[ NATIONAL ]

Defense export boost: India, Philippines to ink $375mn deal for BrahMos missiles

The development will be a major shot in the arm for India’s efforts to become an exporter of defense hardware and could pave the way for more Southeast Asian nations to acquire the missile

Army, IAF Struggle to Exhaust Capital Budget, Defence Minister Asks to Expedite Spending

News18-Union Budget 2022: The low spending of the defense budget comes as an aberration because the services are learned to have projected the requirement for capital budgets way higher than they were allocated.

India ramps up warship patrols in the Indian Ocean to keep pace with China but the funding gap remains

About 125 foreign vessels were in the Indian Ocean at any given time, according to Indian naval officials. A lack of funding has delayed the navy’s plans to increase its warship fleet as the force tries to match the strength of China and other nations.

S-400 to India shines a spotlight on the destabilizing role that Russia is playing; says the US

Russia selling the S-400 air defense missile system to India shines a spotlight on the “destabilizing role” that Moscow is playing in the region and potentially beyond as well, the US State Department has said on Thu. In Oct 2018, India signed a US$ 5 billion deal with Russia to buy 5 units of the S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system, despite a warning from the then Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions. India has asserted that its decisions are based on its national interest to protect its national security. The Biden administration has not yet clarified whether it will impose sanctions on India under the provisions of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act for procuring the S-400 missile systems.

India, five Central Asian countries to establish a joint working group on Afghanistan

ANI -India and five Central Asian countries on Thu discussed the evolving situation in Afghanistan and its impact on security in the region and decided to establish a joint working group on Afghanistan at the senior officials level.

Railway Exam Protests: 4 Arrested For Vandalism, Pelting Stones In Bihar

Railway Exam Protests: The probe is on to find who provoked the students to take law into their own hands, as six coaching institute teachers have been named by the arrested during interrogation.

6 Bombs Recovered In Bengal’s Murshidabad, One Arrested: Police

Murshidabad District Police Bomb Disposal Squad official said on Fri, “Six bombs recovered in Kandi subdivision of the Murshidabad district under Salar Police Station. An accused named Anarul Sheikh has been arrested.” Further probe in the matter is underway.

BSF constable injured in an encounter with smugglers in Punjab’s Gurdaspur; huge cache of drugs, arms seized

ANI – A Border Security Force (BSF) personnel sustained bullet injury and his condition is reportedly stable while resisting armed smugglers in Punjab’s Gurdaspur along the India-Pakistan International Border (IB) on Fri. The incident led to the seizure of a huge cache of drugs, arms, and ammunition. On being challenged, miscreants resorted to firing on the BSF personnel of 89 Battalion, it added. In the operation, the BSF has so far recovered 47 yellow plastic-covered packets suspected to be heroin, 7 small packets suspected to be opium, 1 pistol (Norinco made in China) with 2 magazines, 44 rounds of 3 calibers. Some other items were seized near the fence, including a blue-colored plastic pipe of approximately 15 feet, 74 rounds AK-47 with four magazines, 9 mm Pietro Bretta pistol with one magazine, 9 mm 12 rounds, one shawl, one muffler, and a winter cap. Further search is in progress.

Reservation in promotion: SC says State govt’s ought to collect quantifiable data before granting reservation in promotion to SC/ST employees

ANI – The Supreme Court says state govt’s ought to collect quantifiable data before granting reservation in promotion to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) employees; further added that it cannot lay down new yardstick after Constitution bench decisions. A 3-judge Bench of Justices Nageswara Rao, Sanjiv Khanna, and BR Gavai made these remarks while delivering its judgment on the issue of the grant of reservation in promotion to the SCs and STs in govt jobs. The Court also left to the State to assess the inadequacy of representation of SCs/ STs in promotional posts by taking into account relevant factors. A total number of 133 petitions arising from various states were pending before the apex court on the issue. The AG had contended that recently, the Centre was constrained to make nearly 1400 promotions on an ad-hoc basis based on seniority without taking into consideration the principle of reservations, to ensure that the functioning of the departments is not affected.

