Against the backdrop of the death of the Delhi gang-rape victim, the Union defence ministry and the three armed forces have decided against holding new year parties.
Senior Congress leader A K Antony, assisted by All India Congress Committee general secretary and former Union minister Mukul Wasnik mket party leaders from Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and held meetings daily and interacted with leaders individually
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.
Key United Progressive Alliance ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Tuesday demanded that the Centre should immediately scrap the training programme for Sri Lankan army personnel in the country, arguing that such exercises create doubts in the minds of people of Tamil Nadu about the government's intentions.
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.
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.
About 12,364 acres of defence land is under encroachment and the defence ministry has issued detailed instructions for ensuring vigilance, detection and prevention of such cases, the government said on Monday.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said "somebody has taken money" in the controversial AgustaWestland helicopter deal and no mercy would be shown to those involved. He also said that CBI is "vigorously" pursuing the matter.
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.
A victory in Karnataka could signal to Congress allies that it is not fully out of the reckoning, reports Renu Mittal
The government on Wednesday said it is keeping a close watch on all activities taking place in China and Pakistan and the threat perception originating from such incidents are reviewed regularly.
Taking note of the "complex security matrix" in the Indian Ocean region and "political developments", Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday asked the Indian Navy to maintain high levels of preparedness in the area.
The Indian Military is facing a shortage of around 13,000 officers and 53,700 personnel below officer rank with the army accounting for bulk of vacancies, Defence Minister A K Antony said on Monday.
Fifty-four defence personnel, including a BHorder Security Force trooper, missing since the 1965 and 1971 wars are believed to be in the custody of Pakistan, Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said.
The sensors are operational with radar stations fitted at Tarapur, Korlai, Tolkeshwar and Devgad as part of the chain of static sensors project by the Coast Guard.
China on Thursday said it is verifying Indian Defence Minister A K Antony's allegations that the Chinese helicopters violated Indian airspace twice last month and reiterated its stand to resolve the border dispute with India through negotiations.
The government is aware of the Chinese activities along the borders and has taken necessary steps to secure the desired national security objectives, the defence ministry told the Lok Sabha.
The attack on an Indian Army patrol in January, in which one soldier was beheaded, was carried out by Special Services Group of Pakistan Army, Defence Minister A K Antony told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Antony told the Lok Sabha that in the recent past it has come to the notice of India that Pakistani elements planted mines on November 24-26, 2012 in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district.
Union Defence Minister A K Antony recently told the Lok Sabha that steps had been taken to strengthen the security of the network at the Eastern Naval Command at Vishakapatanam in the wake of intelligence inputs regarding possible hacking.
Dismissing a media report on "non-notified" troop movement by army, the government has informed Rajya Sabha that the exercise was undertaken for training purpose aimed at refining mobilisation drills and preparedness of the force.
Fake Indian currency notes are being used by Pakistan-based terror groups for financing their activities in India, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.
Five cases of spying by Pakistani intelligence agencies have been registered in last three years and a total 12 people, including eight service personnel, were arrested in this regard, government told Lok Sabha 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.
Nearly 4,000 soldiers have been killed in the country after the Kargil operations in 1999 while more than 390 Army troops have committed suicide in the last three years, Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.
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.
"Within a few months we are going to change the defence procurement procedure again," Defence Minister A K Antony told the Lok Sabha during Question Hour.
The Congress has alleged that the government caused loss of over Rs 41,000 crore to the exchequer and endangered national security by bypassing the state-run HAL in favour of some businessman "friends".
Reviewing the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Defence Minister A K Antony on Saturday said the 'visibility' of troops should be reduced as much as possible in the state without compromising efficacy.
A separatist sponsored shutdown affected normal life in Srinagar and other towns Saturday.
In a major development in the Congress, the party has formed an informal committee comprising General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, spokesperson Janardan Dwivedi, political secretary to Sonia Gandhi Ahmed Patel and Defence Minister AK Antony to look into the party's affairs, as the Congress president will be away since she is undergoing treatment in the United States.
The meeting between central trade union leaders and senior ministers failed in New Delhi on Monday night with the unions refusing to accept the government's appeal to postpone their two-day call for strike from Wednesday.
Trade unions in various sectors including transport, banking, construction and public sector undertakings will participate in a two-day nation strike on February 20-21 to protest the Centre's inability to tackle issues of inflation, unemployment and labour law violations. The protesting unions will also hold protest rallies at Azad Maidan and in Bandra. Union members have also threatened to hold a public rally till Parliament to press for their demands.
With Army Chief Gen V K Singh highlighting shortage of equipment, the defence ministry on Monday appeared to be fast-tracking decision-making as it approved a plan for development of capabilities and effected a major change in offset policy by including transfer-of-technology.
The tussle for No 2 position in United Progressive Alliance-II has put the spotlight on the political careers of A K Antony and Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar, which show striking similarities.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Saturday differed with former Army chief general Deepak Kapoor's deposition before the Adarsh Commission that the high rise was not a security threat.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday demanded Defence Minister A K Antony's resignation, upping the ante against the government over the controversy surrounding the army chief's allegation that he was offered a bribe for the clearance of Tatra truck contracts. Raising the issue during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, BJP leader Prakash Javadekar asked whether the minister was patronising corruption as no action has been taken against anybody though a probe was ordered two years ago.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday cautioned the three services chiefs to be 'transparent' in the process of weapon trials and procurement as he cleared proposals worth around Rs 6,000 crore for the armed forces.
Expressing concern over Chinese military infrastructure buildup, Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday said India was working to match it to protect the country's territory and build an effective deterrence.
Paying homage to soldiers who fought in the 1962 Indo-China war, Defence Minister A K Antony on Saturday ruled out any possibility of the repeat of the war and said armed forces were confident of protecting the country against any such threat. This is the first time that the Indian defence establishment has honoured the dead and participants of the 1962 war officially.
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