SOURCE: BW BUSINESSWORLD

Sweden’s Saab group made a bold, pre-tender pitch for an Indian order for 114 fighter aircraft by declaring that its Gripen E single-engine fighter is on offer for “half the price India has paid for the Rafale”. Saab expects India to launch a global tender in the “first half of next year”. 

The Rafale is a larger, twin-engined aircraft and therefore more expensive but Saab is pitching its single-engine aircraft as a dramatically cheaper solution for the same role. To illustrate its claim on a massive price advantage, Saab disclosed its price bid for an ongoing tender for 64 fighter aircraft for Finland, also known as the HX Fighter programme.

SOURCE: ET

The armed forces have been empowered to import equipment even if it is on a declared negative list in case there are immediate requirements or products delivered by domestic companies do not meet technical requirements and have an impact on the safety of soldiers.

The exception has been given by the defence ministry as a practical measure of flexibility to the armed forces that are undertaking a major indigenisation drive, people aware of the development said. “In the event the domestic industry is not able to supply equipment in the stipulated time-frame or quantity, or where there are inadequacies in the equipment affecting safety of troops, or in case of any other technical issues…specific cases for import could be taken up to meet immediate requirement, based on the recommendations of Defence lndigenisation Committee (DIC),” the ministry said in a notification.

SOURCE: PTI

The nation will have nine nuclear reactors by 2024 and a new nuclear project, the first in northern India, will come up 150 kms away from Delhi in Gorakhpur of Haryana, the government informed the Rajya Sabha. Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh said, “By 2024 you will have nine nuclear reactors plus 12 new additional ones which were approved during the Covid times with a capacity of 9000 MW. Five new sites are also being identified,” in different parts of the country.

Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour, he said what is remarkable is that unlike in the past when nuclear plants were limited to a few states like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the department has now moved northwards.

SOURCE: MONEY CONTROL

Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) on December 2 said it had signed a Rs 471.41-crore contract with the Indian Army for the refurbishment of IGLA-1M missiles. The contract will run for 10 years, the defence PSU said in a regulatory filing. Apart from the refurbishment, BDL deals with manufacture and supply of guided missiles and associated equipment, underwater weapon systems, airborne weapon systems, ground support equipment and product life cycle support.

Previously, the firm had exported torpedoes to a “friendly foreign country” and received leads from several countries for its products. BDL said to export its ‘Made in India’ products to friendly foreign nations, it had taken up several steps to be a part of the global supply chain by entering into memoranda of understanding and agreements with foreign original equipment manufacturers.

SOURCE: IANS

 The Military-Technical Cooperation (MTC) between India and Russia is expected to grow stronger when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi on Monday.

Delivery of the S-400 air defence system and purchase of nearly seven lakh Kalashnikov assault rifles from Moscow, along with plans on joint research and development activities to create new weapons and military equipment systems, will be at the top of the agenda of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu when they both meet for the inaugural 2+2 Dialogue.

SOURCE: THE PRINT

With increasing efforts underway from various quarters to enable a more participatory ecosystem for the private space industry, members within the community have come together to launch the country’s first dedicated space think tank, Spaceport SARABHAI (S2). 

The organisation will be based out of Bengaluru, with a satellite presence in Delhi, Berlin (Germany), Sendai (Japan) and Boston (US). Its named after Vikram Sarabhai, who founded and spearheaded India’s space programme.  The think tank aims to elevate the current Indian space industry — largely occupied by ISRO and accompanying private companies that add to its services — to an industry-friendly, financially supportive, regulated space, by providing policy guidance, stakeholder feedback, and research data to the government and the Department of Space. 

SOURCE: Daily Excelsior

 Former Union Minister and senior All India Congress Committee leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad today said that Congress was ‘unlikely’ to grab 300 plus seats in 2024 Parliamentary elections to reverse the decision of the BJP led NDA Government with regard to abrogation of Article 370 in J&K.

In a move to counter his critics in J&K over Article 370, Azad while addressing a large public gathering at Poonch today said that the matter related to Article 370 was sub-judice before the Supreme Court of India and he would not like to comment on it. The Apex Court or the Parliament can take a review on the decision taken.

SOURCE: IANS

As the ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi waits for a verdict anytime on the trumped-up flimsy charges against her by the current military Junta, Myanmar has drifted towards chaos, confusion and near civil war and economic collapse with no end in sight of the current situation.

