Category: National

Allies are pitching in with commitments to deliver urgently needed weapons for the armed forces.

New Delhi: As Indian troops remain dug in at Ladakh in a prolonged standoff with China, allies are pitching in with commitments to deliver urgently needed weapons and ammunition for the Indian armed forces. France has promised to deliver additional Rafale jets next month, an in-service Israeli air defence system is expected soon, precision artillery rounds will be sent by the US, and Russia will make early deliveries of ammunition and weapons worth $1 billion.

The commitments have been made after top-level bilateral talks and a key meeting in the capital at which it was decided that emergency financial powers will be given to the armed forces to prepare for a prolonged standoff in eastern Ladakh.

The first set of cutting-edge Rafale fighter jets – equipped with perhaps the world’s best long-range air-to-air missiles – is expected to reach India by July 27. As per the initial plan, four fighters were to reach the home base at Ambala next month but sources said that France has now made a commitment to send additional Rafales in the first batch. A total of eight aircraft are nearing certification but it is unclear how many additional fighters could be delivered early.

Ferried by Indian Pilots
The planes will be ferried by Indian pilots who have been trained in France and will be fully combat ready when they arrive at Ambala. Sources said that in support of early delivery, France has committed that it will deploy its aerial refuelers to ensure that the jets make it to India with just a single hop.

Key defence supplier Israel – which showed its commitment as a reliable partner during the Kargil war too – is expected to deliver a much-needed air defence system that will be deployed along the border. Sources said that the unnamed air defence system is likely to come from the current holdings of the Israeli defence forces and would supplement the Ladakh sector. This would be useful as the Chinese side is said to have deployed its newly acquired S-400 air defence system in the sector as well.

India’s largest defence supplier Russia has pledged urgent delivery of weapons, ammunition and missiles that India asked for during the recent visit to Moscow by defence minister Rajnath Singh. A detailed list has been shared by India for several dozen requirements that would cost in excess of $1 billion and a commitment has been received from Russia of delivery within weeks.

Given that most land-based systems such as tanks and armoured carriers are of Russian origin, India is looking for a variety of ammunition that will be required in the event of a larger conflict. The air force is looking for urgent supply of air-dropped bombs and missiles while the army requires anti-tank missiles and man-portable air defence systems for the border.

India’s newest strategic partner – the US – has already been helping out with vital intelligence and satellite imagery that give military planners clarity on the border situation. Sources said that the US has invited India to share a list of all requirements with a commitment to be of assistance at the earliest.

In particular, additional Excalibur artillery rounds have been ordered on an emergency basis. The precision attack rounds with a range of over 40 km are used in a variety of artillery guns in the Indian inventory, including the M 777s that are designed for mountain warfare. These rounds are known for their accuracy and damage potential and have been tried and tested by the army.

With inputs from ET Bureau

PTI

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Monday stayed the National Law University, Delhi (NLUD) decision to reserve 50 per cent seats for candidates from the national capital.

A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad asked the NLUD to issue fresh admission notification on or before July 2.

The court said a prima facie case was made out for a stay on the university’s decision.

The court’s interim order came on a plea by NLUD students and alumni who challenged the reservation decision saying it “strikes at the heart of national character and the standards of excellence” of the university.

The students filed the petition against the introduction of 50 per cent horizontal reservation at the university for candidates who have cleared their qualifying examinations from an institute in Delhi.

The last date for submission of application form is June 30, 2020, the petition has said.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on August 18.

One of the petitioners Pia Singh said she intended to pursue LLM from NLUD after graduating from a university in Rajasthan.

The petition also challenges NLUD’s move to increase the seat intake from 80 to 120, saying it was against the express decision of the varsity’s governing council and there was also lack of infrastructure like residential hostels for students, accommodation for teaching and other staff and classrooms.

The plea has claimed that the new admission policy, which provides for the reservation and increased intake, was bad in law as it was notified on January 14, 2020, without approval of the governing council, the plenary authority of NLUD.

Delhi government standing counsel Ramesh Singh had questioned the locus standi of the alumni to move such a plea and the court directed that their names be removed from the petition.

On the petition, Singh had argued that NLUD was not a central university or a national institute of excellence and was only a state university which came into existence on the basis of the Act enacted by the Delhi legislature.

The petition has contended that NLUD’s decision to introduce the reservation from the academic year 2020-21 was “unconstitutional and illegal”.

NLUD has decided to reserve 50 per cent of the total seats for candidates passing the qualifying examination from a recognised school, college or institute located within the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD).

