"Since home minister has called a meeting of the chief ministers on internal security on Januray 6, I hope to take over before that so that I could represent J&K as the chief minister. But we have few formalities. The governor's rule has to be revoked before that," Omar Abdullah said.
Defence Minister A K Antony, on Thursday, carried out an in-depth review of coastal security mechanism put in place post-26/11 and ordered Navy and Coast Guard to quickly integrate all maritime agencies into the security grid to plug "gaps" in the apparatus.
A high-level assessment of the security scenario in the light of Indo-Pak tensions was undertaken at a marathon meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Defence Ministry in New Delhi on Saturday night.
Union Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday rejected his cabinet colleague and Union Railway minister Mamata Banerjee's demand for deployment of army in Maoist-affected areas of West Bengal, saying use of armed forces for internal security was the 'last resort.'
India on Monday voiced its worries over the underground nuclear test carried out by North Korea, terming it a 'development of serious concern'. He was asked how India viewed the announcement by North Korea that it has 'successfully' conducted one more underground nuclear test on May 25 as part of the measures to bolster its nuclear deterrent for self-defence.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's resignation has been accepted, says Congress leader A K Antony.
Warning that the situation in Pakistan is 'very serious', Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said terrorism is spreading in that country and asserted that India is prepared to meet any challenge from Taliban militants. Asked if the Taliban's threat to carry out attacks on India was a cause of concern, Antony said, "We are always prepared to meet any challenge to our territorial integrity and national security from any quarter. Our security forces are vigilant."
The Congress and the NCP are not comfortable with the name Maha Shiv Aghadi (a grand alliance comprising the Shiv Sena)
The PM held a lengthy two-and-half-hour discussion with Defence Minister A K Antony and officers from the armed forces and the intelligence agencies on ways to prevent recurrences of such terror attacks, government sources told PTI. However, Home Minister Shivraj Patil was missing at the top-notch meet, as he was not called for the meeting, the sources added, indicating that the PM could be "cut up about Patil's handling of the Mumbai terror crisis".
India on Sunday said 42 terror camps are 'still active' in Pakistan and that lack of a serious attempt or effort by that country to dismantle them is the 'main cause of concern for us.'
President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday paid homage to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 17th death anniversary. Amid a continuous drizzle, the departed leader's widow and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, along with her son Rahul and daughter Priyanka Vadra, reached his memorial 'Vir Bhumi' to pay their tributes. A prayer meeting was organised in the premises of the memorial.
Young Bharatiya Janata Party leader Varun Gandhi has been nominated as a member of the key Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence in order to groom him as a future leader of the party and give valuable parliamentary experience.
The sophisticated Russian-made MiG-29K maritime fighter aircraft, which will be based on under-construction aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, were formally inducted into the Navy by Defence Minister A K Antony on Friday.Four MiG 29Ks of the 'Black Panthers' squadron were inducted at a ceremony that was also attended by Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma.
In a new twist to the politically sensitive graft case in which he is an accused, CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan today filed a petition in a special court in Kochi seeking direction to the CBI to question Defence Minister A K Antony, the then chief minister of the state.
Union Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said the army was raising two new mountain divisions in the North-East, along the borders with China, but dismissed suggestions that the move was against the neighbour.
India is expected to spend around $50 billion in next 20 years for acquiring weapons for its armed forces. Antony said the increasing expenditure on defence will help the Indian industry to play a more 'meaningful role' in the defence sector in the country.
The Congress has finalised almost all the 174 seats it plans to contest in the October 13 Maharashtra polls but did not rule out exchange of few seats with the Nationalist Congress Party for the 288-member assembly.
The government on Sunday said the army has already taken strong action in the Sukhna land scam case and insisted that it will not tolerate even a single case of corruption in the armed forces."Already, the Army has taken strong action. I do not want to say anything further. We cannot tolerate even a single instance of corruption," Defence Minister A K Antony said on the sidelines of a function to present awards to the winning tableaux of the Republic Day parade.
