1. India rejects U.S. criticism of Modi’s Russia visit
2. Kargil Vijay Diwas 2024 PM Modi Drass Visit Live: ‘Pakistan trying to remain relevant through terror and proxy war,’ says PM Modi in Kargil
3. S Jaishankar gives “stern” ‘state of border…’ message to China after meeting with counterpart
4. India successfully tests second phase of ballistic missile defence system
5. NSA Ajit Doval Leads Indian Delegation at BIMSTEC Security Chiefs’ Meeting

What Else

1. Army Chief Gen Dwivedi, Israel Defence Ministry DG discuss bilateral defense cooperation.
2. Kenya Receives Adani Proposal to Invest in Its Biggest Airport
3. Rashtrapati Bhavan’s ‘Durbar Hall’ and ‘Ashok Hall’ renamed as Ganatantra Mandap, Ashok Mandap
4. Economic affairs secretary indicates that govt doesn’t intend to conduct census this year either
5. Pakistan will not sacrifice China ties for US sake: FO

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India rejects U.S. criticism of Modi’s Russia visit

• Defending India’s “freedom of choice” in foreign relations, the govt on Jul 25 reacted sharply to a US official who told the U.S. Congress that Washington was “disappointed” about the “symbolism and timing” of PM Modi’s visit to Moscow earlier this month.
• This came just as EAM S. Jaishankar began a visit to Laos and Japan, where he is expected to interact with U.S. Secy of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the ASEAN and Quad meetings.
• The U.S. official, Under Secy of State for S&C Asia Donald Lu, had referred to “tough conversations” that the U.S. govt is having with Indian counterparts, despite efforts to smooth over the cracks, including during a call between NSA Ajit Doval and his U.S. NSA Jake Sullivan.
• “You must understand that India has a long-standing relationship with Russia that is based on the mutuality of interests,” MEA spox said in response to questions. 
• “In a multipolar world, all countries have freedom of choice. It is essential for everybody to be mindful of and appreciate such realities,” he added. (here)

Kargil Vijay Diwas 2024 PM Modi Drass Visit Live: ‘Pakistan trying to remain relevant through terror and proxy war,’ says PM Modi in Kargil

• PM Modi delivered a powerful message to Pakistan, saying it continues to rely on terrorism and proxy warfare to maintain its relevance in the region.
• PM Modi also emphasized the unwavering commitment of the Indian armed forces to eradicate terrorism.
• He assured the nation that the soldiers would use their full might to crush any terrorist activities and provide a fitting response to the enemy.
• The PM made these remarks while speaking during Kargil Vijay Diwas Shradhanjali Samaroh in Drass, Ladakh
• Earlier, the PM paid tributes to the soldiers who lost their lives in the 1999 Kargil War.
• The Prime Minister visited Kargil on the 25^th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas to honor the courageous soldiers who sacrificed their lives in service to the nation. (here)

S Jaishankar gives “stern” ‘state of border…’ message to China after meeting with counterpart

• External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Thu met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN FM’s Meetings.
• He later sent out a stern message to China, saying the state of the border would be reflected in the “state of our ties”.
• Jaishankar also said there was a need for the Chinese side to ensure full respect for the Line of Actual Control — the de-facto border between the two — and past agreements.
• “Met with CPC Politburo member and FM Wang Yi …. Continued our ongoing discussions about our bilateral relationship. The state of the border will necessarily be reflected on the state of our ties,” Jaishankar posted on X.
• The Jaishankar-Wang talks came amid the dragging border row in eastern Ladakh that entered its fifth year in May.
• “Agreed on the need to give strong guidance to complete the disengagement process. Must ensure full respect for the LAC and past agreements….We should approach the immediate issues with a sense of purpose and urgency,” he added. (here)
• Russian FM Lavrov, China FM Wang Yi, EAM Jaishankar all have reached Laos for the Asean meetings.

