SOURCE: ANI

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took to social media to announce that the country’s defence exports have soared to unprecedented levels, crossing the milestone of Rs 21,000 crore for the first time in the history of Independent India.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh posted on x,” Delighted to inform everyone that the Indian Defence Exports have scaled to unprecedented heights and crossed Rs 21000 crore mark for the first time in the history of Independent India! India’s defence exports have recahed to the level of Rs.21,083 Crore in the financial year 2023-24 which is a spectacular growth of 32.5 per cent over the previous fiscal.”

SOURCE: PTI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday asserted that India’s national security interests are involved in its investigation into the alleged involvement of a government official in the assassination plot aimed at Khalistani extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

“It is something we are investigating as we believe our own national security interests are involved in that investigation,” he told reporters, replying to a question about US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti’s statement that the involvement of a government official in an assassination bid on the citizen of another country is an “unacceptable red line”.

SOURCE: L&T

The Heavy Engineering arm of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has flagged off the first Steam Generator (SG), for indigenously developed 10 X 700 MWe PHWR Fleet Programme, 12 months ahead of contractual delivery. With this, L&T has surpassed its own previous benchmark in SG manufacturing. SG is a heat exchanger that converts water into steam by making use of the heat produced in a nuclear reactor core.

These Steam Generators are the most critical components supplied to Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), aimed at bolstering India’s nuclear power programme and achieving India’s COP26 commitment of net zero carbon emission by 2070, under Honourable Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi’s vision of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.

SOURCE: BLOOMBERG

The US Ambassador to India said he was pleased with India’s progress on its investigation into an alleged plot to kill a Sikh activist last year, adding that the issue wouldn’t hamper relations between the two countries.

“India and the US are showing their resilience and that we really want this relationship for the long haul,” Eric Garcetti said in an interview with Indian news agency ANI that was broadcast on Sunday. “We’ve been satisfied with the coordination on this particular issue and it hasn’t slowed a single thing down” in terms of US-India engagement, he said.

SOURCE: PTI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday asserted that India’s national security interests are involved in its investigation into the alleged involvement of a government official in the assassination plot aimed at Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

“It is something we are investigating as we believe our own national security interests are involved in that investigation,” he told reporters, replying to a question about US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti’s statement that the involvement of a government official in an assassination bid on the citizen of another country is an “unacceptable red line”.

SOURCE: ANI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s accusation against the Opposition regarding the Katchatheevu island row stating that the the country’s first Prime Minister, wanted to give away the island to Sri Lanka. The issue pertains to the year 1974 when the then Indira Gandhi government had accepted the island was a Sri Lankan area under the India-Sri Lankan maritime agreement.

The issue has again resurfaced after a media report based on an RTI reply received by Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on the 1974 pact.

SOURCE: ISRO

The National Information system for Climate and Environment Studies (NICES) is a program conceptualized in 2012 to meet the ongoing challenge of monitoring climate variability and climate change from space. It generates climate and environmental data archives, especially from Indian EO missions, with provision for access and visualization by various ministries, academia, and research institutions in the country (nices.nrsc.gov.in). It is operated by ISRO/DOS along with other ministries and institutions under the framework of the National Action Plan on Climate Change.

An objective of the NICES program is the generation and dissemination of long-term Essential Climate Variables (ECVs), derived from Indian and other Earth Observation (EO) satellites, which are crucial for characterizing Earth’s climate. Since its inception in 2012, NICES has developed and made accessible over 70 geophysical variables related to Terrestrial, Ocean, and Atmospheric conditions. The existing set of NICES geophysical products that meet quality requirements has been utilized for documenting climate change and its impacts.

SOURCE: PTI

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s criticism of the state’s ruling DMK on the Katchatheevu issue, questioning the BJP’s “sudden love” for fishermen ahead of the elections and questioned the PM on issues including the ? 37,000 crore flood relief packages sought by the state.

The Katchatheevu islet was ceded to Sri Lanka by India by way of an agreement in 1974.

SOURCE: PTI

Army troops opened fire after observing movement of a Pakistani drone and suspected persons at two different places along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Monday.

While the drone movement was picked up in a forward area in Sunderbani, the suspicious movement of some persons believed to be terrorists was noticed in Keri sector during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, the officials said.

SOURCE: PTI

The 14-day bilateral tri-service exercise between India and the US, ‘Tiger Triumph-24’, has concluded, officials said on Sunday. The exercise that began on March 18 aimed at developing interoperability for conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations and refining standard operating procedures to enable rapid and smooth coordination between the forces of the two countries.

The Indian Army’s contingent took part in the second edition of the tri-service exercise in Visakhapatnam and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh along with the Navy and the Indian Air Force.

SOURCE: IDRW.ORG

Satellite images reveal the progress of a dry dock at the BNS Sheikh Hasina naval base in Bangladesh, constructed with China’s assistance. This development signifies a deepening defense partnership between the two nations, potentially solidifying China’s influence in the Bay of Bengal region.

The BNS Sheikh Hasina base, located at Pekua in Cox’s Bazar, aligns with Bangladesh’s “Forces Goal 2030” program, a military modernization initiative. The base’s dry dock suggests maintenance capabilities for submarines, raising concerns for India.

SOURCE: AFI

In a move likely to inflame tensions, China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs announced the renaming of 30 locations along the disputed border with India, according to the South China Morning Post.

These “standardized” names apply to areas within Arunachal Pradesh, a state which China refers to as “Zangnan” and claims as part of its Tibetan autonomous region. India has consistently rejected China’s claims over Arunachal Pradesh, considering it an integral part of its territory. This latest move by China is seen as an attempt to bolster its territorial claims through name standardization.