Supreme Court quashes 1-year suspension of 12 BJP MLAs from Maharashtra assembly

The Supreme court on Fri quashed the suspension of 12 Bharatiya Janata Party, MLAs from the Maharashtra assembly for 1 year over the alleged misbehavior with the presiding officer. The apex court termed the suspension unconstitutional and arbitrary.

Congress to raise farmers’ issue, Chinese aggression at LAC, Air India disinvestment during Budget Session

ANI – Ahead of the commencement of the Budget Session of the Parliament, the Congress Parliamentary Strategy Group on Fri held a meeting, chaired by interim party president Sonia Gandhi, via video conferencing. (sources)- it was decided issues like a relief package to victims of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), Air India disinvestment, inflation, the border row with China, and farmers’ concerns will be raised in the upcoming session. It was also decided that Congress will coordinate with like-minded parties on the issues. The decision was backed by Sonia Gandhi. Chaired by Gandhi, the meeting was attended by AK Antony, KC Venugopal, Mallikarjun Kharge, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh, Jairam Ramesh, Manickam Tagore, and Manish Tiwari attended the meeting. President Ram Nath Kovind will address the joint sitting of two Houses on Jan 31 and the Union Budget will be presented on Feb 1. Rajya Sabha is likely to function from 10 am till 3 pm on working days while the Lok Sabha will function from 4 pm to 9 pm.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

Afghan soil still being used against Pakistan, Moeed Yusuf tells NA body

National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf said on Thu that Afghan soil was still being used against Pakistan, adding that organized terrorist networks were operating in the neighboring country.

Chinese military ‘ready for any external provocation’ during Winter Olympics

China’s navy has embarked on a series of military exercises in its waters this week, saying it is prepared for any kind of provocation during the Winter Olympics. Defense ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Thu that China would ensure the Games were safe and “splendid”, and the People’s Liberation Army stood ready for any situation. The assurance comes after US military drills in the South China Sea and the arrival of a US ballistic-missile submarine in Guam in recent weeks. It also comes amid speculation in Chinese media that the US and its allies could hold further military exercises near China during the Olympics, which start on Feb 4^th. Wu also said the US “took pride” in the military provocation, citing intentional close-in reconnaissance by its guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin. Wu said China has lodged stern representations to the US in April last year when the USS Mustin tracked the Chinese carrier Liaoning in the SCS.

Senate passes SBP bill amid opposition protest

The Senate on Fri approved the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill, 2021, amid strong protest from the opposition benches. The bill was presented by Fin Min Shaukat Tareen and passed by the upper house with the treasury benches enjoying a slight lead of 43 members over the opposition’s 42. The passage of the bill is one of the conditions set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the release of $1 billion to the country. The IMF board meeting is scheduled for Jan 28 and will take up Pakistan’s request for approval to ensure the release of funds. However, it is linked with prior actions — the Finance (Supple­mentary) Bill 2021 and the State Bank of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill 2021. The Finance (Supplementary) Act, 2021, has already been enacted through parliament.

China-Iran pact raises American hackles

China has started to step into the US shoes in the Middle East by forging a strategic partnership with Iran causing concern in Washington. China and Iran, the 2 main adversaries of the US together with Russia, formally inked a deal for 25 years worth USD 400-billion, aimed at bolstering economic and political ties, according to Geopolitica. China also backed Iranian efforts to revive the latter’s 2015 nuclear deal with major powers that the US unilaterally walked out of in 2018, – the Gepolitica. Meanwhile, China and Iran, both subject to US sanctions, signed the 25-year agreement in Mar 2021, bringing Iran into China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The projects nearly 100 of them including airports, high-speed railways, and subways are very much in line with President Xi Jinping’s ambitions to extend China’s economic and strategic influence across Eurasia through the BRI, the project that aims to significantly expand China’s economic and political influence and has raised concerns in the US and elsewhere, according to Geopolitica.