The petition has claimed that the new admission policy seeks to take away the “mandatory residential nature” of NLUD, which would result in “disrupting the academic curriculum, various seminar and certificate courses taken by industry experts and former judges”.

The petition has sought setting aside of the admission notification and related guidelines and a direction that Delhi government has no power to interfere in administrative functioning of NLUD.

Besides that, the plea also seeks a direction to NLUD to bring a fresh revised policy “in conformity with the previous admission notification for academic year 2019-20 and guided by the existing infrastructural constraints and limited number of seats”.

PTI

Uttar Pradesh: Two girls were allegedly raped by their uncles in separate incidents in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda and Chitrakoot, police said on Monday.

In Banda, a nine-year-old girl was abducted by her uncle from her home on Saturday night while she was sleeping, they said.

He allegedly took her to a forest and raped her, SHO of Tindwari police station Ram Dinesh Tiwari said.

The accused, identified as Chandu, was arrested by police based on a complaint lodged by the girl’s father, Tiwari said, adding that he confessed to his crime during interrogation.

The girl was recovered from the forest on Sunday and was rushed to the hospital, where her condition was stated to be stable, the SHO said.

In a similar incident, a 10-year-old girl, who had gone to her grandmother’s house in Chitrakoot for a marriage function, was allegedly raped by her uncle, police said.

SHO of Bharatkoop police station Sanjay Upadhyay said the incident took place on June 20.

The girl narrated her ordeal to her family members on June 24 after which police were informed and an FIR was registered in the case on June 27, he said.

Police arrested the accused, identified as Gorelal, on Sunday and the girl was sent to a hospital for medical examination.

Claims made without approval from Ayush Ministry

Police have registered a First Information Report against yoga guru Ramdev and four others for allegedly conspiring to sell a fake Ayurveda medicine with the misleading claim to cure COVID-19 following clinical trials on some patients. The FIR said the claim had been made without getting the Union AYUSH Ministry’s approval.

The others named in the FIR were Acharya Balkrishna CEO of Ramdev-promoted Patanajali Ayurveda Limited, Patanjali employee Anurag Varshney, and Balvir Singh Tomar and Anurag Singh Tomar, chairman and director, respectively, of the National Institute of Medical Sciences & Research (NIMS).

Patanjali Ayurveda had recently launched a drug, Coronil, with the claim that it could cure COVID-19. The herbal products company said the medicine’s clinical trials were conducted on positive patients in association with NIMS, a private institute situated near Jaipur.

The FIR was registered at Jyoti Nagar police station in Jaipur on Saturday on the basis of a complaint made by some individuals, including a lawyer, Balbir Jakhar. The five persons were booked under Section 420 (cheating) of Indian Penal Code and Sections 4 and 7 of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954.

Also read | Complaint in Bihar seeks FIR against Baba Ramdev over COVID-19 medicine claim

Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Gupta said on Sunday that multiple complaints against Mr. Ramdev had been received for claiming to have developed the medicine without any trial. No arrests have been made in the case so far.

Mr. Jakhar said in his complaint that the accused had put the lives of common people at risk and neither the Centre nor the Rajasthan government had been informed about the clinical trials of Coronil. Patanjali Ayurveda, on the other hand, had claimed that it had complied with all legal formalities.

The Union AYUSH Ministry has since sought details about the medicine and directed Patanjali Ayurveda to stop advertising the claim about the cure of COVID-19. Rajasthan Medical & Health Minister Raghu Sharma has said action would be taken if any attempt to was made to sell a purported Ayurveda drug as potential medicine for COVID-19 patients in the State.

With inputs from The Hindu

Several other educational institutions, including Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), have decided to conduct online open book exams

PTI

Universities should not conduct examinations in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and even holding online tests is not right as it is “discriminatory” towards poor students, former human resource development minister Kapil Sibal said on Sunday.

The senior Congress leader also said that with almost half the 2020-21 academic year of schools over without proper classes due to the COVID-19 spread, board examinations for Class 10 should not be held next year as it would burden the students unnecessarily.

“What has happened is that half the year has been lost and we don’t know how long this pandemic will continue. There is no need for Class 10 board exams for a while for these two years — this year and next year — and then they could relook at this policy,” Mr. Sibal told PTI in an interview.

Mr. Sibal, who as the HRD minister had spearheaded a reforms process in the education sector under which it was decided to abolish compulsory CBSE Board exams for Class 10, said it was a sensible policy to have been followed but when the NDA came to power they reversed that.

