in a bid to enhance the efficiency and authenticity of electronic toll collection on national highways, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has further strengthened its mechanism for identifying and blacklisting “loose” FASTags, also known as “tag-in-hand”, officials said on Friday.
The NHAI has directed all toll collecting agencies and concessionaires to immediately report such loose or improperly fixed FASTags, which are sometimes deliberately not affixed on vehicle windscreens. These loose tags pose serious operational challenges, including lane congestion, false chargebacks, misuse in closed-loop tolling systems and delays for other highway users.
“In view of upcoming initiatives like the annual pass system and multi-lane free flow tolling, it is critical to address the issue to ensure FASTag authenticity and system reliability,” an NHAI official said.
To streamline the process, the NHAI has set up a dedicated email identity through which toll collection agencies can report loose FASTags. Upon receiving reports, the authority will take immediate action by blacklisting or hotlisting the flagged FASTags.
According to the officials, with over a 98 per cent penetration rate, FASTag has revolutionised toll collection across India. However, NHAI officials said loose FASTags compromise the system’s integrity and could lead to inconvenience for genuine highway users.
“This initiative will help make toll operations more efficient, ensuring seamless and comfortable journeys for highway users,” the official said.
In a significant milestone for indigenous defence capabilities, the existing beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile ‘Astra’ was successfully tested today with an indigenously developed radio frequency (RF) seeker, fired from a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) jointly conducted the flight-test off the coast of Odisha, the Ministry of Defence said.
“During the tests, two launches were carried out against high-speed unmanned aerial targets at different ranges. In both cases, the missiles destroyed the targets with pinpoint accuracy,” the ministry stated.
All subsystems performed as expected during the trials, including the RF seeker, which has been designed and developed by DRDO. The flawless performance of the Astra weapon system was validated using flight data captured by tracking instruments deployed during the test.
A radio frequency seeker is a critical guidance component in modern missiles. It enables autonomous target tracking — allowing the missile to independently locate and follow a target, a feature known as “fire-and-forget” capability.
The Astra BVRAAM (Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile) has a range exceeding 100 km and is equipped with a state-of-the-art guidance and navigation system. More than 50 public and private sector industries, including Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), have contributed to the successful realisation of the weapon system alongside various DRDO laboratories.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, the IAF and the industry partners involved in the development of the indigenous RF seeker and successful execution of the tes
Doval defends Op Sindoor, says precision strikes hit 9 terror sites
National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval on Friday firmly rejected foreign media reports questioning the precision and impact of India’s cross-border Operation Sindoor, asserting that all nine intended terror targets inside Pakistan were hit with “pinpoint accuracy” and that “not even a glass pane” was damaged on Indian soil.
“Foreign press said Pakistan did this and that… Show me one photograph, one image showing any Indian damage — even a glass pane. Nothing happened,” Doval said while speaking at the 62nd Convocation of the IIT-Madras. He was referring to claims by international outlets, including The New York Times, which focused their reportage on alleged damage on the Indian side.
In a bold and calculated move, India had on May 7 launched Operation Sindoor, a series of precision airstrikes targeting nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), in response to escalating cross-border terrorism and recent Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians were killed.
Sharing operational details, Doval said the strike began at 1.05 am and concluded by 1.28 am, targeting nine identified terrorist locations deep inside Pakistani territory.
“It was not along the border; these were targets crisscrossing Pakistan. We missed none. We hit nowhere else except those points. We knew exactly who was where,” he said, adding that the entire operation was powered by indigenous systems like BrahMos missiles, radars and integrated air control and command technologies.
He said satellite images clearly showed that 13 airbases in Pakistan were destroyed in strikes carried out before and after May 10 — whether in Sargodha, Rahim Yar Khan, Chaklala, or Bholari, which houses Pakistan’s Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS).
Emphasising India’s growing self-reliance in defence technology, Doval said, “It is the technology we have to develop — our indigenous technology. We are proud of systems like BrahMos and our battlefield surveillance capabilities.”
