Months after Sindoor, India plans its own 'Iron Dome'
NEW DELHI: Announcing the launch of an ambitious 'Mission Sudarshan Chakra' just three months after cross-border military hostilities with Pakistan,
PM Narendra Modi
Friday said all important places in India, including strategic areas as well as civilian ones like hospitals, railways and centres of faith, will be given "complete security cover" under it by 2035.
This indigenously developed national air and missile defence shield, which will also be integrated with potent counter-offensive weapons, will progressively be expanded, strengthened and modernised with "great intensity" in the coming 10 years, with a system in place to work out strategies to cater to futuristic warfare needs.
"Every citizen of the country should feel safe. Whatever technology comes to attack us, our technology should prove to be better than that," the PM said, adding that the country will move forward towards developing the "powerful weapon system for targeted precise action" like Lord Krishna's Sudarshan Chakra in the battle of Mahabharata.
This announcement comes soon after Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir was reported to have threatened to destroy any dam India builds to impede water flow to his country, while also warning of a nuclear armageddon.
While Modi did not spell out details, the plan to erect a defence shield, akin to Israel's 'Iron Dome' and the proposed 'Golden Dome' of the US, will take a lot of doing along with huge funding.
It will entail building a multi-layered integrated air and missile defence shield around identified locations, with an overlapping network of early-warning and tracking sensors, robust command and control posts, reliable land and sea-based batteries of advanced interceptor missiles and other weapons.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
This year's most comfortable shoes are a hit with the over-40 crowd
Ultra-Comfortable Shoes
Undo
This will, of course, also require effective use of space-based assets for early-warning and tracking threats, if not for actual warfare.
The PM's remarks that Mission Sudarshan Chakra will not only neutralise the enemy's attack but will also hit back at the adversary "many times more", points at the impending expansion of India's conventional (non-nuclear) arsenal of ballistic and cruise missiles. These new missiles will include the induction of the 500km range quasi-ballistic missile Pralay and 1,000km range subsonic long-range land-attack cruise missile.
The increase in strike range of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from 450km to 800km is also on the anvil.
The building blocks for the robust air and missile defence shield are already in place. India's existing integrated multi-layered air defence network, with a mix of Indian and foreign surface-to-air missile systems, had thwarted waves of Turkish drones and Chinese missiles during Op Sindoor.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Aasu, teachers unions urge govt to cancel reappt of retd teachers in colleges
1 2 Guwahati: The All Assam Students' Union (Aasu) and leading teachers' unions on Sunday urged the state govt to cancel reappointment of retired teachers in model colleges or any other govt-run educational institutions. Last week, representatives of several student bodies had held demonstrations in front of the state directorate of higher education, protesting against the decision to reappoint retired teachers in model colleges this year. In a joint meeting, convened by Aasu, with the teachers' unions, both the unions urged the govt to reconsider its decision to appoint retired teachers, terming it as 'unjust' decisions. The meeting included representatives from the Gauhati University Teachers' Association, Assam College Teachers' Association, Assam High School Teachers' Association and Assam State Primary Teachers' Association, among other teachers' associations. "After detailed discussions, the special educational meeting strongly opposed the notification issued for the recruitment of teachers in govt model colleges established by the Assam govt. The decision to appoint retired teachers, thereby depriving thousands of educated unemployed youth and forcing newly appointed young individuals to work for three years with a salary of only Rs 50,000, amidst uncertainty, was opposed by the meeting," Aasu president Utpal Sarma and general secretary Samiran Phukan said in a statement. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Could This NEW Collagen Blend Finally Reduce Your Cellulite? Vitauthority Learn More Undo "The meeting clearly said that the probation system is unnecessary and opposed the govt's attempt to extend this decision to provincialized colleges and schools," the note further read. The meeting rejected the idea of appointing retired teachers to 50% of the teaching positions, citing the need for experienced teachers as a 'pretext for depriving unemployed youth'. "The decision to allocate two out of three teaching positions to retired teachers is not justified," Aasu said. The meeting advocated for advancement of model colleges through a blend of experience and innovation. For this, they suggested that in model colleges, in addition to the positions of assistant professors in each department, at least one associate professor position should be created. In this way, experienced teachers will be appointed to these associate professor positions, they claimed. "If the govt considers it essential to utilise the experience of retired teachers, they can be appointed as guest lecturers rather than as associate or assistant professors. However, this should not lead to the elimination of associate or assistant professor positions," the unions said. "If the govt feels the need for experienced individuals in administrative roles for NAAC, IQAC, etc., it can create an educational officer position in model colleges," they further suggested. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
