Month: July 2024

The Sudarshan S-400 air defence missile system achieved a major success in a recent exercise where it ‘shot down’ 80 per cent of the ‘enemy’ fighter aircraft package while forcing others to retreat, aborting their missions.

The exercise was carried out by the Indian Air Force in a theatre where the force has deployed one of its squadrons of the long-range air defence missile system, defence sources told ANI.

The exercise was conducted by the Indian Air Force to showcase full integration of air defence missile system into the force, they said.

During the exercise, real fighter aircraft were flying to test the capabilities of the S-400 weapon system, now called Sudarshan by the Indian Air Force after the mighty Sudarshan chakra of Lord Krishan.

The Sudarshan, ‘locking on and targeting’ in simulated action, could ‘shoot down’ 80 per cent of the ‘enemy’ offensive package.

The other remaining aircraft aborted their mission which was to ‘attack’ their targets within Indian territory and were intercepted by the air defence system.

The Indian Air Force has now fully integrated the system, whose three squadrons have already been inducted and two more are expected to be supplied in 2026.

The Indian side has requested that Russia expedite the delivery of the systems. The Indian side, during a high-level visit to Russia, also requested the Russian side deliver the system.

India and Russia signed an over Rs 35,000 crore deal for five squadrons of S-400. The Indian Air Force, which recently received the indigenous MR-SAM and Akash missile systems as well as the Israeli Spyder quick reaction surface-to-air missile systems, believes the S-400 will be a game changer for it.

The Indian Defence Acquisition Council recently cleared the procurement of the Indian Long Range Surface Air Missile System under Project Kusha. The development came after the project was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security.

The Indian Air Force, which recently received the indigenous MR-SAM and Akash missile systems as well as the Israeli Spyder quick reaction surface-to-air missile systems, believes the S-400 will be a game changer for it.

The Indian Air Force has significantly improved its air defence capabilities in recent years.

Air defence systems have been deployed in a big way by the Chinese military across the Line of Actual Control, while India has also deployed its own systems in a big way there. (ANI)

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged “political discrimination” at the at the NITI Aayog meeting held in the national capital in Delhi stating that her microphone was muted and she was not allowed to speak for more than five minutes while other chief ministers were given more time.

“…I said you (central government) should not discriminate against state governments. I wanted to speak but my mic was muted. I was allowed to speak only for 5 minutes. People before me spoke for 10-20 minutes,” Banerjee told reporters after she stormed out of the NITI Aayog meeting today.

“I was the only one from the opposition who was participating but still, I was not allowed to speak. This is insulting…,” Banerjee said as she walked out mid way from the meeting.

Before leaving for Delhi today, the All India Trinamool Congress Chairman said, “I will protest against the political discrimination being done with Bengal in the Niti Aayog meeting. In the budget, the way they have discriminated against Bengal and the other opposition states, we can’t agree to that.”

The Trinamool supremo further stated that the BJP ministers and leaders’ attitude is such that they want to divide Bengal while also imposing economic and geographical blockades on the state.

“The attitude of their ministers and BJP leaders is such that they want to divide Bengal. Along with the economic blockade, they also want to impose a geographical blockade. The Minister said this while Parliament was in process. Different leaders are giving different statements to divide Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam, and Bengal. We strongly condemn this attitude,” she said.

She further said that dividing Bengal means dividing the nation and further mentioned that she will record her voice at the meeting and if they won’t let her, she will protest and leave the meeting.

“Divide Bengal means to divide our country, India. We want to record our voice in this situation, and I will be present there to do so. I will try to record my voice if they let me or else I will protest and come out,” she said.

Chief Ministers of opposition-led states who boycotted the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said that their government will boycott the NITI Aayog in protest against the central government’s alleged injustice to the state in the allocation of funds in the 2024 Union Budget. (ANI)

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The Indian Air Force (IAF) organised an inaugural performance of the IAF’s Agniveervayu Women’s drill team at India Gate on Friday.

The event was organised to commemorate the ‘Rajat Jayanti Vijay Diwas and to honour the soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces who laid down their lives during the Kargil War.

The team comprised 29 Agniveervayu.

Speaking on the occasion, Priyanka Sara, an Agniveervayu, from Jaipur said, “I enrolled for NCC during my schooling. I am an A certificate holder. My father works in Rajasthan State Transport Corporation and my mother is a homemaker. My Agniveervayu training is very unique. I am the first woman in my entire family to join the armed forces. I was inspired by the disciplined life of the armed forces. I was passionate about the uniform”.

