Newsletter 22 July

July 22, 2021
 Team

Important Picks of the Day

NATIONAL​

Jaishankar speaks to Iranian counterpart on evolving Afghan situation, bilateral issues (↓)

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had earlier held talks with Javad Zarif and called on Iran’s President-elect Ebrahim Raisi during a stopover at Tehran on his way to Russia.

Three more Rafale fighter jets arrive in India from France

With the arrival of the seventh batch, the number of Rafale jets went up to 24. They will be a part of IAF’s second squadron and will be based in Hasimara airbase in West Bengal. India is expected to get more Rafale jets from France in the next few months.

LoC, cameras, action — how hi-tech equipment is helping the Indian Army guard the border better (↓)

Emergency financial powers besides existing special financial powers have helped the Army make technological upgrades to infantry soldiers along the LoC and LAC.

Navy's reluctance to vacate spectrum may delay 5G auction (↓)

Indian Navy is showing reluctance in vacating the 100 Mhz spectrum from the 3.3 GHz-3.4 GHz band that it is using. This could delay 5G auctions next year where this spectrum is supposed to be sold.

Farmers at Jantar Mantar to protest against farm laws; Agri minister says Modi govt farmer-friendly (↓)

A group of farmers has reached Jantar Mantar in Delhi to protest against three contentious farm laws during the monsoon session of Parliament on Thu. Given the protest, the Delhi Police has tightened the security across the city.

India has a robust system of recording Covid-19 deaths

After so much chaos by the opposition, Union Health Ministry has issued a clarification and stated, that ministry always advised States to conduct death audits in their hospitals and also report any cases or deaths that could have been missed. India follows ICMR guidelines which are based on WHO-recommended ICD-10 codes for correct recording of all COVID-19 deaths.

Tamil Nadu witnesses 217% decadal growth in the population of community with 'unknown religion': MHA

Decadal growth of population in Tamil Nadu between 2001 and 2011 witnessed an alarming increase of 217.78% of a community whose religion is “not stated”, the Ministry of Home Affairs told the Lok Sabha on Tue.

RS: TMC's Santanu Sen snatches Ashwini Vaishnaw's statement on Pegasus, tears it

NEIGHBORHOOD

Pakistan remains committed to facilitating an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan

Moeed W. Yusuf, National Security Advisor, Pakistan, twitted in this spirit, PM Imran Khan agreed to meet President Ghani recently to continue our engagement. Vitriolic & delusional statements from some spoilers in Kabul who, unfortunately for our Afghan brothers and sisters, are imposed on them as their senior officials & are constantly attempting to vitiate bilateral relations on purpose to deflect attention from their failures.

Afghanistan is being embarrassed daily due to these idiotic statements. Afghans should rest assured that everyone can see through the nefarious agenda of these spoilers. We will not let a handful of venomous minds affect Pakistan’s support to ALL Afghans for peace and stability.

Russia working closely with post-coup Myanmar on military supplies

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Myanmar’s junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing during his visit to the Russian capital last month that Moscow was committed to strengthening military ties. The head of Russia’s state arms exporter said on Wed that Moscow was cooperating closely with Myanmar’s junta to supply it with military hardware including aircraft. Rights activists have accused Moscow of legitimizing the junta, which seized power in a Feb 1 coup, by continuing bilateral visits and arms deals.

The US says India ‘remains challenging place’ to do business, urges to minimize bureaucratic hurdles

The State Department, in a report ‘2021 Investment Climate Statements: India’ released on Wednesday, said that India “remains a challenging place to do business” and also referred to the removal of the special constitutional status from the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). How are CAA and abrogation is related to ‘business’?

Death toll in S Africa riots rises to 276, minister says

The death toll from recent riots in South Africa has risen to 276, and police are investigating 168 cases for murder, a cabinet minister said on Wed. The unrest started as protests over former president Jacob Zuma’s jailing two weeks ago in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal

Jaishankar speaks to Iranian counterpart on evolving Afghan situation, bilateral issues

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif on Wed, focussing on the evolving situation in Afghanistan as well as bilateral issues, just two weeks after Jaishankar held extensive talks with Zarif and called on Iran’s President-elect Ebrahim Raisi during a stopover at the Iranian capital, Tehran, on his way to Russia.

