Airtel Launches 5G Services In Pune | Lokmarg

Airtel Launches 5G Services In Pune

Leading telecom company Bharti Airtel on Friday announced the launch of 5G services in Pune.

Airtel 5G Plus services would be available to customers in a phased manner as the company continues to construct its network and complete the roll-out. The telecom company said customers with fifth-generation (5G)-enabled devices would enjoy high-speed Airtel 5G Plus network at no extra cost until the roll-out is more widespread.
Airtel’s 5G services are currently operational at Koregaon Park, Kalyaninagar, Baner, Hinjewadi, Magarpatta, Hadapsar, Kharadi, Model Colony, Swargate, Pimpri Chinchwad, and a few other select locations. The firm said it would augment its network, making its services available across the city in due course of time.

George Mathen, the CEO, of Bharti Airtel, Maharashtra, and Goa, said, “I am thrilled to announce the launch of Airtel 5G Plus in Pune. Airtel customers can now experience ultrafast network and enjoy speeds up to 20-30 times faster than the current 4G speeds…”

The leading telecom firm said it would bolster the entire portfolio of services that Airtel offers. In addition, it said it would allow superfast access to High Definition video streaming, gaming, multiple chatting, instant uploading of photos, and more.

With this launch, the telecom firm said Airtel 5G Plus would revolutionize education, health care, manufacturing, agriculture, mobility, and logistics. (ANI)

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Across Country Covid Response Mock Drill On Dec 27 | Lokmarg

Across Country Covid Response Mock Drill On Dec 27

A mock drill to test Covid emergency preparedness would be conducted in hospitals across the country on Tuesday, 27th December.

“A mock drill for an emergency response to deal with Covid 9 cases will be conducted at hospitals across the country on Tuesday, 27th December, the Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya will also be participating in the Mock drill,” official sources to ANI
The mock drill is being conducted amid fear of a Covid surge in the country in the wake of a spurt of Covid cases reported in China and other countries. The Union Ministry in India has started taking several proactive steps in this direction.

The Union Ministry of Health advised States on December 20 to significantly increase genome sequencing. A high-level meeting was also chaired by Union Health Minister on December 21 to review the COVID-19 situation & preparedness of the public health system for surveillance, containment & management of COVID-19.

On Thursday Prime Minister chaired a high-level meeting to review status and preparedness and guided on Cautions against Complacency, advised maintaining Strict Vigil, and emphasized the need for strengthened Surveillance with a focus on Genome Sequencing and increased Testing.

During the high-level meeting, States were advised to ensure the Operational readiness of Hospital Infrastructure, and adherence to Covid appropriate Behavior including Wearing Of Masks.

The Union Health Ministry has also appealed for Precaution Dose Vaccination, especially for Elderly and Vulnerable Population Groups.

According to officials, Travel guidelines have been revised and issued. 2% Random Screening of International Passengers to be re-initiated from Saturday, December 24, the random screening charges will be charged to the passengers. (ANI)

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China: Shanghai Hit By A Surge In Coronavirus Cases | Lokmarg

China: Shanghai Hit By A Surge In Coronavirus Cases

Shanghai, China’s megacity with a 25 million-strong population has been hit by a surge in coronavirus cases, reported NHK World.

Case numbers have been growing since last week in Shanghai, where staff shortages are causing delays in delivery services.
Shanghai has the largest Japanese population among cities in China. The city’s Japanese consulate-general said the virus is spreading among employees at Japanese and other businesses, reported NHK World.

This comes months after Shanghai endured a brutal lockdown to stop the spread of Covid. Hospitals are struggling to cope with the number of infected patients, pharmacies are turning customers away empty-handed, businesses are shutting because the staff is off sick, most schools have closed and usage of public transport is plummeting, the report claimed.

But officials at the mission said there have been no reports suggesting production lines or distribution have been severely affected by the surge. They say this is partly because there are no longer restrictions on people’s movements, reported NHK World.