He used the platform to underscore the critical need for technological advancement. “If India fails to master critical technologies today, we may miss the opportunity for centuries to come,” he said, urging young engineers and scientists to become ‘technology warriors’.
Doval identified artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors and space sciences as key areas where India must lead globally to secure its future.
Recalling how India built an indigenous 5G ecosystem within two-and-a-half years after facing a national security challenge in 2020, Doval credited the IIT-Madras and the private sector.
“We couldn’t afford to lag behind. The IIT-Madras and Indian private firms stepped up to make India self-reliant in trusted communication systems,” he said, adding that now, every component is either sourced from trusted entities or manufactured domestically.
The two pilots who died in the Jaguar fighter jet crash on Wednesday have been identified as Squadron Leader Lokendra and Flight Lieutenant Rishi Raj Singh.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) today released the names of the two pilots. Squadron Leader Lokendra hailed from Rohtak in Haryana and is survived by his wife and a month-old son. His co-pilot, Flight Lieutenant Singh, belonged to Pali in Rajasthan.
The jet had taken off from the Suratgarh airbase in Rajasthan before it crashed near Churu in Rajasthan, killing both the pilots. This was the third crash involving the Jaguar in the past four months.
On March 7, a Jaguar went down near Ambala during a routine sortie. The pilot was able to eject safely.
On April 3, another Jaguar jet crashed in Jamnagar, Gujarat, after it developed some critical technical problem, killing the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Yadav.
The Jaguar was inducted into the IAF in 1979. The twin-engine fighter aircraft forms an important part of India’s nuclear triad. Britain, France, Ecuador, Nigeria and Oman, which once had Jaguars in their fleet, have retired them long ago, with some jets put on display in air museums. The IAF, too, is expected to begin phasing out its older Jaguar models after 2027-28 onwards.
Aadhaar’s non-inclusion among the set of 11 documents mandated by the Election Commission to prove domicility or citizenship of voters in Bihar during the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has turned into a full blown controversy. The Opposition claims it is aimed at excluding millions of migrant voters, both poor and Dalit, in the garb of weeding out illegal immigrants.
A two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the ECI to consider Aadhaar, Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) and ration card also for voter registration. The ECI had asked voters to give any one of the following 11 documents to indicate that the voter is not an illegal immigrant or one who has managed to sneak his name into the rolls, which were revised in 2003.
What are EC’s 11 documents
1. Any identity card/Pension Payment Order issued to a regular employee, pensioner of any central or state government or a Public Sector Unit
2. Any identity card, certificate, document issued by the government, local authorities, banks, post office, LIC, PSUs prior to July 1, 1987
Advertisement
3. Birth certificate
4. Passport
5. Matriculation or other educational certificates issued by recognised boards, universities
6. Permanent residence certificate
7. Forest right certificate
8. OBC/SC/ST or any caste certificate issued by the competent authority
9. National Register of Citizens
10. Family register prepared by state or local authorities
11. Any land or house allotment certificate by the government.
What is EC’s objection to Aadhaar
EC believes Aadhaar is only a document to authenticate identity, not citizenship. EC’s counsel Rakesh Dwived told the court that Aadhaar was also issued to non-citizens. “The ECI cannot exalt the status of the Aadhaar,” Dwivedi said.
Supreme Court’s view
The two-judge Bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi in its short order said ECI’s 11-document list is not exhaustive, which is why “in the interest of justice”, the EC should also consider Aadhaar, EPIC — which is issued by the ECI itself — and ration card. Justice Dhulia said Aadhaar a primary document of identity and pointed out that SIR was, in fact, about proving the identity of a person who wanted to exercise her right to vote.