  • In a tweet, Jaishankar described the conversation as “productive”, without mentioning the areas of discussion.
  • Iranian media reports said the two foreign ministers discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan.
  • Afghanistan has been witnessing a series of terror attacks and attempts by the Taliban to expand its territorial control after the United States began withdrawing its troops from the country on May 1.
  • Along with Russia, Iran has been playing a major role in the Afghan peace process that has witnessed a renewed momentum following the drawdown of troops by the US as well as widespread violence in the country.
  • Earlier this month, Iran hosted an intra-Afghan dialogue and the Taliban was part of it.
  • It is learned that Jaishankar and Zarif also deliberated on bilateral issues.
  • The development of the Chabahar port has been a major highlight of the ties between the two countries.
  • At a connectivity conference in Tashkent last week, Jaishankar projected Iran’s Chabahar port as a key regional transit hub, including Afghanistan.
  • Located in Sistan-Balochistan province on energy-rich Iran’s southern coast, the Chabahar port is being developed by India, Iran, and Afghanistan to boost trade ties.

LoC, cameras, action — how hi-tech equipment is helping the Indian Army guard the border better

  • Over the past few years, India’s frontline soldiers have witnessed a slow but massive technology transformation, not just in terms of weapons, lighter bulletproof jackets, ballistic helmets but also in getting situational awareness of their area of operations, both on LoC and LAC.
  • The average infantry soldier is better equipped, something which was earlier unique to the Special Forces.
  • As reported by ThePrint from the ground, “witnessed new systems that have been deployed, which makes the soldier more aware of his surroundings, besides getting new protective and firing gears”.
  • The biggest reason behind this technological upgrade is the emergency financial powers that have been delegated to Army Headquarters for procurement of equipment besides the already existing Army Commanders’ Special Financial Powers (ACSFP).
  • The emergency procurement powers were given to the Services immediately after the 2016 surgical strikes and also after the Balakot strikes and during the ongoing standoff with China along the LAC.
  • Amid all the 7 Commands, the Northern Command gets the biggest chunk, both in terms of emergency procurement and also the ACSFP.
  • What will pave the way for further faster procurement of Command specific items is the decision of the Narendra Modi government in March this year to delegate financial powers under capital procurement to Command heads of the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy to make expenses to the tune of Rs 100 crore at their discretion.

Better equipped soldiers: One of the biggest changes that the frontline infantry soldier has seen is in the area of firepower.

  • The soldiers have now got more lethal firepower in the form of the SiG 716 rifle that was bought from the US under the emergency procurement clause.
  • “The rifle has a better range, accuracy, and lethality than the AK-47s. It is way better than the INSAS,”- ThePrint.
  • Another big change has been the bulletproof jackets. The soldier now wears a much lighter jacket, weighing about 3.3 kg, which makes mobility easier.
  • Since the terrain in which the soldiers operating are slippery and mountainous, they have also been given protective pads which will bear the impact of any fall and also help in crawling when needed.
  • These particular items were in limited numbers earlier, but now most of the soldiers have them. The troops now also have ballistic helmets which give their heads all-around protection, unlike in the earlier ones.
  • The Northern Command has also gone in for procurement, though in limited numbers, of the US-made Exfil ballistic helmets, regarded as the finest in the world.
  • These helmets were first procured by the Special Forces of the Army, but are now available for selected groups of regular infantry soldiers.
  • These helmets can also be fixed with a night vision camera and the idea is to have all soldiers who are out for operations along the LoC have individual secured communication sets.

Investment in cameras and drones

  • The Army has not just focused on equipping the soldiers with arms and a lighter load, but also on giving better situational awareness.
  • “All these are geared to help him fight the enemy in a much better way,” a second source said.
  • The biggest addition has been the use of tactical drones. These drones are of different make and can easily be operated by a soldier to carry out surveillance of the area around him.
  • These cameras have night vision as well as infra-red capabilities and are meant to spot infiltrators.
  • Some of the more specialized, indigenously-built cameras, installed at various Army posts along the LoC, have the capability of longer zooms and can pick up movements happening in Pakistani positions.
  • Asked if Pakistan has such cameras, a source said, “Pakistanis also have cameras, but in limited supply. What works to our advantage is that our products are indigenous and have high range and clarity”.
  • Such is the capability of the integrated cameras being used that somebody sitting at the Army headquarters in Delhi can watch the live feed from the LoC.