A surge of coronavirus cases has been sweeping across China since the government eased its strict lockdowns and measures to contain the spread of the virus, on December 7.

Meanwhile, Chinese media outlets reported that infections are spreading among civil servants in several provinces, including Henan and Shandong. They said local authorities have closed their offices to the public and are calling on citizens to use online services instead, reported NHK World.

Officials of Chengdu in the inland province of Sichuan said at a news conference on Thursday they have set up 300 fever clinics across the city. They said up to 42,000 people are visiting the facilities every day.

People in China have also raised a fresh chorus for the resignation of Premier Xi Jinping over his failure to rein in the pandemic in the country.

The people have also demanded an end to the one-party rule of the Communist Party of China (CCP), with many raising slogans such as ‘Step down, Xi Jinping! Step down, Communist Party!’ and ‘We don’t want lifelong rulers. We don’t want emperors’, as per an Insideover news report.

China’s sudden Covid surge also points towards a lack of effectiveness of its vaccines. This acts as a cause of concern, especially for countries to which China supplies its vaccines, reported Tibet Press.

According to a recent report by Voices Against Autocracy, Chinese citizens have been left to fend for themselves after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), amid widespread protests against the government’s ‘Zero-Covid’ policy, suddenly lifted its stringent Covid regulations.

Covid has been rapidly spreading in China. Unofficial reports claim that about 40 percent of Beijing’s residents are currently infected with Covid. The CCP, according to reports, has shifted its stance on Covid, claiming it to be a mere flu.

As cases rise in major Chinese cities, even people with mild symptoms are rushing to hospitals. Emergency call operators are receiving 30,000 calls a day, six times the average number of calls received.

According to Voices Against Autocracy, there are queues outside fever clinics in various cities. Drugs and medicines are in short supply and hospitals are under stress as doctors and nurses catch the virus. Doctors who have tested positive or are asymptomatic are also being asked to come to work, risking further transmission. (ANI)

Shanghai, China’s megacity with a 25 million-strong population has been hit by a surge in coronavirus cases, reported NHK World.

Case numbers have been growing since last week in Shanghai, where staff shortages are causing delays in delivery services.
Shanghai has the largest Japanese population among cities in China. The city’s Japanese consulate-general said the virus is spreading among employees at Japanese and other businesses, reported NHK World.

This comes months after Shanghai endured a brutal lockdown to stop the spread of Covid. Hospitals are struggling to cope with the number of infected patients, pharmacies are turning customers away empty-handed, businesses are shutting because staff is off sick, most schools have closed and usage of public transport is plummeting, the report claimed.

But officials at the mission said there have been no reports suggesting production lines or distribution have been severely affected by the surge. They say this is partly because there are no longer restrictions on people’s movements, reported NHK World.

A surge of coronavirus cases has been sweeping across China since the government eased its strict lockdowns and measures to contain the spread of the virus, on December 7.

Meanwhile, Chinese media outlets reported that infections are spreading among civil servants in several provinces, including Henan and Shandong. They said local authorities have closed their offices to the public and are calling on citizens to use online services instead, reported NHK World.

Officials of Chengdu in the inland province of Sichuan said at a news conference on Thursday they have set up 300 fever clinics across the city. They said up to 42,000 people are visiting the facilities every day.

People in China have also raised a fresh chorus for the resignation of Premier Xi Jinping over his failure to rein in the pandemic in the country.

The people have also demanded an end to the one-party rule of the Communist Party of China (CCP), with many raising slogans such as ‘Step down, Xi Jinping! Step down, Communist Party!’ and ‘We don’t want lifelong rulers. We don’t want emperors’, as per an Insideover news report.

China’s sudden Covid surge also points towards a lack of effectiveness of its vaccines. This acts as a cause of concern, especially for countries to which China supplies its vaccines, reported Tibet Press.

According to a recent report by Voices Against Autocracy, Chinese citizens have been left to fend for themselves after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), amid widespread protests against the government’s ‘Zero-Covid’ policy, suddenly lifted its stringent Covid regulations.

