The 14th edition of ‘Aero India 2023’ will be held at Air Force Station, Yelahanka, Bangalore (Karnataka) from 13 to 17 February 2023, said a press release by the Ministry of Defence on December 23
The five-day event will combine a major trade exhibition of the aerospace and defence industries as well as an aerial display by IAF. Besides global leaders and big investors in the aerospace industry, the show will also see participation by think tanks from across the world.
Aero India will provide a unique opportunity for the exchange of information, ideas and new developments in the aviation industry. In addition to giving a fillip to the domestic aviation industry, it would further the cause of Make in India.
Delegates from over 55 countries and more than 540 exhibitors had participated in Aero India 2021.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Defence Minister spoke at the inauguration of the strategically important Siyom bridge in the Siang district of the frontier state.
Singh said that the country does not believe in war but will fight if war is forced upon it.
“We do not believe in war, but if it is forced upon us, we will fight. We are ensuring that the nation is protected from all threats. Our Armed Forces are ready and it is heartening to see that the BRO (Border Roads Organisation) is walking shoulder-to-shoulder with them,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had said in Siang.
Rajnath Singh emphasised that the aim is to build a strong and self-reliant ‘New India’ to effectively deal with future challenges which may arise due to the constantly-evolving global scenario.
“The world is witnessing a number of conflicts today. India has always been against war. It is our policy. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew the world’s attention to that resolve when he said ‘this is not the era of war’,” Singh stated.
The Defence Minister had further highlighted the crucial role being played by the BRO in bolstering the country’s security through infrastructure development in border areas.
The event at Along-Yinkiong Road witnessed the physical inauguration of the strategically-important Siyom Bridge, while the other projects were dedicated to the nation virtually. The Siyom Bridge is a state-of-the-art 100-meter long, Class 70 Steel ArchSuperstructure Siyom Bridge over Siyom River in Arunachal Pradesh.
On occasion, the Defence Minister also released a Compendium on New Technologies. It incorporates the latest technologies being adopted by the BRO in the construction of roads, bridges, airfields and tunnel infrastructure to negate the effects of remote and hostile terrain with the adverse weather condition, which unduly affects the quality of civil engineering works and meeting the completion timelines.

It is brought to the kind notice of all esteemed Veteran Offrs & NoKs that
PCDA (P), Allahabad has started the process of migration of legacy pensioners to
SPARSH in phased manner. In the first phase, all 7th CPC regime pensioners (i.e post
01 Jan 2016) are being migrated. To this effect 558 pensioners, who were drawing
their pension from private banks have been migrated. All balance pensioners are likely
to be migrated by 28 Feb 2022. Pre-2016 pensioners will be migrated in phases for
which separate intimation will be given through this website on receipt from PCDA (P),
Allahabad.

For ease of understanding & business, few salient features about SPARSH are described in succeeding paragraphs.

About SPARSH. System for Pension Administration – Raksha (SPARSH) is a
comprehensive pension package (CPP), an end-to-end online system aimed at facilitating and easing every aspect of Defence Pensions from initiation to disbursement.
The project basically entails online submission of Pension Claims from Officers’ Record Office (ORO) to PCDA (P), Allahabad through PCDA (O), Pune, online verification & authentication of data and online disbursement of pension direct into account by PCDA
(P) instead of Banks/CPPCs/DPDOs etc.
Website link – https://sparsh.defencepension.gov.in.

Migration of Legacy Pensioners on SPARSH. Stepwise process of migration
is given at Appx A.

Benefits/Advantages of SPARSH.
(a) Single point contact i.e PCDA (P), Allahabad for all pension and data related
queries.
(b) No role of any DPDO/Bank & CPPC etc as the pension will be directly
credited into pensioner’s account by PCDA (P) Allahabad through SPARSH &
eKuber package of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
(c) Pensioner will have the facility of login to access following services:-
(i) View & updated profile.
(ii) Raise any kind of request post login like change/update of
Mobile No, Email, Address & Bank details which would be straight way
approved & updated.
(iii) Raise request for amendment of names or Date of Birth (DOB) of
family members duly uploading necessary supporting documents which
would be visible to the dealing staff of ORO (MP-5B) for vetting and
approval. The updated data/details would be found reflected in SPARSH
system post final approval of PCDA (P). No corrigendum PPO will be issued
until there is a change in pensionary benefits. No hardcopies of documents
are reqd to be sent.
(iv) Queries/Requests related to pension anomalies.
(v) Interactive grievance mgt as per designed modules/subjects therein.
(vi) View/Download monthly pension details/pension slip.
(vii) Income tax forms including Investment declarations to save the tax.
(viii) Track Claim.
(ix) Information about Re-employment.