Navy's reluctance to vacate spectrum may delay 5G auction

  • Indian Navy is showing reluctance in vacating the 100Mhz spectrum from the 3.3 GHz-3.4 GHz band that it is using. This could delay 5G auctions next year where this spectrum is supposed to be sold, which could delay the Centre’s plans to proceed with the 5G auctions in 2022.
  • The 3300 MHz-3600 MHz (or 3.3GHz-3.6GHz) will be auctioned for the first time in the proposed 5G auctions, likely next year.
  • This frequency is halfway between the existing WiFi bands (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) and is used by naval radar systems and for satellite ground communications.
  • The recent round of auction — the shortest in a decade — saw Reliance Jio lapping up more than 50% of airwaves on offer.
  • The company paid Rs 57,122.65 crore and 60% of this amount was spent on buying the 800 Mhz band. The entire spectrum offered by the government in the auctions was sold off at the base price.
  • Bharti Airtel bought Rs 18,698.75 crore worth of spectrum and the bulk of its purchase was in the 2300 Mhz band. Vod­a­fone Idea, too, spent Rs 574 crore.
  • Of the total available spectrum of 2308 Mhz, 855.60 Mhz was sold — 37% of the spectrum by quantity and 19% by value. Nearly 65% of the 800 Mhz spectrum on offer and 89% of the airwaves offered in the 2300 Mhz band were old. Both 2500 Mhz and 700 Mhz — which are premium spectrum — went unsold.

Farmers at Jantar Mantar to protest against farm laws; Agri minister says Modi govt farmer-friendly

Farmers, protesting over the contentious farm laws, on Thursday reached Jantar Mantar in Delhi to hold demonstrations during the monsoon session of Parliament. A group of 200 farmers traveled to Jantar Mantar from their Singhu border in buses with a police escort. They will hold protests there from 11 am to 5 pm. No permission has been granted to protest at the Tikri border site.

Rajya Sabha: Opposition demands discussion on farmers' protest, Pegasus project during BAC meeting

The Opposition parties demanded a discussion on farmers’ protest, Pegasus project, and economic slowdown during the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of Rajya Sabha on Thu. The meeting was held in Parliament and Members of BAC discussed for allotment of time for upcoming bills in the Upper House.

Amid the farmers’ protest at Janta Mantar against the new farm laws, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday said the government is ready to discuss the matter with the farmers if they express their views about the laws point-wise.

Farmers will hold protests amid heavy security deployed across Delhi. Police have tightened the security arrangements and also issued an advisory for Thu’s protest. This is the first time since the Jan 26 violence in Delhi during the tractor rally that the authorities have granted permission to protesting farmer unions to hold a protest in the city.

Heavy security deployment at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi: The protest comes during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, which started on Mon and is scheduled to conclude on Aug 13. However, the farmers have received permission to protest till Aug 9.

  • On Wed, the Delhi Govt granted permission to the farmers to protest at Jantar Mantar on the condition that the demonstrators would travel from the Singhu border in buses with police escort.
  • A group of 200 farmers will travel to Jantar Mantar from the Singhu border in buses with a police escort. They will hold protests there from 11 am to 5 pm, sources in the Delhi Police told PTI.
  • The Delhi Police also issued an advisory, saying strict observance of Covid-19 appropriate behavior would be mandatory during the protest. Heavy security has also been deployed at Tikri Border given the farmers’ protest at Jantar Mantar amid the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.
  • Meanwhile, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait urged authorities to reopen roads near protest sites for the ease of residents and assured that “no farmer from Ghazipur border would go to Delhi “secretly”. He has vowed that the protesting farmers will not digress from the permitted route like the Jan 26 rally in which chaos gripped New Delhi as the farmers ran amok and took over the Red Fort soon after the R-Day events.
  • Rakesh Tikait said on Thu he will go to Jantar Mantar to hold protests over the farm laws. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also seen protesting along with other MPs in support of the farmers at the Parliament House
  • Ahead of Parliament’s monsoon session, Congress MP Manickam Tagore has given adjournment motion notice on the issue of discussion about prolonged agitation of farmers’ against anti-farmers’ bill and direct govt to withdraw it.
  • Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the Centre is ready to talk to the protesting farmers. “We spoke to them in the past as well. The govt is a farmer-friendly govt,” he said.

RS: TMC's Santanu Sen snatches Ashwini Vaishnaw's statement on Pegasus, tears it

Opposition TMC MPs on Thu tore papers and flung them into the air, throwing the Rajya Sabha into bedlam as IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw read a statement on the alleged snooping using an Israeli company spyware Pegasus. TMC and other opposition party members rushed into the well of the House as Vaishnaw was called to make a statement over the issue.

Taliban routing drugs to West via India: DRI

A Taliban link to drug smuggling to the West via Hyderabad and other Indian cities has emerged in the probe by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). Heroin consignments are frequently being caught at airports in the past few weeks, with three cases in Hyderabad alone.

Team
  • Team
Newsletter

Leave a Reply