“I am fond of all three forces but I am very passionate about the Indian Air Force,” she said.

Speaking on the training, she said, “The training of our drill team is related to a strict regime. Our main focus is to build physical and mental stamina. I am proud to be a part of this team”.

Earlier on Friday, PM Modi paid tribute to bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty in the 1999 Kargil War. The Prime Minister laid a wreath at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass, Ladakh, on the occasion of the 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas.

Kargil Vijay Diwas, observed annually on July 26, commemorates the success of Operation Vijay in 1999. During this conflict, Indian forces successfully reclaimed strategic positions in the Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir that had been infiltrated by Pakistani soldiers and terrorists. (ANI)

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The Supreme Court on Friday expressed grave concern over tonnes of untreated solid waste in Delhi and noted no concrete solution seemed to be in sight until 2027 to treat 11,000 tonnes of solid waste generated in the national capital every day.

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih directed the Centre to hold a meeting with the Delhi government and the MCD, including its commissioner, to discuss steps required to be taken to avoid an emergency situation.

Expressing concern over the untreated solid waste, the bench remarked, “It doesn’t see light at the end of the tunnel” when it comes to solid waste management in Delhi.”

The top court said that it is a “sorry state of affairs” in Delhi and that the situation could lead to a public health emergency.

The apex court further said that, going by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) affidavit and timelines, “there are no possibilities of adequate facilities in Delhi till 2027 to treat 11,000 metric tonnes of solid waste in Delhi.”

“No guesswork is needed that by then solid waste generated will multiply. It is a sorry state of affairs in the capital city and can lead to a public health emergency,” said the bench.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing on September 6.

The apex court was hearing a case relating to the deteriorating air quality in and around the national capital.

In May, the top court expressed concern over the generation of tonnes of untreated solid waste every day in Delhi and said it directly affects the fundamental right of the citizens under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution to live in a pollution-free environment.

Terming the situation where 3,800 tonnes of solid waste in Delhi go untreated every day as “horrible,” it had said that immediate measures should be undertaken to ensure that the quantity of untreated solid waste does not increase till proper facilities are put in place to treat them.

The bench had earlier noted it was an admitted position by all concerned that within the limits of the MCD, every day 3,800 metric tonnes of solid waste were generated, which cannot be treated as the existing plants do not have the capacity to treat them.

It had also said that it was “shocking” that over 3,000 tonnes of the 11,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste generated in Delhi every day were not processed. (ANI)

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Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced on Friday a 10 per cent quota and five-year age relaxation for Agniveers in uniform services.

Notably, the Odisha government on Thursday presented a Rs 2.65 lakh crore budget for the 2024-25 fiscal.

Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said that a provision of Rs 10,000 crore has been made in the Subhadra scheme. Adding to that, she said, “A list of 1 crore 50 lakh women has been prepared. An SOP will be made to decide who will get how much. Feedback will be taken from various sections of the society and the SOP will be finalised. The Prime Minister will come to Odisha on September 17 and the Subhadra scheme will be launched.”

Former Odisha BJP chief Samir Mohanty called the state budget “historic.” Adding to that, he said, “This is a people-oriented budget. Usually the election manifesto is a formality but for the BJP, our election manifesto was made after taking feedback from people. 65-70 per cent of Odisha are farmers. This is a budget benefiting them.”

Meanwhile, the general public and different organisations on Thursday met CM Mohan Charan Majhi at the State Guest House and congratulated him for presenting a development-oriented budget in the State Assembly.

Earlier, BJD MLA Pratap Dev launched a scathing attack against the Odisha government over the state budget, saying that there is nothing new in the budget.

He stated that the appalling thing is what they have propagated once they came into the government that they will look into the issues in new ways, but there is nothing new, the old schemes have been renamed. Prima facie, the government has tried to keep its poll promise and secondly, the last government’s agenda has been carbon copied.

Former Odisha CM and LoP Naveen Patnaik slammed the state budget, saying that it was the double-engine but double disappointment. (ANI)

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Makers of ‘Ghuspaithiya’ starring Urvashi Rautela, Akshay Oberoi and Vineet Kumar Singh, have unveiled the trailer of the film.

The film revolves around the dangers of the digital world and the numerous types of threats that come with it, such as stalking and obsession.

