Month: January 2022

After a long journey of 69 years, Air India is set to be officially handed over to Tata Group on Thursday. Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekhar is in Delhi to witness the formal transfer, sources told ANI.
“Officially Air India hands over to Tata Group today in the afternoon. Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran will be in the ministries for the official handover process,” a senior government official said.

A formal announcement from the Tata Group regarding the official handover process will be made today.

Maharaja is the official mascot of Air India which operates globally apart from domestic operations. According to the available data in 2020, “Air India operates around 101 destinations including 57 domestic operations including 33 countries on four continents around the world.”

Aviation experts say that Air India is carrying a substantial number of latest aircraft in its fleet from both Airbus and Boeing which is Air India’s strength.

Air India code share with Star Alliance and operates a total of 172 wide and narrow body aircraft with Air India Express globally including domestic operations.

Recently Vinod Hejmadi, Director Finance, Air India in an email to employees and said, “Air India disinvestment has been decided to take place on January 27, 2022. Closing balance sheet on Jan 20 is to be provided today, January 24 so that it can be reviewed by Tata and any changes can be made on Wednesday.” (ANI)

One man and a woman were injured after a drone fell on them during the Republic Day celebrations in Jabalpur district on Wednesday.

“Both of them sustained head injuries when a drone fell on them,” said a person present on the spot to ANI.
Both patients are currently stable.

A doctor present at the spot said to ANI, “Both persons were hit by a drone. They were hospitalised to the Mahakaushal Hospital. They are in a stable condition and can talk. Dressing is being done and a CT Scan will be done as well. They will be kept in observation for 24 hours.” (ANI)

India is set to deepen its ties with Central Asian countries at the first of its kind India-Central Asia summit hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday where the key focus other than security and the Afghanistan issue will be trade and connectivity, development partnership, culture and people to people contacts.

Head of states of Central Asian countries will join the summit virtually. India has very close bilateral ties with several countries of Central Asia. India-Kazakhstan trade is highest in the Central Asian region.
The highest trade in the Central Asian region is between India and Kazakhstan (USD 1.9 bn in 2020-21); majorly oil imports.

Kazakhstan is a strategic partner with 8,000 strong Indian communities including 5,000 medical students. Kazakh’s first president Nazarbayev to India; PM visited Kazakhstan in 2015 and 2017

Both countries also implemented unique experiment in UN peacekeeping. Kazakh troops are participating as part of the Indian battalion in UNIFIL. The 6th rotation currently going on and there is also regular joint military exercise KAZIND.

India also shares warm relations with the Kyrgyz Republic. There are six visits of Kyrgyz Presidents to India. PM Modi visited the Kyrgyz Republic in 2015 and 2019.

Former Kyrgyz President Jeenbekov attended PM Modi’s swearing-in in May 2019.

There are 5 telemedicine centres established by India in the Kyrgyz Republic. Both countries also hold annual joint military exercises Khanjar.

Relations with Tajikistan are no different. There have been six visits by President Rahman to India. The PM visited in 2015. Both nations have strong cooperation in defence. There is also the India-Tajik Friendship Hospital.

India and Tajikistan share very similar positions on Afghanistan.

With strategic partner Uzbekistan, there is good cooperation between the country’s Andijan region and Gujarat. Bilateral trade stands around USD 300 mln.

There is also India-Uzbek-Iran trilateral Working Group on Chabahar. Line of credit USD 1 billion was extended in 2018; 4 projects worth USD 450 mln were approved.

There are several projects under High Impact Community Development under implementation.

Indian universities like Sharda, Amity and Sambhroom are setting up campuses in Uzbekistan.

Setting up of medical units and centres like Medanta, USD 50 mln worth investment by Cadila in setting up a pharmaceutical plant are also being done.

Entrepreneurship Development Centre set up by India in 2019 shows the robust ties between the two countries.

A look at India’s relationship with Turkmenistan shows 3 visits by Turkmen Presidents to India. The PM visited in 2015.

