Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar presides over closing ceremony of India-Mongolia joint military exercise
NEW DELHI: Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh reaffirmed the strength of India–Mongolia bilateral military ties as he attended the culmination of the 17th edition of the India–Mongolia Joint Military Exercise Nomadic Elephant in Ulaanbaatar on Friday.
He was joined by Lieutenant General Pushpendra Singh, Director General of Operational Logistics and Strategic Movement, at the closing ceremony.
The Indian Army contingent, consisting of 45 personnel, primarily from a battalion of the Arunachal Scouts, actively participated in the two-week-long exercise.
The joint training focused on enhancing interoperability between the Indian Army and the Mongolian Armed Forces, operating as a combined task force in semi-conventional scenarios, covering semi-urban and mountainous terrain, under a United Nations mandate
A key component of Nomadic Elephant involved simulated UN peacekeeping operations to replicate real-world scenarios in which multinational forces must collaborate under diverse and challenging conditions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
'This Is What Happens…': Nishikant Dubey's Swipe At Priyanka Gandhi's 'History' Lessons On Gaza
'This is what happens when you haven't studied history," Dubey wrote in a post on X. On Saturday, Priyanka termed as 'shameful" and 'disappointing" the central government's decision to abstain from the UN motion to protect civilians and uphold humanitarian obligations in Gaza. Dubey, however, countered her arguments by claiming that India gave recognition to Israel under previous Congress regimes. In her post on X, Priyanka contended that the Centre was refusing to take a stand when 60,000 people, mostly women and children, had been killed and the entire population of Gaza were being 'confined and starved to death". She alleged that not only was India being silent on the Gaza issue, it was 'cheering on" the Israeli government as it attacked Iran and assassinated its leadership. 'It is shameful and disappointing that our government has chosen to abstain on the UN motion for the protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations in Gaza… This is a tragic reversal of our anti-colonial legacy. In fact, not only are we standing silent as Mr Netanyahu annihilates an entire nation, we are cheering on as his government attacks Iran and assassinates its leadership in flagrant violation of its sovereignty and complete contravention of all international norms," she wrote. Dubey, however, pointed out that it was under Jawaharlal Nehru's leadership that India gave 'undeclared recognition" to Israel by opening the country's first mission office in Mumbai in 1950. He alleged that former prime minister Indira Gandhi had used Israeli weapons and took Mossad – Israel's spy agency – in the 1971 war against Pakistan. He added that it was the Congress government that opened the first declared Israeli embassy in Delhi in 1992, while the Palestine embassy 'finally opened" in 1996. On the matter of UN resolutions, too, he asked: 'Do you know that from 1948 to 2014, India either voted in favor of Israel or abstained 56 times in the Security Council." The Wayanad MP further questioned how India can 'abandon" the principles of the Constitution, and the values of the freedom struggle 'that led the way for an international arena based on peace and humanity". 'There is no justification for this. True global leadership demands the courage to defend justice, India has shown this courage unfailingly in the past. In a world that is increasingly divisive, we must reclaim our voice for humanity and stand fearlessly for truth and non-violence," she added. INDIA-PALESTINE RELATIONS India was one of the first countries to recognise the Palestine State in 1988, and its support for the Palestinian cause has been an integral part of foreign policy. In fact, in 1974, it was also the first non‐Arab state to recognise the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as the 'sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people". According to the website of the Representative office of India in Ramallah, Palestine, India has 'consistently supported, co-sponsored, and voted in favour of UN General Assembly Resolutions securing the right to self-determination of Palestinians (2020), urging Israel's compliance with legal obligations viz. ICJ's Construction of the Wall Opinion (2004), and its status as a non-member State at the UN (2012)". Advertisement 'In 2011, India also voted in favour of Palestine becoming a full member of UNESCO. The NAM Ministerial Committee on Palestine was established under India's Presidency during the VII NAM Summit in New Delhi in 1983. As a member of the Security Council, India continued to voice its support for a negotiated solution resulting in a sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine, within secure and recognized borders, at peace beside Israel as endorsed in the relevant UNSC and UNGA Resolutions," the website stated.
