Not afraid of US, India to purchase S-400, R-37M and..., govt set to give a tough reply to..., not Pakistan, China
New Delhi: India's Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has had a very important meeting with Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defense Ministers' meeting held in Qingdao, China. The clarity and frank language in which India's defense needs and technical cooperation with Russia have been talked about in India's official press release are an indication that India is now moving towards entering into a much-needed defense agreement with Russia to rapidly upgrade its air defense and air-to-air missile capabilities. What was the agenda?
The official press release issued after the meeting between Rajnath Singh, and the Russian Defense Minister specifically talks about air defense systems, air-to-air missiles, modern capabilities and air platforms. Defense industry experts have already been indicating that India wants cooperation from Russia for indigenous production of air-to-air missiles and their integration in Su-30MKI fighter aircraft. A report this week said that India has seriously advanced the talks towards purchasing the S-500 air defense system from Russia. Production of long-range missiles in India
At Aero India 2025, Russia officially proposed the sale of its long-range R-37M air-to-air missile, which is exported as RVV-BD, to India. In the Russian proposal, this missile was proposed to be locally produced in India under 'Make in India'. In March this year, the Russian state-owned arms company Rosoboronexport (ROE) confirmed that Russia and India are discussing joint development and production of modern guided aircraft missiles. The purpose of this partnership is not only to meet India's military needs, but also to export to friendly countries. That is, if this agreement is reached between India and Russia, India can make air-to-air missiles under Make in India and sell them to any third country, just like India sells BrahMos missiles. Increasing striking power of Su-30 MKI
During Operation Sindoor, India fired BrahMos missiles on Pakistani military bases from Su-30MKI fighter aircraft. The block-upgrade plan for the Sukhoi Su-30MKI of the Indian Air Force was already underway, but after Operation Sindoor, it has now gained momentum. Russia has made it clear that it will work with Indian defense companies in this upgrade.
This upgrade will be carried out in India under the leadership of HAL, and it includes new AESA radar, electronic warfare system, infrared search and track (IRST) and modern cockpit interface. This upgrade will prepare the aircraft according to the needs of 5th generation warfare.
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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
What are the issues around deportation?
The story so far:At least seven West Bengal residents who were pushed to Bangladesh by the Border Security Force (BSF) on suspicion of being Bangladeshis were brought back to India after the intervention of the State government. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on June 25 that residents speaking in their native Bengali language are being branded as Bangladeshis in some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled States. Several people who were pushed from Assam to Bangladesh also returned as they were found to be Indians or that their citizenship cases were sub-judice. Why have matters escalated? After the regime change in Bangladesh in August 2024, the police across the country were asked by the Union Home Ministry to detect Bangladeshis who had illegally entered the country and were living here on forged documents. The drive assumed momentum after the Pahalgam terror attack in April and the subsequent 'Operation Sindoor'. The Ministry has issued instructions to States to deport undocumented migrants but in most cases pushbacks are happening. Around 2,500 suspected Bangladeshis have been pushed back so far. On May 10, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the government has decided to implement the 'pushback' mechanism to check infiltration instead of going through the legal route which is a long-drawn process. Home Minister Amit Shah has asked top intelligence officials to make an example of 'infiltrators' by detecting, detaining, and deporting them. In 2022, at an Intelligence Bureau meeting, Mr. Shah had asked officials to identify around 100 illegal migrants in each State, check documents and arrest and deport them. He asked them to continue with the crackdown even if neighbouring countries do not accept the undocumented migrants. What is the difference between deportation and pushback? Deportation is a legal process which involves detaining and arresting a foreigner suspected to be living in India without documents or who has entered the country illegally. The case is presented before a court and after exhaustion of all legal avenues, which includes conviction by the court, the country which the foreigner belongs to is contacted and the deportation takes places once the identity is confirmed. Pushbacks are not a legal procedure and there are no stated rules. They happen when a foreigner has been caught by the border security force on the international border and, depending on the intensity of the case or the discretion of the border personnel, they are either arrested, made to face the law here or pushed back. Since citizenship and foreigners are Union List subjects, it is the Home Ministry which delegates powers to deport foreigners to State governments. In 2024, the Ministry told the Jharkhand High Court that since the 'Central Government does not maintain a separate federal police force exclusively dedicated to the task of detection and deportation of illegally staying foreigners, action in this regard has been entrusted to the State police.' What is the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950? On June 9, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the State government was likely to enforce a 1950 law to identify and evict illegal foreigners, adding that under the law, district commissioners are empowered to declare individuals as illegal immigrants and initiate eviction proceedings. The 1950 Act was passed by Parliament amid communal disturbance and violence following the Partition of India in 1947 and creation of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) bordering West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. The Act says that 'it extends to the whole of India', but has Assam-specific provisions. Section 2 of the Act says that if the Union government is of the opinion that any person or class of persons, having been ordinarily resident in any place outside India are detrimental to the interests of the general public of India or any Scheduled Tribe in Assam, the Union government may by order, 'direct such person or class of persons to remove himself or themselves from India or Assam within such time and by such route as may be specified in the order'; and 'give such further directions in regard to his or their removal from India or Assam as it may consider necessary or expedient'. What are the laws for foreigners? Till April this year, matters relating to foreigners and immigration were administered through 'pre-Constitution period' laws enacted during the First and Second World Wars, which were the Foreigners Act, 1946, Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939 and the Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act, 2000. In April, Parliament enacted the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 repealing the old laws. Unlike Pakistan and Bangladesh borders, the rules for movement of people along Nepal and Myanmar are different. Nepal has a free-border agreement with India, and a Free Movement regime (FMR), allowing movement of people residing within 10-km on either side, exists along the India-Myanmar border. Following the May 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur, the Ministry in 2024 decided to fence the entire 1,643-km Myanmar border in the next 10 years. Post the military coup in Myanmar in February 2021, over 40,000 refugees from Myanmar belonging to the Chin ethnic group who are closely related to the Mizo community crossed over to Mizoram. 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India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Russia making air defence system that destroyed Pakistani drones and missiles during Operation Sindoor even more powerful, India will...
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Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Gujarat Confidential: ‘Not bidding for a job'
During an interaction at the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) on Saturday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was asked if he would prefer being an education minister or a foreign minister. He replied: 'That'll sound as if I am bidding for a job so I won't answer that question'. Tharoor, who heads the parliamentary committee on External Affairs, is part of an all-party delegation, formed to convey a united message of India's zero tolerance against terrorism following the terror attack in Pahalgam and 'Operation Sindoor' in response to it.