Covid has been rapidly spreading in China. Unofficial reports claim that about 40 percent of Beijing’s residents are currently infected with Covid. The CCP, according to reports, has shifted its stance on Covid, claiming it to be a mere flu.

As cases rise in major Chinese cities, even people with mild symptoms are rushing to hospitals. Emergency call operators are receiving 30,000 calls a day, six times the average number of calls received.

According to Voices Against Autocracy, there are queues outside fever clinics in various cities. Drugs and medicines are in short supply and hospitals are under stress as doctors and nurses catch the virus. Doctors who have tested positive or are asymptomatic are also being asked to come to work, risking further transmission. (ANI)

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2270 Flights Cancelled In US Due To Heavy Snow | Lokmarg

2270 Flights Cancelled In US Due To Heavy Snow

Ahead of the Christmas holidays, more than 2,270 US flights were cancelled on Thursday (local time) due to heavy snow and freezing temperatures, reported CNN.

Snow, rain, ice, wind and frigid temperatures are disrupting air travel plans across the United States and bus and Amtrak passenger train service.
Airlines cancelled just over 2,270 US flights by 6 ET pm Thursday and proactively cancelled almost 1,000 flights for Friday, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware.

Eighty-five flights were already cancelled for Saturday. Delays were even more extensive on Thursday: More than 7,400 as of 6 pm, reported CNN.

The impacts are being felt hardest in Chicago and Denver, where around a quarter of arrivals and departures — hundreds of flights at each airport — were cancelled on Thursday, FlightAware data show.

At one point on Thursday, at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, delays averaging 159 minutes — almost three hours — were being caused by snow and ice, according to a notice from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Temperatures at the O’Hare dropped to 9 degrees Fahrenheit (-13 Celsius) around 5 p.m. local time. The National Weather Service reported snow and freezing fog.

The FAA said departing aircraft at Dallas Love, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver and Minneapolis airports require spraying of de-icing fluid for safe travel, reported CNN.

Meanwhile, many airlines have issued weather waivers allowing travellers to change their itineraries without penalty during a short window.

For those whose flights are still scheduled to depart, the Transportation Security Administration is recommending that passengers arrive at the airport earlier than usual, reported CNN.

It’s not just flights that are being affected by the bomb cyclone. Greyhound issued a service alert on Thursday warning customers that those travelling in the Midwest over the next two days may have their trips delayed or cancelled altogether.

Greyhound, the largest provider of intercity bus service, listed more than a dozen cities from West Virginia to Minnesota that are among those impacted, reported CNN.

Amtrak has also been forced to delay or cancel passenger service for some lines in the Midwest and Northeast.

In its notice, Amtrak said “customers with reservations on trains that are being modified will typically be accommodated on trains with similar departure times or another day”, reported CNN.

“Amtrak will waive additional charges for customers looking to change their reservation during the modified schedule by calling our reservation centre at 1-800-USA-RAIL,” it reported further. (ANI)

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'Bikini Killer' Sobhraj Released From Nepal Prison | lokmarg

‘Bikini Killer’ Sobhraj Released From Nepal Prison

French serial killer Charles Sobhraj has been released from Central Jail in Nepal, on Friday.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of the Himalayan nation ordered the release of Sobhraj on the grounds of old age and deteriorating health conditions.
Since 2003, he was serving his sentence in Nepali jail on the charge of murdering two American tourists. The court concluded that the 78-year-old will be set free as he had already completed 95 percent of his jail term.

In the verdict delivered on Wednesday evening, Supreme Court said, “The regulation on prison management envisions a waiver of up to 75 percent of the jail term of the prisoners over 65 years of age and with good conduct.”

Sobhraj’s lawyers had long been demanding the court’s intervention for clemency. In different petitions, they had demanded a waiver of his jail sentence, citing provisions of Clause 12 (1) of the Senior Citizens Act 2063. The court has now ordered the government to make arrangements for repatriating Sobhraj to his home country within 15 days.