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
Post Operation Sindoor, we're looking at war insurance cover, says GIC Re Chairman
Operation Sindoor and the increasing use of drones in recent warfares has led insurance companies to explore the possibility of launching war insurance cover for corporates and people in border states to safeguard their investments in projects and lives there. The industry is also willing to create an insurance pool to cover defence assets provided the government gives a guarantee for the purpose, said Ramaswamy Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director of General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re), the largest reinsurer in the country. Narayanan said every insurer and reinsurer will be more than willing to write the insurance cover. 'Some part of it they can retain, they can reinsure with us, we will have our own capacities for that,' he said in an interview to The Indian Express. Stating that going forward, people may start thinking about this cover, he said, 'If you see Rajasthan and Gujarat, there are some big investments and people who have put in those investments could be worried. There could be pressure from lenders as well as damages can happen. In a traditional cover, war is not covered and so you will need to possibly buy a war cover. So there could be demand,' he said. He said that he was waiting to see if somebody, especially those close to the border, would be interested in a war cover. 'I, however, realised that the time frame was small, and also people would have thought that looking for a cover when the event was ongoing would mean that it would be very expensive,' Narayanan said. When asked if anything changed due to the India-Pak conflict, Narayanan said nothing changed because it was too brief to make a difference. 'I was actually waiting and we had spoken to insurance companies and brokers that if somebody wants additional cover, we are willing to look at it,' he said adding that 'drone attacks have become a big challenge and it has been seen both in the recent conflict between India and Pakistan as well as the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.' GIC Re Chairman said that while defence establishments in India are not insured, the industry can look to provide it just like it was done for nuclear facilities. 'Traditionally, it has never happened. I don't think even globally that is happening…. We could try, but the investments are huge. We need to have that capacity. We can manage it provided the government gives its guarantee. You charge a premium and you put it into the pool, and if for five years there are no losses, we can use the pool to pay as we would have created a kitty by then. However, if the loss happens in three months, then the pool is not enough and in that case, the government will have to say that their guarantee is there, and they will pay it off. If that kind of a thing is there, we know how to manage it for the government,' he said. He said that normally, when insurers cover and reinsurers back up, they would want to inspect the facility and see the risk management features before giving a price and a cover, but then the government will not want their facilities to be inspected by someone. It happened in nuclear (facilities). 'It was not covered and the government had kept it to themselves, and then later they asked us to issue a policy. We then scouted internationally for support because the cover was big. They (international partners) said that without an inspection they cannot do it (issue policy) and they would need to inspect (nuclear) facilities. We told this to the government, and they said no to it as it was a security issue. How can anybody inspect our nuclear facilities? So, then we created a pool with us and others putting their net capacities and issued a policy,' he said. He said the nuclear pool is small because it is only the government properties which are being insured. 'But now there is a demand, so we are looking into it (for expansion). In the budget, the finance minister also made an announcement about allowing private operators. We are still waiting for the fine print to come, in terms of how it will work. Once it comes, we will open up the pool for private operators also,' Narayanan said. 'If they are open to having their facilities inspected, I am sure there should be enough reinsurers to provide capacity. But if they want to keep it closed to scrutiny, then we can use the pool,' he said. On the impact of the Ukraine-Russia war, the GIC chairman said that the fallout was a sanction on Russia, which meant that getting products from Russia insured was a problem. 'We created a pool (currently around Rs 470 crore) by which we are providing capacity. So Russian crudes get insured under the pool. Then there are project cargo coming from Russia which gets insured under the pool. But there is a demand. Reliance Industries has been asking us to increase capacity because now they are importing more crude from Russia,' Narayanan said.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Indian diaspora sees PM Modi's Canada visit as moment for rebuilding trust
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on a three-nation tour, culminating in his participation at the G7 Summit hosted in Alberta, Canada, members of the Indian diaspora across Canada and the United States have extended a warm welcome and expressed hope for a renewed chapter in India-Canada relations. The visit comes at a time when bilateral ties between the two nations have been strained in recent years, primarily due to concerns over Canada's perceived leniency towards Khalistseparatist elements. However, PM Modi's invitation by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is being viewed by many as a significant diplomatic overture and a potential turning point in Indo-Canadian relations . by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Container Houses Vietnam (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search Ads Search Now Undo "We warmly welcome you to Canada and hope that with your arrival, the relations between India and Canada will grow stronger and more prosperous," said Harjit Singh Sandhu, Vice Chairman of the India Canada Organisation (ICO), Montreal. Echoing a similar sentiment, Harpreet Singh, a Canada-based journalist, noted the importance of the G7 platform. Live Events "The world is passing through a critical phase, and the G7 meeting in Alberta will be a great opportunity for world leaders to brainstorm and find solutions to pressing global challenges," Singh said. "Our Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi from India, which is a welcome step. There have been issues between India and Canada in the past few years, and I hope during this meeting, things are sorted out and a new path is chosen where both countries develop and prosper," said Harpreet Singh. Singh emphasised the importance of strengthening cooperation in trade, technology, and investment, stating that the over one million-strong Indian diaspora in Canada is eager for "peace, stability, and progress." In New Jersey, HS Paneser, President of the Global Indian Diaspora Alliance, hailed the visit as a "pivotal moment to reset and rebuild Indo-Canadian relations." "As of June 2025, Prime Minister Modi's participation in the G7 Summit, hosted by Prime Minister Carney, is being widely viewed by the Indian diaspora and global observers as a crucial opportunity to address and improve the recent strain in bilateral ties," Paneser told ANI. He pointed to a prevailing sentiment of cautious optimism among the diaspora, referring to the G7 invitation as "an olive branch -- a symbolic and strategic soft restart to the relationship." Highlighting shared interests in trade, critical minerals, technology, and academic exchange, Paneser said both countries stand to benefit from "strengthened cooperation and mutual respect." He also stressed the significance of people-to-people ties , particularly the contributions of Indian students and professionals in Canada. "The fact that PM Modi has been invited to the G7, despite India not being a member, underscores India's rising global stature as the world's most populous country and fourth-largest economy," Paneser remarked. "We see this visit as a pivotal moment to rebuild trust, enhance cooperation, and usher in a more constructive and mutually beneficial phase in Indo-Canadian relations." Concluding on a hopeful note, he added, "In the spirit of progress and partnership, we, the members of the Indian diaspora, wholeheartedly welcome this positive move and hope it marks the beginning of better days for both nations."
