SOURCE: ANI

In a series of joint intelligence-based operations in several districts of Manipur between February 19-20, Assam Rifles and Indian Army formations under Spear Corps apprehended 16 cadres and recovered 23 weapons in the hill and valley areas in the state.

According to a release, the operations were conducted in the Imphal West, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Tengnoupal, Jiribam, and Kakching districts of Manipur. On receipt of information of the presence of cadres in general area Pheidinga, Imphal West district and general area Bhumpa Khulen in Thoubal district, Indian Army and Manipur Police launched an area domination patrol on February 19 and apprehended three individuals, who on initial questioning, confirmed that was a cadre of KCP (PWG). One AK series weapon, one INSAS, one Sniper, and one 12-bore weapon and war-like stores were also recovered, the release said.

SOURCE: PTI

A former Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was arrested after a long hunt of 18 years from Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district on Thursday, the police said. Anwari Ali Chouhan alias Jamsheer, originally a resident of Gujjar-Kothian Talwara, had joined Hizbul Mujahideen in 2001.  He remained active for seven years before surrendering in 2007 in the Kashmir Valley, a police spokesperson said. 

Chouhan subsequently went underground and kept changing his location so as to evade arrest in multiple militancy-related cases registered at the Reasi police station. 

SOURCE: ANI

Maggie Feldman-Piltch, Founder and Managing Director of Unicorn Strategies, has all the praise for India’s ‘Make In India’ initiative for defence production and its growing partnership with the United States.She emphasized the lessons India can draw from transatlantic security cooperation and the critical role of international collaborations in strengthening India’s defence technology sector. In an exclusive during the Munich Security Conference (MSC), she said, “The Make in India initiative makes sense and is in line with a great deal of the trends we see around the world, particularly in Europe.”

Feldman-Piltch highlighted that Europe has been actively discussing the need for balancing defence production, a topic resonating globally. She pointed out that India, despite being the largest democracy and the world’s biggest importer of defence equipment in 2023, has a relatively low level of defence manufacturing.

SOURCE: UNI

Australia will play a key role in India’s first Gaganyaan Mission, particularly in astronaut recovery operations. At a webinar PRISM (Perspectives on Regulatory Issues in Strategic Markets) 2.0 Unlocking Trade Potential in India-Australia Space Collaboration, jointly organized by SIA-India and SIA-Australia, India and Australia agreed to Deepen Space Partnership through Strategic Dialogue. The webinar served as a dedicated platform to address critical regulatory and market challenges, fostering an environment conducive to collaboration, innovation, and trade in the space and dual-use sectors.

Experts speaking at the event said beyond regulatory alignment, the collaboration extends to mission support, with Australia playing a key role in India’s Gaganyaan mission. Australia’s support for India’s Gaganyaan mission, particularly in astronaut recovery operations, further reinforces collaboration. Australia’s support for India’s 1st Gaganyaan mission includes providing critical tracking and recovery operations through its Cocos (Keeling) Islands ground station.

SOURCE: PTI

US President Donald Trump has once again questioned the Biden administration’s decision to allocate USD 21 million to India for “voter turnout”, guessing that they were trying to “get somebody else elected”. Trump made these remarks while addressing the FII PRIORITY Summit in Miami on Thursday. He had raised similar concerns earlier, questioning the necessity of such financial aid. On Wednesday, he questioned the purpose of providing USD 21 million to India for “voter turnout” as he reiterated that the US “can hardly get in there” because of high Indian tariffs.

His remarks came after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk disclosed that USAID contributed USD 21 million to the Election Commission to boost voter turnout in India.At the FII summit, Trump cited some examples to the audience about where their money was going before he became president. “These are random examples,” he said. “…And USD 21 million for voter turnout in India.

SOURCE: PIB

The Ministry of Defence has signed contracts with M/s ACE Limited and M/s JCB India Limited in presence of Defence Secretary Shri R K Singh for procurement of quantity 1868 Rough Terrain Fork Lift Truck (RTFLT) at a total cost of ?697.35 crore for Indian Army, Indian Airforce and Indian Navy.

Rough Terrain Fork Lift Truck (RTFLT) is a critical equipment which will assist in various combat and logistics support tasks by avoiding manual handling of enormous number of stores and thus enhancing the operational effectiveness of Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.

