Cavalier India Defence Training Academy

The Delhi High Court has admitted a PIL on the constitutional legitimacy of limiting recruitment to the President's Body Guard (PBG) to only three select castes. The HC directive came on Wednesday after Haryana resident Gaurav Yadav pleaded to annul the selection to the presidential guards conducted on in September 2017. The petitioner pointed out that only candidates from three castes - Sikhs, Rajputs and Jats were eligible under the existing selection process. Yadav contended that he fulfils all recruitment parameters except the caste. Admitting the PIL, the bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Sanjeev Narula sought a response from the central government and the Chief of the Army Staff. "The recruitment criteria so formulated and followed contains an arbitrary classification which is based on caste and henceforth, it being in the nature of class legislation, stands in complete violation of Article 14 of the Constitution of India," the petitioner said. The exclusion of can...

The controversy involving veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has taken an ugly turn as Pakistan Prime Minister cited his recent statement to take a dig at India over intolerance against Muslims. The comment has left many in the country’s political circle red-faced. While BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Sunday (December 23) sharply hit out against Khan and asked Pakistan to not teach humanity to India, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi asked Khan sahab to learn something from India’s inclusive politics and minority rights. In a post on micro-blogging site Twitter, Owasi said: According to the Pakistani Constitution, only a Muslim is qualified to be President. India has seen multiple Presidents from oppressed communities. It is high time Khan sahab learns something from us about inclusive politics and minority rights. On Saturday, Imran Khan cited the actor's recent statement on rising mob violence and intolerance to take a dig at Modi government. Khan said intolerance was the r...

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing a multi mission maritime aircraft (MMMA) for the Indian Coast Guard, The New Indian Express has reported. This aircraft will reportedly be deployed to prevent intrusion into Indian waters by unidentified vessels. It will be weaponised to prevent unwanted intruders and will keep an eye on dumping of oil and pollution. “Development of the specialised surveillance vehicle is under process,” Former Chairman of DRDO, S Christopher said while speaking on ‘growth of Indian airborne surveillance systems’ at the first webinar organised as part of Aero India 2019. “The MMMA will play a key role in sea surveillance of surface ships and boats,” he said. After the induction of the first version of Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) into Indian Armed Forces, six bigger versions of aircraft are being developed. DRDO has been at the forefront of developing technologies in the defence domain. “Active Electronically Scanned Arr...

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch India's newest military satellite,  GSAT-7A, into orbit on 19 December. The satellite will be carried by the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-F11 (GSLV-F11) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The GSLV-F-11/GSAT-7A mission marks ISRO's 35th communication satellite and the 13th flight of the GSLV rocket to orbit. The rocket's third stage cryogenic engines were successfully assembled at the launch pad on Saturday. GSAT-7A satellite: All you need to know :: GSAT-7A is ISRO's 35th communications satellite built exclusively for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army. The satellite will expand the communication capabilities of the IAF in different ways. First, GSAT-7A will allow cross-connectivity between different ground radar stations, airbases and Airborne early warning and control (AWACS) aircraft like the Beriev A-50 Phalcon and DRDO AEW&CS. The satellite w...

India and Russia agreed to extend bilateral cooperation on defence joint-venture (JV) manufacturing projects on Thursday (December 13) at the 18th meeting of the India-Russia Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC). The meeting was co-chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Russian counterpart General Sergei Shoigu. With regards to the framework of Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’, the minister discussed a wide range of issues related to defence equipment, industry and technological engagement between India and Russia. Both ministers expressed satisfaction citing dynamism and progress in bilateral defence cooperation. Intensive discussions were held on joint manufacturing projects, including the Kamov-226T helicopters, naval frigates and projects related to land systems. The two countries also agreed to take forward inter-governmental arrangements for facilitating joint manufacturing of spares for Russian origin equipment in Ind...

The Indian Navy's ambitious coastal battery project at Sagar Island in the Bay of Bengal has been back on track as a land of 11 acres has been identified in the delta region and the land acquisition process is underway though the project's concept and shape have been changed from a permanent to a temporary one and from static to mobile. This was informed by Naval Officer-in-Charge (West Bengal) Commodore Suprobho K De on Monday. "The coastal battery project was never closed in principle. It is still underway. Progress about the project became a bit slow earlier somehow. The entire concept is now about having a temporary and mobile infrastructure for firing missles. It is now conceived as a mobile coastal battery," he said at INS Netaji Subhas in Hastings on the eve of the Navy Day celebrations. Commodore De elaborated, "We were looking for a land of around 11 acres to set up a naval base from where Brahmos missles can be fired. The land has been identified. The p...

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has invited applications from serving officers of the three services already working with it for permanent absorption as civilian officials into its Defence Research and Development Cadre (DRDS). In a letter dated November 28, the DRDO said, “…service officers in DRDO as well as Permanently Seconded (PS) service officers are eligible for consideration for permanent absorption in civilian capacity in DRDS cadre of DRDO. The officers after absorption in DRDS, will be governed by the DRDS rules as amended from time to time and other rules as applicable to defence civilian employees of the government.” The deadline for submitting applications is December 20, after which a committee would shortlist eligible officers based on their research experience to the equivalent ranks and research aptitude, among other criteria. There are two ways serving officers are sent to the DRDO — on a fixed tenure, after which they go back to their servic...