India, Israel to Come Together for Joint Missile Development for Army

Prior to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's likely visit to Israel in June, India has approved a ₹17,000-crore deal.to jointly develop a medium range surface-to-air missile (MR-SAM) system for the Army.

This is the latest in a series of other variants of SAM systems for the Navy and the Air Force being jointly developed with Israeli help under deals estimated at billions of dollars.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by Mr. Modi, at a meeting on Wednesday, gave the go-ahead for the deal to be executed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI).

According to a source, Mr. Modi is likely to visit Israel in June, and preparations were on in both countries.

The deal is for 200 missiles for five regiments, each getting 40 units. The missile has a range of 50-70 km.

“The system will be based on the older Barak system of Israel, which is in use in India. It is being changed as per requirements,” a defence source said on Thursday.

The systems will be manufactured in India and would have an 80% indigenous content.

The DRDO would play a crucial role in developing the target homing system. Deliveries would begin in 2023, a source said.

The two countries are also in an advanced stage of negotiations for the purchase of two more long-range Phalcon Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS). The CCS had approved the deal for additional AWACS last year that is expected to cost ₹7,500 crore.




Report: The Hindu

POLITICS | US President Donald Trump to Talk to PM Modi Over the Phone Today

Newly inaugurated President of the United States will speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone today, according to reports from the White House.

The telephonic meet is scheduled at 1 p.m. Washington DC time, which according to IST is 11:30 p.m.

With this, Mr. Modi will be the fifth foreign leader the U.S President would have spoken with over the phone after being sworn in to presidency on January 20.

Also, Mr. Modi was among the first few world leaders to have congratulated Mr. Trump on his victory in the presidential polls.

During his election campaign, Mr. Trump, in an address to Indian- Americans in Edison, New jersey, had said, "Under a Trump administration, we are going to become even better friends. In fact, I would take the term better out, and we would be best friends."

"We are going to have a phenomenal future together," he had added.

Darjeeling Schoolgirls to be Awarded National Bravery Award for Busting Human Trafficking Racket

Representational Image

17 year old Shivani Gond and 18 year old Tejasweeta Pradhan will find themselves being honoured with national bravery awards next week by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The two schoolgirls from West Bengal's Darjeeling district will receive the honours for helping the police in busting a cross- border human trafficking racket, which ultimately led to the arrest of suspects in the cases of girls missing from both India and Nepal.

Shivani and Tejasweeta have been credited for "showing exemplary courage" when acting as decoys to win the trust of traffickers, leading the police to finally catch them red- handed. 

The girls reportedly befriended the traffickers on Facebook in May 2016. They then engaged in telephonic conversations with the traffickers, spending days to win their trust. Eventually, they convinced the traffickers that they were willing to run away from home, following which they ultimately led them to the police.

According to government data, there had been a 52.8 percent increase in the number of minor girls "procured" and a 35.4 percent increase in the number of girls sold in 2015 as compared to the previous year. 

Besides, West Bengal happens to be among the top three states for traffickers to indulge in luring young girls from poor families,  offering them promises of good jobs. Instead, they force them into the sex trade or into domestic servitude, campaigners say. 

In similar manner, the traffickers also targeted Shivani and Tejasweeta, unaware of the fact that the girls were part of an operation jointly organised by police and non-profit organisation Mankind in Action for Rural Growth.

"When we spoke to them, they very openly told us that we would be required to meet the sexual needs of our guests," Shivani Gond told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"They asked to see our photographs, to make sure we were pretty girls. I was a little scared but we did everything they asked us to because we had to gain their trust."

Tejasweeta Pradhan's mother, Kamlesh Rai, a school teacher, said, "I was hesitant at first, but then I realised that it was our only shot to get the traffickers."

The first breakthrough had come to the police with the arrest of a woman who had travelled to New Jalpaiguri to pick up the girls. her arrest led the police to a missing girl from Nepal, as well as  to a trafficking gang and a  wanted suspect in New Delhi.

The National Bravery Awards are annually given to around 25 children between the ages of 6 and 18. The recipients, selected from across India, are given a medal, certificate and a cash prize, besides financial assistance to complete their schooling.

While children have won awards for foiling robberies, fighting off armed intruders, rescuing people from drowning, saving lives in a stampede and putting out fires, this happens to be the first time that an award will be given regarding a human trafficking case.

Manmohan Singh Hits Out At Note- Ban Yet Again

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday has pointed out at how India’s economy has gone from bad to worse following the government’s demonetisation move, before further stating that the worst is yet to come. 

Addressing members in a Congress party convention in Delhi, Singh – who also happens to be a noted economist – countered Prime Minister Narendra Modi by quoting that the latter's claims of a robust economy are “hollow”.

“The demonetisation move was disastrous. It hurt the country but the worst is yet to come,” he predicted before the Congress workers who had gathered at the Jan Vedna Sammelan.

It is to be noted that Manmohan Singh is credited as the man responsible for implementing reforms and transforming India’s economy as finance minister in the early 90s, and had, in November, foretold that demonetisation will shave two percentage points off India’s GDP.

Reiterating the claim, he said that almost all rating agencies had pared down growth estimates from 7.6% to 7% and as low as 6.3%.

“As a consequence, employment in fall in agriculture and informal sector, which contributes 45% to the national income,” Singh said.