First Yoga and Traditional Medicine centre was established in Central Asia in Ashgabat in 2015. India established IT Centre in 2011 and an Industrial Training Centre in 2002. (ANI)

Ahead of the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with Jat leaders in the national capital on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan, BJP MP Satyapal Singh and Parvesh Verma. Western Uttar Pradesh BJP leaders Mohit Beniwal and Captain Abhimanyu were also present at the meeting. More than 200 Jat leaders were called in this meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had held meetings with Jat leaders before the elections in 2014 and 2017. Before the first phase of polling to be held in Uttar Pradesh on February 10, today’s meeting of Shah with Jat leaders is considered important.

The contest in Western Uttar Pradesh has become very challenging for BJP especially after Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) formed an alliance. In today’s meeting, many Jat leaders from different areas of western Uttar Pradesh have participated.

BJP has so far announced the names of 204 candidates for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. These include around 80 OBC leaders and more than one and a half dozen Jat candidates. Similarly, RLD has fielded more than 10 Jat leaders in its list of 33 candidates.

Today’s meeting also carries significance as after the 13-month-long farmers’ agitation, it is believed that the Jat community in western Uttar Pradesh is angry with the current BJP government. The meeting can be seen as an effort to quell the resentment among the Jat community against BJP. However, the BJP leaders are categorically denying that Jat leaders are angry against the party.

BJP MP from Baghpat, Satyapal Singh said that no Jat leader or member of the Jat community is angry with the party. “Such a meeting is not being held for the first time. Before this, meetings with the Brahmin community and other sections of society have been held. Every section of the society will make the Bharatiya Janata Party alliance win,” Singh said.

On SP-RLD coalition, Satyapal Singh said, “There is no support base of SP and RLD on the ground.”

Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan, known to be one of the biggest leaders of the Jat community in western Uttar Pradesh, said that today’s meeting is on the agenda of the elections. He said the meeting was supposed to be held earlier but could not be held due to the COVID situation.

On the resentment of the farmers of the Jat belt, Sanjeev Balyan said, “This perception is created before the elections but in the elections, Jats always vote for the BJP. Jats have always voted for the BJP. They voted for BJP in 2014, 2017 and in 2019. I hope that this time also Jats will vote for BJP. Nobody wants Akhilesh Yadav to become the chief minister in Uttar Pradesh.”

Elections for the 403 Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases starting February 10. The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, and March 3 and 7 in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the demise of noted Kathakali dancer Milena Salvini on Wednesday.

Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister said, “Ms Milena Salvini will be remembered for her passion towards Indian culture. She made numerous efforts to further popularise Kathakali across France. I am anguished by her passing away. My thoughts are with her family and well-wishers. May her soul rest in peace.”

Kathakali patron Padma Shri Milena Salvini passed away on Wednesday. Salvini is a French national who had a great contribution in popularising the glory of Kerela’s traditional dance form Kathakali in Western countries.

She was conferred with Padma Shri in 2019 by the Government of India for her contribution to the field of performing arts. (ANI)

An encounter has broken out between security forces and terrorists at Check Nowgam area of Shopian district in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.

The police said that the two terrorists are trapped.
“Encounter has started at Check Nowgam area of Shopian. Police and security forces are alert. Further details shall follow,” Kashmir Zone Police said in a tweet.

Further details are awaited. (ANI)

After being conferred with the Padma Shri award, singer Sonu Nigam expressed his happiness.

He issued a statement in which he shared that he would like to dedicate the award to his late mother Shobha Nigam.
“January 25 was a rather special day for me and my family. I’m very thankful to the Government of India for thinking of me as a deserving candidate and bestowing me the Padma Shri. My heartfelt thanks to all those who selected me and suggested my name for this prestigious honour. I would also like to thank my mother, Shobha Nigam, and my father, Agam Kumar Nigam. In fact, I want to dedicate this award to my mother. Had she been here today, she would have cried a lot,” Sonu said.

The ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ singer also thanked his gurus for teaching him the valuable lessons of music.

“I would also take this opportunity to fold my hands before my gurus who have taught me so much. Whatever I know today is because of them and their blessings. Watching and listening to them has been a learning experience for me. My sincere gratitude to my friends and colleagues who have been a part of my journey, and my family who is my pillar of support,” the statement concluded.

Born on July 30, 1973, in Faridabad, Haryana, Sonu is not just a brilliant singer but also a noted music director. Though he predominantly worked in Hindi and Kannada language films, he has also sung in Odia, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Nepali, Malayalam, Kannada, Bhojpuri and other Indian languages.