Identifications/Submission of Life Cert. Identifications/Submission of Life
Cert process is explained in detail given at Appx B.

Service Centres for Assistance of Pensioners. There are 938 Service centres
across the country. Nearest service centre can be located by visiting the SPARSH website
or by using direct link ‘https://sparsh.defencepension.gov.in/?page
=serviceCentreLocator’ on civil internet. Locate Service Centre, Put state/distt/pin
code and click Search.

Pensioner’s Death/Missing Intimation by NoK. The process is given at
Appx C.

Online Submission of Family Pension or Corr Case by ORO (MP-5B). The
pensioners may process any data correction case for issue of corrigendum PPO or start of Family Pension either through SPARSH as explained above or through existing method i.e RODRA, email, by post etc. On receipt of requisite document, ORO (MP5B) will raise the “Data Correction” case online through SPARSH if pensioners have been migrated to SPARSH otherwise through legacy system. However, to avoid
duplicacy, pensioners are advised to use only one medium at a time. Manual cases of migrated pensioners will no longer be accepted by PCDA (P), Allahabad.

All pensioners are advised to visit the SPARSH website
‘sparsh.defencepension.gov.in’ and specially the ‘FAQ’ link to acquaint
themselves with the features and facilities.
Appx ‘A’
MIGRATION PROCESS
Step 1. Imdtly on migration, an SMS and email is sent to the pensioner’s
latest Mobile No & email ID registered with Bank for e-banking or SMS facility
etc.
OR
Step 2. A pensioner can check his status by visiting the website
‘https://pcdapension.nic.in/pcda/view-sparshppo.php’ on civil internet.
Step 3. Select the mode by which you want to search ; the Old e-PPO No or
IC No or Bank Account No and then type the same in the box given.
Step 4. Type the given Captcha and click on ‘Submit’ button. New PPO No
would be reflected on screen.
OR
Step 5. Migrated pensioners may find their new PPO No under link ‘Various
Functions – DAK/SPARSH migration status’ after login into RODRA also which is
updated as per the list received from PCDA(P) by ORO.
OR
Step 6. If any pensioner is shown as migrated to SPARSH but he couldn’t
get his user ID & password through SMS/email due to any reason, he may contact
PCDA (P), Allahabad on 18001805325 or TCS on 011-20893782/83/84/85 or
may contact on following Mob Nos:-
Name Designation Mob No E Mail Id Shri Suarabh Chandra Ghosh AO 9450583095 sauravhghosh.dad@gov.in
Shri Manish AO 9415267523 manishaao.da@gov.in
or may try to directly login as per fwg method on SPARSH Website
‘sparsh.defencepension.gov.in’ Login page :-

(i) Login with User ID – User ID as received or if not received then
New SPARSH PPO No suffixed with 01 (eg
if New SPARSH PPO No is 101202100999
then User ID will be 10120210099901)
(ii) Password – Use Forgot Password link and follow
the on screen process.
Step 7. In case the officer is still unable to get his details or successfully
login, he may contact ORO (MP-5B) to update his Mobile No & email ID on
8130591689 & 8368051743 (whatsapp only), through email
offr.record@gov.in or RODRA grievance module.
Note :- No soft or hard copy of new PPO is being generated or issued and
only a new PPO No is issued. Details of service, family, pension & other benefit are reflected under profile post login into SPARSH. If the pensioner wishes, he may keep a printout of the same for his ref as the SPARSH PPOs are just a
statement with pension dtls and no longer serve as an authority for payment of pension by any agency like DPDO/Bank etc. Accordingly, the PPOs of current retirees are also issued with following Note:-
‘This document is for record of pensioner only and does not serve
as authority for payment at any Pension Disbursing Agency, Payment
of pension will be done centrally by SPARSH’.
Appx ‘B’
IDENTIFICATION PROCESS : EXPLAINED

