Against the backdrop of recent suicides and fratricides by jawans and stand-offs between them and officers, Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday asked the armed forces to adopt a liberal approach to jawans' pleas for leave and respond promptly.
'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.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday indicated a revamp of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, to give it capability to produce futuristic systems within the country."DRDO will have to play a crucial role in providing strategic defence with suitable delivery systems to the nation," Antony said. The DRDO and the end-users, the armed forces, would have to work with greater synergy to achieve the goal of self-reliance and minimise dependence on foreign nations.
"The scientists have produced results. It is excellent...up to the point," he said.
Defence Minister A K Antony said on Wednesday that Pakistan had 42 terror camps within its territory and that the neighbouring country was not taking effective steps to dismantle the terror outfits.
The former defence minister said that all formalities were completed and all orders issued on OROP but its implementation is not being done by the Modi government.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday described the maiden test flight of the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile Agni 5 as an "immaculate success" and a "major milestone". "The nation stands tall today. We have joined the elite club of nations (to possess the ICBM capability)," Antony told Defence Research and Development Organisation chief Dr V K Saraswat on the phone after the test flight of the missile was declared successful today.
Accusing Defence Minister A K Antony of making a "false" statement on Poonch killings, Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Wednesday said he should apologise as his remarks are intended to "exonerate" Pakistan as government wants to continue talks.
The government carries out a review of the defence procurement process every two years to make changes gained from experience and to incorporate new contract clauses for probity.
Taken by surprise by the decision of an Italian judge to include Defence Minister A K Antony as a possible witness in a trial relating to corruption in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland chopper deal, India on Monday night ruled out his appearance in the court.
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.
The India-US joint statement after the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue called for the immediate release of all remaining hostages.
Erik ten Hag's side will face Championship (second-tier) outfit Coventry City in the semis after they upset Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 on Saturday.
Union Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday reiterated that the terror camps located in Pakistan, which are close to the Indian border, pose a threat to the nation's security. Antony's statement came close on the heels of the statement by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who warned chief ministers from across India on Monday that Pakistan based terror outfits are planning further attacks in India.
The defence ministry is in the final stages of preparing the new procurement policy, which will 'aggressively' pursue indigenisation, Defence Minister A K Antony said in Kochi on Monday.
The Congress leader also raised questions over the security along the Line of Control with Pakistan, saying the incident has affected the prestige, respect and morale of the Indian Army.
The Congress on Thursday hit back at Narendra Modi for calling Defence Minister A K Antony an "agent of Pakistan and enemy of India", saying such language can come only from a "traitor".
India's Future Main Battle Tank, the backbone of the army's strike power into the mid-21st century, languishes while the army continues an extended debate over its specifications.
The Pakistan Army chief arrived in Washington last week on his first official visit to the US.
Amid indications of growing bonhomie between Congress and the Janata Dal-United, which has broken its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, All India Congress Comittee general secretary Digvijaya Singh Tuesday said the decision on any tie-up between the two parties would be taken by the A K Antony committee.
His remarks came after the US said on Thursday that it supports Canada's efforts to investigate allegations of India's involvement in the killing of Nijjar, observing that no country can get any "special exemption" for such kind of activities.
Over 6,000 people are feared to have been killed in the devastating floods, cloudbursts and landslides in Uttarakhand in June, the government said on Tuesday.
The government does not plan to launch any fresh probe into the Bofors gun deal and Ottavio Quattrocchi stands "discharged" as he could not be extradited even after 20 years of registration of the case, Defence Minister A K Antony said.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday promised to take strong action if anybody was found guilty in the alleged Kochi wife swapping case in which the wife of a navy officer has filed an FIR against her husband and his superiors.
Defence Minister A K Antony will perform all the customary duties of the Prime Minister during Republic Day on Monday, the government said on Saturday, clearing confusion over the issue."The Defence Minister will lay a wreath at the India Gate before the Republic Day parade begins and step in for the Prime Minister in all functions related to the Republic Day." Defence Ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar said in New Delhi.
Defence Minister A K Antony is not part of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's delegation that will hold talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron during which defence deals are expected to come up for discussion.
In wake of the blasts on the INS Sindhurakshak, the Navy has ordered extensive checks on weapon-related safety systems on all its submarines, Defence Minister A K Antony told Lok Sabha.
Vigil along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir has been stepped up following last month's ambush by Pakistani army on Indian troops in which two jawans were killed, government told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Congress Working Committee member and former Kerala chief minister A K Antony is all set to be elected to the Rajya Sabha unopposed as he was the only candidate to file nomination for the June 3 by-election from the state.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to meet United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, DC on Thursday, amid the diplomatic rumpus between India and Canada stirred over the killing of a Khalistani separatist.
With the Defence Research and Development Organisation facing "bitter criticism" over delays in major projects like Light Combat Aircraft and the Arjun tank, Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday asked the research agency to complete its programmes within the prescribed time-limit.
The Kerala police have registered another case against Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar for allegedly making statements that promote enmity between different groups through social media posts in connection with recent blasts at a convention centre in Kochi.
Blinken will host his Chinese counterpart in Washington from October 26-28, the state department said in a press release on Monday.
The payments to AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW-101 choppers have been stopped but so far no decision has been take to blacklist the firm, Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
During the nearly two-hour meeting that lasted almost till midnight at 10 Janpath, Mukherjee, the government's pointsman on the deal with United Progressive Alliance allies and the Left parties, and Antony apprised Sonia of the talks they had with leaders of the constituents of the ruling alliance and the Communist Party of India-Marxist and CPI in the last two days. Emerging from the meeting, neither Mukherjee nor Antony spoke to the media.
Amid the Sino-India spat over Arunachal Pradesh and Chinese investments in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, New Delhi on Thursday said it has adequate' infrastructure and military capability along its border with China, even as it sought a diplomatic dialogue to resolve the border dispute. "By and large, the border with China is peaceful, except for occasional problems. They are strengthening the infrastructure and capabilities on their side of the border," he said.
The United States, Canada and the United Nations have condemned the Iranian air attack on Israel, with President Joe Biden reaffirming America's 'ironclad commitment' to the Jewish nation and vowing to convene a meeting of the G-7 leaders on Sunday to develop a coordinated response to the brazen assault.
As a political storm brewed over Defence Minister A K Antony's statement on the killing of five Indian soldiers in Poonch, Congress today maintained he did not give a clean chit to Pakistani Army in connection with the incident.
As protests continues over the Telangana decision, the Congress is making attempts to pacify the leaders from the Seema-Andhra region by setting up a high-level committee headed by A K Antony to talk to them.
Defence Minister AK antony said infiltration attempts will be stepped up in the run up to the crucial elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
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