“Thank god they have listened to some sane advice and they have cancelled the board exams. Consider the impact it would have had, especially on the poor students who don’t have access to any online facilities,” said Mr. Sibal, who was the HRD Minister from May 2009-October 2012 in the UPA-II government.

His remarks come days after the remaining CBSE and ICSE board examinations for classes 10 and 12, scheduled to be held in July, were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Quite frankly even university exams should be postponed,” Mr. Sibal said.

Till such time there is a pandemic, there should be no exams and holding online examinations will be “extremely discriminatory” because in a lot of places in India, in remote areas, there is no facility for online examinations and the poor will be discriminated against, he said.

“See you are creating an elitist culture where the advantage goes to the rich which have access to online facilities and to those institutions which are privileged to provide online facilities and online teaching,” Mr. Sibal said.

“Why should you hold these exams in the midst of a pandemic. Many of them (students) have not got teaching materials even the specially-abled persons have not been fully provided teaching materials,” he said.

Delhi University on Saturday postponed the online open book exams for final-year students, which were scheduled to begin from July 1, by 10 days “in view of the prevailing situation of COVID-19 pandemic”.

Several other educational institutions, including Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), have decided to conduct online open book exams.

Asked if examinations are not held how university students will be promoted, Mr. Sibal said there were two issues — those who are to be promoted from the first year to the second year as well as from second year to third year, and those in the third and final year.

Those going from first year to second year and those from second to third year must have appeared for semester exams during the period, so assessments can be made based on those results for them to be promoted to the next year and that should be provisional so that when full classes are held examinations can be conducted, Sibal said.

“But in the meantime, their promotional prospects should not be jeopardised. That takes care of 1st year to second year and second year to 3rd year,” he said.

“Now you come to the university exams. Many students who come from far off places must have gone away from the hostels, how will they take part in online exams from those places. Many of those students are from neighbouring countries, how will they sit for these exams,” Mr. Sibal asked.

Noting that in some states, the universities have said they will not hold exams, he suggested that what can be done is that final-year students could be given a provisional degree based on their past performance and they can sit for exams as and when they have the materials and the tenure of the teaching class has been completed as would have happened in a regular year.

“Some universities are doing that. I don’t know why that is not being done in Delhi,” he said.

Asked if the Centre should introduce a uniform policy for examinations in universities, Mr. Sibal said the problem is that universities are independent institutions and the government can’t decide what they should do or not.

The universities have a level of autonomy, but they themselves should find innovative ways to deal with a situation rather than have an “elitist approach and say we have decided, this is what is going to happen and we are not going to see the situation on the ground“.

Thrusting these decisions on poor students is very poor management of education, he said.

Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 when the central government announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as one of the measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

Renewable energy ministry has proposed customs duties on some solar power equipment starting August 1 as part of the country’s goal of becoming self-sufficient.

PTI

Tightening import norms, India will check all power equipment bought from China for malware and Trojan horses that can be potentially used to trigger electricity grid failures to cripple economic activity in the country, Power Minister R. K. Singh said.

India has in the recent days taken steps to impose stringent quality control measures and higher tariffs on goods from China as it looks to boost domestic manufacturing to cut reliance on imports.

In an interview to PTI, Mr. Singh said his renewable energy ministry has proposed imposing customs duties on some solar power equipment starting August 1 as part of the country’s goal of becoming self-sufficient.

“Power is a very sensitive and strategic sector for any country. Electricity runs all industries, communication systems and all databases including strategic ones and so we have to guard it against any sabotage buy countries which are adversaries or possible adversaries,” he said. “We want to build a firewall.”

More tariff barriers, rigorous testing of foreign equipment and prior permission requirements for imports from adversary countries are some of the focus areas of India’s proposed power sector overhaul, he said.

The move comes in the backdrop of India contemplating an economic response against China since the June 15 border clashes.

Mr. Singh said some countries who are adversaries or potential adversaries will be identified as “prior reference countries”, and prior government permission will be required before importing any equipment from there.

These countries are mostly the ones which share borders with India, including China and Pakistan.

“We have reports that malware and Trojan horse can be installed which can be activated remotely to bring down the power sector and the economy,” he said. “So we have decided, because it is a sensitive sector, whatever equipment is made in India, we will purchase them. And those that are not made in India, we will import but check thoroughly to rule out the presence of any malware or Trojan horse.”

India’s power sector has faced cyberattacks, a majority of which reportedly originated from China, Singapore, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries.

Mr. Singh said a committee was set up under the Central Electricity Authority to examine the cyber threat and the panel has said “it is a real live threat.”

