'Rafale will give India unrivalled combat capability'

Agencies
October 6, 2019

Paris, Oct 6: Ahead of handing over of the first Rafale jet to India, European missile maker MBDA has said that the aircraft with most advanced weapons package comprising Meteor and Scalp missiles will provide the country unrivalled deep strike capability and air dominance in the region.

MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the 36 Rafale jets being procured by India at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore.

"India will get new capabilities with Rafale aircraft which the country never had before. Both Scalp and Meteor missiles will be game-changer for Indian Air Force," MBDA's India chief Loïc Piedevache told PTI here.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will receive the first Rafale jet at an airbase in Paris on Tuesday, three years after India sealed the mega-deal for procurement of the aircraft manufactured by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation.

"Rafale is an amazing aircraft fitted with a very superior weapons package. It has been having great success in several important markets. We are happy to be part of the project to supply 36 Rafale to India," he said.

He said Meteor is known to be the best beyond visual range missile in the world while Scalp is a deep strike weapon, and the Rafale with these two missiles will help India achieve unmatched air dominance in the region. "Today, India does not have such capability," he added.

Meteor is a next generation of BVR air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden.

Guided by an advanced active radar seeker, Meteor provides all weather capability to engage a wide variety of targets from fast jets to small unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles.

The Scalp is an air-launched long range deep strike missile, designed to deal with pre-planned attacks against high value fixed or stationary targets. Scalp has been part of the UK's Royal Air Force and the French Air Force and was used in the Gulf War.

Newly-appointed IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria last week said the Rafale jets will enhance IAF's combat capabilities over its adversaries in the neighbourhood.

Besides the missile systems, the Rafale jets will come with various India-specific modifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infra-red search and tracking systems among others.

Piedevache said MBDA was excited about future acquisition programme of all the three forces and was ready to offer best of technologies to India.

"India is a strategic partner for us. We have the knowledge and technology to match India's requirement. We are also excited about the Indian Navy's submarines and frigates programmes," he said.

MBDA has been supplying range of missiles to the Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force in the last five decades.

Last month, it signed an agreement with defence PSU Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for the final assembly, integration and test (FAIT) of Mistral and ASRAAM missiles in India.

ASRAAM is a new generation close combat missile. The IAF's Jaguar aircraft are the first Indian platform to receive this cutting-edge air-combat missile.

Piedevache said the MoU with BDL will help in further enhancing MBDA's engagement with India.

"It has been MBDA's 50-year-old cooperation with India which has been very fruitful. We are fully committed to meet India's requirement," said the top executive.

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News Network
February 29,2020

New Delhi, Feb 29: Amid the raging communal violence in the entire north-east Delhi earlier this week, there were people who were trying to save persons and families from the "other community" from the fury of the mobs of their own community.

Naeem Ali Pradhan, 34, from Shiv Vihar, helped at least 7-8 Hindus on the night of February 24 -- when the violence was at its peak-- escape to safer locations. Shiv Vihar is one of the worst affected areas in the violence.

According to Naeem Ali, that night mobs attacked dozens of shops on the road and later tried to enter inside the residential areas.

Suddenly, he spotted a group of youth who were looking hassled and frantically asking for directions.

"I saw them. Thye were Hindus who were trying to escape a mob looking to target them. They had lost their way inside the streets of our colony. I along with other Muslim men escorted them to the nearby Hindu locality," Naeem, who is also a member of the Aman Committee constituted by the Delhi police, told ANI.

"Several shops which were on the roads including some showrooms were attacked by a group. These Hindus were worried as a mob which was on the main road was attacking people. They asked me the address of a colony as they were unable to find their way," Naeem said.

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News Network
April 24,2020

Kochi, Apr 24: The central government on Thursday submitted a statement in the Kerala High Court on the three petitions challenging the contract between Kerala government and US-based data analytics company Sprinklr.

Assistant Solicitor General P Vijayakumar filed the statement on behalf of the central government, which is the second respondent in the case.

The statement said that the contract between the Kerala government and Sprinklr dilutes the rights of the people. It stated the contract does not specify the amount of compensation that individuals should receive in case of breach of privacy or misuse of information.

It also said that it was not clear whether the information was collected and handed over to the data analytics firm with full consent of the patients (suspected and otherwise).

''It is always preferable to utilise the services available in the government sector for sharing sensitive data required for analytical purposes.

The Government of India has introduced the 'Aarogya Setu' application for collection of health data and about seven crore Indian citizens have already downloaded the same. All the state governments are advised to promote the said application for fighting the pandemic," the statement said.

It was further submitted that the "Government of India with the support of NIC is capable of providing all the requirements relating to data storage, processing and application which are being offered the third respondent, if a request to that effect comes from the state government."

Kerala Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala and BJP state president K Surendran had earlier approached the Kerala High Court seeking cancellation of the state government's agreement with Sprinklr for processing of data related to COVID-19 patients.

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News Network
May 18,2020

May 18: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday announced the date sheet for the pending class 10 and 12 board exams, which will now be held from July 1 to 15.

The exams were postponed due to the nationwide lockdown imposed on March 25 to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The Class 10 board exams are pending only in the North East Delhi.

"The Class 10 exams will be staggered on four dates, starting July 1. The first paper will be Social Science, while the next day students will be required to appear for the Science exam,” said Sanyam Bhardwaj, the Controller of Examination, CBSE.

“On July 10, exams will be conducted for both courses of Hindi and on July 15 for both courses of English," he said.

On health guidelines for students, Bhardwaj said that they will be required to carry their own sanitiser bottles and wear masks to examination centres.

"Parents will have to ensure that their ward is not sick and candidates will have to strictly follow physical-distancing norms," he said.

For Class 12, the Home Science exam will be held on July 1, followed by both courses of Hindi the next day.

The Class 12 Business Studies exam has been scheduled for July 9, followed by Biotechnology on July 10 and Geography on July 11.

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