Latest news with #Sindoor
India Gazette
3 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Govt of India
New Delhi [India], May 31 (ANI): Telangana Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday accused the government of India of not being 'upfront' about the incidents that occurred during the recently concluded conflict with Pakistan following Operation Sindoor and asserted that the centre needs to 'stop denying' this fact. He cited the statement made by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, where he seemed to have acknowledged the losses suffered initially during the conflict between the two neighbouring nations, stating that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) carried out negative campaigns when Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi raised the same issue. 'General Chauhan gave a statement: why they (jets) were down, what mistakes were made - are really important. That is what Rahul Gandhi said in the first instance, against which lots of negative campaigns were done by the BJP. Today, the whole country must realise that for some reason the government of India were not upfront with whatever happened,' Reddy said in a press conference here. He said that it appears that Rafale aircraft were shot down in the four-day operations. 'As it appears very clearly, Rafale aircraft were shot down in the four-day operations. When Rahul Gandhi first pointed it out as a question to the External Affairs Minister, it was very bizarre that the ruling party accused him of not being patriotic. Now, an hour ago, CDS General Anil Chauhan confirmed that Rafale aircraft were brought down,' Reddy added. The Telangana Minister further quoted Director General Air Operations (DGAO) Air Marshal AK Bharti 'indirectly' told the media earlier that losses were normal in combat. Reddy said that the government of India must stop denying this fact since the CDS has already mentioned the losses faced by the Indian armed forces. 'I must quote what DGAO Air Marshal Bharti indirectly said in the briefing earlier. He said, 'Losses are normal in combat. The objective of the whole Operation (Sindoor) has been achieved, and all pilots are home'. The fact that the fighter aircraft were down is something that the Government of India needs to stop denying now that the CDS himself has mentioned it,' he added. Reddy pointed towards another issue and said that the central government needs to explain the announcement for a 'ceasefire' made by US President Donald Trump even before the DGMOs of India and Pakistan held a conversation. 'The government has never explained why US President Trump announced the ceasefire before either of the DGMOs of both countries spoke,' he said. (ANI)
United News of India
8 hours ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Op Sindoor has become a symbol of India's Nari Shakti: PM Modi
Bhopal, May 31 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said 'Sindoor' which symbolises feminine strength in the Indian culture and traditions has now become a symbol of India's valour. 'Operation Sindoor stands as a testament to the strength and valour of India's Nari Shakti,' the Prime Minister said while addressing the Lokmata Devi Ahilyabai Mahila Sashaktikaran Mahasammelan here, an official statement said. 'India is a land of deep-rooted culture and traditions, where sindoor symbolises feminine strength,' emphasised Modi, mentioning that "even Lord Hanuman, immersed in devotion of Lord Ram, adorned himself with Sindoor, and it is offered in Shakti puja rituals. Sindoor has now become a symbol of India's valour.' Referring to the attack in Pahalgam, PM Modi said that the terrorists not only shed the blood of Indians but also struck at the nation's cultural ethos and attempted to divide society. Most significantly, they challenged India's Nari Shakti and this challenge proved fatal for the terrorists and their handlers. 'Operation Sindoor is India's largest and most successful counter-terrorism operation in history,' the PM emphasised, highlighting that Indian armed forces dismantled terrorist bases at locations where Pakistan's forces had never anticipated action. He remarked that Operation Sindoor has sent a clear message that proxy wars through terrorism will not be tolerated. He said that India will not only eliminate threats within its territory but will also ensure that a heavy price is paid by those supporting terrorists, and added, 'Every Indian now echoes the same sentiment - if you fire bullets, you will face artillery shells'. 'Operation Sindoor stands as a testament to the strength and valour of India's Nari Shakti,' Modi asserted. He highlighted the crucial role played by the Border Security Force (BSF) in this operation, noting that from Jammu to Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, a significant number of BSF women personnel were at the frontlines. He commended their resolute response to cross-border firing and their active participation in command and control centres, as well as in eliminating enemy positions. Modi said the world is witnessing the capability of India's daughters in national defence. Over the past decade, the government has undertaken several measures to strengthen women's role in security forces. 