Justice Dhulia cited the example of seeking a caste certificate, for which Aadhaar is needed, because it is a pre-requisite for getting other documents. “Caste certificate is one of the documents among the 11, but not Aadhaar? The entire exercise of SIR is about identity only. You want to know whether this person is A or B,” Justice Dhulia asked. Justice Bagchi agreed that none of the 11 documents the ECI had listed in its June 24 notification were telltale ones for citizenship.
The SC Bench has not passed any interim order of stay as the petitioners did not press for a stoppage of the exercise. The matter is now listed for July 28, mere days before the publication of the draft electoral rolls in Bihar on August 1.
However, the Bench noted that its judicial review of SIR would focus on the EC’s power to undertake this exercise, the way it is being held as well as the timing, which it noted, was too short.
The Indian Army continues to extend critical support to the civil administration in Himachal Pradesh as part of the ongoing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations after recent flashfloods in Mandi district.
In close coordination with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the local authorities, the Indian Army has deployed dedicated relief columns, stated a statement issued here today.
Indian Army columns have been mobilised across key locations like Thunag, Bagsiad and Pandoh.
Army teams have been actively engaged in the opening of vital access routes, including mule tracks that were used to ensure the delivery of supplies.
The Army’s medical teams have been sent to provide assistance and distribute relief material. First-aid kits and ration have been provided to the affected families.
The Army in partnership with the civil administration has ensured relief material is sent to remote villages that have been cut off due to the flashfloods. All Army teams are communicating using satellite phones to ensure uninterrupted operational connectivity. A team of the Army met Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Suhku today. A Brigadier has been asked to visit Mandi for an operational update and interaction with the relief columns.
& shattered Taiwan invasion plans India’s swift and surgical Operation Sindoor not only decimated Pakistan’s terror a…
Read more at: https://organiser.org/2025/07/08/301777/bharat/operation-sindoor-shakes-indo-pacific-how-pakistan-defeat-exposed-chinese-weapons-shattered-taiwan-invasion-plans/
In a span of just four days, from May 7 to May 10, 2025, India’s Operation Sindoor delivered a decisive blow to Pakistan’s terror and military infrastructure in retaliation for a brutal terrorist atta…
Read more at: https://organiser.org/2025/07/08/301777/bharat/operation-sindoor-shakes-indo-pacific-how-pakistan-defeat-exposed-chinese-weapons-shattered-taiwan-invasion-plans/
The armed insurgents check ID cards of passengers and offload 9 of them from the bus going from Quetta to Lahore, and shoot them dead
Insurgents shot and killed nine passengers from Punjab after offloading them from a passenger bus in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province on Friday, according to authorities.
The incident took place on the national highway in Zhob area of the province, said Zhob Assistant Commissioner Naveed Alam.The armed insurgents checked ID cards of passengers and offloaded nine of them from the bus going from Quetta to Lahore, and shot them dead.All nine belonged to different parts of the Punjab province, Alam said.
“We have moved the nine bodies to the hospital for post-mortem and burial procedures,” he said.
This is not the first time that insurgents have targeted people belonging to the Punjab province and passenger buses plying on different highways in Balochistan.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but in the past, ethnic Baloch terrorist groups carried out such targeted attacks against the people of Punjab.Meanwhile, insurgents also carried out three other terrorist attacks in Quetta, Loralai and Mastung, but spokesperson for the Balochistan government Shahid Rind claimed security forces repulsed these attacks.
Unconfirmed reports in the Balochistan media claimed that insurgents had struck at several places in the province during the night and engaged security forces by attacking check posts, government installations, police stations, banks and communication towers.While Rind confirmed the attacks, he said there were no reports of casualties in any of them.
Bordering Iran and Afghanistan, Balochistan is home to a long-running violent insurgency.
Baloch insurgent groups frequently carry out attacks targeting security personnel, government projects and the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects in this oil- and mineral-rich province.
In March, five people working on long body trailers were shot dead in the Kalmat area near Gwadar port, while in February, insurgents offloaded seven passengers belonging to the Punjab province and killed them on the spot in the Barkhan area.
