By Isabella Kwai from NYT World https://ift.tt/VYcerRs
They Were Given IUDs as Children Without Their Consent. Now, They Want Compensation.
By Isabella Kwai from NYT World https://ift.tt/VYcerRs
Will Remain Deployed Till Full Disengagement Takes Place At LAC: IAF Chief
The IAF's operational plans are very dynamic and it will deal with challenges along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) through better tactics and training in places where it cannot counter the "numbers or the might of the adversary", Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said on Tuesday, amid the lingering border row with China in eastern Ladakh.
The Chief of Air Staff, addressing a press conference ahead of the Air Force Day on October 8, asserted that the IAF will continue to remain deployed along the frontier in the region till complete disengagement takes place in the remaining contested areas.
To a question on China's rapid expansion of military infrastructure and enhancing deployment of air assets along the LAC, he said the IAF is constantly monitoring the situation across the borders through ISR (Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) mechanisms.
"We make note of the build-up of resources and capabilities across the borders. Our operational plans are very dynamic and keep changing based on the situation that we perceive that is developing across any front," he said.
"So in places where we cannot really counter the numbers or the might of the adversary, we will counter it through better tactics and through better training," he said.
The Air Chief Marshal said the IAF does not have a fixed mindset in terms of the deployment of assets in key areas along the LAC.
"Our focus will remain to be dynamic at all times and not have a fixed mindset in terms of deployment of assets in particular areas. But we have very very flexible and dynamic war plans which we keep revising every now and then based on the ISR inputs that we get," he said.
The Chief of Air Staff said the IAF is in the process of deploying mountain radars to improve surveillance along the borders.
"The situation continues to remain what it was in the last one year. There have been disengagements in certain contested areas. But complete disengagement has not yet taken place," he said when asked about the ground situation along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.
"We will continue to remain deployed till complete disengagement takes place," he said.
Giving details of steps being taken to bolster the Indian Air Force's operational prowess, he said a contract to procure 97 Tejas Mark 1A aircraft at a cost of around Rs 1.15 lakh crore will be concluded soon.
In February 2021, Defence Ministry sealed a Rs 48,000-crore deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to procure 83 such jets.
Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said the IAF is looking at inducting military platforms, equipment and defence hardware worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore to Rs 3 lakh crore in the next seven-eight years.
Answering a question, Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said that the IAF received three units of S-400 missile systems from Russia and it is hoping to receive the remaining two by next year.
The Chief of Air Staff described the Indo-Pacific region as the "new economic and strategic centre of gravity" of the world that offers both challenges and opportunities.
"The Indian Air Force with its inherent capability to see the farthest, reach the fastest and hit the hardest will be critical in mitigating these challenges and will remain a fulcrum in projecting India's might in the region," he said.
"Owing to the volatile and uncertain geopolitical landscape in our region, the need to have a strong and credible military has become an imperative," he said.
The Chief of Air Staff said modern warfare is constantly undergoing a transformation due to rapid advancements in technology and that his force has embarked on a journey of transformation and is progressing in a planned and systematic manner.
"Our focus is on force multipliers in the form of AI (artificial intelligence)-based decision tools, electronic warfare equipment, robust networks and harnessing space and cyber capabilities.
"While adding newer and more potent equipment, platforms and weapons to our arsenal, we are also committed to Atmanirbhar Bharat and are contributing extensively towards enhancing indigenisation and defence production, fast-paced development and operationalisation of indigenous aerospace projects," he said.
Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said persistent surveillance capability, sharpening of sensor-to-shooter time, long-range precision weapons and development of multi-domain capability are the main focus areas of the IAF.
"We have recently witnessed the induction of the first C-295 aircraft. The project is an important milestone in boosting our defence industry and will contribute immensely," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Chandrababu Naidu Son, Wife Observe Hunger Strike To Protest His Arrest
Telugu Desam Party's general secretary Nara Lokesh was joined by supporters on Monday as he observed a hungre strike in Delhi to protest the arrest of his father and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu. Mr Naidu's wife Nara Bhuvaneshwari also joined the hunger strike but in Andhra Pradesh's Rajamahendravaram.
The Naidu family and party workers and MPs held the hunger strike from 10 am to 5 pm.
"Great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela went to jail for the principles they trusted, while Chandrababu Naidu was jailed for launching the Skill Development project to provide employment fo the jobless," said Nara Lokesh, addressing the media after ending his fast.
According to the TDP general secretary, as many as 2.15 lakh young men and women were trained under this programme - 80,000 were placed through the programme.
Terming the TDP chief's arrest a political vendetta, Nara Lokesh said the Supreme Court will take up Mr Naidu's quash petition on Tuesday and based on the court's decision, the party will announce its future course of action.