Despite global pressure, China’s human rights abuse in Tibet is ‘active’

ANI – Despite global pressure on China to stop its repression of religious minorities, Beijing continues to target Tibetans by demolishing monasteries and Buddha statues, banning Tibetan flags, and invoking their land rights. Tibetans and global human rights activists have claimed that the Beijing govt’s repressive activities are aimed at diminishing Tibetan culture. The inhuman treatment includes demolition of monasteries and Buddha statues, banning Tibetan flags, invoking land rights, etc. All this has led advocacy groups and govt’s to express serious concerns and think of measures to stop the repression of Tibetans and their old culture, according to Tibet Press. As reported earlier, a 99-foot statue of Maitreya Buddha at Gaden Namgyal Ling monastery in Tibet’s Drago was demolished on frivolous grounds such as lack of fire escape in the building. Chinese authorities have invaded and tore down 45 prayer wheels and a Tibetan monastic school, and they detained and beat up many people, who have expressed their disapproval and protested peacefully.

Pak: People protest in Peshawar against frequent power outages

Hundreds of people in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province held a rally in Peshawar against prolonged power suspensions and demanded repair of the damaged supply lines, according to a media report.

India, the Philippines conclude a contract for BrahMos missiles

HT (source)-India’s BrahMos Aerospace and the Philippines have signed a deal on Fri for the Philippine Marines to acquire 3 batteries of the BrahMos cruise missile in a deal worth almost $375 million. The development will be a major shot in the arm for India’s efforts to become an exporter of defense hardware and could pave the way for more Southeast Asian nations to acquire the missile jointly developed by India and Russia.

The deal would be inked at an event to be held at the Philippines’ department of national defense in Quezon City.

• Philippine defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana was among those attending the ceremony.
• The defense deal will not go down well with China, whose aggressive behavior in the disputed South China Sea has taken relations with the Philippines to a fresh low.
• The Philippine Marines intend to use the BrahMos as a shore-based anti-ship missile, and the SCS is one of the potential areas where the system could be deployed.
• The deal includes the delivery of three batteries, training for operators and maintainers, and an integrated logistics support (ILS) package.
• The deal for the BrahMos was conceptualized as far back as 2017, and the Philippines president approved its inclusion in the military’s “Horizon 2 Priority Projects” in 2020.
• Both sides were keen on signing the deal during a proposed visit by President Rodrigo Duterte early in 2021, but the plan fell through because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The notice of award signed by Lorenzana on Dec 31, 2021, put the value of the BrahMos deal at $374.962 million.
• Last month, the Philippines allocated 2.8 billion pesos ($55.5 million) for initial funding for the weapon system.
• A team from the Philippine Navy visited the production unit of BrahMos Aerospace in Hyderabad in Dec as part of the acquisition process.
• Lorenzana has said the Coastal Defense Regiment of the Philippines will be the primary user of “this modern strategic defense capability”.

The BrahMos deal is being seen as a game-changer as India’s defense exports so far have been items such as avionics, coastal surveillance systems, spares for radars, personal protective items, and offshore patrol vessels.

The deal with the Philippines could open the door for further sales of the BrahMos – which has a range of 290 km and can carry a 200-kg warhead – to other Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia, which have been engaged in negotiations for the weapon system for several years.

Army, IAF Struggle to Exhaust Capital Budget, Defence Minister Asks to Expedite Spending

News18– The defense services have recorded an unusually slow pace of expenditure of their capital budgets so far for 2021-22, even as the financial year draws to a close in little more than two months.

(sources) – so far, the Army (40%), Air Force (70%), and the Navy (90%) of its capital budget for the ongoing financial year.

• While the actual capital expenditure of the services in the last financial year is yet to be public, the spending by the tri-services was much higher than the current financial year.
• The low spending of the budget comes as an aberration because the services are learned to have projected the requirement for capital budgets way higher than they were allocated.

