Intl' airport remains closed despite ceasefire; operations may resume by May 13
Mohali: Despite the ceasefire agreement announced between India and Pakistan on May 10,
Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport
in Mohali remains closed, with commercial flight operations yet to resume. Officials have indicated that services may resume by May 13, depending on the outcome of diplomatic talks scheduled for May 12.The airport has remained under complete control of the Indian Air Force (IAF) since May 7, when all 52 scheduled flights cancelled as a precautionary measure amid escalating regional tensions.
The move affected thousands of passengers and disrupted connectivity with major cities across the country.Ajay Kumar, chief executive officer of
Chandigarh International Airport
Ltd (CHIAL), stated, "We are waiting for official confirmation from the authorities concerned. We are hopeful that operations will resume by May 13, subject to security clearance and outcomes of ongoing diplomatic discussions." Airlines, however, have already suspended bookings and operations till May 15, citing uncertainty over the situation.The airport, which serves over 10,000 passengers daily, connects Mohali and the wider Chandigarh region with key domestic destinations such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, and Leh, as well as international destinations like Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
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Continued closure of the airport has caused inconvenience to travellers and businesses, with many calling for quicker restoration of services, now that the ceasefire has been declared.Airport authorities, meanwhile, have urged passengers to stay updated through official airline communications and the CHIAL website for any changes to the current status.MSID:: 121082587 413 |
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
India saw rapid changes across sectors in 11 years: PM Narendra Modi
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government marked the completion of 11 years in office on Monday by unveiling a 176-page 'comprehensive compendium' on India's transformation under the PM's 'visionary leadership' across 14 facets of policymaking — ranging from national security and foreign policy to infrastructure growth, healthcare, women's empowerment, and social justice. 'PM Modi has brought the politics of development — Vikasvaad — into the mainstream, making it a focal point around which political discourse and policy action now revolve,' detailed the booklet, released on Monday morning by the government's Press Information Bureau (PIB). The Modi-led 72-member Union Council of Ministers had taken the oath of office on June 9, 2024. In the afternoon, addressing a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) national headquarters here, the party's National President J P Nadda, who is also a Union minister, said that proactive governance has been the hallmark of Modi's tenure as the country's PM. He said Modi has confronted challenges head-on and taken 'bold decisions' once thought impossible, such as the 'abrogation of Article 370', the 2016 surgical strike, the Balakot air strike, and Operation Sindoor of 2025. Nadda listed the banning of triple talaq, the Citizenship Amendment Act, demonetisation, one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha (LS) and legislative Assemblies, ending the distinction between plan and non-plan expenditure, advancing the Union Budget presentation from the 'colonial-era' February 28 to February 1, and merging the railway Budget with the Union Budget as other key decisions over the past 11 years. Nadda said demonetisation — where people queued up to withdraw money without complaining despite the Opposition's intense efforts to provoke them — was evidence of the credibility of the PM's leadership. Referring to the BJP falling short of the majority mark by 32 seats in the 2024 LS polls and, for the first time since 2014, having to rely on allies to secure a majority — with Opposition leaders raising questions about the government's longevity — Nadda expressed confidence that the NDA government will complete its tenure and asserted it will last the next full term as well. 'Our government is strong. It will last for five years in this term and the next too,' he said. The booklet said, 'The success of Operation Sindoor demonstrated a new India: resolute, swift, and sovereign in action.' It added that a dynamic foreign and national security policy is essential to respond to today's global opportunities and challenges. 'The Modi government has consistently delivered on this front, ensuring a stable, strong, and safe nation,' it said. The booklet highlighted vibrant India-US relations as a foreign policy success, terming it 'Modi's adaptive strategy with the US'. It said India has emerged as an economic powerhouse, with the government creating a base for 'growthade' through infrastructure expansion, such as the development of national highways. The government also said it has championed cooperative federalism by incentivising states to undertake reforms voluntarily. It mentioned the all-time high goods and services tax collections in April 2025. It also detailed measures for the welfare of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and women through schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana, adding that 810 million people continue to receive food security. 'There is highest ever representation for the SCs, STs, and OBCs in the Union Council of Ministers,' it said. The government claimed that welfare measures, such as Mission Poshan, have helped improve the sex ratio at birth, which, for the first time, stands at 1,020 women per 1,000 men. At his press conference, Nadda said the Indian economy continues to grow despite global challenges and that international bodies like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have called it a bright spot. He said over 250 million people have been lifted out of poverty — a figure acknowledged globally. Nadda dismissed Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh's jibe at Modi for not addressing a press conference on the government's anniversary. The Union minister questioned what was wrong with the president of the main ruling party speaking to the media. He also criticised Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's remarks about the Election Commission of India and the fairness of the Maharashtra Assembly polls, likening him to a sore loser in a cricket match who blames the umpire for a loss while claiming credit in case of a win. The Congress on Monday released two booklets that flagged stagnating growth, rising hunger, and 'unfulfilled promises' over the 11 years of the Modi government. At a press conference in the national capital, Congress Research Department Head M V Rajeev Gowda released Ek Aur Baar Jumla Sarkar and 11 Saal Jhoothe Vikaas Ke Vaade. He said the first booklet examines promises made by the BJP in its 2024 manifesto, while the second is a 'detailed exposé' of the BJP's 'hollow promises'. 