Newsletter 7 September

Sino-Indian Standoff: While Talks going on between two, experts says “China want to settle the matter on ground by force”

Indian, Chinese troops Dig in at Chushul flashpoint

More than 10000 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops along with Infantry Combat Vehicles (ICVs) present near flashpoint of Southern Pangong to Spanggur and Reqin La, all of which falls under the Chushul sub sector.
Most dangerous buildup since the Galwan incident. Most of the mobilization done after India took control of Strategic Peaks.
The hardening of position by both India and China on the border situation in the first-ever defense minister-level meeting is being reflected on the ground as well, at the latest flashpoint in Chushul, with both sides digging in with additional troops, armor and heavy artillery.
At strategic locations around Black Top and Rechin La, soldiers are posted within 800-1000 m to each other, well within small arms range. Almost all troop locations are within heavy weapons range of either side, building up a deadly scenario if the situation deteriorates.
While the Indian stand is that the dominating positions taken are on its side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), it may be pointed out that the Indian border claim line in the Chushul sub-sector is several km due east. On the northern bank of the Pangong Lake, the Chinese side had violated the LAC by almost 8 km to come to its claim line on Finger 4.

The GoI and the Armed Forces have “clearly demonstrated their resolve and commitment” to the Make in India Defense initiative, said Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat said on Sat.

DM Singh’s Russia Visit surprisingly diverted to Iran

Indian Defense Minister, RN Singh had held bilateral meeting on Sept 5^th with Iran’s Min of Def and Armed Forces Logistics, Brig Gen Amir Hatami, at the latter’s request, according to the office of the Defense Minister.
The Defense Ministers discussed ways to take forward bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional security issues, including peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Singh concluded his 4 days visit to Russia on Sat, “left Moscow for Tehran. I shall be meeting the Def Min of Iran, Brig Gen Amir Hatami, he informed by a tweet”.
On Sat, Singh met his counterparts of Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and deliberated on ways to give greater thrust to defense cooperation between India and the Central Asian countries.
On Fri, Singh had a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe, for 140 mins, during which the two sides discussed military standoff along the LAC.
During the talks, Singh emphasized that the actions of the Chinese troops including amassing of a large number of troops, their aggressive behavior and attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo were in violation of the bilateral agreements and not in keeping with the understandings reached between the Special Representatives of two sides.
He said while the Indian troops had always taken a very responsible approach towards border management but there should also be no doubt about the determination to protect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
According to a statement on the Chinese Def Ministry website Wei told Rajnath: “India should strengthen management and control of its frontline troops and not make provocations or deliberately hype and spread negative information.”
The statement said: “Wei also reaffirmed to Singh China’s commitment and ability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity in the meeting.”
According to a Xinhua report, Wei told Rajnath: “The cause and fact of the current tension on the border between China and India are very clear, and the responsibility lies entirely with India.”
However, sources say the Chinese side had requested a meeting thrice in last 80 days.

China has now resorted to newer strategies to make their side stronger. China has now thrown open the Pangong Tso to international tourists and domestic tourists as well.

The move comes just days after India asked China not to escalate matters at the LAC.

China’s PLA has abducted 5 boys from Arunachal Pradesh

On Fri’s night, Congress MLA Ninong Ering, said to ANI, “China’s PLA has abducted 5 boys from Nacho, Upper Subansiri in AP. This has happened at a time when Singh is meeting to his counter parts of Russia and China. PLA’s action has sent a very wrong message”.
Two other villagers, who had managed to escape, narrated the incident before the public, a local newspaper reported quoting a relative of one of the abductees.
China has never recognized so-called “Arunachal Pradesh,” which is China’s south Tibet region, and we have no details to release yet about question on Indian army sending a message to PLA about five missing Indians in the region: Chinese FM spokesperson Zhao Lijian, said on Mon. However, he didn’t refused the abduction by PLA.

Open To Resolving Issues With China “Through Dialogue”: Foreign Secretary

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said it was important that even during these difficult moments of this “crisis”, India has been communicating and engaging with China, at an Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) webinar.

“This is one of the most serious challenges we have faced in many decades. Also, I think if you look at the fact that we have not lost any lives on the border in the last 40 years, we have not seen this magnitude of amassing of forces on the border also in recent years, is something that we have to take stock of,” he said.

India's External Affairs Minister Jaishankar to visit Iran

Jaishankar will make a stopover in Iran this week as part of his key Moscow visit.
During the Iran stopover, he could meet his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, details of which are still being decided. Javad Zarif had visited India earlier this year to be part Raisina Dialogue.
EAM will be visiting Moscow for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization or SCO meet.
India, Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are part of the SCO grouping. Iran is an observer member of the grouping.
This will be the 2^nd time any top Indian minister is visiting Iran within a week.
The high-level visits by India to Iran are been considered as a major reached out by New Delhi to a country it considers part of its extended neighborhood. Iran plays an important role in India’s connectivity project via Chabahar port that provides it link to Afghanistan and wider Central Asian region.