Pensioners/NoKs may use any of the following methods for initial/yearly identification or submission of Life Cert:-
(a) Method/ Option 1. DLC (Digital Life Cert) may be submitted after login into SPARSH on a Computer connected to Biometric fingerprint/iris scanner device for Aadhaar Authentication as per following process :-
Step 1. Click on Identification tab from menu on left bar.
Step 2. Click on “Perform Identification” button shown below personal
particulars. A new page will open.
Step 3. Click on small circle shown against Aadhar and follow the onscreen
process.
(b) Method/ Option 2. Generate Manual Life Cert (MLC) with Token No post
login into SPARSH.
Step 1 & 2. Same as above.
Step 3. Click on small circle shown against Manual Life Cert (MLC) and click
on Generate MLC Number.
Step 3. Click on Initiate Request. A Ceritifcate will be be generated, save or
take a print, get it signed from any gazetted officer and upload the same in
SPARSH as image/pdf through your Mobile/Tab/PC/Laptop etc after login.
(c) Method/ Option 3. Submit DLC through Govt “Jeevan Praman Portal”.
Download the app on PC/Tab/Mobile. Better is to download and install the app on mobile which facilitates face recognisation authentication of Aadhaar and no biometric finger print/iris scanner device is required. For further details, visit FAQ section on website https://jeevanpramaan.gov.in.
(d) Method/ Option 4. Visit any nearby CSC (Citizen/Common Service Centre)
which are also called as e-Mitra etc. There are approximate 4 lakh CSCs across the country located at every 5-10 km. Website link- https://locator.csccloud.in or
https://registeration. csc.gov.in/JeevanPramaanLocator/csc.aspx.
Note 2. While submitting DLC/MLC other than through SPARSH, Pensioner must select or write “SPARSH PCDA (P) Allahabad” as their Pension Disbursing Authority in the other portals like ‘Jeevan Praman’ etc.

The pensioners who have already been migrated to SPARSH are advised to login and see whether their Identification is shown “Pending” or “Verified”. Though a pensioner might have given his MLC to his paying branch, but if the branch has not updated it on their Server, his identification will be shown as “Pending”. In such a case, the pensioners
must submit their fresh Life Cert as per any of the methods mentioned in Para 6(a) to (d)
above.
Appx ‘C’
PENSIONER’S DEATH/MISSING INTIMATION BY NOK : EXPLAINED

If a pensioner has died post retirement and the NoK is not aware of the SPARSH
ID & password, she may use following methods for intimation of death and start of
Family Pension:-
Step 1. Go to ‘sparsh.defencepension.gov.in’
Step 2. Click on Services and then on For Family and then Report Event.
Step 3. Click on Death/Missing/Conviction/Initiate Family Pension (as
applicable) or use any of the direct applicable link
https://sparsh.defencepension.gov.in/?page=death or
https://sparsh.defencepension.gov.in/?page=missing or
https://sparsh.defencepension.gov.in/?page=conviction or
https://sparsh.defence pension.gov.in/?page=initiatefamilypension

On submissioin of above, intimation will be recd by ORO (MP-5B) to
process/initiate the Family Pension claim.

In case of difficulty the widow/ entitled NoK may approach this office (MP-5B)
also on 8130591689 & 8368051743 (whatsapp only) on all working days (Monday to
Friday) between 0900 AM to 0500 PM.

