To threaten China and Pakistan, and then to sharply cut back on military funding, bespeaks a remarkable trust in Beijing and Islamabad that is not borne out by anything they say or do, notes Ajai Shukla.
Glimpse what our politicians were doing at the beginning of 2025.
Opposition parties are expected to announce their joint vice-presidential candidate, potentially leading to a 'south versus south' contest. Meetings and discussions have been held to finalize the candidate, with names from Tamil Nadu being considered. The opposition aims to field a non-political figure with national standing.
India showcased its indigenous short-range tactical missile Pralay for the first time at the Republic Day parade on Sunday. The missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and has a range of 150 to 500 kms. The parade featured an array of other indigenously built missiles, surveillance systems, and weapon systems, reflecting India's growing military prowess. The DRDO displayed its latest innovations for national security, including the quick reaction surface-to-air missile, airborne early warning and control system, and drone detect, deter and destroy system.
The Human-rated LVM3 vehicle, the Crew Escape System and the Crew Module and Service Module are all in final stages of testing and integration.
Plans are afoot to test India's missile defence shield in November, V K Saraswat, leading scientist at Defence Research and Development Organisation, said on Friday.
In the Union Budget presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, a total of Rs 1,52,369 crore has been set aside for capital expenditure that includes purchasing new weapons, aircraft, warships and other military hardware.
During the meeting, Gantz emphasised the opportunity to invest further in defence cooperation between the two countries.
DRDO chief A Sivathanu Pillai said that if this decision is implemented, Indian insustry will get business worth Rs 12,000 crore every year.
It involves India spending an estimated Rs 40,000 crores to Rs 50,000 crores and will take 10 to 15 years to develop.
Defence Minister A K Antony called upon the private and public sector on Tuesday to join hands to help India achieve self-reliance in defence production, asking them to set up a large, modern manufacturing base in the country.
The defence ministry on Thursday sealed a contract to procure 118 main battle tanks Arjun for the Indian Army at a cost of Rs 7,523 crore, in a major move to boost its combat capabilities.
'Russia has got inherent military strength, they have a very good military equipment manufacturing infrastructure and by and large they are self-sufficient in their production capabilities'
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, along with all the Commander-in-Chief rank officials from the three services will be attending the conference.
Even as Chinese troops continue squatting on territory that we claim as our own -- this was the lowest allocation for defence in percentage terms since the 1950s, reveals Ajai Shukla.
India has developed a missile defence shield which can be put in place at short notice to protect at least two cities, bringing the country on par with an elite group of nations. The shield, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, has been tested successfully. An incoming ballistic missile with the range of up to 2,000 km can be destroyed by it. The system is to be upgraded to the range of 5,000 km by 2016.
The indigenously developed ballistic missile defence system will be test fired in August this year, a top defence official said on Thursday.
Barely a month after carrying out successful tests of Interceptor missiles, India is in talks with a leading American aerospace firm to apparently seek collaboration to develop a robust ballistic missile defence (BMD) system.
The missile showcased its precision and capability to neutralise targets, the statement said.
After being launched, the glide bomb steer towards the target using a highly accurate hybrid navigation scheme, the ministry said.
Last fortnight, State Bank of India Chairman C S Setty lifted the veil on a subject long spoken of in corporate corridors: Why can't our banks finance mergers and acquisitions (M&As)? Change is in the air: Indian Banks' Association (of which Setty is the chairman) is to "make a formal request" to Mint Road to make way for it. Thus far the exclusive turf of foreign banks even though its funding remains offshore - as in, it's not on these entities rupee-book (and a few select shadow banks) - a most lucrative segment in the investment banking suite, M&As, will be homeward-bound.
rediffGURU Rohit Gupta, co-founder and COO of College Vidya, provides a list of competitive exams that can help you land a job in the public sector.
The DRDO says the programme has now reached maturity, and that international sanctions cannot hurt it. There is also a degree of self-confidence in the DRDO, which allows it to acknowledge the role played by other countries. International collaboration is no longer a bad word.
'Rajagopala Chidambaram's smile, simplicity and ability to put younger colleagues at ease always encouraged me to approach him for advice or guidance.'
The defence ministry on Thursday rejected senior Defence Research and Development Organisation scientist K Santhanam's assertion that the 1998 Pokhran II nuclear tests were not fully successful, adding that India has a meaningful number of nuclear weapons and an effective delivery system to go with it.
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla stands on the cusp of history as he prepares to set off on a space odyssey, marking India's return to space flight 41 years after his idol Rakesh Sharma orbited the earth for eight days as part of Soviet Union's Interkosmos programme.
'Today's situation is unacceptable. It has the potential to affect the IAF's operational capability.'
In a double-dose bid to boost growth and employment prospects, the Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved a Rs 2.07 trillion outlay for a research development and innovation (RDI) Scheme to fund private sector innovations, and an employment-linked incentive (ELI) to create over 35 million new jobs over the next two years.
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returns to Earth after an 18-day mission aboard the International Space Station, marking a significant milestone for India's space program and carrying out crucial scientific experiments.
With crucial Indian defence and nuclear establishments and vital infrastructure facilities open to an enemy air strike, many in India's military consider the shortage of anti-aircraft guns, missiles and radars as our single greatest security vulnerability. But now India's first modern air defence system is ready to roll off the assembly line.
The Enhanced Pinaka has demonstrated a range of 75 km and an ability to strike within 10 metres of where it is aimed. This allows a Pinaka battery to destroy a terrorist camp, or an enemy post, logistics dump or headquarters, without sending soldiers across the border.
The defence budget was increased to Rs 5.94 lakh crore for 2023-24, up from last year's allocation of Rs 5.25 lakh crore.
In the last 11 years, India and the world witnessed what he stood for, what he promised and did not deliver, and what he actually stood for and practised without fearing how history would judge him. Modi's tenure has been punctuated with headline-grabbing decisions, symbolic gestures, and stage-managed moments that continue to define his leadership and India's politics, points out Ramesh Menon.
India has successfully test-fired a long range hypersonic missile from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday.
The Central Reserve Police Force is purchasing more than a dozen defence manufactured Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and a number of mine protected troop carriers to aid and guide ground patrols of the force conducting anti-Naxal operations.
A cloudburst in the high altitude villages of Dharali in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand led to flash floods, causing damage to houses and sweeping away structures. Several people are feared buried under debris.
'A crucial role in bolstering the Indian Army's firepower by enabling precise and long-range strikes.'
'An important consideration was that we should always be at the top of the escalation ladder. When we reach a military objective, we should try and put a stop to it'
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