Indian Navy holds naval drill with Russia in Bay of Bengal for 2nd day

The Indian and Russian navies on Sat carried out a range of complex maritime operations as part of a mega military exercise in the Bay of Bengal to further enhance their operational convergence, officials said.
This is particularly important exercise comes at a time, when India is significantly expanding deployment of its warships in the Indian Ocean region in the wake of the festering Sino-Indian Standoff.
The officials said a wide spectrum of drills including surface and anti-aircraft drills, helicopter operations, maneuvers and cross-deck flying was carried out for the second consecutive day as part of the 11^th edition of the biennial Indo-Russian exercise Indra Navy.
The assets deployed in the exercise by the Russian Navy include destroyer Admiral Vinogradov, destroyer Admiral Tributs and fleet tanker Boris Butoma of the Pacific Fleet which are normally based at Vladivostok.
The Indian Navy is represented by guided missile destroyer Ranvijay and fleet tanker Shakti, along with their integral helicopters.
The USS Nimitz is the world’s largest warship. In the exercise with the US Navy, four frontline warships of the Indian Navy participated.
The US Navy carrier strike group comprises USS Nimitz, Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Princeton and Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Sterett and USS Ralph Johnson.

Pak Army Chief Warns India Of Any Misadventure, Reminded Balakot Response

Army Staff (COAS) Gen QJ Bajwa has sent out an open warning to India, claiming that his country would win the “fifth generation or hybrid war”, while addressing a ceremony marking Defense Day and Martyrs’ Day at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Sun, he added Pakistan is facing multiple challenges aimed at discrediting the country and its armed forces.
“We are facing the challenge that has been imposed on us in the form of the fifth-generation or hybrid war. Its purpose is to discredit the country and its armed forces and spread chaos”, he said.
“We are well aware of this danger. We will surely succeed in winning this war with the cooperation of the nation.”
“I want to send a message to my nation and the world that Pakistan is a peace-loving country. But if war is imposed on us, we will befittingly response to every aggression.

India gets Pakistan document certifying Hizbul chief Salahuddin as official of ISI

The letter, issued in the name of director/commanding officer Wajahat Ali Khan, states that “it is certified that Syed Muhammad Yousaf Shah, Ameer Hizbul Mujahideen, is working with Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Islamabad. He is bona fide official of this department”.
Indian media somehow secured a letter claiming that Pakistan’s state agencies to their “proxies” fomenting terror in JnK, the Indian security establishment has got its hands on a recent document issued by the Directorate of Intelligence, Islamabad “certifying” Syed Muhammad Yousaf Shah alias Syed Salahuddin, head of banned terrorist group Hizbul Mujahideen, as its “bona fide official” who is “working with ISI”.
Salahuddin, apart from leading Hizbul Mujahideen, a designated terror outfit in the US and India, also heads United Jihad Council (UJC), an umbrella body of terror outfits including the UNSC-proscribed Lasker-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. He had admitted in an interview in 2012 to “fighting Pakistan’s war in Kashmir”.
On Sat, Indian Army officials, in media briefing, said Hizbul Mujahideen was trying to re-establish its base in north Kashmir.”
Indian agencies are overjoyed over what they call “clear evidence of “ISI’s ties with banned terror outfits responsible for several attacks in India” and feel that the revelation will strengthen the case for moving Pakistan to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) ‘blacklist’.
Pakistan which is currently on the FATF ‘grey list’, was in Feb given a four-month window to deliver on the 27-point Action Plan to curb terror financing and money laundering.
This deadline was extended because of the pandemic and the next review is due on Sept 14, followed by FATF plenary in Oct.

New Education policy is the key to fulfil nation's aspirations: PM Modi

‘Education policy (NEP) key to fulfil nation’s aspirations but govt’s intervention, influence should be minimal in this,’ said, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

The new NEP strives for making India into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society.

The NEP will focus more on learning instead of studying, PM Modi said, as he addressed the inaugural session of the Governors’ Conference on the National Education Policy today.

The conference titled “Role of NEP-2020 in Transforming Higher Education” has been organized by the Ministry of Education, Government of India.

Here are the highlights from the event:

As foreign policy, defense policy are of the country, not Govt, so is education policy. It belongs to everyone.
NEP paves way for opening campus of best int’l institutions in India so that youth from common family can also join them
Education policy key to fulfil nation’s aspirations but Govt’s intervention, influence should be minimal in this.
The more teachers, parents, students are associated with education policy, the more relevant and broad based it will be: PM Modi.
NEP focuses on learning instead of studying, goes beyond curriculum to focus on critical thinking.
President Ram Nath Kovind and Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal are participating via video conference in the Governor’s Conference on NEP.

Two terrorists of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) arrested after brief exchange of fire in North West Delhi area. Large amount of arms and ammunition recovered. They were also wanted in some cases in Punjab: Delhi Police Special Cell.