After three Rafale contracts put into force in 2022 (80 in the United Arab Emirates, 6 in Greece and six in Indonesia), Dassault Aviation is almost certain to win a new contract in 2023. While waiting maybe Colombia, even Serbia, New Delhi will most likely confirm the acquisition of the Rafale Marine to the tricolor aircraft manufacturer during Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India scheduled for next March, according to our information. The precise date of the presidential trip would not yet be stopped. But everything would be ready on the Indian side to announce the selection of the Rafale Marine, we explain to La Tribune. A contract could be signed fairly quickly after this announcement. Especially since in 2023, India and France will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of their strategic partnership.
“France is one of India’s most reliable strategic partners,” said the Indian Ministry of Defense recently
The Indian Navy, which eliminated the F-18 from Boeing for technical reasons, expressed an initial need for 26 aircraft to equip its INS Vikrant aircraft carrier “Made in India”. This aircraft will provide the Indians with a homogeneous fleet between the Rafale Air and the Rafale Marine. New Delhi, who ordered 36 Rafale in 2016, moreover received in December, six years later, the last copy. The two Indian Rafale squadrons have become fully operational.
Intense Dialogue Between Paris And New Delhi
As part of the fourth annual India-France defence dialogue in late November in Delhi, the Minister of Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu met with his Indian counterpart Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The two ministers discussed ways to strengthen maritime cooperation and increase the complexity of bilateral exercises. They also discussed industrial defence cooperation, including the “Make in India”. they discussed future cooperation and possibilities for co-production. The two ministers agreed that the technical groups of the two countries should meet in early 2023 to advance key issues of cooperation. The day before this dialogue, on November 27, a high-level French delegation led by Sébastien Lecornu had visited the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. ” This visit made it possible to consolidate bilateral strategic relations between the two countries Said the Indian Ministry of Defence.
For his part, General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Defence Staff, visited France from November 14 to 17, 2022. During his four-day visit, he met his counterpart and senior French military officials, including the Chief of the Defence Staff, with the aim of strengthening defence cooperation between the two country. He also deposited a wreath at the Indian memorial of Neuve Chapelle, which commemorates the sacrifice of 4,742 Indian soldiers during the First World War.
Dassault Aviation, the maker of Rafale, is confident that Rafale can be approved for the Indian Navy’s warship INS Vikrant. Rafale M is still being used by the armies of Greece, Indonesia and UAE. The special thing is that the Navy has rejected the American jet F / A-18 Super Hornet. Both the jets were trialled by the Navy earlier this year. A detailed report of this trial was submitted to the Defense Ministry of India in December. Both fighter jets were tested at INS Hansa, a naval base in Goa.
The Navy believes that Rafale can meet its needs much better. The Navy wants to remove 43 out-of-date Russian fighter jets MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB from its fleet. The Navy had several aircraft names in mind but the final race was between the Rafale M and the F-18. The French Navy currently has 240 Rafale M jets. Dassault started manufacturing these jets from the year 1986.
Both the jets are already deployed on advanced aircraft carriers. In such a situation, both jets are fit for aircraft carriers equipped with CATOBARs system. The Navy currently has a new aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and an older INS Vikramaditya. Vikramaditya is a Kyiv class aircraft carrier of the Soviet Union which has been modernized in India. Both these warships are STOBAR aircraft carriers.
Fighter jets can make an arrested landing on a carrier equipped with the CATOBAR system. Although STOBAR-equipped carriers have arresting gears, the lack of catapults makes it difficult for jets to take off in confined spaces. The jets on both carriers are able to take off with the help of a ski jump. This is where Rafael M has nailed it. At present, the Navy has deployed its MiG-29 fleet on INS Vikramaditya.
The Rafale M had successfully carried out a series of manoeuvres on the US Navy’s aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush just a few days ago. Both Super Hornet and Rafale M are equipped with Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. The RBE2-AA radar is fitted in the Rafale M. This radar can scan and track targets on air, sea and land. Rafael M is heavy on Super Hornet due to its visual range.