It's time to buy India, not sell, says Jefferies' Wood
Christopher Wood MUMBAI: Christopher Wood, a leading analyst on emerging markets at global broking major Jefferies, has suggested that India should not bow to US President Donald Trump's pressure tactics relating to higher tariffs. He advised Jefferies' clients to buy India, rather than sell, given the current global situation. Wood also indicated that the way Trump is going against some of the world's largest economies, it would push at least the Brics-the block of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa-towards de-dollarisation. De-dollarisation refers to a trade process, where rather than using the US dollar as the currency for trade between two countries, the partners trade in a non-dollar currency. In his widely read newsletter titled Greed & Fear, Wood said that Jefferies would not view the previously discussed 50% tariff on Indian imports to the US as a reason to sell Indian equities. "Rather, it is probably a reason to buy them since Greed & Fear's view is that it is only a matter of time before Trump backs off the stance, which is not in America's interest. "On this point, it is worth noting that the track record makes it clear that it pays to stand up to the Donald," he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Put Bananas in the Garden and Just Watch Life Wise Hub Undo Wood said Jefferies has almost always been significantly bullish on India in Greed & Fear's various portfolios, most particularly, its Asia ex-Japan long-only portfolio. He mentioned that a recent report by Jefferies India highlighted that the country has just suffered its biggest period of under-performance over the past 12 months in a global emerging market context spread over the past 15 years. "This is not a great surprise tactically, since Korea has ripped higher on value-up while Taiwan has of late been celebrating the massive capex spending by hyperscalers (the leading global tech companies currently on a spending binge). For India the problem has been high valuations and, most importantly, massive equity supply. This is why we have of late been running only a marginal overweight in India in the Asia Pacific ex-Japan relative-return portfolio," Wood wrote in his newsletter. Still, Jefferies India made an interesting point in the report: following previous such periods of under-performance, the Indian market tended to bounce on a relative basis. "Or, in other words, that it is now too late to cut India with valuations now back near the 10-year average 63% PE (price-earnings) premium over emerging market peers," Wood said. The Jefferies strategist also said that one of the principal reasons Brics countries are coming together again is because an effective foreign policy conduct for a major world power requires a conceptual framework and "this is what is conspicuously lacking in the current US administration. The 47th US president certainly has no such framework and is also bereft of an adviser who has one." "This has become only too starkly evident in the past several days as Trump has succeeded in bringing China, Russia, India and Brazil together like never before. Indeed, Brics as a grouping has been regalvanised," he observed in the newsletter. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays , public holidays , current gold rate and silver price .
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
Audio abusing Jr NTR not mine, says TDP MLA Daggubati Venkateswara Prasad
Tirupati: Anantapur TDP legislator Daggubati Venkateswara Prasad has landed in controversy after alleged audio tapes surfaced in which he reportedly made derogatory remarks against prominent Tollywood actor Jr NTR . The audio, which went viral on various social media platforms on Sunday, sparked a strong backlash from the actor's fans. The tapes reportedly feature a conversation between Venkateswara Prasad and Anantapur TNSF president and NTR fans' association representative Gutha Dhananjay Naidu, allegedly recorded ahead of the release of the Hrithik Roshan–Jr NTR starrer War-2. In the conversation, the ruling party MLA purportedly makes offensive comments about Jr NTR and even threatens to halt the screening of War-2, which was scheduled for release on Aug 14 in theatres across Anantapur constituency. Following the leak, angry fans of Jr NTR staged protests at the MLA's office in Anantapur and tore down his posters and banners in several locations across the constituency. Despite the police arriving to control the situation, tensions remained high, with fans entering into heated altercations with law enforcement. Many fans, recalling their role in the MLA's victory during the 2024 general elections, questioned how he could make such remarks against Jr NTR and threaten the film's release. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Could This NEW Collagen Blend Finally Reduce Your Cellulite? Vitauthority Learn More Undo Demanding an unconditional apology, Jr NTR's fans strongly condemned the MLA's statements. Amid escalating outrage, the MLA released a video on Sunday in which he apologised to Jr NTR's fans. While maintaining that the voice in the viral tape was not his, Venkateswara Prasad said, "This is a big conspiracy against me. My political adversaries have been targeting me for the last few days, and this is yet another attempt to defame me." He added that he had lodged a formal complaint with the Anantapur Superintendent of Police and urged authorities to identify those behind the audio leak. "I myself am a fan of the Nara–Nandamuri families," he claimed in his video statement. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