'The doors of Sainik Schools have been opened for girls, marking a historic step. In 2014, only 25 percent of National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets were female, whereas today, their participation is increasing towards 50 percent,' Modi said. He lauded a landmark moment as the first batch of women cadets passed out from the National Defence Academy (NDA) yesterday. He emphasised that women are now serving at forward positions in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. He also highlighted that women officers are showcasing their courage and leadership from fighter jets to the INS Vikrant warship, demonstrating their growing role in India's defence forces. Highlighting a recent demonstration of courage by the women of the Indian Navy, referencing the Navika Sagar Parikrama, Modi noted that two brave women officers completed a nearly 250-day maritime journey, circumnavigating the globe. He remarked that their achievement is a testament to the ability of India's daughters to conquer even the most formidable challenges. He underscored their growing role in safeguarding the nation, whether in anti-Naxal operations or countering cross-border threats. From the land of Devi Ahilyabai, he once again saluted the strength and determination of India's Nari Shakti. He underscored the vision of women-led development is being placed at the core of the nation's progress. He stressed that every major government initiative is centred around empowering mothers, sisters, and daughters. While underscoring the government's continuous efforts over the past 11 years to economically empower women, Modi said, 'Before 2014, over 30 crore women did not have a bank account. The government facilitated the opening of Jan Dhan accounts for them, where funds from various schemes are now being directly transferred.' Emphasising the government's commitment to increasing women's participation in policy making, the Prime Minister highlighted the progressive steps taken over the past decade to achieve this goal. For the first time, India had a full-time woman Defence Minister and has a woman Finance Minister. He further said that the representation of women from panchayats to Parliament has steadily increased, with 75 women currently serving as Members of Parliament. He also stressed the importance of further enhancing this participation, underscoring that the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam embodies this vision. UNI RBE RN
India Gazette
11 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"We don't believe in dialogue with a gun pointed towards our forehead": Tharoor clears India's stance against Pakistan
Bogota [Colombia], May 31 (ANI): Stressing that there cannot be any dialogue with Pakistan till it decides to dismantle terror operators constructed in its country, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is leading an all-party delegation, said that India understands that disputes must be settled through dialogue, but it does not believe in dialogue with a gun pointed towards its forehead. During a discussion with thought leaders at the Columbia Council for International Relations, Tharoor highlighted that Mahatma Gandhi also believed in peace. Still, he led the freedom struggle against the British. 'I would like you to understand our perspective; we don't disagree with you about the importance of peace. We belong to the land of Mahatma Gandhi, who taught us the importance of peace- 'Ahinsa'. But at the same time, for us, peace has to be accompanied by self-respect, and freedom has to be accompanied by freedom from fear. Remember that Mahatma Gandhi was a man of peace, but he also led the freedom struggle against the British. So you don't just sit quietly and turn the other cheek, but you stand up for what is right in your belief. That is what India has exactly chosen to do while facing terrorism,' Tharoor said. 'While we understand that disputes must be settled through dialogue, we do not believe in dialogue with a gun pointed towards our forehead. When Pakistan, which has used terrorism as an instrument of state policy, actually decides to dismantle terror operators constructed in its country, then we can talk about dialogue. Till then, I am sorry we are not ready to talk to these people,' the Congress MP affirmed. Further, the Congress MP outlined the series of developments that started from the April 22 Pahalgam attack in which 26 civilians were killed. 'On April 22, we had a terror attack in Pahalgam, and it was a murderous rampage because what they did was not only to attack and kill innocent tourists on a holiday in a peaceful part of Kashmir. At the time when Kashmir was growing and prospering, our tourism doubled compared to previous years; they came and did this, and the livelihood of Kashmiris was affected. And also to create a battle in India because the killers asked the religion of each person before shooting them dead,' Shashi Tharoor said. He asserted that India's Operation Sindoor was a clear and strong message, as only terrorist infrastructures were targeted and civilians were avoided. 'The Indian Government launched the retaliatory action, Operation Sindoor, because this murderous attack had wiped the Sindoor from the foreheads of 25 Indian women. We gave a very strong message as we struck nine known terrorist headquarters, launch pads, and bases in Pakistan. It was a very carefully calibrated and executed operation to convey the message, as we did not hit any civilian area there but only targeted known terrorist infrastructures,' the Congress MP said. 'Unfortunately, Pakistan chose to retaliate very irresponsibly with shelling on civilian areas. They killed people, children, in their homes, on the streets. The message was clear that if you hit us, we will hit you hard, and if you stop, we stop. And after 18 hours, they stopped,' he added. Shashi Tharoor also highlighted the unity of the delegation he is leading, emphasising that it includes people from five different political parties and different religions. 'Seven MPs that I am travelling with represent five political parties, seven different states of India, three religions, and yet we are all united in one mission. The mission is to reach out to people like you and raise our concern about recent events in our country,' he said. Tharoor is leading the multi-party delegation to the Americas. After visiting Panama and Guyana, Tharoor and his delegation arrived in Colombia on Thursday in an effort of India's global outreach to convey India's zero tolerance against terrorism. After concluding the Colombia visit, the all-party delegation will be heading to Brazil and the United States on Saturday. (ANI)