Beijing: Faced with a stiff challenge from Washington to its designs in the Indo-Pacific region, Beijing is now trying to misguide the world by making false claims about the success of its initiatives in the Indo-Pacific region.
The cause for the apprehension of Beijing is not difficult to understand as the European Union has also come up with an Indo – Pacific strategy that aims to enhance its engagement across a wide spectrum. The EU sees itself and the Indo-Pacific as “natural partner regions.”
To check the aggressive moves by China and ensure a free and open Indo – Pacific, the USA and the European Union are putting their acts together. Anxious to defend democracy around the world, the USA has taken steps to prevent Beijing from imposing its own authoritarian model around the globe.
Clearly, in the face of shifting of attention by major world powers from other areas of conflict to the Indian and Pacific Oceans to meet the threat of Chinese belligerence in the South China Sea and attempts to establish its hegemony over the entire seawater, Beijing is unnerved. With Beijing defying the laid down U.N. conventions and international maritime laws, powerful nations are getting together to form the basis for a deeper integration in future and ensure equal access to global commons for all countries as a right under the international law, The Singapore post reported.
Notably, these dire steps may be the result of China’s financial support across the Pacific region being on the decline. From its peak of USD 287 million, it now fell to USD 187 million in 2020. This is the lowest ever since 2008. According to the Singapore Post, a South East Asia news outlet reported.
Beijing in November last year had claimed that representatives of 19 countries had actually attended Indian Ocean Forum on Development Cooperation on November 21 held at the Kunming in the Yunnan province of China an organization that has been connected with the foreign ministry of China, according to The Singapore Post.
Maldives and Australia denied in quick succession Beijing’s claim that they participated in a meeting of the China – Indian Ocean Forum on Development Cooperation on November 21, 2022 thus reflecting China’s losing grip on the Indian Ocean region.
The attending countries of these meets according to China were Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran, Oman, South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius, Djibouti and Australia.
Although the countries that were amongst the attendees of the development cooperation meet by China were Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Kenya and Djibouti and Nepal are beholden to Beijing because of Belt and Road Initiative loans and the oppressive military junta in Myanmar and the obscurantist Taliban regime in Afghanistan are dependent on China’s support to stay in power.
Although contrary to the claims made by China in regard to the matter. Maldives denied attending the meeting. Later Australia too had clarified the same. The Singapore post further mentions that Sydney made these clarifications highlighting that they had not participated despite having an invitation. Similarly, India also refrained from participating in the meet anyhow.
The Singapore post quoted the Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement. The statement mentioned, “The Ministry would like to clarify that the Government of the Maldives did not participate in the Forum mentioned above and communicated its decision not to participate in the meeting to the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the Maldives on November 15, 2022,”. This clearly countered the claims made by China regarding the matter.
The Singapore post also quoted Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell who had tweeted that “Contrary to media reporting, no Australian government official attended the Kunming China-India Ocean Forum on Development Cooperation,”.
The Singapore post mentions citing the US’s long-delayed National Security Strategy that emphasized the importance of working with allies to tackle challenges confronting democratic nations and seeking to contain China. In the policy preamble, Joe Biden said “Autocrats are working overtime to undermine democracy and export a model of governance marked by repression at home and coercion abroad. These competitors mistakenly believe democracy is weaker than autocracy because they fail to understand that a nation’s power springs from its people.”
Considering the security strategy, the US decided to deploy up to six nuclear-capable B-52 bombers in northern Australia. Preparations are underway to build dedicated facilities for the long-range bombers at the Royal Australian Air Force Base Tindal. The US Marines already have a presence in Australia, according to the Singapore post report.

The two nations are also exploring the prospect of an Indian role in maintaining Russian origin equipment, especially aircraft such as the Mi-17-1V helicopter, Antonov An-32 transport aircraft and MiG-29 jets. India also operates these aircraft and has facilities for their maintenance.
That order came on the back of the Philippines ordering BrahMos missiles and Armenia buying Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers from India.
India is eyeing Bangladesh as a market for a range of military hardware, from specialist vehicles to helicopters, and maintenance of Russian origin equipment following the operationalisation of a $500 million line of credit for defence purchases, people familiar with the matter said.
Among the items that Bangladesh has shown an interest in are specialist vehicles from Tata and Mahindra, Tejas combat aircraft and Dhruv light helicopter, the people said, seeking anonymity. Several vehicles have been provided by the two Indian firms to the Bangladesh Army for testing over an extended period of time in different terrains and seasons, including during military exercises, they added.
The two nations are also exploring the prospect of an Indian role in maintaining Russian origin equipment, especially aircraft such as the Mi-17-1V helicopter, Antonov An-32 transport aircraft and MiG-29 jets. India also operates these aircraft and has facilities for their maintenance.
During recent visits to India, Bangladesh Air Force personnel visited facilities where such aircraft are maintained, the people said. For instance, the Bangladesh Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan, toured facilities in Chandigarh and Mumbai during a visit to India in December 2021. Hannan also visited a helicopter unit in West Bengal during his latest visit to India in December.
“Bangladesh has purchased protective gear such as bulletproof jackets and helmets. Now both sides are looking at big ticket items,” one of the people said.
While India offered the $500 million line of credit for defence purchases to Bangladesh in 2019, it was operationalised in September 2022 with a contract for what was described at the time by foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra as a “modest amount”. Briefing the media after a visit to India by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Kwatra had said this contract was “an important first step” that will open up the path for further engagement in defence.
During Hasina’s visit, she and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed satisfaction at the “intensification” of defence ties and agreed on early finalisation of projects under the line of credit for defence, a joint statement said. India also “welcomed the finalisation of initial procurement plans for vehicles for the Bangladesh Armed Forces”, the statement added.
These developments come at a time when India has sharpened its focus on getting a toehold in foreign markets, setting a target of defence exports of $5 billion by 2025, and put in place a raft of policy measures to boost indigenous defence manufacturing.
In November 2022, Indian defence firm Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited won an export order of $155.5 million for supplying artillery guns to a friendly foreign country, the first order by a local company for the weapon system.
That order came on the back of the Philippines ordering BrahMos missiles and Armenia buying Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers from India. India has clocked defence exports of more than ₹30,000 crore since 2014, after the Narendra Modi government came to power.
India’s efforts also come at a time when China has been seeking to increase its role as a supplier of defence equipment, ranging from combat aircraft to warships and radars. In this context, the people noted that the Indian side has been pressing Bangladesh to implement a memorandum of understanding inked in 2019 for providing a coastal radar system for maritime security.
India’s defence exports reached their highest level during 2021-22, hitting ₹13,000 crore and the private sector accounting for 70% of exports. Military hardware exported by India includes missiles, the Dhruv light helicopter, offshore patrol vessels, protective gear, surveillance systems and radars. India has also imposed a phased import ban on 411 weapons and systems over the past two years to boost indigenous defence manufacturing. These weapons and platforms are to be indigenised over the next five to six years.
“India has a good strategy and action plan in place, backed by forward-looking policies, to ensure self-reliance in defence, and boost the country’s status as a net exporter of weapons in the coming years,” military affairs expert Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia (Retd) earlier said.

