SOURCE: ANI

The Qutub Minar was lit up with the colours of the Rwandan national flag on Sunday in solidarity with the people of the east-African nation in remembrance of the 100-day massacre that claimed the lives of 800,000 people in 1994.

On the occasion, Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi of the Ministry of External Affairs represented India at the 30th commemoration of the genocide in the Rwanda capital, Kigali. Sharing a post on X, the official spokesperson of MEA, Randhir Jaiswal, wrote, “In solidarity with the people of Rwanda, India lit up the Qutub Minar today, marking the UN International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.”

SOURCE: IANS

J&K Police in Baramulla district said on Monday that eight absconders presently in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) have been declared as proclaimed offenders. The eight absconders have been identified as Hilal Ahmad Ganai, Mudasir Shafi Geelani, Mohd Maqbool Pandith, Habibullah Sheikh, Shabir Ahmad Nagar, Mohd Ashraf Dar, Ghulam Nabi Najar and Fayaz Ahmad Mir

A police handout said the Additional Sessions Judge in Baramulla declared them proclaimed offenders in FIR 03/2008 of Pattan police station after an application was moved by the police.

SOURCE: IANS

The Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) and police were on high alert following the tracking of Maoist movements in the villages of coastal Karnataka, sources stated on Monday. Sources said that it was confirmed in the investigation that a team of six Maoists with weapons had visited a local’s house between Thursday and Sunday. Preliminary probe has confirmed that the Maoists were in boots, clad in uniforms and had big bags in which weapons were suspected.

The authorities said that the Maoists barged into the house near Cheru in Bilinele village in Kadaba taluk in Dakshina Kannada district recently. After barging into the house they switched off the light and asked the members to switch off their cell phones as well.

SOURCE: IANS

 Two passengers were arrested by police for giving threat of a ‘nuclear bomb’ to security staff during frisking at Delhi’s IGI airport, an official said on Monday.

The official said that the incident occurred on April 5. The duo was identified as Jignesh Malani and Kashyap Kumar Lalani, both residents of Rajkot in Gujarat. According to FIR, accessed by IANS, Secondary Ladder Point Security (SLPC) for Akasa Air flight QP-1334 (DEL-AMD) was going on when passengers Jignesh Malan and Kashyap Kumar Lalani, who were scheduled to travel in the airline, reported to staff for frisking.

SOURCE: IANS

In 2012, India had just one registered startup in the space sector — Dhruva Space from Hyderabad. The country now has close to 200 space startups. This exponential growth in the space sector is due to the government’s transformative policies under the leadership of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

India’s quantum leap in the space sector became possible after PM Modi took the courageous decision to “unlock” this sector from the “veil of secrecy.” India’s private space sector saw tremendous growth in the last decade and catapulted the country into the league of elite spacefaring nations, with the potential to become a $100 billion market in the years to come.

SOURCE: PTI

Chennai-based space start-up Agnikul Cosmos on Sunday called off the maiden launch of its 3D-printed, semi-cryogenic Agnibaan rocket about 129 seconds before lift-off citing communication in the onboard hardware.

Sunday’s was the third attempt at the test launch of the Agnibaan Sub-Orbital Technology Demonstrator (SOrTeD) since March 22, when the test flight was first scheduled to be held at the Agnikul Launch Pad at ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.

SOURCE: ANI

Two Indian Navy warships being built in Russia are likely to be commissioned by the end of this year, after getting delayed due to the Russia-Ukraine war. The first warship would be known as INS Tushil, while the other one would be INS Tamal after commissioning. The stealth frigates are being built as part of the Tushil class warships, which are follow-ons of the six warships of the Talwar class and its follow on frigates.

A team of the Indian Navy, including personnel from the Chief of Material Directorate, had recently visited the shipyard in Russia, where the frigates are being built and inspected the project, the defence officials told ANI.

SOURCE: PTI

The new India knows how to protect its borders and safeguard its people, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday and asked if it was wrong to kill terrorists. The firebrand BJP leader, who addressed election rallies in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur, Dausa and Sikar, referred to a report by the UK daily ‘The Guardian’ that claimed Indian intelligence agencies were involved in targeted killings of terrorists in Pakistan as part of an emboldened approach to national security after 2019.

“On one hand is the report which says terrorists are being killed in Pakistan, the world considers terrorism a big burden, but on the other was the Congress government that used to feed biryani to terrorists,” Adityanath said. “Should terrorists be killed or not? They are a burden on society and a threat to everyone’s safety. Congress would starve the poor and feed biryani to terrorists,” he said addressing the rally in Bharatpur.