Army Chief Deepak Kapoor has refused to accept a 20 per cent hike in his pension provided on the basis of his disability suffered during service.
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.
"Non Resident Indians having relevant qualification and experience in Engineering or basic sciences are being inducted into the Defence Research and Development Organisation under a talent hunt scheme," Defence Minister A K Antony informed Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The talent hunt is being conducted through video-conferencing on adhoc basis and the posts subsequently advertised for regular inductions, he said.
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.
Defence Minister A K Antony said on Friday that the truce between Pakistan and Taliban has added to India's "worries" over the security scenario in the region.
India cannot leap-frog to a higher plane virtually overnight. The immediate requirement is to think big in keeping with the country's growing international status and to plan for the future with a level of confidence that policy planners have not dared to do before.
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.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday dismissed suggestions that Pakistan's nuclear capabilities may be a factor in any hesitation by India to carry out a surgical strike against terror camps and said its restraint should not be construed as a weakness. "It (nuclear weapons with Pakistan) has nothing to do with that (decision not to strike). India's restraint should not be taken as a weakness," Antony told reporters on the sidelines of the Aero India show in Bangalore.
The government,on Monday, ruled out induction of women into combat duties in the defence forces as of now but said the streams for women officers are being expanded continuously.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday reviewed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir where violence is continuing over the Amarnath land row.
While party leaders have welcomed Sonia Gandhi's decision to ask A K Antony to get feedback from the cadres, they are sceptical the exercise might end up like the committees set up in the past. Rediff.com contributor Anita Katyal reports
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.
India on Friday asked the world community to cooperate in its efforts to get Pakistan act against terror outfits operating from its soil. "We expect cooperation from all world communities to get speedy results to our demands," Defence Minister A K Antony told reporters here to a question on United States President Barack Obama's reference to Pakistan and Afghanistan as the central front in America's war against terrorism.
India, on Thursday, said infiltration from Pakistan has declined in the recent past, but the threat from terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir is "real" and there is no question of lowering the guard. "Of late, there has been a decline in infiltration in the borders but we cannot say it is an improvement," Defence Minister A K Antony told media-persons after addressing the Unified Commanders' Conference in New Delhi.
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee met telecom minister A Raja and defence minister A K Antony on Monday in an effort to resolve the issue, highly placed sources said, adding that there was no consensus on the spectrum slots to be auctioned.
Heavy security arrangements have been made in connection with the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Kannur on Thursday to declare open the Indian Navy's Ezhimala Naval Academy. Arriving at Karipur airport in Kozhikode from Chennai, the Prime Minister will reach Ezhimala on Thursday afternoon and reach the venue 'Nalanda' at 2.45 pm.
Accusing Pakistan of not making any serious attempt to dismantle terror infrastructure, India on Wednesday said that this was a cause for 'major worry' and it will examine 'all the available, possible options'. Sending a tough message a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke of the involvement of Pakistan's state agencies in the Mumbai terror attack, Defence Minister A K Antony said, "We will do everything to prevent such attacks".
Expressing concern over allegations by a woman army officer of physical and mental torture by her seniors, Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into the incident.The minister intervened after the army described the allegations of Captain Poonam Kaur of the Kalka-based Army Service Corps battalion as 'baseless'.But nevertheless, army authorities instituted an inquiry as stipulated under the Army Act.
The only sensible solution is in having a separate pay commission for the armed forces.
All India Congress Committee General Secretary Prithviraj Chavan, former Chief Minster Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Union Minister Saiffudin Soz, along with Union Ministers Pranab Mukherjee and A K Antony are likely to take part in the deliberations. Congress sources said the election results clearly indicate that National Conference will be in a position to form the government with support of Congress and from some independents.
In the wake of Mumbai attacks, when terrorists used sea route to strike the city, the government today took a host of measures, including acquisition of ships, installation of radars and setting up of new coast guard stations, to strengthen security of coastal areas.
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