Under deal approved by Defence Advisory Council, first 20,000 AK-203 rifles will be imported from Russia, and then, more than 6 lakh rifles will be manufactured in India.
Strike proposed by employees’ federations of ordnance factories from 26 July, against Modi govt decision to corporatise them, perhaps triggered introduction of the Bill.
OFB is a strategic asset that would flourish post ‘modification and modernisation’. Modi govt’s May 2020 announcement is a step in the right direction.
In a statement, OFB said only 19 per cent of the accidents involving defence ammunition between January 2015 and December 2019 could be attributed to the board.
Pointing out these shortcomings in an internal assessment, the Army has thrown its weight behind government plans to corporatise the OFB to make it more efficient.
For all their colonial underpinnings, postcards from Hyderabad also inadvertently preserve a trace of local memory: a glimpse of a street, a face, a forgotten name.
Indian toymakers are now exploring new markets, but they want govt to negotiate a trade deal with US soon, introduce incentives and subsidies to make the industry more competitive.
The project is meant to be a ‘protective shield that will keep expanding’, the PM said. It is on the lines of the ‘Golden Dome’ announced by Trump, it is learnt.
Now that both IAF and PAF have made formal claims of having shot down the other’s aircraft in the 87-hour war in May, we can ask a larger question: do such numbers really matter?
COMMENTS