India Today
12 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Terrorists challenged India's nari shakti, brought their doom: PM on Op Sindoor
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said terrorists in Pakistan brought their own doom by challenging the "nari shakti" of India, referring to the attack in Pahalgam where women watched as their husbands were being killed. The Prime Minister also declared that 'Sindoor' was the biggest and most successful operation in Indian history against terrorism."In Pahalgam, the terrorists didn't just shed blood - they attacked our culture. They tried to divide our society. The terrorists challenged the nari shakti of India, and this challenge turned into doom for the terrorists and their sponsors," PM Modi said while taking part in the 'Mahila Sashaktikaran Maha Sammelan' in Bhopal on the 300th birth anniversary of Queen Ahilyabai April 22, 25 tourists, all men, were shot dead in the scenic Baisaran meadow by Lashkar terrorists, who executed those identified as non-Muslims. In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor - a name designed to show respect to those women who were widowed in the attack. During the hostilities, India not only destroyed key terror camps deep inside Pakistan, but also targeted military bases before entering into a ceasefire deal.
Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
India Air Chief's comments on delays in major defence projects call for introspection on issues plaguing manufacturing
Speaking on May 29 at the CII's Annual Business Summit in his first public interaction post-Operation Sindoor, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh made several pertinent points about the Indian defence industry. Pointing at perennial delays in every major defence project, he questioned why those involved in developing military hardware, particularly fighter jets, 'promise something which can't be achieved'. Admitting that, although the Indian Air Force (IAF) had been reliant on imported aerial platforms, 'atmanirbharta' was now an imperative. Pointing at the cruciality of air power in contemporary warfare and expeditionary missions, he called upon the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the private sector to take up the challenge. Quoting Winston Churchill, he asked the private sector '…to do a very special thing…(in what could be) their finest hour', invest at least 10 per cent of earnings in R&D, start designing and developing in India, and importantly, honour the contractual commitments given to the Armed Forces. There are a number of reasons why we have lagged in fielding hi-tech weapon systems. First, modern fighter aircraft are complex platforms and require seamless integration and smooth, synergistic functioning of a number of high-performance, cutting-edge technologies. These include incredibly efficient, strong, lightweight, modern jet engines capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, giving high power, great speed, as well as manoeuvrability. This requires advanced metallurgy (including single crystal technology, which just a few nations possess) and tight advanced manufacturing processes. The aircraft must also incorporate 'stealth' to some extent or the other, meaning it should present as small a radar cross-section as possible. This is achieved through an intricate blend of various materials, shapes, and radar-absorbing technologies. The airframe must be strong, manoeuvrable, yet stable. Its avionics, computing, navigation and flight control systems must maximise assistance to the pilot in his mission, while the systems on board should be fully integrated with the various weapons (missiles, guns, guided bombs, etc) for precision delivery. Thereafter, the entire platform must perform flawlessly in an environment replete with radars and anti-aircraft weapons of diverse types. In sum, the complexity of a modern fighter aircraft cannot be overstated, and its indigenous production is directly contingent not only on the availability of cutting-edge/emergent technologies but also on an advanced military-industrial complex. There are four requisites for developing and/or obtaining cutting-edge, future-ready technologies. First, obtain technology through transfer. No original equipment manufacturer/country will transfer technology in which it invested decades of R&D efforts and tons of money to rectify flaws and to finally derive that refined, efficient military platform unless paid huge offsetting amounts. Yet, rather than start R&D from scratch, some cutting-edge technologies should be bought, imbibed and assimilated internally, and then utilised as a threshold point from where to take off. Second, institutions of higher education that produce innovation as well as cerebral, highly-skilled alumni. For this, these institutions should be liberal and free-thinking, not weighed down by political/religious ideologies, and staffed with good faculty. Speaking at the Delhi School of Economics' Diamond Jubilee in