconstituted after Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar declined the job.
An investigation by the army and other agencies into classified information leak from a Major's computer has established "cyber security breach", but not the espionage angle so far, Defence Minister A K Antony said on Friday.
In New Delhi, Singh will continue US administration's ongoing consultations with India, and advance a range of issues in the US-India economic relationship and strategic partnership.
Leaking of official secrets of military operations is treason and those involved in it must be punished, the Congress said on Wednesday on the purported WhatsApp chats of Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and demanded that the prime minister must come clean.
Union Defence Minister and senior leader of the Congress party AK Antony said on Thursday that no force can stop the Congress-led United Democratic Front from coming to power in Kerala and forming a government in the state.
Defence ministers of India and China on Tuesday began their delegation-level talks, during which the two sides are expected to take a decision on resuming military exercises stalled since 2010. During the talks with Defence Minister A K Antony, General Liang Guanglie, who is the first Chinese defence minister to visit India in eight years, is expected to address New Delhi's concerns over Chinese military infrastructure build-up along the border.
The Union home ministry is conducting an audit of controversial phone-tapping equipment, which was allegedly used during former Army Chief Gen V K Singh's tenure for snooping on senior defence ministry officials at the peak of the row over his age.
Notwithstanding reduction in tensions along the Line of Control, the defence ministry has emphasised that relations with Pakistan should not be normalised in a haste.
The Defence Ministry is looking for an "alternative site" for constructing the National War Memorial as the armed forces' proposal to build it at India Gate complex has been rejected by the government.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Friday said the verdict against Ajmal Kasab in the Mumbai attacks case is a "clear message" to terror outfits in Pakistan and has proved that India can take strong action against criminals and terrorists.
Giving a new impetus to Marine leisure activity, India's first World class Marina, built at a cost of Rs 8.21 crore, was today commissioned by Union Defence Minister A K Antony on Saturday.
Defence Minister AK Antony address to the armed forces personnel in his Independence Day eve.
The situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan and strengthening of military cooperation between India and the United States are expected to come up for discussions American Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, who arrives in New Delhi on Tuesday for a two-day visit, will have with Indian leaders.
The central government is pursuing the allegations of bribery in a deal to procure VVIP helicopters from Augusta Westland, but no formal inquiry has been ordered into the case due to lack of "specific information" so far, Defence Minister A K Antony said on Monday.
The Congress core group on Tuesday reviewed the situation in the national capital in the wake of protests over the gang-rape incident emphasising that police should deal with the matter with sensitivity while there should be no room for violence.
With the second phase of Parliament's Budget session set to start next week, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday held a strategy meeting with senior leaders at a time when the Opposition is expected to raise the coal scam and 2G spectrum issues.
Seven years before its scheduled completion, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has already announced a two-year delay in the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) India and Russia are to jointly develop, says Ajai Shukla
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances