Cavalier India Defence Training Academy

Amended Bill target political opponents, minorities, say Opposition MP The Lok Sabha passed the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020 on Monday even as the Opposition raised concerns that the legislation may be used to target political opponents and religious minorities. Nityanand Rai Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, who introduced the Bill on behalf of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, defended making Aadhaar a mandatory identification document for all the office bearers of an NGO or an association seeking foreign donations. He said the 2018 Supreme Court order allowed the government to make a separate law in areas where Aadhar card is required. “A law can be brought to make Aadhar mandatory. Why some functionaries can hide their identity,” Mr. Rai asked. Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) attacked the government on limiting administrative expenses drawn from foreign donations to 20% as against the current 50%. “How have you reached this magic ...

Two of the three contentious Farm Bills have been passed. What do they seek to achieve on paper, and what are the fears of those protesting? A look at differing perspectives, and where this could lead to. Farmers protesting against Farm Bills (Image | The Asian Age) On Sunday, Rajya Sabha passed two of the three farm reforms Bills that have seen widespread protests in recent weeks, particularly in Haryana and Punjab , where the ruling BJP has lost its ally Shiromani Akali Dal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated that farmers will benefit from the changes, first mentioned as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package. The Bills replaced three ordinances promulgated earlier. What do the Bills do? The first thing to do is to simplify the names of these ordinances as agriculture economist Sudha Narayanan (of the IGIDR) has done. So, think of... “The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020” as the APMC Bypass Ordinance .  Treat “The E...

Aircraft carrier INS Viraat had served the Indian Navy for 30 years before being decommissioned. It had served in the UK's Royal Navy as HMS Hermes and named INS Viraat after being inducted in the Indian Navy. (Representative image) Decommissioned aircraft carrier INS Viraat today set sail for the last time, on way to Alang in Gujarat, where it will be broken down and sold as scrap. For Navy veterans who watched the huge vessel being towed by tug boats, there was a lump in the throat as they bade it an emotional farewell from the Gateway of India. Former navy ship Viraat began its final journey from the Naval dockyard where it was berthed after being decommissioned in March 2017. A Navy helicopter circling overhead provided a majestic backdrop to Viraat's last voyage from its home base for over three decades. A Defence spokesperson said 'Viraat' was to leave for Alang on Friday, but its departure was delayed by a day. The vessel had served the Indian Navy for 30 years...

 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...

Ahead of finalising new goals to protect biodiversity in next 10 years (2021-30), the UN Convention on Biological Diversity on Tuesday released its fifth Global Biodiversity Outlook report showing how none of the 20 agreed conservation targets of the past 10 years could be fully met by the word - a case which will further complicate the global biodiversity crisis.  Experts believe that such crisis may push the world towards more disasters like Covid-19 pandemic, a zoonotic disease transmitted between animals and humans, massive wildfires and water crisis if the countries don't accept the growing scientific consensus over an ambitious new target of protecting at least 30% of the planet by 2030 – popularly known as 30x30 target – under the UN Convention . Blaming human pressure on resources and unsustainable policies where $500 Billion value of government subsidies potentially cause environmental harm across the globe, the report underlined that the world would now require more...

 Between January and September, the Indian Navy, along with environment group Green Yatra, developed Mumbai’s largest dense plantation to date by using the Miyawaki technique INS Hamla site in Mumbai, Malad, after the makeover.(Green Yatra/Indian Navy) A 2,500 square (sq) metres (m), or 0.6-acre, of barren patch in Malad in Mumbai has transformed into a mini urban forest with seven to nine feet (ft) trees in less than nine months. Between January and September, the Indian Navy, along with environment group Green Yatra, developed Mumbai’s largest dense plantation to date by using the Miyawaki technique (see box) on a plot in front of the main campus of Indian Navy Station (INS) at Hamla in Marve-Malad. Forests grown under the Miyawaki method – developed by Japanese botanist and plant ecology expert Dr. Akira Miyawaki – have improved carbon-dioxide absorption, have reduced noise and dust , and added more green surface area, as compared to monoculture plantation. Plants grow 10 times ...

Amid the ongoing tensions over transgressions by the Chinese in Eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army is keeping its formidable Bofors howitzers ready for operations.  Indian Army’s Bofors Gun | Representyative image In a visit to the maintenance facilities for the Bofors guns in Ladakh, ANI could see the effort with which the engineers of the force are servicing and maintaining the 155mm Bofors gun in Ladakh.  The Bofors gun, which was inducted into the regiment of artillery in the mid-1980s, is capable of firing both in low and high angles will be deployed in Ladakh once they will be serviced.  In Ladakh, Army Engineers were seen servicing one such Bofors gun which they said that it will be ready to roar in a few days. According to the officials, the gun required periodical servicing and maintenance to keep roaring for which technicians have been deployed to keep it in working.  Bofors was instrumental in winning many battles of Operation Vijay was displayed in Dras in J...