SOURCE: PIB

Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, during his visit to Southern Naval Command, Kochi, awarded ‘On the Spot Unit Citation’ to INS Sharda for successful conduct of anti-piracy operations. The ship was involved in the safe release of all 19 crew members (11 Iranian & 08 Pakistani) of Iranian fishing vessel Omari which was held hostage by pirates off East coast of Somalia.

The ship was tasked to investigate the Iranian fishing vessel Omari that was likely hijacked by pirates. Based on surveillance inputs of naval RPA, the ship intercepted the vessel and maintained a covert trail throughout the night. During early morning hours of 02 Feb 24, the ship’s integral helo and subsequently Prahar team was launched.

SOURCE: ANI

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha disclosed that the central government has sanctioned Rs 100 crore package for the surrendered militants of the Nationalist Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), one of the proscribed outfits, reportedly operating from hideouts in hilly areas of Bangladesh. “Under the Special Economic Development Package for indigenous people of Tripura, the central government has sanctioned Rs 100 crore for the NLFT activists who laid down arms to join mainstream life.

All of them quit the path of violence,” Saha said in a public meeting held at Gabordi on Sunday in the West Tripura district. He was canvassing for West Tripura candidate for Lok Sabha elections, Biplab Kumar Deb, in the interior village. Describing PM Modi as the ultimate troubleshooter, Saha said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the remedy to all problems.

SOURCE: ANI

The security forces have busted a naxal camp in a forest area in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, which led to the recovery of a huge amount of explosives. According to the police, a search operation was held based on intelligence operations in the hilly forest areas of Tondamarka and Dabbamarka.

A huge amount of gelatin sticks, detonators, explosives, IED, BGL bombs and weapons were recovered in the joint operation conducted by the District Force, 208 Corps Cobra, 217 and 212, 241 Corps CRPF, Bastar Battalion under the Kistaram police station area of District Sukma, the police said.

SOURCE: IANS

Marking remarkable advancements in infrastructure development and bolstering India’s maritime power, the Navy’s Project Seabird is set to be inaugurated on April 9, it announced on Sunday.

The Navy shared a video on their official X handle to showcase the progress made under Project Seabird in Karwar, Karnataka. The video was captioned: “Save the date! 09 April 2024! Witness glimpses of the transformative efforts at #ProjectSeabird #Karwar as #IndianNavy gears up for a momentous inauguration; showcasing remarkable advancements in #infrastructure development; bolstering the nation’s might and maritime power!”

SOURCE: ANI

Parivartan Chintan, a pioneering Tri-Service Conference aimed at generating new and fresh ideas, initiatives and reforms to propel jointness and integration efforts, is being held in New Delhi on April 8. A day long discussions will be chaired by Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan. With the Indian Armed Forces having embarked on a major transformative change in their quest to be ready for the envisaged future wars, initiatives are being undertaken to promote Jointness and Integration as structures are modified to enable tri-service multi-domain operations.

The ‘Chintan’ will be the first ever conference of the Heads of all tri-service Services Institutions, the Department of Military Affairs, Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff and the three Services, with officers from varied service brackets, through their diverse understanding and experience, recommending measures to achieve the desired “Joint and Integrated” end state with celerity.

SOURCE: ANI

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has claimed that Home Minister Amit Shah got “agitated” as Mallikarjun Kharge inadvertently “exposed the Modi-Shah gameplan” to change Article 371 related to Nagaland. “Amit Shah got all excited and agitated because Khargeji inadvertently exposed the Modi-Shah gameplan on Article 371; now that they have gotten Article 370 out of the way,” Ramesh said in a post on X. Earlier, addressing a gathering in Rajasthan’s Jaipur on Saturday, the Congress chief mistakenly said that ‘Modi claims credit for abolishing Article 371’.

Later, Shah slammed him for his “horrendous mistake.” Ramesh further clarified the statement made by the party president, Kharge. “Today, by a slip of the tongue in his speech in Jaipur, @INCIndia President Mallikarjun Kharge ji mistakenly said that Modi claims credit for abolishing Article 371. Kharge Ji clearly meant Article 370,” Ramesh said in a post on X.

SOURCE: ANI

As part of the ongoing exercise Gagan Shakti-24, Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft recently operated from the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) in the northern sector in Kashmir valley, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry said that a large number of troops were airlifted and subsequently air landed utilising Chinook, Mi-17 V5 and ALH Mk-III helicopters by night.