Was it inevitable with the military holding the levers of power under the 2008 Constitution in whose drafting the civilian leaders had no role to play? Yet, democracy was progressing albeit slowly, but progressively given the constraints of time and objective reality in Myanmar.

SOURCE: PTI

Dassault Systemes has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tamil Nadu government to set up The Tamil Nadu Centre of Advance Manufacturing (TANCAM) at TIDEL Park in the city, the company said on Tuesday. TANCAM, a first of its kind Centre of Excellence in India, would provide a dedicated IT engineering ecosystem to support the micro, small and medium enterprises sector, startups and the students and enable the growth of industries such as aerospace, defense, automotive and electric vehicles.

The Centre would have facilities for an engineering digital platform to support product design, composites, simulation and digital manufacturing, along with a 3D printer and virtual reality-set up, a company statement said here.

SOURCE: ET

A spy for Pakistan provided onetime passwords to his handlers to activate social media accounts, Rajasthan Police has said after the arrest of a man. It said Nibab Khan (34) worked for Pakistan’s ISI, since 2015, and helped it activate more than 25 accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp which were used to run propaganda.

Khan was arrested by Rajasthan Police CIDs with the help of central agencies on Sunday under the Official Secrets Act. “He is believed to have been in touch with officials from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. He received remuneration for providing information and supplied information related to the Indian Army in Rajasthan,” the FIR against him alleged.

SOURCE: PTI

The long-awaited Munsiyari-Milam road on which work started in 2012 is not likely to be completed before the end of 2023, a senior BRO official said on Thursday. After this key strategic road is complete, it would be easy to reach the last security posts at the Indo-China border in Johar Valley by vehicles. The strategically important high-altitude road was to be completed this year but making way through hard rocks is posing a big challenge, BRO chief engineer and incharge of the project MNV Prasad said.

Sub-zero temperatures during winter coupled with the coronavirus lockdown last year, which saw labourers returning home, has further delayed work on the key project, he said.

SOURCE: NEWS18

The Uttar Pradesh Police have beefed up security in the Ayodhya district after an unknown caller called on the emergency number 112 and threatened to carry out a series of blasts in Ayodhya city and blast the Ram Mandir.

A senior police officer posted at Ayodhya district police headquarters confirmed the threat call. The officer further added that they have identified the caller. “The call was made by a youth from Gujarat’s Ahmedabad,” added the officer.

SOURCE: PTI

India on Thursday hit out at the UN human rights body OHCHR for its adverse comments on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, saying it “betrays” a complete lack of understanding of the security challenges in the region due to cross-border terrorism.

Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said authorities in India act against violations of law and not against legitimate exercise of rights. Bagchi’s comments came in response to a statement made by the spokesperson of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on specific incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. He said “baseless and unfounded” allegations were made against law enforcement authorities and security forces of India in the statement.

SOURCE: INDIA TODAY

In a bid to resolve the military standoff in the Eastern Ladakh sector, India and China are likely to hold the 14th round of corps commander talks in the third or fourth week of December. “The Chinese side has to send up the invitation for the 14th round of talks. The talks are likely to be held in the third or fourth week of this month before the year end,” top government sources told India Today.

The first half of the year would see the entire country, led by the Prime Minister and Indian Army, busy celebrating India’s victory over Pakistan 50 years ago and the creation of Bangladesh.

SOURCE: PTI

When the government’s thrust is on digitisation, frequent suspension of the internet on “flimsy grounds” is uncalled for and must be avoided, a parliamentary panel has said. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, in its report titled ‘Suspension of Telecom and Internet Services and Its Impact’ called for defining the parameters and a “robust mechanism” for internet shutdown.

It noted that the suspension of telecom services and the internet frequently affected life and liberty of people. The Committee said, “When the Government’s thrust is on digitisation and knowledge economy with free and open access to internet at its core, frequent suspension of internet on flimsy grounds is uncalled for and must be avoided.” “There is a need to monitor the exercise of this provision so that these are not misused to the disadvantage of people at large. The Committee, therefore, recommend that a proper mechanism is put in place at the earliest to decide on the merit or appropriateness of telecom/internet shutdowns,” it said in the report.