“Kept in prison here at Central Jail for a long time, the French national Charles Sobhraj has been ordered to be released by the Supreme Court on 21st December. We checked the records of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur District Court and have requested clearance from them over the cases registered against him. We are now preparing to release him from prison and then we will hand him over to the Department of Immigration. We will take him to the department after they finish their preparations,” Ishwori Prasad Pandey, the Jailer at Central Jail in Kathmandu told reporters before Sobhraj underwent medical checkups.

The notorious criminal has also appealed to Nepal authorities to let him stay in a hotel and undergo open heart surgery at the Gangalal Heart Hospital in Kathmandu. But the authorities are yet to decide on it.

“I talked to Charles and told him that the media are waiting outside and want to talk. The jail authorities were also willing to let him talk but he (Charles) refused to speak to the media. Also, the talk about his treatment at Gangalal Hospital and his desire to stay at the hotel till the time of deportation is also under consideration and talks are underway with the Home Ministry and Department of Prison Management whose decision also would come tomorrow. All these things would be decided tomorrow (Friday).

The notorious criminal with police cases in different countries was convicted of killing the American citizen Connie Jo Boronzich, 29, and his Canadian girlfriend Laurent Carriere, 26, in 1975.

Arrested on September 19, 2003, Sobhraj’s lifetime imprisonment would end on September 18 next year. The French citizen with Vietnamese and Indian parentage committed a string of murders throughout Asia in the 1970s. Sobhraj, who has been implicated in more than 20 killings, served 21 years in India for poisoning a French tourist and killing an Israeli national.

Sobhraj was also awarded a 20-year jail term in 2014 after being found guilty of a second murder, of a Canadian tourist Laurent Carriere, who was killed in 1975. The French serial killer was arrested in 2004 after he was first spotted in a Kathmandu casino. (ANI).

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IPL 2023 Auction: Curran Sold To Punjab Kings At Rs 18.50 Cr | Lokmarg

IPL 2023 Auction: Curran Sold To Punjab Kings At Rs 18.50 Cr

England all-rounder Sam Curran has been sold to Punjab Kings at a record Rs 18.50 crore for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season in 2023 Friday.

Chris Morris was sold to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 16.25 crore in 2021.

Sam Curran entered at INR 2 crore. Mumbai Indians (MI) made the first move for Curran. And the bidding war begins between MI and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Frenetic raising of paddles at both tables as the bid zooms up to Rs 6 crore.

The bid kept going back and forth between MI and Rajasthan Royals (RR). RR was back in the lead at Rs 11.5 crore. MI tapped out.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) then jumped in with Rs 11.75 crore bid. Both MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming are back to Curran to perform any role at CSK.

PBKS also bid for Sam Curran, Punjab was Curran’s first franchise in the IPL.

The bid quickly zoomed past Rs 15 crore with CSK taking the lead at Rs 15.25 crore.

PBKS raised the paddle as the bidding war continued.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) jumped in at Rs 15.75 crore. They need to fill the Holder-sized void. The bid touched Rs 16.5 crore. Sam Curran has fetched the highest-ever bid at an IPL auction.

Talking about Curran’s performance, he was the second-highest wicket-taker in T20 World Cup this year with a total of 13 scalps, with the best bowling figures of 5/10.

The 24-year-old is also a solid batter, with 1,731 T20I runs in 109 innings at an average of 20.85 and nine fifties. (ANI)

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Two Per Cent Of Passengers To Be Tested For Infection Daily | Lokmarg

New Covid Rules For International Flights, Passengers Issued

The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Thursday said that at least two percent of the arriving passengers on international flights to the country as part of a precautionary measure against Covid-19.

The MoCA in an official statement said that the passengers are to be identified by the airline and will be allowed to leave the airport after sample collection. Those being tested positive for the infection will be isolated and their samples will be sent for genome sequencing.