“It is very serious,” he said. “It is sensitive because any adversary can bring our entire country to a halt. It is a very sensitive and strategic sector because the defence industry and all other industries run on power. If power goes out, then you have storage of about 12 to 24 hours only.”

“The threat is very serious,” Mr. Singh added.

He said his ministry has proposed imposing 25% customs duty on solar modules from August, which can be raised to 40% from April 2022. On solar cells, it has proposed 15% duty, rising to 25% in 2022. On solar inverters, an import duty of 20% is proposed.

China accounts for nearly 80% of module supplies in India. India currently levies a 15% safeguard duty on imports of solar cells and modules from China and Malaysia. That tax expires at the end of July.

Mr. Singh further said the power industry should stop imports of products whose domestic supplies are adequate, and developers using domestic equipment will get cheaper financing from lenders Power Finance Corp and REC Ltd.

As part of quality control measures, the Bureau of Indian Standards is finalising tougher norms for at least 370 products, including chemicals, steel, electronics, heavy machinery, furniture, paper, industrial machinery, rubber articles, glass, metal articles, pharma, fertilisers and plastic toys, to ensure items that can be locally produced are not imported.

Also, discussions are on to raise import duty on products including furniture, compressors for air conditioners and auto components.

The commerce ministry is separately evaluating non-tariff measures such as more inspections, product testing and enhanced quality certification requirements to check Chinese imports in a manner that conforms to the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

The government has also made it mandatory for suppliers to mention the country of origin in a move to push for local products and keep out Chinese manufacturers.

China is India’s biggest source of imports. Chinese imports such as electronic goods, industrial machinery and organic chemicals totalled almost $70 billion last year. China has a trade surplus of about $50 billion with India.

PTI

New Delhi: Asserting that the government’s guiding light is the Constitution of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the government does not discriminate between faith, gender, caste, creed or language and is led by the desire to empower 130 crore Indians.

Addressing the 90th birthday celebrations of Rev Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan in Pathanamthitta of Kerala via video conference, he said, “We have taken decisions not from comfortable government offices in Delhi but after feedback from people on the ground.”

“It is this spirit that ensured every Indian has access to a bank account,” he said.

The prime minister asserted that Government of India does not discriminate between faith, gender, caste, creed or language.

“We are guided by the desire to empower 130 crore Indians and our guiding light is the Constitution of India,” he told the gathering.

While the PLAAF can make up for the high altitude by deploying aerial tankers, Indian military planners have always been wary that in a time of conflict, airbases in PaK could be handed over to China. Limited activity can be observed at the Skardu…

New Delhi: India is keeping a vigilant eye on airbases in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir (PaK) after a Chinese refueller aircraft landed in Skardu last week. Also, Chinese air activity has increased opposite Eastern Ladakh, raising the possibility of PLA Air Force (PLAAF) using airbases in PaK.

Indian and Chinese forces are in the middle of an escalating standoff in Eastern Ladakh with New Delhi forced to bring in a large number of troops in the area after Beijing amassed forces, which were otherwise supposed to be undergoing annual military exercises.

The Indian Air Force has been on heightened alert for several weeks now and extensive ferry missions have been undertaken to take supplies and troops to Ladakh. Besides, Chinese air activity – additional Su 27 fighters are believed to have been deployed at Hotan airbase in Xinjiang – is being closely monitored and their deployments mirrored on the Indian side.

The PLAAF has several airbases in and around Tibet, with Hotan housing the most combat assets, but they suffer from one debilitating issue – most are located at altitudes over 4,000 feet, making it difficult for fighters to take off with a full weapons load and fuel. Several Indian airbases, on the other hand, are located in the plains of Punjab and Haryana, giving them an edge.

Satellite Images
While the PLAAF can make up for the high altitude by deploying aerial tankers, Indian military planners have always been wary that in a time of conflict, airbases in PaK could be handed over to China.

Sources said that limited activity can be observed at the Skardu airbase, and an IL 78 tanker of the PLAAF landed there a few days ago, besides some Pakistan Air Force transport aircraft. Skardu is located just 100 km from the Leh airbase and has recently been expanded by Pakistan.

In August last year, the Skardu base was used by Pakistani JF 17s on their way to the PLAAF base at Hotan for a joint exercise. The Shaheen series of exercises involving J 10s from China and Pakistani JF 17 jets had been carefully monitored by India and took place in the area opposite Eastern Ladakh.

In the past two years there has been a significant increase in air activity in Tibet. While the PLAAF earlier used to deploy its fighters to forward bases only in summers, a year-round deployment has now become the norm.

