Rafale deal: Modi govt. gave unprecedented waivers in offset agreements
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave exceptional and unprecedented waivers to M/s Dassault Aviation and M/s MBDA in the offset contracts they signed with the Indian government on September 23, 2016 as part of the €7.87 billion Rafale deal. These waivers, granted on August 24, 2016 at the highest level of political decision-making, were exemptions given to the two private French companies from having to comply with provisions of the Standard Contract Document of the Defence Procurement Procedure, DPP-2013.
Pre-poll survey: Advantage NDA, but alliance could just fall short of majority
As the nation gears up for the first round of the Lok Sabha elections, the ruling BJP and its NDA seem to enjoy a distinct advantage over its opponents. The CSDS-Lokniti Pre Election Survey, indicates that the national mood appears to be to give the ruling party/alliance a second term.
Presenting 2 radar images, IAF asserts Pakistan's F-16 was shot down
The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday presented two radar images of the engagement with Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on February 27 to prove that a Pakistani F-16 was shot down by a MiG-21 piloted by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.
Congress will triple its tally in Parliament: Praveen Chakravarty
Following up on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s advice to make the Congress’ 2019 manifesto a talking point, the party has lined up over two dozen press conferences, seeking to steer the election narrative toward ‘bread and butter issues’. Head of the party’s Data Analytics team Praveen Chakravarty , who was closely involved in the drafting of the manifesto, dispels misgivings about implementing NYAY, saying India’s GDP is now large enough to absorb the costs.
Almost smooth sailing on the road with LJP's Chirag Paswan
It’s almost noon, the heat is rising and so is the pace of the Lok Janshakti Party’s (LJP) election campaign, urging voters to choose the party’s “bangla chaap” election symbol, the message blaring from speakers placed atop a bedecked Toyota Fortuner piled with marigold garlands.
Jet: different journeys for different investors
Even as lenders have kick-started the process of selecting a bidder for Jet Airways, the carrier is reporting a daily loss of more than ₹20 crore with sharp erosion in cash flows, company officials said.
India-Maldives relations have never been better: Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid
For Maldivians, the election of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in September 2018 meant a possible opening up of democratic space in the country, after former President Abdulla Yameen’s term, which was marked by an authoritarian slant. It also meant reconnecting with many countries with which Male’s relationship had turned rather tense in those years, particularly India. In an interview in Male, Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid talks about how Maldives sees its role in the region, and its relationship with the world. Excerpts:
Army gets first batch of Dhanush, home-made Bofors artillery guns, from OFB
The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) on Monday handed over the first batch of six Dhanush artillery guns to the Army. Dhanush is the indigenously upgraded gun of the Swedish Bofors gun procured in the 1980s.
Singing the nation’s hope, keeping a people’s faith: politics and Gulzar
Gulzar reads aloud one of his recent poems: “Parchiyaan bant rahi hain galiyon mein, apne kaatil ka intekhaab karo; Waqt ye sakht hai chunaav ka (Slips of paper are being doled out in the streets, it’s time to vote for your killer; The tough time of elections is upon us).”
The BJP’s hard counter to the Congress’ manifesto | Political Speech Tracker podcast
In a week where news was dominated by the release of the Congress manifesto, Associate Editor Varghese George speaks to Jayant Sriram about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initial attempts to steer the conversation back to familiar talking points.
IIT-Madras tops NIRF higher education rankings
The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-Madras) has topped the Centre’s ranking of higher education institutions, followed by the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and IIT-Delhi. Seven IITs appear in the top 10 list of the National Institution Ranking Framework (NIRF) for 2019, while Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi and Banares Hindu University, Varanasi, take the remaining places.