Some of the hits that the singer has given include ‘Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin’, ‘Mai Agar Kahoon’, ‘Hans Mat Pagli’, ‘Do Pal’ and ‘Sandese Aate Hai’. (ANI)

Northwest and Central India, including Madhya Pradesh, will continue to face cold weather during the next three to four days, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Regions like Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha are likely to experience isolated rainfall in the next 24 hours.
Cold day conditions over Northwest India and Madhya Pradesh will persist during the next two days and abate thereafter.

Cold day to severe cold day conditions prevailed in isolated pockets over Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi and West Madhya Pradesh and cold day conditions in isolated pockets over Uttarakhand, East Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, East Rajasthan, Vidarbha and Gujarat, observed IMD.

Fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall is very likely over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim on 26th and isolated rainfall on 27th and 28th January.

Isolated light rainfall is likely over Andaman and Nicobar Islands during the next five days.

IMD in its forecast has also warned of lung related health impacts.

“Dense fog contains particulate matter and other pollutants and in case exposed it gets lodged in the lungs, clogging them and decreasing their functional capacity which increases episodes of wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath,” IMD said. (ANI)

The first woman fighter pilot on the Rafale combat aircraft, Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh was a part of the Indian Air Force (IAF) tableau during the parade of 73rd Republic Day on Wednesday.

During the showcase, Singh was present on the tableau as the fighter pilot of Rafale Aircraft.
Notably, Singh is the only second woman fighter jet pilot to ever be part of the IAF tableau.

Singh, who hails from Varanasi, was flying MiG-21 Bison before being inducted into the Golden Arrows squadron of the IAF. She joined the force in 2017.

The IAF was the first force to have allowed women officers in combat and has the highest percentage of female officers.

The tableau of the Indian Air Force at the Republic Day parade displayed the theme ‘Indian Air Force Transforming for the Future’.

The tableau showcased the scaled-down models of MiG-21, Gnat, Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), Aslesha radar, and Rafale aircraft.

The MiG-21s strike worked as the final trigger to capitulate the adversary and bring about a decisive victory in the 1971 war.

Gnat, the first indigenous aircraft, armed with 30 mm Aden guns and rockets. Gnat, also known as ‘Sabre Slayer; was considered to be the best aircraft to take on an enemy aircraft in a dog fight.

The indigenously developed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) is capable of high altitude operations and is armed with Dhruvastra anti-tank guided missile.

Aslesha MK-1 is a three-dimensional Low-Level Light Weight and multi-beam ground-based 3D Surveillance Radar. It is deployed in diverse terrains and has the capability to detect and track heterogeneous air targets, including helicopters, fighters, and UAVs at low and medium altitudes.

GSAT 7A is a Geostationary satellite; it enhances IAF’s Network Centric Warfare capabilities by interlinking all ground-based Radars, airbases, Airborne Early Warning, and Control Radars for detecting aircraft and vessels.

Rafale with its advanced technology, equipped with a wide range of weapons is a game-changer to attain air supremacy. (ANI)

Border Security Force (BSF) Inspector General (IG) of South Bengal Frontier Anurag Garg on Tuesday said that the Indo-Bangladesh border has become a major challenge for the force due to lack of fencing.

“Bengal is a vast area. South Bengal border runs from Sundarban to Malda. Although we have tried to fence the border, but due to lack of land, we are unable to do so,” Garg said while speaking exclusively to ANI.
He said that for fencing, an area of 150 metres is required to be free. “There are villages along the border. As we know 150 metres of the area is needed to be free but this does not happen here. It’s difficult to understand who is Bengali and who is Bangladeshi. Even Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) is concerned about drugs,” Garg said.

When asked if here were talks with the state government over the issue of land for fencing, the IG said, “In some areas, fencing is not possible. We are trying to obtain land as it is under the state government. There has been no obstruction from them. It’s a challenge even for the state government as people living there do not allow the land to be taken.”

Regarding the sezure of fake licences of vehicles, Garg said it has become a concern when they enter the border area, so the BSF is now checking the licence of goods vehicles that move to and fro from the border area.

“We have caught many vehicles with fake licenses and reported the names to the police to register an FIR,” he said. (ANI)