Latest news with #ManoharParrikar
Time of India
16-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Divar bundh set to finally be fixed, will stave off flooding
Panaji: The water resources department (WRD) is finally set to repair a damaged bundh at Navelim, Divar. The bundh was in a dilapidated condition, with mangroves growing around the existing structure. The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) recently issued an NOC for the strengthening of the bundh, provided its width was not increased and the mangroves in the land were not disturbed. Most of the bundh falls in the no-development zone of the Mandovi river, and the land falls within the mangrove buffer zone and khazan area as per Goa's Coastal Zone Management Plan, 2011. The age-old bundh system, dating back to the pre-Portuguese era, is meant to help make farming possible near saline estuarine areas. The maintenance of mud bundhs is a major challenge for the WRD, which is on the lookout for a viable solution. Concrete bundhs were opposed by the Goa State Biodiversity Board, stating that they can prove detrimental to the ecosystem and may adversely affect many species. Former chief minister Manohar Parrikar once proposed the use of vinyl sheet piling as a new-age solution to the concrete bundhs that were being constructed at the time by the WRD. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Many Are Watching Tariffs - Few Are Watching What Nvidia Just Launched Seeking Alpha Read More Undo Most of Divar's khazan lands were once very productive granaries of food. However, breached bundhs, particularly in areas like Malar and Goltim-Navelim, have been a recurring issue, causing flooding of paddy fields and threatening crops due to saline water ingress from the Mandovi river. This problem often worsens during heavy rain and the weakening of ancient khazan systems, leading to significant losses for farmers and concerns for residential areas as well.
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Launched in 2017, GoaOnline processes 9.3 lakh service requests of citizens across 30 govt depts
Panaji: As of June, govt's e-governance platform GoaOnline has processed over 9.3 lakh service requests since 2017, across more than 30 departments, indicating a clear adoption of online services. Govt received 9.5 lakh applications through the GoaOnline platform, with the remaining applications either rejected or pending. The revenue department accounted for 4.4 lakh applications, primarily for income and caste certificates, followed by the labour & employment department, where 3.1 lakh applications for labour registrations, licences, and welfare services were received. 'These figures represent completed service transactions, highlighting both the scale of adoption and the successful delivery of services across departments,' said a department official. Around 75,800 online services were related to Goa Industrial Development Corporation, including land allotment, approvals, and business permissions. The directorate of health services was placed fourth in terms of online services. To enhance convenience for citizens, the department of information technology, electronics, and communications has integrated GoaOnline services with WhatsApp, allowing access to govt documents, certificates, bills, payment receipts, and notifications via the messaging app. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cuối cùng, chơi miễn phí game chiến thuật hay nhất 2025! Sea of Conquest Phát ngay Undo GoaOnline was initiated in 2017 by the then chief minister Manohar Parrikar and IT minister Rohan Khaunte. The use of technology for providing govt services to citizens and entrepreneurs was emphasised by Khaunte. Department officials said they are working to expand the service categories on the GoaOnline platform while also integrating emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. To ensure last-mile access, govt has appointed Gramin Mitras to provide govt services directly to rural households, delivering services like birth and death certificates, residence certificates, and subsidies directly to doorsteps.
New Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Whatever we did, was for country: DRDO veterans behind anti-drone tech used in Operation Sindoor
Akash is like a complete missile shield? Exactly, it is like a missile shield. It has detection, long-range detection radar, short-range detection radar, guidance radar, communication systems, it has missiles on its own that can go and then attack the enemy. This gave an opportunity for all the private players to build themselves very strong. Because they are getting money, getting the order, they could expand themselves and build the facilities. Thus, after 2007, the entire scenario changed. The first programmes took 25 years for development. The subsequent programmes, the next generation missiles that the country has started — something like QRSAM where now multiple countries are ready to buy — have taken only around 10 years, from conceptual idea to production. The reason is you have a proper supporting backup industry. If I wanted a motor earlier, it would have taken a year earlier whereas now it is just two months. Most of these components are indigenously produced. In the last 10 years, the initiatives that were done in the defence domain are really unheard of … leaving aside the politics. The one man who changed all this I would say was Manohar Parrikar (former defence minister). He was a visionary. He said this kind of model cannot work — producing it through DRDO, public sector. He realised we have to involve the private players also in R&D. We should see to it that they get the orders, that they start developing the systems. If you have a problem, do not restrict yourself to closed-door conversations because you will not get the solution. You will have to speak aloud your problems — call more participants and then ask for the solutions. So, that is where the MoD has opened up. Five years, 10 years ago, if you wanted to get into army headquarters or the air force headquarters, for a private player, it was a nightmare. You were asked around 100 questions — including why do you want a meeting with me? Today, secretaries call private companies and ask us what is it that you want to make these systems better. Do you want some test facilities or a policy modification? The bureaucratic process has been simplified. Yes, it has been simplified. It has been made more open to the private industry. They realised that unless we tap this potential, we cannot grow. The result is Operation Sindoor. The result of all that has happened behind the scenes has suddenly emerged in public. You have seen some battles recently, at least two to three. You could stop potential catastrophic damage that could have happened otherwise because we are prepared. We are prepared without depending on foreign countries. Wherever possible, they have built the technology with jammer shields. That is why most of the drones could not get in. Will this be the future of warfare now? Yes, this has been proven and on multiple occasions, we have already seen what they can do. Both of you are into technology. Most people go abroad. Why did you prefer DRDO? We had a little bit of patriotism right from day one. In fact, this choice was there even for us. In 2003, when we joined DRDO, the size of the batch was 442 — all of them scientists trained together at Pune at the Institute of Armament Technology (now DIAT). Out of that, within three years, 50 per cent left for these kinds of opportunities. In those days, DRDO used to be a kind of launch pad. You join, learn for two to three years, get into some private company and then start building your career. But we never chose that. Whatever we did, we wanted to do it for the country.
The Print
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Print
It doesn't end here. India must prepare for mightier neighbours
Nationalising HAL in the early years after Independence was a mistake. Walchand Hirachand had built a great company, which decayed after nationalisation. On the other hand, countries like Brazil, once nowhere on the horizon, started making better aircraft than India. While HAL has not been privatised, it is now a strong player—no longer a forlorn child abandoned on the outskirts of Bengaluru in Jalahalli. Kudos to former defence minister Manohar Parrikar, who made these two acquisitions possible after a decade of atrophied indifference. Kudos to Rajnath Singh, who was not churlish and did not abandon his predecessor's good steps. Instead, he built upon them and carried on bravely, soberly, and sensibly with multiple modernisation programmes. Kudos to the Modi government, too, which had the courage to reverse decades of stupidity in defence procurement. It has sought to revitalise the DRDO and breathed new energy into HAL. Iran may have dismissed the S-400 in favour of domestically developed weapons, but the Russian missile system certainly worked for India in the recent escalation with Pakistan. And thank god for the Rafales. The country might have been weak without them, as it was some years ago. Meanwhile, ISRO has been acquiring one strength after another. The government also bit the bullet on ordnance factories. They are no longer 'departmental' outfits bogged down in bureaucratic miasma. They are companies subject to external operating guidelines and financial judgements. And this was done despite stubborn, Luddite trade union obstruction. However, it pales in comparison to the open and welcoming involvement of the private sector in defence manufacturing. Today, we are finally seeing the emergence of world–class defence manufacturing units in India, whether it is from the Tatas, Mahindra, L&T, the Adanis, or Bharat Forge. The country is also giving rise to startups producing muscular drones, thermal imaging, and even low–publicity items such as body armour. These developments give us insight into what we have to do next. Learn from Roosevelt About 50 years ago, Indian automobile companies required foreign collaboration. We simply could not design our cars. Today, the Tatas, the Mahindras, and Maruti (more an Indian company than a Japanese MNC) conceptualise, design, and produce world–class cars. And therein lies an opportunity. During World War 2, US President Franklin Roosevelt appointed former head of General Motors, William Knudsen, to figure out how to make military equipment