Cavalier India Defence Training Academy

Officials say efforts were made to speed up deal; dismiss CAATSA concerns The delivery schedule for the S-400 long range air defence systems was on track for the end of 2021 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior defence official said.  “The deal is on track and deliveries are expected to begin by November this year,” the official said.  Two officials independently stated that efforts were made to speed up the deal but the Russian side had conveyed this was not possible. Two official sources, also speaking independently, dismissed concerns over possible U.S. sanctions on the deal under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), stating this deal met national security considerations.  In October 2018, India had signed a $5.43 billion deal with Russia for five S-400 regiments despite objections from the U.S., with deliveries scheduled to begin end 2021.  U.S. officials on several occasions raised concerns over the deal as India deepened its d...

Indian Army will hold a recruitment rally at Morabadi, Ranchi from March 10. "The recruitment rally will be conducted for the youth belonging to all 24 districts of Jharkhand state. The candidate who pass in the rally will then undergo medical exam and written tests," the army has said. Indian Army will hold a recruitment rally at Morabadi, Ranchi from March 10. "The recruitment rally will be conducted for the youth belonging to all 24 districts of Jharkhand state. The candidate who pass in the rally will then undergo medical exam and written tests," the army has said. Candidates have been asked to follow COVID-19 protocol. Army Recruitment Rally will be organized for all 24 districts of Jharkhand at Morabadi, Ranchi, 10th March onwards. Kindly go through the notice for more info. Spread the word! #IndianArmy #Recruitment #OpportunityForAll @DefenceMinIndia @JharkhandCMO @HemantSorenJMM pic.twitter.com/zSB00D09NL — DC Ranchi (@DC_Ranchi) February 26, 2021 ...

India on Sunday extended a $50-million line of credit to the Maldives for defence projects and the two countries signed an agreement to develop and maintain a key naval facility for the armed forces of the Indian Ocean archipelago. The agreements for the defence line of credit and developing the harbour at Uthuru Thila Falhu naval base were signed on the second and final day of external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s visit to the Maldives. Five other agreements, including one for a $25-million line of credit for the development of roads, were signed on Saturday. The agreement between India’s EXIM Bank and the Maldivian government for the defence line of credit will facilitate capability building in the maritime domain, Jaishankar said without giving details. Jaishankar and Maldives defence minister Mariya Didi signed the agreement to “develop, support and maintain” the Coast Guard harbour in Uthuru Thila Falhu. The two ministers also reviewed various facets of defence and security coo...

OTA Chennai made arrangements for live streaming of passing out parade and Pipping Ceremony on DD Podhigai, DD Bharati and YouTube channels. 181 men and 49 women cadets graduated as officers at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) here on Saturday. A total of 15 men and five women cadets from friendly foreign countries also graduated on the occasion. Due to the present pandemic and precautions put in place to safeguard against the spread of COVID-19, parents were not invited to witness the event. 230 Officer Cadets passed out from Officers Training Academy(OTA), Chennai today. 20 Cadets from foreign nations also passed out. Lt Gen RP Singh GOC-in-C, Western Command reviewed the Passing Out Parade. @adgpi @SpokespersonMoD @drajaykumar_ias @DefenceMinIndia @PIB_India pic.twitter.com/v16kEDfDPa — Defence PRO Chennai (@Def_PRO_Chennai) November 21, 2020 However, OTA Chennai made arrangements for live streaming of passing out parade and Pipping Ceremony on DD Podhigai, DD Bharati and Y...

Rehabilitation process already delayed by six months due to COVID-19, they say. Leaders of the Mizoram Bru refugees have demanded commencement of their permanent rehabilitation in Tripura in the light of the quadripartite agreement signed in New Delhi in January. They made the demand during a meeting with Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar in the presence of the State’s royal scion and activist Pradyot Kishore Debbarman. “We have urged the Chief Secretary to start our settlement work within two weeks,” one of the Bru leaders told newsmen on Tuesday. He said the rehabilitation process was already delayed by six months due to the coronavirus (COVID-19). Mr. Debbarman, who played a key role in the signing of the pact, discussed the issue with Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb. He expressed displeasure over the delay in the rehabilitation work. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had presided over the signing of the accord by the MHA with the State governments of Mizoram, Tripura and the leaders of the r...