J&K govt extends time limit for conducting Mayoral election to Srinagar municipality

The post of Mayor, Srinagar Municipal Corporation had fallen vacant on 16^th June, 2020

JnK Govt, on Mon extended the time limit to six months for holding mayoral elections in view of COVID-19 restrictions.

India tested 1st time a fires Hypersonic Missile Carrier HSTDV

DRDO, tweeted on Mon “In a historic mission today, Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) India successfully flight tested Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV), a giant leap in indigenous defense technologies and significant milestone towards a Sashakt Bharat and Atma Nirbhar Bharat.”
DRDO with this mission, has demonstrated capabilities for highly complex technology that will serve as the building block for NextGen Hypersonic vehicles in partnership with industry.
Road mobile, cansisterized 7.5+ Mach speed with a 1900 km range. The hypersonic Shaurya cements India’s capability with hypersonic technology. India Become 4^th country to achieve the feat after US, China and Russia.
They added that with this successful test, India will be making its first hypersonic missile in the next 5 years.
Meanwhile, West Bengal education min Partha Chatterjee on Mon said the NEP will not be implemented in the state any time soon as it undermines the country’s federal structure.

International Drug Racket Busted, ₹ 48 Crore In Narcotics Seized In Delhi

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Sun claimed to have busted an international heroin smuggling module in Delhi with the arrest of 7 people, including 2 foreigners (African man and a woman from Myanmar) along with illegal imports is around 970 gm of heroin (=₹ 48 cr) in the international market.
The mastermind, coordinating the operations from abroad, was exploiting the international courier route in order to circumvent the current situation of controlled international passenger flights due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During digital forensic analysis and foot printing, it was learnt that the syndicate had already trafficked 10 such parcels containing approximately 1 Kg heroin each during the lockdown period, said the NCB officer.
In a separate haul, a huge cache of drugs including hashish, LSD and ganja (Cannabinis sativa) was seized in a raid conducted today by the Mumbai Zonal Unit of the NCB.
₹ 185200 and 5,000 Indonesian Rupiyah were also recovered.

RBI norms may exclude several companies from loan recast scheme

The RBI’s norms on corporate loan restructuring are likely to exclude a large number of companies as bankers expect advances worth only Rs 2-3 lakh crore will qualify for recast. A five-member committee has submitted its recommendation to the central bank and lenders will approach their boards once the report is released.

Raghuram Rajan, a week after India reported a significant contraction in its GDP during the April-June quarter of 2020-21 fiscal, former Reserve Bank governor and noted economist Raghuram Rajan has said that the negative GDP growth numbers should alarm everyone.

India emerging as big manufacturing center, says RS Prasad

While interacting with the non-resident Biharis via video conference here, Prasad said, “India is emerging as a big manufacturing center and the global manufacturer ecosystem is realizing that they must have other places apart from China.
I am glad to inform that Apple is shifting to India in a significant way. However, 8 factories of Apple have shifted to India from China
Samsung has already come and they further want to expand.
“When we came to power in 2014, there were only 2 mobile factories in India, now its number has crossed 250.”
“I announced this scheme in Apr, during the height of COVID and gave July 31^st as the last date for filing applications.
They have committed to make mobile phones and components worth Rs 12 lakh cr in 5 years of which Rs 7 lakh cr worth products will be exported.
It will provide jobs to 3 lakh in India directly and 9 lakh Indians indirectly,” Prasad said.

BSF guns down Bangladeshi smuggler in West Bengal's Malda, seizes 75 bottles of cough syrup

The Bangladeshi smuggler was killed by a BSF party near the Gopalpur post of the border force in Malda district on Sat’s evening.

The appeal was made by Women and Child Development Min, Smriti Irani ahead of observing ”Poshan maah” this month.

“In order to form a database of indigenous food items with high nutrition value, the Ministry seeks support of people of India.

A 21-year-old student allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his home in West Bengal’s Nadia district as he was frustrated over not being able to play PUBG: West Bengal Police.

This news is cited by Chines State media, Global Times.

NEIGHBORHOOD

China plans over 1-trillion yuan building spree in Tibet

The renewed push to step-up development of the remote and impoverished southwestern region signals Beijing’s intent to bolster frontier security amid heightened border tensions with India in recent months, two of the sources said.

India: During Covid 19

India’s COVID-19 case tally crosses 42 lakh mark with a spike of 90,802 new cases and 1,016 deaths reported in the last 24 hours.
Total: 42,04,614 ; Active: 8,82,542; Recovered: 32,50,429; Total deaths: 71,642.
As cases mount, India studying Russian proposal for Covid vaccine
As Covid-19 cases continue to mount in India, Russian ambassador Nikolay Kudashev has said Moscow is talking to the Indian Govt “on different levels” about cooperation that could include “supplies, co-development and co-production” of Sputnik V, first anti-Covid vaccine in the world. The vaccine has been found in initial trials as causing no serious side effects.