for the country. He did not advocate the creation of public sector behemoths. Instead, he sought a series of public-private partnerships. It turned out that private auto manufacturers did make better tanks than those specified by the inertia-laden Pentagon bureaucracy. The US out-innovated and out-produced not only Germany and Japan, but the whole world. It won the war and ensured enduring dominance. India should learn from this anecdote, especially because it is already on a similar path. It can become the world–class provider of missiles, air defence systems, robot soldiers (future wars may not involve human soldiers), and multi-purpose drones. Software will be the critical factor in the battlefields of the future, and India can gain a competitive advantage. Thanks to ISRO, it can become the cheapest provider of satellite coverage and related technologies. We have been told that we can never make aircraft engines. What about a 1,000-crore or even a 10,000-crore public-private initiative to crack this problem? Of course, it is not that simple. We have to fix our administrative logjams. A complex RFI/AFP/tender process with delays in its DNA will never work. But Parrikar and Singh have shown that India need not forever be a prisoner to its bureaucratic apparatus. It can tap into its human capital wisely. Engineering colleges across the country may be invited to apply to become defence technology partners in research and in placements for their graduates. There will be problems. Two out of 50 selected colleges will get themselves into the list by bribing someone. The media will make a lot of noise—this will have to be ignored. Because there are 48 good partners. President Roosevelt never took the position that there was no corruption in the procurement process during World War 2. The important thing is what was achieved. India can, and it must, support startups. And many of these might fail. But instead of a national witch hunt over these failures, we need TV coverage for our successes. Another myth is that even if India has software skills, it lacks manufacturing skills, which are important for producing robots and drones. This is simply not true. We have the skill; we have merely not scaled like China due to a hostile business environment. In Coimbatore alone, there are dozens, probably hundreds, of foundries that closed down due to electricity issues in the pre-Kudankulam days. The skills exist. The entrepreneurs exist. The administration just has to see them as partners and not adversaries, which is what the tax bureaucrats are doing today. If even 10 Indian manufacturing entrepreneurs scale, the country would be in good shape. Also read: Pakistan can't test India's strategic patience anymore. The doctrine has flipped Establish escalation dominance India must focus on creating an ecosystem that dominates the technologies of future wars. By doing this, it can achieve strong 'escalation dominance', a much-abused phrase of recent origin. And the country can achieve this through meaningful public-private partnerships, and by taking risks (for instance, not getting hysterical if a startup fails). India must continue to export—this will ensure that its equipment is as good or better than what the world makes. In the 1980s, we imported world–class artillery from a small country like Sweden. Within the next five years, we should be in a position to sell next–generation military equipment to Sweden. At that stage, the declining economy of Pakistan will face immense trouble. India grows at a rate of 6-7 per cent. Pakistan grows at 0 per cent. India's fiscal deficit is manageable and declining. Pakistan's fiscal deficit is astronomical and growing. Indian reserves are in the hundreds of billions. Pakistani reserves are technically negative. India's national debt is reducing. Pakistan is drowning in debt. In India, inflation is quite low. In Pakistan, it is out of control. Islamabad has neither the money nor the human capital to invest in technology. In future encounters, India must establish escalation dominance more than in recent times. It does not end here. One day, we will perhaps be confident enough to resist mightier neighbouring powers. Jaithirth 'Jerry' Rao is a retired entrepreneur who lives in Lonavala. He has published three books: 'Notes from an Indian Conservative', 'The Indian Conservative', and 'Economist Gandhi'. Views are personal. (Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
India uses S-400 to neutralise Pakistan's escalation bid: The defence system's radar can track targets up to 600 km
The Indian Air Force utilised the S-400 missile defence system to neutralise Pakistan's escalation bid on May 8. This came a day after the Indian Armed Forces executed precision strikes at four terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, also known as PoK, amid rising tensions between the countries. Here is everything you need to know about the S-400 missile defence system, which is manufactured in Russia. All you need to know about S-400 amid India-Pakistan tensions The late Manohar Parrikar helped India initiate the process of acquiring the S-400 missile defence system from Russia during his tenure as Defence Minister in 2016. It has three major components, namely Missile launchers, a powerful radar and a command centre. The S-400 can strike cruise missiles, aircrafts, and even intermediate-range ballistic missiles with ease. NATO members consider the surface-to-air missile system to be a major threat because of its long-range capabilities. The S-400's radar can track targets even if they are up to 600 km away. It became an integral part of India's defence ecosystem in 2018 when the country signed a $5 billion deal with Russia to purchase five units of the S-400. India-Pakistan tensions affect film releases, IPL The rising tension between India and Pakistan has, meanwhile, had a major impact on the entertainment and sports worlds. The makers of Rajkummar Rao's Bhool Chuk Maaf, which was slated to hit the screens today (May 9), decided to call off the theatrical release in light of the current situation. Similarly, yesterday's IPL match between the Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs. Delhi Capitals (DC) was abandoned due to a blackout amid a drone and missile attack. Following this, the IPL has now been suspended.