Morocco has been rapidly strengthening its military forces over the past couple of years
Rabat: Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces has received a total of 92 six-wheel military trucks manufactured by the Indian aerospace, defence, and military company TATA Advanced Systems, the Moroccan Armed Forces reported in a Tweet.
In a statement on Twitter, the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces on Sunday confirmed that the military trucks they ordered were “on their way to be delivered.”

The website Military Africa detailed the truck’s many features, saying that it is “suitable for up-armouring, and can be configured for a variety of applications, including a common gun tower, a multi-barrel rocket launcher, and a missile firing unit,” among others.
The new shipment is part of Morocco’s efforts to diversify its arms purchases, with the aim of strengthening and upgrading its army with state-of-the-art equipment.
In December 2022, American company L3Harris Technologies announced sealing a $29 million deal with Morocco to upgrade the African country’s F-16s firepower and mission flexibility, as well as provide it with “smart weapon release systems.”
In addition, Morocco is committed to increasing military cooperation with countries with some of the strongest armies in the world, including the United States and Israel.
Since Morocco re-established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2022 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords, the two countries have remarkably increased military cooperation.
In February 2022, Morocco and Israel concluded a $500 million deal to provide the North African country with the Barak MX air and missile defense system.
In addition, military officials from both Morocco and the US held a series of meetings, expressing their keenness to strengthen their security cooperation.
The latest Global Firepower Index, published in 2022, ranked Morocco’s military strength in 56th position out of 142 countries across the world.