The film features Urvashi Rautela as an enthusiastic housewife obsessed with social media. The narrative centres around her fascination and its impacts, hinting at a deeper storyline with unexpected twists. Vineet Kumar Singh plays a determined cop, while Akshay Oberoi takes on the role of an intriguing stalker, setting the stage for a gripping chase and suspenseful encounters.

The trailer hints at the complex interplay between these characters, promising a thrilling cinematic experience.

Check out the trailer.

Vineet Kumar Singh shared about the film and said, “In our life, what used to happen earlier was that there used to be a door at home. People used to come in through the door. Now, the door is our phone. And through the phone, they come into our home. And they know so much that they spend their entire lives playing around. So, this film takes you to that world. And I found this very interesting. We have all seen the era of the digital revolution and the side effects of it.”

The film delves deeply into the complexity of contemporary digital dangers and their influence on our personal and professional lives. It also highlights social media’s side effect and the risks to trust and privacy.

‘Ghuspaithiya’ is directed by Susi Ganeshan and produced by M Ramesh Reddy, Jyotika Shenoy and Manjari Susi Ganeshan.

The film will be released on August 9. (ANI)

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Over 5 crore Income Tax Returns (ITRs) for the assessment year 2024-25 have already been filed till Friday, July 26, this year, compared to July 27 last year, the Income Tax India said. 

In a post on the social media platform X, the Income Tax India expressed gratitude to taxpayers and tax professionals, and urged taxpayers to file their ITRs to avoid the last-minute rush. 

“We express our gratitude to the taxpayers and tax professionals for helping us reach the milestone of 5 crore Income Tax Returns (ITRs). Over 5 crore ITRs for AY 2024-25 have already been filed till 26th of July this year as compared to 27th of July last year,” the Income Tax India said in its post. 

“We urge all those who haven’t filed ITR for AY 2024-25, to file their ITR at the earliest to avoid last-minute rush,” it added. 

The last date for filing ITR for AY 2024-25 is July 31, 2024. 

“Kind Attention Taxpayers! Do remember to file your ITR if you haven’t filed yet. The due date to file ITR for AY 2024-25 is 31st July, 2024,” Income Tax India said in another post on X. (ANI) 

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Israel’s Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, has said that relations between two nations are good on all fronts. He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel in 2017 and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to India in 2018, calling the visits “game changer” for ties between the two nations.

PM Modi travelled to Israel in July 2017 and it was the first time that an Indian PM visited Israel. Later in January 2018, Netanyahu arrived in India for a five-day visit. PM Modi received him at the airport and the two leaders warmly greeted each other.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, he called people-to-people ties the secret ingredient for relations between Israel and India. Gilon talked about Israelis visiting India after their military service ended.

When asked about strengthening ties between India and Israel, Gilon said, “There is something, there is a secret ingredient that I did not fully understand. There is something very special between the people. It is the people-to-people that is the secret. Somehow, as I said both in service in Israel, India became the comparative one, India became the first place in popularity among Israelis and Israelis for years have been coming here for full emergent visits after the military service for six seven eight months. So, you know for years.”

Naor Gilon spoke about Jews living in India for 2,500 years. Speaking about Jews living in India, Gilon said, “Jews lived here for 2,500 years. Now, I saw a stone that was found here, a graveyard stone of 800 years ago something like that. In India, Jews lived here. They were Indians, they are Indian Jains and Indian Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Jews. It is part of being an Indian. It is part of that you have your religion, enjoy that as much as you want. So, in general, I think there is something very interesting. Famous Jews along the years like General Jacob and like the Sassoon family for example in Mumbai that is. Until to date some of their charities worked, schools, hospitals, libraries are still there and foundation is still there.”

Highlighting the ties between India and Israel, he said, “Jews here are part and parcel and then came here First World War and Indians were part of the Anglo-Indian army which liberated…from the Turks, what 30 years later became Israel. So, there is a lot in the past and then somehow there is something maybe because Israel was, not like Ambassador Carmona, I will not go into details, I would say assisting India from the 60s on the defence side, cooperating…that came here and 26/11.”

Notably, India and Israel are strategic partners and the bilateral ties between the two nations are warm and forward-looking, according to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). In 2022-23, the two countries jointly celebrated 30 years of the elevation of bilateral ties to full diplomatic relations.

