Antony to seek hike in defence outlay to counter twin threats from Pakistan, China

May 9, 2012
antonyNew Delhi, May 9: India is looking to crank up its defence budget to counter the deepening military nexus between China and Pakistan, which could even extend to it being confronted with a two-front war in a worst-case scenario.

Defence minister AK Antony on Tuesday told Rajya Sabha he would seek a hike in the Rs 1,93,408 crore (around $39 billion) defence outlay in the 2012-13 budget due to "new ground realities and the changing security scenario".

"The growing proximity of China and Pakistan is a cause of worry...I know the gravity of the situation. We have to take a second look at the defence budget in light of the changing threat perceptions,'' he said.

The Army's new doctrine and "pro-active strategy" has also factored in the remote but plausible contingency of grappling with both China and Pakistan simultaneously in a two-front war, as was first reported by TOI earlier.

The armed forces had sought a defence outlay of Rs 2,39,123 crore this fiscal that would have amounted to 2.35% of the projected GDP for 2012-13, but ultimately got only Rs 1,93,408 crore to notch up 1.9%.

Now, after Gen VK Singh's warning about "critical hollowness" in the Army's operational capabilities to deal with two "inimical neighbours", the government is doing a serious rethink. "The defence budget has to be enhanced to deal with the new challenges," said Antony.

This came after opposition leader Arun Jaitley stressed the importance of shaping India's strategic policy and defence preparedness as per "changing geo-strategic realities". Though he was "almost sure" there would be no conflict, Jaitley said India had to be prepared for a "90-day full spectrum war". "How do we defeat Pakistan and how do we hold China? All this has to be factored in," he said.

Antony acknowledged there was need to "speed up" several plans already underway to boost operational military capabilities as well as border infrastructure through strategic road and rail links. "If China can increase its military strength in Tibet, India can do the same in Arunachal, Sikkim and other areas," he said.

Two new infantry divisions - with 1,260 officers and 35,011 soldiers - for instance, have been raised that are based in Zakama (Nagaland) and Missamari (Assam), apart from independent armoured and artillery brigades and a joint air defence center.

"In the 12th Plan period (2012-17) also, we will build a new offensive corps, with two specialized divisions for high-altitude areas. The (over Rs 60,000 crore) proposal has gone to finance ministry," said Antony.

This new mountain strike corps headquartered in Panagarh (West Bengal) will give India, which for long concentrated on only the land borders with Pakistan, new offensive ground capabilities against China.

Then, India will get aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (Admiral Gorshkov) and indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant, armed with nuclear-tipped missiles, early next year to add to the nuclear attack submarine INS Chakra already inducted from Russia on a 10-year lease. "In fact, Navy will be getting five new warships every year from now onwards," said Antony.

IAF will be strengthened with 270 Russian Sukhoi-30MKIs already being inducted for around $12 billion, the 126 new medium multi-role combat aircraft to be acquired in the almost $20 billion MMRCA project and the 250 to 300 fifth-generation fighters to be built with Russia in the gigantic $35 billion programme.

Besides, apart from transport aircraft like C-17 Globemaster and C-130J Super Hercules, there will be 120 Tejas light combat aircraft as well as 51 upgraded Mirage-2000s and 63 MiG-29s to add to its combat fleet.

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News Network
March 19,2020

New Delhi, Mar 19: Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi took oath as Rajya Sabha MP on Thursday.

Gogoi's wife Rupanjali Gogoi, daughter, and son in law were also present in Parliament.

Congress staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha over Gogoi's membership to the House.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Ravishankar Prasad welcomed Gogoi in the Rajya Sabha.

President Ram Nath Kovind had nominated the former CJI to the Rajya Sabha on March 16.

Gogoi served as the 46th Chief Justice of India from October 3, 2018, to November 17, 2019.

On November 9, 2019, a five-judge Bench headed by him had delivered the verdict in the long-pending Ramjanmabhoomi case.

Comments

Fairman
 - 
Thursday, 19 Mar 2020

People lost trust in Judiciary because of such horrible criminals.