Recent satellite images show that another airbase located just about 200 km from the Pangong Tso lake is also being upgraded, with work on as recently as May this year. The Ngari Gunsa airbase in Tibet is housing Su 27 fighter jets and work to expand the runway has been ongoing.

In the past, Pakistan had no qualms in allowing other nations to use its airbases and military camps. During the Afghanistan campaign launched in 2001, US forces had enclaves at several Pakistani airbases to support combat missions against the Taliban.

With inputs from The Economic Times

All passenger flights were suspended when the country went into a lockdown late in March to contain the spread of coronavirus. Domestic flights resumed on May 25.

New Delhi: Commercial international flights to and from India shall stay suspended till July 15, civil aviation watchdog DGCA has announced. The restriction will not apply to international cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the aviation regulator.

All passenger flights were suspended when the country went into a lockdown late in March to contain the spread of coronavirus. Domestic flights resumed on May 25.

All international flights were suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic in March

“Scheduled international commercial passenger services to or from India shall remain suspended till 2359 hrs IST of July 15, 2020… However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case to case basis,” said the circular by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said last week that India will take a decision on resuming international passenger flights in July if coronavirus behaves in a “predictable manner” and the entire aviation ecosystem and state governments are onboard.

“I am often asked, when can you start international civil aviation? If you leave it to me, and if the ecosystem works, and if we have the predictability in terms of behaviour of the virus, I think in the coming month we should start taking the decision. But those decisions will not be taken by the Indian civil aviation ministry. Those decisions will be taken by the governments after looking at their domestic situation,” Mr Puri said.

The aviation minister said a decision regarding resuming international travel can be taken in the coming months, even earlier, when domestic air traffic would reach 50-55 per cent of its pre-COVID-19 capacity, and states would be in the position to absorb a higher number of passengers coming in

“In any case, it is not our call. It is a call where all the stakeholders, including the passengers and the entire ecosystem, are ready,” he added.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said it was considering allowing some international carrier flights to resume after the United States accused India of “unfair and discriminatory practices” and restricted Air India’s special repatriation flights.

Air India and other private domestic airlines have been operating unscheduled paid international repatriation flights under the Vande Bharat Mission, which was started on May 6 by the central government.

With inputs from NDTV

By: Pratap Bhanu Mehta

Pratap Bhanu Mehta on India-China border dispute: The Xi regime’s unprecedented global alienation notwithstanding, no other country has a serious stake in the fate of the terrain India and China are disputing.

The border stand-off with China has made it crucial for India to rethink all its strategic options. Can it use the growing anti-China sentiment across the world to its advantage? The moment seems ripe, writes Pratap Bhanu Mehta, contributing editor, The Indian Express, in his latest column. “The degree of global alienation with the Xi Jinping regime is unprecedented. But can this be translated into concerted global action to exert real pressure on China?”

Many strategic experts are salivating at the prospect of India deepening its alliance with the US. In reality, India’s options may be limited, Mehta points out.

“It is an odd moment in global affairs, where there is recognition of a common challenge emanating from China, but no global appetite to take concerted action.”

Look at the global response to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). “Many countries are struggling to meet their BRI debt obligations. Many Chinese loans have become a millstone around the debtor countries’ necks. But it is difficult to see the rest of the international community helping all these countries to wean their regimes away from dependence on Chinese finance. Similarly, there are now great concerns over frontier areas of conflict like cyber security and space,” Mehta writes.

In Kolkata, protests against China. (Express Photo: Partha Paul)

But why is that?

“International relations”, Mehta says, “are formed in the context of a country’s development paradigm”. The US-China relationship for example, may have had its origins in the strategic attempt to create a Sino-Soviet split, “but for decades, this relationship was sustained not by a strategic logic, but by the logic of the political economy of development in both the US and China, where they reciprocally depended on each other”. This US-China arrangement largely benefitted big businesses in America at the expense of its own domestic manufacturing base.

But the political legitimacy of this development model has waned in recent years.

The question before India is whether its development needs will fit into the emerging US development paradigm. That is, “Will a US hell-bent on bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US, easily gel with an “atma nirbhar” Bharat?”

Mehta concludes: “We are in a paradoxical world where the strategic necessity of the rest of the world to come together on China has never been higher; yet the appetite for concerted action has never been weaker. Fundamentally, few countries are going to put their money where their mouth is.”

The efforts of the international community will therefore be to try and throw cold water on the India-China conflict as “no one has a serious stake in the fate of the terrain India and China are disputing”.

At the end of the day, Mehta underlines, “India has to manage China and Pakistan largely on its own.”

With inputs from The Indian Express

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