The defense budget is divided under four broad heads — defense pensions, capital outlay (for new, big-ticket acquisitions and modernization), revenue (maintenance costs), and miscellaneous, which includes various administrative expenses.

Last week, Defence Minister held a meeting of senior defense officials to take stock of the overall expenditure so far, as well as to review the progress in meeting expenditure targets on indigenous procurements by the services.

(Source)-“He asked the services to expedite spending of their capital budgets at the earliest so that maximum amount can be spent by the end of the financial year in March”.

• The Minister also emphasized that the services should attempt to meet their domestic expenditure targets earmarked on the capital budget.
• This was earmarked this year at 64% in the ongoing financial year, as compared to 58% the year before.
• The overall defense budget for 2021-22 is Rs 4.78 lakh crore, of which the capital budget is Rs 1.35 lakh crore.
• The capital outlay for the Army in the ongoing financial year was Rs 36,000 crore, for the Navy it was Rs 33,000 and for the IAF it was Rs 58,000 crore.

Reason-

• (sources)-the primary reason for poor expenditure was the Covid-19 pandemic, because of which many contracts could not materialize and deliveries got delayed.

• The delayed deliveries and contracts had a cascading effect on the payments. Thus the payment milestones got shifted and the spending got postponed
• Some of the planned procurements also got delayed as they were awaiting final approvals at various levels.
• Another reason for the delay in capital spending was the capping of capital budgets for domestic procurements.
• The services are now trying to list out the procurements that are in advanced stages and can be concluded at the earliest to ensure max expenditure of the capital budget.
• This includes the purchase of a light combat helicopter from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, contracts for certain equipment upgrades, and other shipbuilding contracts.

India ramps up warship patrols in the Indian Ocean to keep pace with China but the funding gap remains

SCMP-India is carrying out more warship patrols than ever before as concerns grow about the country’s ability to remain dominant in the Indian Ocean (IO) as China’s naval power quickly increases.

The waters off India haven’t seen this many (125 foreign naval) vessels together since WW-II as both China and Western allies deploy more warships -An Indian naval officials.

• They estimated about 125 vessels were in the IO at any given time, roughly 3 times the number deployed in the wake of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks when the US invaded Afghanistan.
• While Indian officials are confident they can manage the threat, for now, a lack of funding threatens the country’s ability to keep pace with China and other nations.
• Most Indian submarines critical to controlling the oceans are about 2 decades old and plans to increase the warship fleet to 200 – including a 3^rd aircraft carrier – keep getting delayed.
• India now has about 130 warships, roughly a 3^rd of China’s naval fleet comprising 350 ships and submarines – the largest in the world.
• Despite that, last year the navy saw the biggest gap among tri-services between requested and actual funds, prompting a parliamentary panel to ask govt to stop reductions.
• The navy’s budget will be in focus on Feb 1, when PM Modi’s govt presents its annual spending plan in parliament.
• In the last 5 years, the shortfall between what the Indian navy requested and obtained ranged from 5% to 41%, the panel of lawmakers said in a 2020 report to the govt.
• In the latest report submitted last month, they said the navy’s allocation was “less than half the amount” it wanted.
• Defence Ministry spokesman Bharat Bhushan Babu and Indian navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Chinese warships have been present in the Indian Ocean since 2008, and India is constantly watching 3-8 of them that are continuously on patrol, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R. Hari Kumar told in Dec-“I want to assure you the Indian navy is confident of defending India’s maritime interests,” he said.