He called PM Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar big supporters of Israel and noted that the two leaders know that people are supportive of their policies. Stressing that India is a growing power, he said that New Delhi is coveted by many nations today.

Naor Gilon said, “Each one has its own reason, why he likes Israel and India and but most like this is the interesting thing and this is also a nurturing environment for a politician who is also pro-Israel like Prime Minister Modi, Dr Jaishankar and all the group. I think they are big supporters of Israel and when they know that the public is also supporting their policy, it’s an easy shot and the relations between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Prime Minister Modi…”

“Prime Minister Modi was the first Prime Indian Minister to visit Israel in 2017 and a few months later 2018, Netanyahu visited here. So, I think that was a game changer for our relations. The relations are very, very good on all fronts and again, you know, your relations are good with many countries. India is a growing power, super power maybe, already definition that people here don’t like to make, to go into but India is a very important power, size of population, economy, everything geostrategically and India is coveted by many countries today,” he added.

Notably, PM Modi was one of the first world leaders to condemn Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. However, India has also called for a complete ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. India has also put its weight behind the ‘two-state solution’ to the long-running Israel-Palestine conflict. (ANI)

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The Indian contingent in the Parade of Nations in the Paris Olympics opening ceremony will have 78 athletes and officials from 12 disciplines, whose teams are in France. The opening ceremony will be held on Friday at 11 pm (IST).

Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha and Chef-de-Mission Gagan Narang have given top priority to athletes in the composition of the contingent in the Parade of Nations.

All athletes who made themselves available will be part of the parade. Many players will be in action in different competitions on Saturday and IOA has been respectful of their decision to prioritise preparation and not take part in the opening ceremony.

Star shuttler PV Sindhu and seasoned table tennis star Sharath Kamal will be the flagbearers for India in the opening ceremony.

Both stars will become the first athletes from their respective sports to be India’s flag-bearers at such a big event.

Before the opening day, India has already made its mark at the Paris Olympics. India’s men’s and women’s archery teams directly qualified for the quarter-final in the respective events.

India named 117 athletes in the contingent for the Paris Olympics. India will be getting their first shot at a medal during the mixed team air rifle medal matches scheduled for July 27 at the National Shooting Centre in Chateauroux.

Two Indian teams, Sandeep Singh/Elavenil Valarivan and Arjun Babuta/Ramita Jindal, will be competing in this event. Manu Bhaker will compete in two individual pistol events and the 10 m air pistol mixed team competition as well.

Prominent athletes from the 12 disciplines:

Archery: Deepika Kumari and Tarundeep Rai.

Badminton: PV Sindhu

Boxing: Lovlina Borgohain

Equestrian: Anush Agarwalla

Golf: Shubhankar Sharma

Hockey: Krishan Pathak, Nilakanta Sharma and Jugraj Singh

Judo: Tulika Mann

Sailing: Vishnu Saravanan and Nethra Kumanan

Shooting: Anjum Moudgil, Sift Kaur Samra, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Anish.

Swimming: Srihari Nataraj and Dhinidhi Desinghu

Table Tennis: Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra

Tennis: Rohan Bopanna, Sumit Nagal and Sriram Balaji. (ANI)

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Late actor Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor’s daughter Riddhima Kapoor Sahni turned muse for designer Isha Jajodia on Day 2 of India Couture Week in the national capital.

Riddhima walked the ramp on Thursday in an exquisite ivory lehenga. She was all smiles as she glided down the runway in Isha’s ensemble. Her husband Bharat and daughter Samara were seated in the audience and watched Riddhima taking centre stage with her grace.

Taking to Instagram, Bharat dropped a video from the show and wrote, “Wifey making couture week look (fire emojis).”

Riddhima also received a shout-out from her mom and veteran actress Neetu Kapoor.

Neetu took to her Instagram account and shared a glimpse of Riddhima’s ramp walk and captioned the clip as “My gorgeousness walks for Roseroom by Isha Jajodia.”

This is not the first time when Riddhima hit the runway. In 2022, she walked at London Fashion Week for British fashion designer Helen Anthony.

Like her younger brother and versatile actor Ranbir Kapoor, Riddhima did not follow in the footsteps of their parents. She opted to work as a jewellery designer instead.

She also enjoys a huge fan following. Earlier this year, she came along with Ranbir and Neetu at ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’. Interestingly, in the coming months, she will also be seen in the third season of Netflix’s Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives. The third season will be called ‘Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Lives’. (ANI)

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