“This arrangement should come into the practice with effect from 10:00 am on December 24,” as per the statement from MoCA.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in Lok Sabha on Thursday said that the government has started random RT-PCR sampling among the passengers arriving at International airports in the country amid the recent surge of Coronavirus infection in various countries including China, Japan, South Korea, France, and the United States.

Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also issued ‘Guidelines for International Arrivals’ in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and said that the guidelines will be reviewed and revised from time to time.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare statement, the present guidelines are being revised in view of the increasing trajectory of COVID-19 cases being noted in some countries across the world.

The ministry said that all travelers should preferably be fully vaccinated as per the approved primary schedule of vaccination against COVID-19 in their Country.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has however exempted Children (under 12 years of age) from post-arrival random testing.

“In-flight announcements about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic including precautionary measures to be followed (preferable use of masks and following physical distancing) shall be made in flights/travel and at all points of entry, Any passenger having symptoms of COVID-19 during travel shall be isolated as per standard protocol i.e. the said passenger should be wearing a mask, isolated and segregated from other passengers in flight/travel and shifted to an isolation facility subsequently for follow up treatment,” read the statement from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

“However, if found symptomatic for COVID-19 on arrival or during the period of self-monitoring period, they shall undergo testing and be treated as per laid down protocol,” read the statement.

It stated that on the arrival of passengers’ de-boarding should be done ensuring physical distancing, thermal screening should be done in respect of all the passengers by the health officials present at the point of entry and the passengers found to be symptomatic during screening shall be immediately isolated, taken to a designated medical facility as per health protocol (as above). (ANI)

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CM Basavaraj Bommai

Karnataka-Maharashtra Ties To Remain Unchanged: CM Bommai

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the relationship between Karnataka and Maharashtra will remain the same as they have confidence in the Indian Constitution.

“The statement been made by one of the Opposition members. They should understand that we are living in a federal system,” CM Bommai said reacting to Maharashtra Minister Shambhuraj Desai’s statement in which he had said that Maharashtra can stop water supply to its Karnataka if its leaders did not stop making “irresponsible statements”.

“Maharashtra will have to rethink about water supply from its dams to the neighboring state, if Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai and others do not stop making irresponsible statements,” Shambhuraj Desai said while talking to media persons in Vidhan Bhavan complex.

Reacting to this, Karnataka CM said: “Water does not belong to one state. It does not help in any context if they continue to speak this way. The relationship between the two states will remain the same. We are confident about the verdict of the Supreme Court as its been cleared in 1956 by the Mahajan report. We are confident about the right that the Constitution has given us.”

Bommai also slammed Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut by stating that he is known for his “provocative statements”.

“What importance does his statement holds? He is known for making such provocative statements. We are Indians and the Kannadigas act like Indian soldiers if Sanjay Raut speaks the language of China,” Bommai said.

Raut yesterday sparked a controversy by saying, “We will enter Karnataka like China has entered the country”.

“Like China has entered, we will enter (Karnataka). We don’t need anyone’s permission. We want to solve it through a discussion but Karnataka CM is igniting a fire. There is a weak government in Maharashtra and is not taking any stand on it,” Sanjay Raut said yesterday.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai on that day later hit out at Maharashtra’s Opposition leaders, claiming that they had ‘lost their mental balance’.

The Panchamasalis, a subsection of the Lingayat community in Karnataka come under category 3B which has a 5 percent quota. They now want to be included under category 2A, in which they will get a share in the 15 percent reservation.

Notably, tensions are already prevailing in the border areas of Belagavi on the Maharashtra Karnataka border after members of the Maharastra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) and Nationalist Congress Party staged a protest on Monday demanding they be allowed into Belagavi.

However, Belagavi Police denied permission to MES to conduct its Maha Melava at the Vaccine Depot ground in Tilakwadi and clamped prohibited orders in Tilakwadi Police Station jurisdiction. It also imposed Section 144 in the area and heavy security was deployed at the site.

The border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka goes back to the implementation of the State Reorganization Act, of 1956. The then Maharashtra government had demanded the readjustment of its border with Karnataka.