• India has permanently deployed warships at five choke points in the Indian Ocean, stretching from the Gulf of Aden in the west to the Malacca Strait in the east.
• The waters carry some of 40% of the world’s oil from fossil-fuel producers in the Middle East to some of Asia’s biggest economies.
• Last year, the Indian navy carried out an all-time high of 50 joint exercises with friendly navies, including one with Japanese warships around the Malacca Strait.
• Still, India has been cautious to avoid antagonizing Beijing as the two countries battle along their contested Himalayan borders.
• (official)- New Delhi has turned down requests from friendly navies to jointly patrol the South China Sea.
• India’s navy has sought to demonstrate its reach with humanitarian missions.
• In 2015, more than 26 countries, including the US, turned to India to help evacuate their citizens when the civil war in Yemen intensified.
• Half a dozen Indian warships were able to rescue 4,000 Indian citizens as well as 1,200 foreigners before Port Aden was bombarded.
• In the last two years, the naval ships have sailed 40,000 nautical miles – or twice around the earth – carrying food, medicines, and weapons to Indian Ocean countries.
• On Dec 26, an Indian warship sailed into Mozambique for the first time carrying weapons and humanitarian aid.

India, five Central Asian countries to establish a joint working group on Afghanistan

ANI -India and five Central Asian countries on Thu discussed the evolving situation in Afghanistan and its impact on security in the region and decided to establish a joint working group on Afghanistan at the senior officials level.

The first India-Central Asia Summit, on eve of the 30^th anniversary of diplomatic relations with the 5 Central Asian countries this year, hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in virtual format was attended by 5 presidents – Kazakhstan’s Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbekistan’s Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tajikistan’s Emomali Rahmon, Turkmenistan’s Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and Kyrgyz Republic’s Sadyr Japarov.

“The Leaders discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the security and stability of the region,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

• The leaders reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure, and stable Afghanistan while emphasizing the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and non-interference in its internal affairs.
• They also discussed the current humanitarian situation and decided to continue to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
• “The Leaders reaffirmed the importance of UNSC Resolution 2593, which unequivocally demands that Afghan territory not be used for sheltering, training,” MEA.
• They also agreed to continue close consultations on the situation in Afghanistan.
• In this context they decided for the establishment of a Joint Working Group on Afghanistan at Senior Officials Level,” the statement said.

The leaders also noted that there is a broad ‘regional consensus’ on the issues related to Afghanistan, which includes the formation of a truly representative and inclusive govt, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, the central role of the UN, providing immediate humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan and preserving the rights of women, children, and other national ethnic groups and minorities.

Uzbekistan to hold a High-Level International Conference on Afghanistan under the auspices of the SCO in July 2022 in Tashkent, the statement said.

A combination of a suspension of foreign aid, the freezing of Afghan govt assets, and international sanctions on the Taliban have plunged the country, already suffering from high poverty levels, into a full-blown economic crisis.

President of Tajikistan focussed on “new effective resolution and additional joint efforts to further promote India-Central Asia summit process in a long-run perspective.

Turkmenistan President welcomed India’s role in promoting peace and security in the region. President highlighted India’s commendable efforts in times of global pandemic situation and also wished for constructive dialogue to sustain in trying times. Also, President highlighted that India-Turkmenistan relations are rooted in openness.

According to the joint statement, it was decided during the meeting that a joint working group particularly focussed on Afghanistan and the evolving situation there will be established at the level of senior officials.

It was also decided at the meeting to focus on connectivity and trade amongst the nations and to resume talks for the proposed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project. 

India and the Central Asian member countries of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), as well as the Ashgabat Agreement on International Transport and Transit Corridor, called upon the other Central Asian countries to consider joining the connectivity initiatives for boosting trade and economic cooperation, the joint statement read.

Importance of TAPI pipeline-According to MEA, the president of Uzbekistan proposed the resumption of talks for the proposed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project, underlining its importance.  

• Earlier, Turkmenistan announced that it will give a renewed push to the long-pending TAPI project in Mar and has been also discussing its prospects with Kabul.
• The Taliban govt has also said it will deploy 30,000 troops to carry out the work on laying the TAPI gas pipeline.
• Conceived in the 1990s, the TAPI project entails the setting up of a 1,814-km long trans-country pipeline.
• Through it, it is projected that India will be receiving 33 billion m³ of gas from Turkmenistan.
• The leaders also decided that the summit will now be held every two years. The next India-Central Asia Summit is scheduled to be held in 2024, said Sandhu.

