Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presents a certificate to an NCC cadet during the investiture ceremony in New Delhi. PTI
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 21
A crucial meeting of countries of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) on aerospace and defence sector will be held during Aero India (February 3-5).
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will host the IOR Defence Ministers’ Conclave on February 4 as part of the Aero India 2021. The Defence Ministers’ Conclave in the morning will be followed by two seminars by Indian Navy and the Department of Defence Production along with other partners.
LCA Tejas deal to be signed at aero india
The contract for the supply of 83 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will be signed during the Aero India
The contract will be inked between the Ministry of Defence and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
The theme of the conclave will be “Enhanced peace, security and cooperation in Indian Ocean”. An invite has been sent to 28 countries, most will be represented physically or virtually.
“The IOR conclave is an effort towards India’s committed and continued engagement in the Indian Ocean both for defence diplomacy as also for economic prosperity through sustained engagement, dialogue, experience sharing and exchange of best practices,” officials here said.
CRPF plans to induct women in CoBRA: DG
Director General of CRPF AP Maheshwari on Thursday said the paramilitary organisation had been considering inducting women personnel in its specialised jungle warfare commando force CoBRA. TNS
Ahead of talks with Centre, farmer leaders accuse Delhi Police of harassment One of the union leaders alleges that the window of his car was smashed by Delhi Police
Ahead of the 11th round of talks with Union ministers, angry farmer union leaders on Friday alleged that Delhi Police were trying to harrass the farmer leaders.
One of the union leaders alleged that the rear windshield of his car was smashed by Delhi Police. The car belongs to one Ruldu Singh Mansa.
The farmer unions said they would raise the issue with the ministers at the talks that would begin shortly.
Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing registers FIR against DSGMC chief Sirsa A complaint accuses him of causing wrongful loss of over Rs 65 lakh to the gurdwara committee
Following the direction by a city court, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police has registered an FIR against Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Manjinder Sirsa on a complaint accusing him of causing wrongful loss of over Rs 65 lakh to the committee.
A senior police official, who is privy to the development but asked not to be quoted, confirmed that the EOW had registered the FIR against Sirsa after it received the court’s direction and that an investigation is under way.
Sources in the EOW said that complainant Bhupinder Singh, a stakeholder in the funds received by the gurdwara management committee, had alleged that Sirsa, who at the time of the incident in 2013 was general secretary, had “caused a wrongful loss of public funds to the tune of Rs 65,99,729”.
Protesting farm unions today rejected the government’s offer to suspend the three contentious agri laws for a year and a half, or any mutually agreed period, and set up a joint committee to find an amicable solution to end the impasse.
The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of around 40 unions, made the announcement following a meeting at Singhu border. It appeared to be a difficult decision for the union leaders to make as they held several rounds of talks through the day and even sought opinion from the protesters gathered on Delhi’s borders. The Haryana Police, meanwhile, have cancelled leave of its personnel in view of the stir.
Sources claimed 17 of the total 32 farm unions of Punjab rejected the Centre’s offer, terming it as a “tactic to derail the agitation by dividing the farmers”. “Repeal of the three central laws and a legislation for remunerative MSP were reiterated as the pending demands of the movement, which will be communicated to the Union ministers tomorrow,” said Joginder Singh Ugrahan of BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan).
SC panel interacts with 10 farm bodies
The Supreme Court-appointed panel on Thursday interacted with 10 farmer outfits from eight states
The states are UP, Karnataka, Kerala, MP, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and TN
Ugrahan alleged the government was trying to buy peace for the time being by suspending the laws for 18 months, but the farmers would not relent till these were repealed. “The Centre is testing the patience of the farmers. The unions unanimously rejected the Centre’s offer. We won’t return till the laws are abolished,” he said.
BJP leader RP Singh, meanwhile, condemned the farmers saying such “adamant attitude” wasn’t good for democracy.
Earlier, the unions also rejected the Delhi Police’s proposal to shift their proposed Republic Day tractor rally from Delhi’s Outer Ring Road.
Don’t wear medals, ribbons at public functions, Indian Army advisory for ex-servicemen
New Delhi, January 20, 2021 (ANI): At a time when a number of veterans have been seen attending political rallies, the Indian Army has issued an advisory regarding wearing of ribbons and medals by ex-servicemen at public functions.
An advisory has been issued by the Army which cites where all these ribbons and medals can be worn by veterans as per the Army regulations. The Army rules do not permit the wearing of uniforms, ribbons and medals in political rallies, Army sources said.
In the recent past, there have been various incidents where ex-servicemen have been seen wearing uniforms with medals and ribbons at protest rallies like the farmer protests in Delhi.
Some political leaders have also claimed that the farmers would take out their own parade on tractors in the national capital on Republic Day. (ANI)
Terrorists sitting at protest sites, says BJP MP; kicks up row in Rajasthan
Farmers stand near a bonfire to warm themselves during the ongoing protest for repeal of the Centres Agri laws, at Ghazipur border in New Delhi on Wednesday. PTI photo
Jaipur, January 20
A BJP legislator triggered a row in Rajasthan on Wednesday by calling some protesters taking part in the farmers’ agitation ”terrorists”, with the party’s state unit justifying her comments.