Following this, a four-member committee was formed by both states. The Maharashtra government had expressed willingness to transfer 260 predominantly Kannada-speaking villages, but the proposal was turned down by Karnataka.

Both governments later approached the Supreme Court to expedite the matter. (ANI)

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Open Schools For Girls

Women Banned From Univs For Not Sticking To Dress Code: Taliban

Taliban-appointed Education Minister in Afghanistan on Thursday said Afghan women were banned from university ‘for not following dress code’ which has sparked a global backlash.

The continuation of co-education and lack of observation of hijab by students were among the reason cited by Taliban minister Neda Mohammad Nadim for banning Afghan women from university, TOLO news reported.

“The presence of women at dormitories and their arrival from provinces without male companions, lack of observation of hijab by students, the continuation of co-education male, and the existence of some faculties for girls that are in contrast with the Islamic law and Afghan pride,” TOLO news quoted Nadim as saying in Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA).

He added that “some reforms planned by the Islamic Emirate were not implemented in the higher education sector.”

On Wednesday, the UN mission in Afghanistan shared the outrage of millions of Afghans and the international community over the decision by the Taliban to close universities to female students across the country until further notice and called on the de facto authorities to immediately revoke the decision.

In a statement, the UN mission said the UN and its humanitarian partners also urge the de facto authorities to reopen girls’ schools beyond the sixth grade and end all measures preventing women and girls from participating fully in daily public life,” the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said.

“Banning women from attending university is a continuation of the systematic policies of targeted discrimination put in place by the Taliban against women,” the UNAMA statement read.

Since 15 August 2021, the de facto authorities have barred girls from attending secondary school, restricted women and girls’ freedom of movement, excluded women from most areas of the workforce, and banned women from using parks, gyms, and public bathhouses. These restrictions culminate with the confinement of Afghan women and girls to the four walls of their homes.

The UN mission argued that preventing half of the population from contributing meaningfully to society and the economy will prove devastating for the whole country. “It will expose Afghanistan to further international isolation, economic hardship, and suffering, impacting millions for years to come,” the statement said.

The UN estimates that restricting women from working can result in an economic loss of up to USD 1 billion – or up to five percent of the country’s GDP. The ban of women from universities, including female teachers and professors, will contribute to additional economic losses.

The UN mission said excluding women and girls from secondary and tertiary education not only denies them this right, it denies Afghan society as a whole the benefit of the contributions that women and girls have to offer. (ANI)

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Army To Buy 307 ATAGS Howitzers

₹85,000 Cr Cleared For Zorawar Tanks, Howitzers, Guided Bombs

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) of the defence ministry on Thursday accorded the approval for Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for 24 Capital Acquisition Proposals.

According to Defence officials, the proposals include six for the Indian Army, six for the Indian Air Force, 10 for the Indian Navy and two for the Indian Coast Guard for a total value of Rs 84,328 crore.

It is pertinent to mention that 21 proposals, worth Rs 82,127 crore (97.4 per cent), are approved for procurement from indigenous sources. This unprecedented initiative of DAC will not only modernise the Armed Forces but also provide a substantial boost to the defence industry to achieve the goal of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

The AoNs accorded will equip the Indian Army with platforms and equipment such as Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicles, Light Tanks and Mounted Gun Systems providing a quantum jump to the Indian Army’s operational preparedness. Proposals approved also include the procurement of Ballistic Helmets, with enhanced protection levels, for our soldiers, stated an official statement from Defence Ministry.

Approvals for procurement of Naval Anti-Ship Missiles, Multi-Purpose Vessels and High Endurance Autonomous Vehicles will further enhance maritime strength giving a boost to the Indian Navy’s capabilities.

Indian Air Force will be further strengthened with enhanced lethal capabilities by the induction of a new range of missile systems, Long Range Guided Bombs, Range Augmentation Kit for conventional bombs and advanced surveillance systems.

The procurement of Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Indian Coast Guard will enhance surveillance capability in the coastal areas to new heights. (ANI)

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