'In the 11-Saal document, one of the first themes they (BJP) highlight is taking care of the poor and the marginalised. They are very happy that 810 million people are getting free foodgrain under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. But the basic problem of hunger is a much larger crisis in India, and it puts us at 105 out of 127 countries in the World Hunger Index. Its implications: malnutrition is affecting our children in a horrible way, crippling their growth. Stunting is at 35.5 per cent; wasting is at 19.3 per cent; underweight is at 32.1 per cent,' Gowda said. He also alleged that the Centre's claim in the PIB booklet that India added over 5,000 defence items to the indigenisation list was untrue. 'Sadly, 40 per cent of the items listed for indigenisation have not been indigenised as of now. India remains one of the top importers of defence rather than a producer and exporter. If you look at 'mission mode DRDO projects,' 23 out of 55 have been delayed, and the share of research and development in our defence budget is only 5.45 per cent,' he said. He further challenged the claim that India is the fastest-growing large economy. 'So, what is happening in this 11th year of your Sarkar, PM Modi? What is happening is reflected in the response of the private sector. Is the Indian private sector investing in India? If you look at the investment figures, after you have given the bonanza tax cut, nothing has changed. They still don't have confidence in the management of your economy to invest,' Gowda said. He added that fixed capital formation has declined to 32.4 per cent — an 11-year low. 'There is another legacy: the glaring inequality. The share of wealth held by India's top 1 per cent is 40 per cent. The bottom 50 per cent have to make do with just over 3 per cent,' the former Congress Member of Parliament said, adding that this is not the economy the country wants.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Despite soaring debt signal in Economic Survey, Pakistan defence budget may shoot
Laden with an ever-increasing external debt that has reached $87.4 billion, Pakistan is spending over 1.9% of its gross domestic product (GDP) in debt service payments, with the biggest single lender being China, the latest economic survey released by the Shehbaz Sharif government says. Despite the mounting external debt, Pakistan is expected to sharply hike its defence spending in the upcoming budget. Last year too, Pakistan increased its defence budget by a whopping 16.4%, even as it was seeking a bailout deal from International Monetary Fund to avert a complete collapse of its economy. This time around, the increase is likely to be higher, given that IMF bailout has been secured and the country has faced significant damage to its airbases and air defence systems in the strikes carried out by India as part of Operation Sindoor. Indian defence budget is pegged at 1.9% of its GDP, a number that New Delhi has kept in check, with defence spending not exceeding the 2% mark for years. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. As per Pakistan's economic survey, it paid $7.8 billion in external debt service payments in the last financial year, with China getting just $602 million despite being the single largest lender, with outstanding loans worth over $15 billion. China is the largest supplier of weapons to Pakistan, with almost 80% of its arsenal originating from Beijing. In the recent conflict with India, the majority of weapons used by Pakistan that included HQ9 surface-to-air missiles and J10 fighter jets were acquired on lenient terms from China. Pakistan's total debt is pegged at $269 billion, with most of it being internal. On the external front, the country owes other nations and multilateral agencies nearly $87.4 billion. Among bilateral lenders, the biggest amount is owed to China ($15 billion), followed by Japan at $3 billion and France at just over $1 billion. Among multilateral lenders, Pakistan owes $18 billion to IDA and $16 billion to ADB.
India Gazette
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ANI 09 Jun 2025, 20:47 GMT+10 By Ajit Dubey New Delhi [India], June 9 (ANI): At a time when Indian air defence systems successfully thwarted the Pakistani aircraft, missile and drones attacks under Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army is all set to get Rs 30,000 crore boost with a new surface-to-air missile system expected to be cleared for acquisition by the Defence Ministry soon. The Defence Ministry is scheduled to take up the proposal for buying three regiments of the indigenous Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile system (WRSAM) for the Army Air Defence for deployment along both western and northern borders, defence officials told ANI here The missile systems, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, are highly mobile as they have the capability to search and track targets on the move and fire at short halts, they said. With a range of around 30 km, the system would be complementing the existing systems in the forces like the MRSAM and Akash in short to medium ranges. The missile system performance has been extensively evaluated under both day and night operational scenarios during the trials. The meeting of Defence Acquisition Council is planned to be held around the fourth week of June. During the four-day conflict with Pakistan, which used Chinese weaponry, the Indian Army's Air Defence units destroyed majority of the drones using L-70 and Zu-23 air defence guns while the Akash and MRSAM played a crucial role along with the Indian Air Force's Spydwr and Sudarshan S-400 air defence systems. The Army Air Defence is also getting a number of new radars, very short range air defence systems along with jammers and laser-based systems to deal with drones of Turkish and Chinese origin. (ANI)