Railway Exam Protests: 4 Arrested for Vandalism, Pelting Stones in Bihar

As many as four people have been arrested for pelting stones and vandalism at Rajendra Nagar Terminal in Bihar’s Patna for staging a protest against alleged discrepancies in the Railway Recruitment Board’s NTPC stage 1 exam results, said Patna District Magistrate (DM) on Thu.

DM said:

• 4 people have been arrested for pelting stones and vandalism at Rajendra Nagar Terminal, Patna on Jan 24.
• The probe is on to find who provoked the students to take law into their own hands, as 6 coaching institute teachers have been named by the arrested during interrogation.
• We’ve taken cognizance of some viral videos for the probe.
• An FIR was lodged against the six alleged tutors who are part of different private coaching centers in Patna.
• An incident where a train was set on fire was also reported during the protests.
• The protests were centric to UP and Bihar, where officials noted, the number of coaching institutes is high.

Police- The accused – Khan Sir (with 14.5M subscribers on Youtube), SK Jha, Navin, Amarnath, Gagan Pratap, and Gopal Verma, have been booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, namely, IPC Sections 147 (rioting), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of their duty). 

Meanwhile, terming the committee formed by the Union Railway Ministry to look into the concerns raised by the aspirants of alleged irregularities in Railway Recruitment Board’s NTPC stage 1 exam results as a “hoax”, left wing’s student union AISA and other youth organizations have called for “Bihar Bandh” today and refused to bog down despite the formation of the committee.

AISA General Secretary and MLA Sandeep Saurav along with others in a press statement said that the committee formed by the ministry is a “conspiracy” to postpone the matter till the elections in Uttar Pradesh. (For details see Thu newsletter)

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

Afghan soil still being used against Pakistan, Moeed Yusuf tells NA body

Yusuf expressed their views while briefing the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on the internal and external security situation.

In a tweet, he said it was a “pleasure” to brief the NA body.

“Had a very productive discussion on the National Security Policy (NSP) and Afghanistan. I am grateful for the appreciation we received for our work from members of the committee,” he added.

Yusuf said that the govt was “not completely optimistic” about the arrival of the Taliban govt in the war-torn country.

• He also informed lawmakers that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had unilaterally broken the month-long ceasefire agreement with the govt.
• Those who declare war on the country will be dealt with an iron fist.
• He said that the former adviser to the prime minister on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, had started working on the policy in 2014.
• He said that it took 7 years to prepare the policy, and it was later also presented before the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and will not be implemented until approval from parliament.
• He went on to say that the policy concerned the economic security of the country and the common man.
• He added that the Kashmir issue was also part of the NSP, adding that food security, hybrid war, education, and organized crime had also been included.
• However, Yusuf said governance had not been included in the policy for now.

NSA says statements being ‘mischaracterized’- Later in the day, in a message on Twitter, Yusuf said his remarks to the committee were being “mischaracterized” by media and that some quotes were being attributed to him were “incorrect”. He, however, did not point out which of his statements he was referring to.

Committee Chairman Malik Muhammad Ehsanullah Tiwana also tweeted the same, adding that the briefing highlighted the positivity in terms of the engagement between Pakistan and the interim Afghan government.

• Tiwana said, “no negative accusations” were reflected in the briefing given to the committee.
• Meanwhile, an official handout said that the body “highly appreciated” the NSP and stressed the need to strengthen the monitoring system for its proper implementation.
• The committee directed that the federal govt may develop proper liaison with the provincial governments to bring its benefits at a grass-root level, the statement said.

The committee also appreciated the foreign policy of Pakistan, especially the organizing of the 17^th extra-ordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Council of Foreign Ministers last month in Islamabad.

• The handout said that he apprised the committee that the NSP had been formulated in consultation with all stakeholders.
• Contrary to media reports, Yusuf has said the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan were maintaining cordial ties with Pakistan despite recent border fencing troubles.