 

He betrayed the whole nation. Unless he is booked, the judiciary will not restore the lost faith. 

 

 

The loss may be momentary in nature, It is the promise of the Almighty, He will ensure the justice is served to everyone. 

 

Angry Indian
 - 
Thursday, 19 Mar 2020

Pure slave like goo mutur....nice life DDDDOOOOGGGGG

 

ayes p.
 - 
Thursday, 19 Mar 2020

Fixed from judgement of babri masjid to rajya sabha member

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Agencies
May 26,2020

New Delhi, May 26: The in-fighting among the residents of housing societies over feeding of stray dogs is nowhere near ending, with yet another attack on a pregnant Russian woman again in the national capital region this time in Noida.

The Russian woman residing in a condominium in Noida's Sector 71 was allegedly attacked by two men for feeding foundling canines inside the complex.

"We have initiated an inquiry and a case has been registered against the men for voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation," Amit Kumar Singh, Station House Officer of Phase 3 police station told IANS.

The police said that the victim is married to an Indian man and they live in that society.

The issue was raked up on social media by one of the residents of the society. Her post had even solicited a response and help from the Noida Police Commissioner.

Kaveri Rana Bharadwaj wrote, "Mob led by Vikas Sharma, and Mr. Chauhan beat up a pregnant woman in Jagriti Apartment, Sector 71 Noida. Request you to immediately arrest these men and provide security to the scared woman!"

When contacted, a member of the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) of the society said that the allegations levied by her are false and that he, along with a handful of other people, had only asked her not to feed the dogs.

Vikas Sharma divulged, "The woman was called at the society gate by the members of the RWA. When she was asked not to feed the street dogs, she became aggressive, started fighting with the residents of the society and even pushed a 70-year-old woman. The complaint that she registered against us is false. We did not even touch her."

He added that there are 70-80 street dogs in the society who have lately become extremely aggressive. "The lady was asked not to feed them as people feared stepping out of their houses and getting bitten."

In another incident on Tuesday, a Greater Noida man beat up a Chinese woman for allegedly fostering a stray dog which bit his canine.

Greater Noida District Commissioner of Police Rajesh Kumar Singh told IANS that the man named Amar Pratap Singh of ATS Paradiso misbehaved with the woman after his dog was bit by another dog who she used to feed every day.

The incident happened in the wee hours of the day when the accused took his dog out for a walk. "After his dog was bitten, in a fit of rage, he misbehaved with the Chinese woman." A Non-Cognizable Report (NCR) has been registered and no arrests have been made so far, the police said.

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News Network
March 12,2020

New Delhi, Mar 12: The Supreme Court told the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday that as of now, there was no law that could back their action of putting up roadside posters of those accused of vandalism during anti-CAA protests in Lucknow.

An apex court bench refused to stay the March 9 Allahabad High Court order directing the Yogi Adityanath administration to remove the posters.

The top court, which grilled the Uttar Pradesh government for putting up such posters in public, described the plea as a matter that needed "further elaboration and consideration".

A vacation bench of justices U U Lalit and Aniruddha Bose said a "bench of sufficient strength" would consider next week the Uttar Pradesh government's appeal against the Allahabad High Court order directing the state administration to remove the posters of those accused of vandalism during anti-CAA protests.

It directed the apex court registry to put up the case file before Chief Justice of India (CJI) S A Bobde so that a "bench of sufficient strength can be constituted at the earliest to hear and consider" the case next week.

During the hearing, the bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, that it was a matter of "great importance".

It asked Mehta whether the state government had the power to put up such posters.

The top court, however, said there was no doubt that action should be taken against rioters and they should be punished.

Mehta told the court that the posters were put up as a "deterrent" and the hoardings only said that these persons were liable to pay for their alleged acts during the violence.

Senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for former IPS officer S R Darapuri whose poster has also been affixed in Lucknow, told the bench that the state was duty-bound to show the authority of law backing its action.

He said the action of the Uttar Pradesh government amounted to a "mega blanket" approach of naming and shaming these persons without final adjudication and it was an open invitation to common men to lynch them as the posters also had their addresses and photographs.

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