What exactly happened in 1995 when Narasimha Rao had made advanced preparations for testing at Pokhran? How did the Americans find out? Was there a mole?
The ministry will have little defence for the fiasco that the show is heading towards, with exaggerated numbers and important tenders set in the midst of it.
For an industry globally classified as hazardous, protections such as health insurance and a provident fund for workers are necessities. In Sivakasi, they remain elusive.
The industry forecasts exports are set to grow 16% in 2025-26, boosted by surplus domestic production and a drive to push into 26 underserved global markets with strong potential.
Indigenisation level will progressively increase up to 60 percent with key sub-assemblies, electronics and mechanical parts being manufactured locally.
It is a brilliant, reasonably priced, and mostly homemade aircraft with a stellar safety record; only two crashes in 24 years since its first flight. But its crash is a moment of introspection.
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