Books by Mani Shankar Aiyar
Ven to an ex-IFS civil servant watching from the sidelines, the publication of the third volume of Mani Shankar Aiyar's autobiography (if you count his second book on Rajiv Gandhi also as a memoir), A Maverick in Politics, covering his political career and life from 1991 to 2024, must rank as an event in political biography in India. Part self-defence in the court of public opinion, part confessional, part living historical record, it is unusual in many ways.
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News18
17 hours ago
- News18
India's Agniveer Advantage: Building A National Defence Reserve For A Long War
Last Updated: Critics have viewed Agnipath through a narrow financial and personnel lens. Operation Sindoor forces us to look beyond that When the Agnipath scheme was announced, the national conversation was dominated by debates on pensions, tenure, and the future of a younger, leaner military. While these are valid concerns, they have obscured a strategic reality already unfolding: the creation of a vast, disciplined, and technologically adept civilian reserve, a latent army so to say, which is poised to become the bedrock of India's whole-of-society defence doctrine. The proof of concept has been demonstrated with the resounding success of Operation Sindoor. When faced with Pakistan's drone and missile blitz against key Indian assets, the military's masterstroke was not just its frontline response, but its activation of a new, potent layer of defence. Over 3,000 Agniveers, many in their initial years of service, were at the forefront, seamlessly operating the very air defence systems that blunted the enemy assault and protected our critical infrastructure. Operation Sindoor was a validation of the Agnipath model in real-world combat. It proved that young recruits, given intensive, modern training, can be entrusted with sophisticated platforms under immense pressure. But the operation's true strategic lesson lies in projecting this success forward. What happens when thousands of such Agniveers complete their four-year tenures and return to civilian life? We are left with a battle-hardened cohort—a civilian reserve that has already proven its mettle under fire. This is the core genius of Agnipath. The scheme is not merely a recruitment reform, but the foundation of a new Indian approach to national security, which seeks to embed military-grade skills and discipline deep within our civilian fabric. Every year, thousands of Agniveers will re-enter society not just as ex-soldiers, but as a repository of what can be termed 'dual-use human capital'. This creates a powerful strategic buffer, transforming our society into a force multiplier for the nation's war preparedness. In a future prolonged conflict, these Agniveers could be rapidly recalled, requiring minimal re-training to man secondary defence lines, operate logistics hubs, or secure vital installations, freeing up frontline troops for offensive action. The applications in a hybrid warfare context are immense. This trained cohort can be rapidly deputised for a spectrum of critical roles. The efficiency of disaster response during tragedies will be transformed with ex-Agniveers leading local relief efforts, their training in logistics, first-aid, and operating under pressure making them invaluable assets for the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). In times of internal strife, the Home Ministry can tap into this pool for disciplined manpower to assist in maintaining order, all with a foundational understanding of the chain of command. Furthermore, Agnipath directly addresses a critical vulnerability in our defence ecosystem: the wartime production surge. A prolonged conflict would demand a massive ramp-up in our military-industrial complex. Instead of relying on a small pool of retired servicemen or expensive foreign technicians, India will have a ready reservoir of ex-Agniveers trained in logistics, maintenance, and technical systems. These individuals can be redirected to support ordnance factories and defence PSUs, drastically reducing the time needed to scale up production and bolstering our 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' mission when it matters most. Crucially, the Agniveer of today is not the conscript of yesterday. Their four-year tenure is an intensive immersion in cutting-edge military technology. They are not just learning to fire a rifle; they are operating AI-assisted targeting pods, flying reconnaissance drones, and managing the sophisticated AD radars used in Operation Sindoor. These are precisely the skills that define 21st-century conflict. When these Agniveers enter civilian life, they bring these future-ready skills with them. An ex-Agniveer who spent two years in an electronic warfare unit, for instance, could be a prime candidate for a cybersecurity role. A technician who maintained drone fleets is perfectly suited for the burgeoning domestic drone industry or for counter-drone security units in state police forces. Their experience directly feeds India's capabilities in the critical domains of space, cyber, and information warfare, creating a talent pipeline that money alone cannot buy. Beyond these hard skills, the civic spill-over effect cannot be overstated. A population with even a small percentage exposed to national service is inherently more mentally resilient, physically fit, and motivated to serve the nation. In high-risk border states, the presence of thousands of disciplined and patriotic Agniveers can transform local communities. Their seamless absorption into state police, paramilitary forces, and intelligence support units with minimal training lag will strengthen our internal security architecture from the ground up. Critics have viewed Agnipath through a narrow financial and personnel lens. Operation Sindoor forces us to look beyond that. It has shown us what is possible. The scheme is a bold, long-term investment in national resilience that is already paying dividends. It is forging a new compact between the citizen and the state, creating a civilian shield that is disciplined, technologically skilled, and ever-ready. This is the scheme's true strategic depth, and it will define India's security posture for the next century. Sanbeer Singh Ranhotra Sanbeer Singh Ranhotra is a producer and video journalist at Network18. He is enthusiastic about and writes on both national affairs as well as geopolitics. Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 14, 2025, 11:33 IST News opinion Opinion | India's Agniveer Advantage: Building A National Defence Reserve For A Long War