August 2014, Gita Gopinath, First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, had, inter alia, advised that India's education system must be revamped. Yet, the NEP notwithstanding, our education system and curriculum remain archaic. The National Employability Report Engineers Annual Report 2019 stated that a large percentage of engineers did not possess enough skills to work in IT companies. The government's Economic Survey 2024 opines that only 51.25 per cent of India's graduates are deemed employable, pointing at a wide chasm in skills required for the 21st century. Third, provide adequate R&D funding. In 2023, the US spent approximately $784 billion on R&D, China $723 billion, Japan $184 billion, Germany $132 billion, the UK $88 billion, and India $71 billion. Companies like Huawei of China and Apple of US spend billions of dollars on research. In contrast, most Indian industries, operating on thin margins, are faced with a Hobson's choice of maximising profits, expanding into new fields or investing in R&D. They thus need credible R&D funding from the government. Fourth, an advanced, civil-military industrial base. While India has many islands of tech-industrial excellence, for indigenous production of a system as complex as a fighter aircraft, the derived innovations/technologies need to be further developed and then coalesced within an advanced military-industrial base comprising many disciplines with technological cross-overs within those industries. China's state-supported civil-military integration model merits a study in this regard. The critical role of educational institutions, R&D funding and an advanced industrial base in the development of emergent/future-ready technologies is evident from just two reports. One, the 2021 report by the Office of the US Under Secretary of Defence entitled 'A 21st Century Defence Industrial Strategy for America'. This outlines how the US's edge in innovation and manufacturing has declined since the end of the Cold War on account of decreasing innovation, a decline in educational institutions, a paucity of skilled workers, low R&D investments in high-tech, etc. This tends to validate the claim made to the South China Morning Post in October 2024 by Lu Yongxiang, former vice-chairman of the National People's Congress, former president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of expert advisory board for 'Made in China 2025', that China will overtake the US in hi-tech and advanced military manufacturing within a decade as 'overall, the decline of the US manufacturing industry ….become an irreversible trend.' The second is the July 2023 National Security Scorecard by commercial data company Govini. It evaluated 12 technologies critical to national security and found that in all 12, 'the USA is falling behind China in the core science.' Another reason is that militaries, being large, complex organisations and required to function in high-stakes environments with order, efficiency, and coordination, are often very bureaucratic. This stifles innovation and change by promoting a culture of conformity while emphasising adherence to established norms. General Mark Milley, former Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Eric Schmidt, chairman Special Competitive Studies Project, outline in Foreign Affairs (September/October 2024) 'America isn't Ready for Wars of the Future' because it persists with legacy structures, platforms and doctrines, but has yet to incorporate autonomous weapons, military AI, drones, etc. Nearer home, the US began using armed drones (for example, the Predator, Reaper) from 2002 onwards to kill militants/terrorists in Pakistan's west — yet, it took nearly 18 years, that is, the 2020 Armenia-Azerbaijan war, for us to truly appreciate and situate the role of UCAVs in modern warfare. While DRDO picks up some of the best technical brains from India's universities, merely knowing science doesn't automatically translate into advanced, military sub-systems/systems. To truly understand, develop and manufacture such systems, the DRDO also needs scientifically-qualified military personnel with immense combat experience. In contrast, the Indian Navy's in-house WESEE (Weapons & Electronic Systems Engineering Establishment) has achieved far greater technological success and self-reliance. Perhaps, the IAF too needs to look at a WESEE kind of set-up which cooperates comprehensively with the private sector. Presently, the IAF operates 31 combat squadrons against an authorised strength of 42 squadrons, with the 36 4.5-generation Rafale being the most advanced combat jets in its inventory. The air power deficit stands aggravated by an ageing fleet and delays in key indigenous projects, particularly the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), and the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-2, at a time when China already has two variants of fifth-generation fighters in service and is trialling two new sixth-generation fighters, and Pakistan is fast-tracking acquisition of 40 Chinese J-35 stealth fighters. Speaking at the same event as the Air Chief, the DRDO chief Samir Kamat stated that the first prototype of India's indigenous, fifth-generation AMCA will be rolled out by late 2029, with five out by 2031. The words of the Air Chief, therefore, merit attention. It remains to be seen how we refine our education system, inspire innovation, and develop a military-industrial base with coherent manufacturing strategies that function under an empowered bureaucracy with de facto policymaking capabilities, but bereft of political meddling. The writer is a retired Brigadier from the Indian Army