New Delhi: The relationship between India and Bhutan is based on the pillars of trust, goodwill and mutual understanding. The two neighbours have a close civilizational, cultural and economic relationship that dates back centuries. Bhutan considers India as Gyagar, meaning the holy land, as Buddhism originated in India, which is the religion followed by the majority of Bhutanese.
The relationship between the two countries further strengthened with the establishment of diplomatic relations between them in 1968.
The basis of this relationship is formed on the solid foundation of the Indo-Bhutan Friendship Treaty of 1949 which emphasises “perpetual peace and friendship, free trade and commerce, and equal justice to each other’s citizens.”
Bhutan not only shares a 699 kilometres long boundary with India adjoining four Indian states but is also a key player in two of India’s cardinal foreign policy elements – Neighbourhood Policy and Act East Policy.
For India, Bhutan’s socio-economic development and territorial integrity have always been a key plank in its foreign policy agenda. The two countries have a close strategic partnership, with India providing assistance to Bhutan in various sectors, including economic development, infrastructure, education, health and security.
India is not only Bhutan’s biggest development partner but also the most important trading partner both as a source and market for its trade in goods and services. India provides not only the transit route to a landlocked Bhutan but is also the biggest market for a number of Bhutan’s exports including hydroelectricity, semi-finished products, ferrosilicon and dolomite.
Bolstering strategic relations, India deployed its Military Training Team (IMTRAT) in Bhutan to train the Bhutanese security forces in 1961 and since then has been responsible for Bhutanese security. A number of engagements pertaining to security and border management issues, threat perceptions, coordination of Indo-Bhutan border entry exit points, and sharing of real-time information, among other aspects are being undertaken by the two countries on a regular basis.
The Doklam standoff between Indian and Chinese forces in 2017 has made the security matter even more important and has led to even better coordination and partnership between Indian and Bhutanese forces to secure the strategic areas.
The Indo-Bhutan relationship has development cooperation and hydroelectricity generation as its cornerstone. The two countries have committed to jointly develop 10,000 MW of hydroelectricity capacity in Bhutan. The completion of the 720 MW Mangdechhu hydropower project in Bhutan has been deemed an achievement of the partnership between the two countries. This has propelled discussions of the Sankosh Hydropower Project building between the two countries.
The two countries did not deter from their commitment even during the COVID-19 pandemic and commissioned the first-ever joint venture project – the 600 MW Kholongchhu hydropower project during the testing time. The project is aimed at generating surplus hydroelectricity for Bhutan which will be exported to India aiding Bhutan’s revenue as well as employment generation.
India’s assistance to Bhutan’s development is not limited to the hydropower sector but encompasses almost all the sectors including education, health, infrastructure, social services, environmental protection and technology advancement, amongst others. As per Bhutan’s 12th Five Year Plan (2018-2023), India is providing grant assistance to the tune of INR 4,500 crores, along with a transitional Trade Support Facility of INR 400 crores over a five-year period to reinforce the economic linkages.
In the realm of scientific and technological cooperation, the recent launch of a joint India-Bhutan SAT satellite by ISRO marks a new era of India – Bhutan relations. This satellite is expected to enable Bhutan by providing real-time data and high-resolution images for land mapping and facilitating managing its natural resources, forests and agriculture.
This development is in line with the growing India-Bhutan relations in new avenues such as advanced technology, space and digital systems.
Several key initiatives have already been launched in the fields of digital and space, such as RuPay, the integration of Bhutan’s DrukREN with India’s national Knowledge Network and the establishment of Ground Earth Station by ISRO to harness the services of South Asia Satellite. Thus, India is enabling the development of Bhutan’s digital and space infrastructure so as to harness the potential of Bhutanese youth via skill development and employment generation.
Through digital and space cooperation, not only India is spreading its technological footprint but Bhutan is also getting benefitted from India’s investments, research and development, technological know-how and expertise in bringing about transformation in various sectors in Bhutan of the 21st Century.
The ties between India and Bhutan have over time matured into comprehensive partnerships and cooperation on a wider range of issues spanning energy security, business and trade, security and intelligence sharing, digitisation, space technology and conservation biology sectors, amongst others.
India always stood by Bhutan in adverse situations and challenging times in past and Bhutan acknowledged it. As a friendly and helpful neighbour, India has been responsive to Bhutan’s needs exemplified by the support extended to Bhutan supplying essential goods and services and whatever requisites from time to time.
Bhutan expressed gratitude and appreciation for India at the UN General Assembly for its “heart-warming goodwill” and “valuable support” in the supply of COVID-19 vaccines under New Delhi’s ‘Vaccine Maitri initiative’ that enabled the Himalayan country to make the nationwide rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination programme when the entire globe had been reeling under the unprecedented health crisis. The two countries shall be proud of their relationship which is based on trust, shared cultural values, mutual respect and partnership in sustainable development.