In a video clip on social media, Dausa MP Jaskaur Meena is heard purportedly referring to the new agri-marketing laws and the protest over them by farmers camping at Delhi’s border.
“Terrorists are sitting there and the terrorists have AK-47s with them. They have pitched the Khalistan flag,” she is heard saying.
The MP was unavailable on phone for comment.
Meena’s statement drew criticism from the ruling Congress in the state, which said people in Rajasthan are “ashamed” that they voted for her.
State Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra said the BJP’s vision was limited to getting into power, alleging that its veterans did not even want to liberate India from the British.
“The BJP has always been an anti-farmer party,” he claimed.
In an apparent reference to strikes against Pakistan after terror attacks in India, he said, “In the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP leaders won due to the valour of the army.” “Now, people of Rajasthan are feeling ashamed that they voted for a leader with such a narrow mindset,” he added, apparently referring to Meena’s victory.
But state BJP spokesperson Ramlal Sharma justified her comment.
“MP Meena’s feelings were not wrong. She wanted to say that the kind of flags and slogans being raised at the farmers protest is wrong. Some people have entered the protest in the name of farmers,” he claimed.
He said the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre is concerned about the welfare of farmers and is holding talks with them to resolve the issue.
Farmers from Punjab and Haryana have been camping at Delhi’s border for weeks seeking the repeal of the central laws enacted last September.
Farmer unions claim that the laws weaken the minimum support price (MSP) system. But the government says they provide more options for farmers to sell their crops. PTI
Crack K-9 unit of ITBP requisitioned for anti-sabotage operations at RD parade
TBP is the largest contributor of dog teams to Delhi Police for various assignments for the past one decade.
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 20
Ahead of the Republic Day parade, Delhi Police have requisitioned the crack K-9 unit of Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) to sanitise and secure the area around India Gate and Rajpath.
ITBP K-9s highly trained and loyal dogs will sniff out explosives and IEDs with zero error to ensure that the ceremony held under a very high threat perception goes off without a hitch.
ITBP is the largest contributor of dog teams to Delhi Police for various assignments for the past one decade. The dogs are trained at ITBP’s National Centre for Training Dogs at Bhanu near Chandigarh.
These dogs form part of ITBP’S K-9 QRT (quick reaction team) that rushes to the assistance of Delhi Police whenever there is a requisition.
All the K9s deployed this year have already had a stint in the counter-insurgency grid and are battle-hardened dogs whose noses miss nothing.
India gets Ukrainian engines for its stealth frigates, sends them to shipbuilder in Russia
The two frigates under construction at Yantar shipyard in Russia | Snehesh Alex Philip | ThePrint
New Delhi: India has procured gas turbine engines from Ukraine and handed over to Russia to install them on the Admiral Grigorovich-class guided-missile stealth frigates that are being made for the Indian Navy by a Russian shipyard as part of $2.5 billion deal, ThePrint has learnt.
Sources in the defence and security establishment said the construction of the two frigates by Yantar Shipyard in Russia’s Kaliningrad is going on according to schedule, and the first of the two is expected to be delivered by the end of 2022.
The second vessel is scheduled to be delivered six months later in 2023.
“The engines from Ukraine have been delivered to Russia. The construction of the ship is as per schedule and there has been no impact due to Covid,” a source said, refusing to give a timeline.
The delivery of the engines, manufactured by Ukrainian firm Zorya-Mashproyekt, was also confirmed by a second source.
Following Crimea’s reunification with Russia in 2014, its ties with Ukraine went for a toss and Moscow stopped importing the engines from the Ukranian manufacturer.
India had to, therefore, procure and transfer the same to Russia, which also needed Ukranian permission that was given in 2016.
India had in 2016 inked an inter-governmental agreement with Russia for four frigates, a follow-on of the Talwar-class vessels, and its contract was signed at the end of 2018.
According to the deal, two ships are to be built in Russia, while the other two to be built at the Goa Shipyard in India with technical collaboration from Russia.
The Yantar Shipyard has also manufactured three of the six Talwar-class frigates that are in service with the Indian Navy.
Admiral Grigorovich-class ships are an upgraded variant of the Talwar-class frigates that were built between 2003 and 2013.
The hulls for the two ships had already been cut for the Russian Navy, but remained mothballed for several years.
ThePrint had in 2019 reported on the progress of the deal after a visit to the shipyard.
Eduard Efimov, general director of the Yantar Shipyard, had said at the time new ships will have 22 new systems, including navigation, communication and weapons.
The frigate deal also faces the prospect of American sanctions if India is unable to secure a waiver.
India is seeking a waiver from the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) on the ground that its military is heavily dependent on Russian equipment and the two countries share a unique, time-tested relationship.
A Reutersreport had last week said the United States has told India it is unlikely to get a waiver on its planned acquisition of Russian S-400 air defence systems, raising the risk of sanctions similar to those imposed on Turkey for buying the system.