 The Supreme Court on Thursday extended, till December 31, the deadline for implementation of its verdict on grant of permanent commission (PC) to women SSC officers in the Indian Navy. SC extends grant of PC for women officers in Navy till Dec 31 The Supreme Court on Thursday extended, till December 31, the deadline for implementation of its verdict on grant of permanent commission (PC) to women SSC officers in the Indian Navy. A bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud, Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee passed the order on a civil contempt petition filed by five women officers, through advocate Pooja Dhar, as the officers concerned with the implementation of the March 17 verdict had not taken steps to comply with the directions issued by the court. The bench also asked the Centre to provide Rs 25 lakh compensation in four weeks to the five Naval women officers, who were not considered for the permanent commissions besides the pensionary benefits, which has already been given to them. T...

 The written test of the candidates, hailing from 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir and two districts of Ladakh, was conducted smoothly at various centres amid strict adherence of COVID-19 protocols. Aspirants appear in an entrance exam, conducted by Border Security Force (BSF) during a recruitment rally in the outskirts of Srinagar.   | Photo Credit:  PTI Around 30,000 candidates on Sunday participated in the written examination for recruitment in the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, a BSF spokesperson said. The written test of the candidates, hailing from 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir and two districts of Ladakh, was conducted smoothly at various centres amid strict adherence of COVID-19 protocols issued by the Centre and the two UT governments, he said. The spokesperson said a total of about 34,000 candidates, who have been declared qualified in physical Endurance...

(Representative image)   Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu and Kakinada MP Vanga Geetha on Sunday laid the foundation stone for the aircraft museum being developed by the Godavari Urban Development Authority (GUDA), exhibiting the decommissioned Indian Navy’s aircraft, TU-142 M, at the Kakinada beach park in East Godavari district. The Andhra Pradesh State Tourism Department was interested in developing the aircraft museum and obtained permission from the Indian Navy to shift the TU-142 M craft from INS Rajali Naval Air Station in Tamil Nadu State to Kakinada city by 2020. However, the museum project has been delayed owing to the COVID-19 lockdown. foundation stone for the aircraft museum The turboprop aircraft eqipped with four engines was decommissioned at INS Rajali Naval Air Station in March 2017 following 29 years of service in the Indian Navy. The aircraft’s key features were its top speed of 925 kmph and a combat range of 6,500 km, according to an official release issu...

  (Representative image) The Fleet Award Function is held every year to mark the resilience and perseverance of Indian Navy personnel appointed onboard ships of ‘Poorvi Beda’. Indian Navy organised the Fleet Award Function (FAF) at Visakhapatnam this year to mark the successful performance of the Operational Cycle of the Eastern Fleet on Friday, October 10. According to the reports, FAF 2020 was hosted by Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, NM Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, and the Chief Guest for the event was Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command (ENC). 16 trophies awarded The Fleet Award Function is held every year to mark the resilience and perseverance of Indian Navy personnel appointed onboard ships of ‘Poorvi Beda’ or colloquially called the ‘Sword Arm’ of ENC. At the event, the Fleet Operations Officer presented the Annual Report of activities and achievements of the Fleet for 01 Apr 19 to 31 Mar 20. India...

The United States Administration of President Donald Trump has unveiled a tightening of rules for immigration visas used widely by technology firms, claiming the new system would be better for American workers. The H-1B is a visa in the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act, section 101(a)(15)(H) that allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. A specialty occupation requires the application of specialized knowledge and a bachelor's degree or the equivalent of work experience. The duration of stay is three years, extendable to six years; after which the visa holder may need to reapply. The United States Administration of President Donald Trump has announced a tightening of rules for immigration visas used widely by the technology firms, claiming the ''new system would be better for American workers''. The Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday the new regulations for so-called H-1B visas for h...

 This exercise being conducted in the East Indian Ocean Region, reflects the growing strength of Indo-Australian bilateral relations as comprehensive strategic partners, particularly in defence cooperation in the maritime domain. The exercise would be conducted strictly as a 'non-contact activity' and would not involve any physical contact between the participating personnel of the two navies. (File photo: Reuters) The Indian Navy (IN) is scheduled to undertake a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in the East Indian Ocean Region (IOR) from 23 to 24 September, 2020. The exercise would involve participation of HMAS Hobart from the Australian side and Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri and Karmuk. In addition, an Indian MPA and helicopters from both sides would be participating in the exercise. The exercise, aimed at enhancing interoperability, improving understanding and imbibing best practices from each other, would involve advanced surface and anti-air exercise...

