Topic: ASEAN

The Chinese armed forces remain untested in battle, having last seen active combat in the late 1970s. To bridge the gap, China has asked veterans of foreign militaries to train its personnel.

The blue-chip Nifty 50 index closed down 0.26% at 17,616.30, its biggest slide on budget day since a 2.51% fall in 2020. However, the S&P BSE Sensex rose 0.3% to 59,708.08.

Capital budget increased to Rs 1.62 lakh crore from 1.52 lakh crore. Navy, Army see substantial increase but allocation for procuring aircraft, aero engines goes down.

Most key Hindutva/RSS objectives have been achieved, and Modi & BJP now need social calm, at least till summer of 2024. A de-escalation of some sort is on.