Chandrababu Naidu was arrested on September 9 for allegedly misappropriating funds from the Skill Development Corporation, which resulted in a purported loss of over Rs 300 crore to the state exchequer.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
A Ukrainian group works to encourage reporting Russian abuses beyond physical violence.
By Maria Varenikova from NYT World https://ift.tt/VnKXATh
"Just Clicking Pictures": Telangana Minister Slams Swachh Bharat Events
Telangana Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao (KTR), while participating in the launch of silt carting vehicles under the Dalit Bandhu scheme in Hyderabad, hit out at the Swachh Bharat Mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
BRS Minister KTR said, "On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, today some leaders are sitting in Delhi and giving slogans of Swachh Bharat, Swachh this and Swachh that. But there won't be much work related to it. There will be only programs for clicking pictures and remembering Gandhiji here and there for namesake."
"However, keeping Gandhi's views of Swachta in mind, we have taken up Swachh Telangana," he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier on Friday called upon people across the country to take part in a cleanliness drive on October 1 beginning at 10 am and said that Swachh Bharat is a shared responsibility, and every effort counts.
The Prime Minister himself also participated in the Swachh Bharat campaign and met social media sensation Ankit Baiyanpuriya, who had started a 75-day hard challenge to imbibe the culture of fitness among the youth.
They discussed fitness and cleanliness as they participated in the Swachh Bharat initiative, a video released by PM Modi on his X timeline showed.
“Today, as the nation focuses on Swachhata, Ankit Baiyanpuriya and I did the same! Beyond just cleanliness, we blended fitness and well-being also into the mix. It is all about that Swachh and Swasth Bharat vibe!” the video captioned.
PM Modi said Swachh Bharat is the collective responsibility of all citizens of the country and that public participation is very important in this direction. He had asked everyone to take an hour on Sunday at 10 am to maintain cleanliness and help build a brighter future for the country.
Leaders from across the country took part in the 'Shramdaan for Cleanliness' program as part of the 'Swachhata Hi Seva' campaign on October 1.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
BJP Caused Split In 2 Parties Started By "Marathi People": MP Supriya Sule
Nationalist Congress Party leader Supriya Sule on Sunday claimed the Bharatiya Janata Party engineered splits in two political parties started by "Marathi people".
"Balasaheb Thackeray and Sharad Pawar started their own political parties, and they received the love and support of the Marathi people. They both have roots here in Maharashtra, and their umbilical cord is with the state's people. The BJP engineered split in both the parties," Ms Sule said.
The NCP broke up into two factions on July 2 after Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde government.
The Shiv Sena split in June last year after Eknath Shinde rebelled against then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
The "same invisible hand in Delhi", an apparent reference to the BJP central leadership, caused losses to these two political parties, said Ms Sule, who is Lok Sabha MP from Baramati and also working president of the faction headed by Sharad Pawar.
Attacking the BJP further, she said the party demoted the person who was chief minister of the state for five years. Devendra Fadnavis, who headed the government in Maharashtra between 2014 and 2019, was made deputy CM under Mr Shinde by the BJP.
Without naming Mr Fadnavis, the NCP leader said the former was further "demoted" after he was made to share the post of deputy CM. On July 2, Ajit Pawar became the second deputy CM in the Shinde government.
Ms Sule claimed investments were leaving Maharashtra and said it was a deliberate attempt to reduce the importance of the state and weaken it.
She, however, clarified she was not against any state.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Ajay Maken Appointed As Congress' New Treasurer
The Congress on Sunday appointed its senior leader Ajay Maken as the new treasurer, replacing Pawan Kumar Bansal.
Ajay Maken is considered a close confidant of Rahul Gandhi and was without any post ever since he resigned as Congress general secretary in charge of Rajasthan a few months ago.
"The Congress president has appointed Ajay Maken as the treasurer of the All India Congress Committee, with immediate effect," party general secretary K C Venugopal said in a statement.
"The party appreciates the contribution of the outgoing treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal," the statement further said.
Sources add that Mr Bansal, who was a permanent invitee to the CWC prior to his appointment as treasurer, was again made a permanent invitee by Kharge while equating him with many juniors in the party.
They add that the office of treasurer was "undermined" in the working committee, the highest decision-making body of the grand old party, while appointing him as a permanent invitee to the CWC.
Mr Bansal was appointed as interim treasurer after the demise of Ahmed Patel. He held the position for almost three years.
Ajay Maken thanked the Congress leadership for his new assignment and said he would perform his new role with honesty and dedication as a custodian of their contributions.
In a post on social media site X, he said, "I am currently in Raipur attending the screening committee meeting. I have been informed of my appointment as the treasurer of Congress. This is indeed a significant responsibility." "I wish to extend my gratitude to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former Congress presidents Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, and general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal for placing their trust in me.
"I assure both my leaders and the workers of our party that as a custodian of their contributions, I will work with the utmost diligence, honesty, and dedication," Ajay Maken added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