Context: Pakistan has resorted to its usual tactic of some high-profile actions in the run-up to the FATF plenary to create the impression that it was delivering on its counter-terror financing commitments.  It is again looking to China, Malaysia and Turkey to help it get off lightly for failing to fully implement an action plan to tackle terror funding when the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) assesses its case in October. Ahead of FATF’s working group and plenary meetings between October 18 and 23, the Asia-Pacific Group (APG), a regional affiliate of the multilateral watchdog, reviewed Pakistan’s actions to counter-terror financing and money laundering at a virtual meeting on September 15 and 16. Pakistan is unlikely to be moved from FATF’s grey list to the black list, despite mounting frustration among the watchdog’s members over its repeated failure to deliver on the action plan. At the virtual meeting, China expectedly backed Pakistan’s actions to counter-terror financing,...

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaks in the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament in New Delhi. (Image | The Hindu) It protects defaulting companies from insolvency proceedings for at least six months Context:      Both the houses of Parliament passed the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill, which provides that insolvency proceedings against defaulting companies will not be initiated for at least six months starting from March 25. Merits of the amendments to IBC IBC is not a recovery law -  The creditors, including MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), had several other options to recover their claims. The proposed amendments, brought in the form of an Ordinance on June 5, suspended the application of three provisions to prevent any company, stressed due to the COVID-19 situation, from being pushed into insolvency proceedings. A provision for further extension of six months has also been given. The initial six-m...

 According to an official release by the Ministry of Defence on Saturday “in order to make the proceedings transparent, women officers have been permitted to witness the proceedings as observers.” The women officers cannot be totally ruled out from the command assignments, a bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud, had observed. (File photo: IE) The proceedings to screen women officers to grant them Permanent Commission (PC) has commenced at the Special No 5 Selection Board. The specially-constituted board that is headed by a Senior General Officer, and which includes a woman officer of the rank of Brigadier, started its screening process at the Army Headquarters on Sept 14. According to an official release by the Ministry of Defence on Saturday “in order to make the proceedings transparent, women officers have been permitted to witness the proceedings as observers.” And, those women officers who qualify in the screening process will be granted Permanent Commission. This, however, w...

India had earmarked 200 military personnel, including 180 soldiers from an infantry battalion and observers from the IAF and the Navy, to take part in the exercise, Kavkaz-2020.    ( Representative image | Zee News) India on Saturday withdrew from a multilateral military exercise — Kavkaz-2020 — that was scheduled to be held in southern Russia next month as it did not want to perform drills with Chinese soldiers amid tensions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), ThePrint has learnt. The decision was taken after a high-level military and diplomatic meeting, sources in the defence and security establishment said.  India had planned to send 200 military personnel, including 180 soldiers from an infantry battalion and observers from the IAF and the Navy, to take part in the exercise, also known as Caucasus-20.   The exercise is to be held in the Astrakhan province of southern Russia between 15 and 27 September, and other participants include Pakistan, among other me...

Basin trials are conducted for proving of the propulsion, transmission and shafting systems which can be tested only out of waters. Basin Trials will be followed by the Sea Trials by end 2020, as per the sources. (File Photo | AFP) Major endeavour to manufacture Aircraft Carrier is heading for an important phase as the first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), INS Vikrant, is set to begin testing in waters (Basin Test) with its systems and equipment fitted. Sources in Navy confirmed to The New Indian Express that, “Harbour Trials have finished. The Basin Trials are planned for September.” Basin trials are conducted for proving of the propulsion (move), transmission (electricity) and shafting systems which can be tested only out of waters. India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant completes harbour trials https://t.co/JcnQt4Z8jm — Naval News (@navalnewsnet) August 25, 2020 It will be followed with sea trials by end of this year and IAC is expected to be inducted in...

Acquired from France, MICA is an all weather missile system available in both short and medium ranges. Represent ative Rafale-14  Image Amid a protracted stand-off along the LAC, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has accomplished a secret mission by conducting several rounds of air-to-air missiles that have recently been acquired from France and Russia from a frontline fighter aircraft off Odisha coast. Defence sources said anti-air multi-target MICA missile fired from Sukhoi-30 MKI for the first time successfully destroyed expendable aerial targets (EATs), demonstrating its stealth capabilities. Ahead of the planned integration with multi-role combat aircraft Rafale, the IAF test fired two rounds of Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile MICA on Monday and Tuesday. #WATCH : Five #Rafale jets in the Indian airspace, flanked by two Su-30MKIs (Source: Raksha Mantri's Office) pic.twitter.com/hCoybNQQOv — ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2020 The fighter aircraft took off from Kalaikunda airbase ...