SOURCE: PTI

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday hit out at the Modi government over reports that China was building 90 new villages along the Arunachal Pradesh border and accused it of putting India’s national security, territorial integrity and sovereignty at risk.

In a post on X, Kharge alleged that the priorities of the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi were “PR stunts” and “false advertisements”, and “not national security”.

SOURCE: PTI

Chief of Bangladesh’s border guarding force on Thursday sought to downplay the attacks on minorities in his country that took place after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, saying such reports were “exaggerated”. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) director general Maj Gen Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui also said “many new issues” under the common heads were discussed during his high-level talks with an Indian delegation headed by BSF DG Daljit Singh Chawdhary here.

Siddiqui, while speaking to reporters during a joint press conference with Chawdhary, asserted that authorities of his country took steps for the protection of the minorities as he gave example of his force “personally” extending security cover to Durga Puja pandals within 8 km of their jurisdiction along the international border. This was the rst high-level meeting of the two forces after the regime change in Bangladesh in August last year. The BGB DG also said they raised “objections” and “agged a number of cases” during the biannual DG-level talks with regard to the fencing being done by India along the IB and has requested for a “joint inspection” before the work is done.

SOURCE: PTI

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday asserted that the Arunachal Frontier Highway, which will connect 12 districts along the India-China boundary, will be a “game changer” for the border areas of the state.

Speaking at the 39th Statehood Day celebrations here, Rijiju said that nearly Rs 42,000 crore will be invested into the project which is the “highest allocation ever made by the Centre for a single project”. On the occasion, Governor Lt Gen (Retd) K T Parnaik also said that the state has been on the path of development and the government is committed to boost the infrastructure.

SOURCE: PTI

A Delhi court has convicted former Madhya Pradesh MLA Kishore Samrite for allegedly threatening to blow up Parliament in September 2022 if his demands were not met. Special judge Vishal Gogne, however, acquitted him of charges for possession of explosives and endangering life or causing injury through it.

The court said upon examination of the substance found in a parcel he reportedly sent to the office of the secretary general of the Rajya Sabha turned out to be “harmless in terms of their capability to cause an explosion”.

SOURCE: IANS

The government on Thursday said it signed a contract with Bharat Electronics (NSE:BAJE) Ltd (BEL) for the procurement of 149 software-defined radios for the Indian Coast Guard at a total cost of Rs 1,220.12 crore.The pact was signed under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category between the Ministry of Defence and BEL, Bengaluru.

According to the ministry, these state-of-the-art radios will enable secure and reliable information sharing, collaboration, and situational awareness through high-speed data and secure voice communication.

SOURCE: IANS

The new Rs 500 crore worth Technology Adoption Fund (TAF) unveiled by the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), an arm of the Department of Space (DoS), will nurture and support the growth of India’s space startups as well as their technological capabilities. The TAF is aimed to promote the development of space technology within India while reducing the nation’s dependence on imported solutions.

The TAF will invest in domestic research and development and will also help build a strong partnership between government bodies and the private sector to position India as a reliable global partner in the space industry.

SOURCE: REUTERS

India’s oil imports from the United States rose sharply in January from December, turning Washington as the fifth largest oil supplier to New Delhi, data obtained from trade sources show.

India shipped in 218,400 barrels per day of oil from the U.S. compared to 70,600 bpd in December, the data showed. Refiners in India, the world’s third biggest oil importer and consumer, are bracing for higher imports of energy from Washington, as New Delhi looks to boost its energy purchases from the U.S. to $25 billion from $15 billion last year.

SOURCE: IANS

India has denounced Pakistan as “a global epicentre of terrorism” and called it an irony that Islamabad claims to be at the forefront of fighting terror. “Pakistan is a global epicentre of terrorism, harbouring more than 20 UN-listed terrorist entities and providing state support to cross-border terrorism,” India’s Permanent Representative Parvathaneni Harish said on Tuesday at the Security Council.

“Hence it is a supreme irony when Pakistan pats itself on the back as being at the forefront of the fight against terrorism,” he said.

SOURCE: PTI

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Thursday said India will need at least 20,000 pilots in the coming years to meet the rising air-travel demand in the country — one of the world’s fastest growing aviation market.

Addressing a gathering at the UDAAN Bhawan here following the launch of Electronic Personnel License (EPL) for pilots, the Minister said aviation has always been the backbone of connectivity, economic growth, and technological advancements.