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Nandi Hills gearing up to host Karnataka Cabinet meeting on June 19
From its foot to the top, Nandi Hills, one of Bengalureans' favourite getaway destinations, is abuzz with civic work, pruning of trees, beautification of surroundings, and much more, as it gets ready to host the Karnataka Cabinet meeting on June 19. On Friday, representatives of several departments were busy working on the hill when The Hindu visited the spot. A team belonging to the Public Works Department was carrying out the shouldering work on the road leading to the hill. Horticulture Department workers had brought natural lawns to lay in front of a restaurant. They were also arranging ornamental plants brought from the nursery at Lalbagh. Monkey trouble 'After the Cabinet meeting that was conducted on the Male Mahadeshwara Hills, it is now the turn of Nandi Hills to host the State Cabinet. We have also requested the Forest Department to control the large number of monkeys around here without disturbing them,' said an official of the Horticulture Department. In 1986, the second SAARC summit, which was attended by the then Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi, was held at Nehru Nilaya on Nandi Hills. Controlling monkeys back then was also a Herculean task. The Cabinet meeting on June 19 will be conducted in the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation's (KSTDC) Mayura Pine Top restaurant. The restaurant is getting a complete makeover as everything from the washrooms to the air conditioning systems were being fixed on Friday. 'We are upgrading our basic infrastructure. This will be a milestone for the KSTDC as we will be hosting the State Cabinet meeting on our property. We are even increasing the bandwidth of our Wi-Fi to ensure uninterrupted live streaming for media and for any other official work,' said Manoj Kumar, manager of Mayura Pine Top. The hall that is being prepared for the meeting will be occupied by Ministers, while separate locations will be provided for officers on special duty, personal assistants, and others. The hall on the ground floor of the restaurant offers an uninterrupted view of the Chickballapur town. Demands of the district With the Cabinet meeting being hosted in Chickballapur, there is a lot of expectations about big announcements for the district. MLA for Chickballapur Pradeep Eshwar, who had come to oversee the preparations on Nandi Hills on Friday, told The Hindu that decisions on many major projects of the district would be taken at the meeting. 'As we are famous for flowers and vegetables, we had requested that the international flower market should not be set up in a public-private partnership. The government has agreed to invest the full amount of ₹150 crore for it, and it will mostly be announced on that day. We have also requested that the storage capacity of Jakkalamadagu reservoir be increased to ensure adequate water supply during summer months,' Mr. Eshwar said. Hopes of ropeway He also said the government might take a call on proposing the Bhoga Nandishwara temple as a UNESCO World Heritage site to attract more foreign tourists to the district. 'While we think that something related to the Yettinahole project will be announced, the final approval for the Nandi ropeway project will definitely be given,' the MLA said. Nandi Hills has been closed for the public from 6 p.m. on June 16 to 5 a.m. on June 20 in view of the Cabinet meeting.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
June 14, 1985, Forty Years Ago: PM Calls For Peace
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi made an appeal for peace and disarmament and regretted that concessional assistance for developing countries was drying up at a time when it was needed most. Gandhi voiced India's concern over the establishment of military bases in various parts of the world. 'We are directly affected by militarisation of the Indian Ocean and inflow of increasingly sophisticated arms into our neighbourhood,' she said. AT LEAST 37 people were killed and about 100 injured, 48 of them seriously, when the Bilaspur-bound Chhattisgarh Express collided with a goods train at Raja Ki Mandi station near the Agra Cantonment. Union Minister of State for Railways Madhavrao Scindia rushed to the site of the accident and also visited the hospital to see the injured. Most of the dead and injured were army personnel. SINHALESE HAVE ATTACKED some predominantly Tamil villages in eastern Sri Lanka, killing more than 40 people in 10 families. The attacks were in retaliation for a Tamil separatist attack on a Sinhalese village in the east. A reliable source in Jaffna said that Sinhalese, since then, had launched reprisal attacks on Tamil villages in and around Muttur on the east coast, killing 10 families. Thousands of people have fled their homes. THE US HAS decided to provide advanced military technology and weaponry in an effort to end the 20-year hiatus in US military sales to the world's largest democracy. The Washington Post reported that the new policy was conditional on Indian acceptance of strict safeguards. PM Rajiv Gandhi and Defence Minister P V Narasimha Rao will discuss the supply of US military technology to India with Defence Secretary Caspar Weinberger and John Messey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