Kuala Lumpur: India seeks to speed up plans in the Indian Ocean amidst growing Chinese presence in the region. Indian aims to convert the Andaman and Nicobar Islands into a shipping and tourism hub with connections to South-East Asia, reported The Star, a Malaysia-based publication.
In a recent meeting, Indian and Indonesian officials agreed to “encourage sail tourism, cruise ship visits, and interaction between tour operators” between the two countries to increase connectivity between the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Aceh where India is helping to develop the deep sea port of Sabang.
Officials from both countries have agreed to help create opportunities for investors.
Strengthening links between Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Aceh, 150 km apart, is part of the Shared Vision for Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific signed in 2018 between the two countries, according to The Star report.
Rajiv Bhatia, retired Indian ambassador and Distinguished Fellow at Gateway House, a think-tank, as quoted by The Star, said: “The broader context (of this cooperation) is closer political and economic ties. The idea is that there should be deeper and closer cooperation, and for that, infrastructure should be in place.”
“India’s approach in the past (towards the Andaman and Nicobar Islands) used to be so restrictive, to not do any development of the area and not allow foreign powers. Now there is an evolution in thinking,” Bhatia added.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have a population of around 400,000 people, including aboriginal tribes and Jarawas who inhabited the island for years and live off the land.
According to environmentalists, the proposed development would destroy ecologically and culturally sensitive areas of these islands.
The government’s ambitious infrastructure plan includes a leisure zone, a film city, a residential district and a tourism-specific economic zone, underwater resorts and beach hotels in Little Andaman, an island of about 707 sq km, according to The Star.
According to a Home Ministry letter in March 2022, the airport will be a joint military-civil, dual-use airport under the operational control of the Indian Navy, according to a Home Ministry letter in March 2022.
Recently, Mizzima News reported that the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation can be perceived as another expansionist attempt by China to amplify its presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) by investing in ports and infrastructure in the IOR countries, especially in South Asia.
According to the report, against the backdrop of the recent setbacks that China faced in the region, including in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum is a clear attempt by Beijing to reclaim some of the lost ground.
China, which has an eye on the strategic benefits the IOR has to offer, has repeatedly said the Indian Ocean is not India’s ocean. The country is looking towards expanding its economic, military, and political influence in the region, the report said.

Milrem – Kalyani THeMIS UGV
The THeMIS Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) by Estonian firm Milrem Robotics is in service with the Indian Army. This was revealed in the Indian Parliament by Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt. THeMIS was listed among the major defence equipment imported in the last three years.
The quantity and date of purchase of the UGVs are unknown. However, the UGVs are likely to have been procured under emergency procurement powers granted to the Army. Indian Army has a net requirement for over 700 ‘autonomous combat vehicles’ with capabilities similar to that of THeMIS.
Milrem has collaborated with Indian defence major Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL) to offer the system in India. The role of KSSL in supplying the UGVs remains unclear. Milrem redirected queries by Overt Defense to Bharat Forge, the parent entity of KSSL, which did not respond by the time of publication.
THeMIS is primarily competing with Gridbots Titan UGV for the larger tracked UGV requirement of the Army. Titan has undergone multiple trials including in the Thar desert and high altitude regions such as Ladakh. Gridbots has also tied up with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and has integrated BDL’s Amogha-III ATGM onto Titan. This configuration was displayed during DefExpo held in October 2022. Both Gridbots and BDL are Indian firms.

Gridbots Titan with BDl Amogha-III ATGM at DefExpo 2022
The Army had conducted a UGV experiment in December 2021 in which THeMIS participated. However, it is unclear what comparative trials the THeMIS went through prior to the import. While emergency powers were occasionally granted to the armed forces to quickly fill capability gaps, products bought largely tended to be imports.
In order to combat this, the MoD has specified that domestic firms be preferred for emergency procurements. Yet the opaque nature of such procurements and partnerships with Indian firms could allow foreign products to be preferred over those truly developed in India.
THeMIS is used by over 16 countries. The UGVs are also being delivered to Ukraine. THeMIS can be equipped with a wide variety of equipment for CASEVAC, fire support, mine clearing and other missions.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 5

A three-day Sikh History Congress, which got underway today, discussed multiple issues including the need for Sikhs to write and express history of their community.

Prof Raghuvendra Tanwar, the chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), said, “A large part of modern India’s map is due to the Sikhs (who opted for India and not Pakistan)”. The congress is being hosted at the Khalsa College in Delhi University.

“The most important contribution of the Sikhs is their urge to stand up against atrocities,” said Prof Tanwar, adding that Sikhs have suffered the most and listed the agitations launched by the community to free the country from the British. Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (retd) was the chief guest.