India successfully tests second phase of ballistic missile defence system

• India on Wed successfully flight-tested the second phase of its ballistic missile defense system, demonstrating home-grown capabilities to defend against hostile missiles having a range of 5,000 km.
• The flight test fully met all the trial objectives validating a complete network-centric warfare weapon system, the defence ministry said.
• The missile was tested at the integrated test range (ITR) in Odisha’s Chandipur.
• The target missile was launched at 1620 hours mimicking an adversary ballistic missile, which was detected by weapon system radars deployed on land and sea and activated the interceptor system.
• The phase-II AD endo-atmospheric missile is an indigenously developed 2-stage solid-propelled ground-launched missile system meant for neutralizing many types of ballistic missile threats in the altitude bracket of endo to low exo-atmosphere. (here)

NSA Ajit Doval Leads Indian Delegation at BIMSTEC Security Chiefs’ Meeting

• NSA Ajit Doval will lead the Indian delegation at the 4^th annual meeting of the security chiefs of the member nations of the BIMSTEC in Myanmar on Fri
• The meeting in the capital, Naypyidaw, has been convened to strategize and coordinate initiatives crucial for addressing common security challenges faced by the nations.
• Ajit Doval met his Myanmar counterpart Admiral Moe Aung on Thu, and along with other BIMSTEC security chiefs, called on PM Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
• Doval arrived in Myanmar from Hanoi, where he attended the state funeral of Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party.
• BIMSTEC is a regional organization aimed at promoting economic growth, trade, and cooperation in areas such as transportation, energy, and CT among its member states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. (here)

Army Chief Gen Dwivedi, Israel Defence Ministry DG discuss bilateral defense cooperation.

• Maj Gen (res) Eyal Zamir, DG, Israeli Defence Ministry called on Chief of the Army Staff, Gen Upendra Dwivedi, on Tue and discussed bilateral defense cooperation.
• The Israeli Major General and CAS Dwivedi further discussed issues of mutual interest, including bilateral Defence Cooperation, Army posted on X.
• India and Israel are strategic partners, the bilateral ties are warm and forward-looking.
• The civilizational relations between the countries date back more than two millennia.
• India has welcomed Jews for several centuries, and their contribution, in turn, has enriched them.
• Both countries have established bilateral consultation mechanisms in all sectors of collaboration, including water, agriculture, counter-terrorism, and defense. (here)
• [Woth noting that Israeli PM addressed US’ congress on Wed]

Kenya Receives Adani Proposal to Invest in Its Biggest Airport

• Kenya’s govt received a proposal from Adani Airport Holdings Ltd. to invest in the nation’s main airfield, the Kenya Airports Authority said.
• Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s company offered to help build a new passenger terminal and 2^nd runway at the JKI Airport in the capital, Nairobi, as well as refurbish existing facilities, KAA acting MD said in a statement on Wed.
• The proposal will be subjected to technical, financial, and legal reviews to ensure it complies with the nation’s public-private partnership. (here)

Rashtrapati Bhavan’s ‘Durbar Hall’ and ‘Ashok Hall’ renamed as Ganatantra Mandap, Ashok Mandap

• President Droupadi Murmu, on Thu, changed the name of two important halls of Rashtrapati Bhavan – ‘Durbar Hall’ and ‘Ashok Hall’ to ‘Ganatantra [Republic] Mandap’ and ‘Ashok Mandap’ respectively.
• Durbar Hall has been the venue of important ceremonies such as presentation of the national awards while Ashok Hall has been used for special events.
• However, starting Thu, both will be referred to using their new names to reflect Indian cultural values and ethos.  (here)

Economic affairs secretary indicates that govt doesn’t intend to conduct census this year either

• The Home Ministry has not expressed an intent to go ahead with the national census this year, which is reflected in the budgetary allocation for the census has been cut for 2024-25 to Rs 1,250 crore, nearly 17% lower than last year, and just 1/3^rd  of what was allocated in 2021-22.
• ThePrint – shows that while the initial allocations have been significantly higher since the pandemic than before it, these numbers have been falling steadily since 2020.
• Further, even of the amount allocated, only a fraction has been spent each year. (here)

 [Neighborhood]

Pakistan will not sacrifice China ties for US sake: FO

• Pakistan ruled out the possibility of sacrificing its relationship with China for the sake of improved relations with the US, the FO said on Thu
• Stressing that “Pakistan doesn’t believe in zero-sum relationships”.
• “For us, relations with the United States and relations with China are both important,” FO Spox said at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad.
• “We do not believe in situations where relationship with one country can be sacrificed on the altar of relations with another.”
• Describing China as an all-weather strategic cooperative partner of Pakistan, spox said Pakistan would continue to strengthen this relationship.
• At the same time, Pakistan values its close relationship with the US and believes in constructive engagement.
• “We would like to develop this relationship on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s domestic affairs,” she said.
• This came after she was asked to comment on the $101 million assistance that the Biden administration sought from US Congress for Pakistan a day ago and remarks by US diplomat Donald Lu that “China is the past in terms of investment, and we are the future”. (here)