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Top Stories
Scam scare puts key
defence deals on hold
What is India News Service,
Tuesday, 3 May 2005, 1400 hrs IST
The ongoing political furore over defence deals has dealt a serious blow to the modernisation of India's defence services. Fearing future recriminations, the defence establishment has put the acquisition of important weapons systems on virtual hold.
While the investigations of the alleged scams of the past will take their own course, crucial deals like the Scorpene submarines, long range maritime surveillance aircraft, 126 multi-role combat aircraft and acquisition and upgradation of artillery guns have been put in cold storage with officials wary of finalising the contracts. According to reliable sources, officials are also reluctant to finalise deals for crucial equipment needed for counter-insurgency operations.
The deals affected by the wave of nervousness include the import of one lakh bullet-proof jackets. These light and user-friendly jackets are invaluable for use in close combat and anti-terrorist operations.
Also hanging fire is the purchase of state-of-the-art portable communication sets linked to satellites to match such capabilities available with the foreign mercenaries. The process of procurement of these systems has come to a standstill after the induction of a few hundred sets in the past year.
Pointing out that most of the equipment now needed by the three services are operational, sources said the defence planners, over the last few years, have been laying greater stress on acquiring these systems and platforms to plug operational gaps.
This conscious and focussed approach in the last five or six years has also seen the Defence Ministry demand a budget from the Finance Ministry tailored to meet these urgent requirements.
The purchase of Scorpene submarine(six subs) deal worth over two billion dollars from France is now awaiting Cabinet Committee on Security(CCS) clearance after the price negotiations were completed more than a year back.
The navy has to acquire these underwater platforms to bolster its fast aeging fleet of more than 20 submarines and fully utilise the submarine maufacturing capabilities of the Mumbai dockyards. They last produced HDW submarines in the early 90s and the proposed Scorpene contract entailed transfer of techonology for building the machines in India.
'ISRO working on advance tsunami warning system':
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was working relentlessly towards developing an Advance Tsunami Warning System, according to Organisation Chairman G Madhavan Nair.
Boycott:
NDA makes an exception: The National Democratic Alliance on Monday took a
break from its "boycott" of Parliament to attend the debate and voting
on the Finance Bill in the Lok Sabha.
Despite
thaw, no lowering of guard with neighbours:
India will not lower its guard despite growing relations with
China and continue to monitor its military infrastructure along the borders and
that country's close military ties with Pakistan.
Madras
High Court gives clean chit to BCCI, Dalmiya: It said the board was within
its rights to cancel tender process for award of telecast rights.
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Bypolls
announced for seven States: The Election Commission announced on Monday that
byelections to the Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency and 17 Assembly
constituencies, spread across seven States, would be held on June 2.
Jammers
ineffective on Indo-Pak border: Intelligence
officials in Jammu & Kashmir have raised an alarm over the ineffectiveness
of jammers installed along the highly sensitive 198-km Indo-Pakistan
international border and reception of mobile signals of Pakistan-based cellular
service operators in the State. A report prepared by the officials, likely to be
sent to the Capital soon, have brought this out in the open.
States
Karunakaran
quits as Rajya Sabha member: The veteran Congress leader, K Karunakaran, who
has led the formation of the National Congress (Indira), on Monday confirmed his
resignation from the Rajya Sabha.
Kerala
leads the way in tribal forest rights crusade:
It could be a small but significant victory for the green brigade,
vindicating years of struggle. As the debate rages whether tribals should be
granted residency rights in forests, Kerala could show the way.
Urdu
schools suffer due to lack of books:
A question on the state of Urdu language in Bizarre led to an
attack on the Ministry of Human Resources Development with members of the Rajya
Sabha charging that Urdu schools students were going without books
Neighbours
Islamabad
wants UN group to stay in place:
Pakistan has brushed aside the UN
secretary-general\92s suggestion that the United Nations Military Observers
Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) monitoring violations in Jammu and
Kashmir might be dismantled.
New
package for Balochistan:
The parliamentary committee on Balochistan met here on Monday and
adopted with certain amendments the Mushahid Hussain sub-committee report
comprising eight recommendations, including payment of gas royalty within...
View from abroad
Tension
mounts in US as North Korea fires missile:
In a step that heightened concerns about its nuclear ambitions, North Korea
apparently launched a short-range missile into the Sea of Japan on Sunday, US
and South Korean officials said.
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