FIR delay no ground to junk rape survivor's testimony: High court | India News

NAGPUR: The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court has emphasised that a rape survivor‘s testimony should not be dismissed based on delay, acknowledging the societal challenges people face in reporting sexual assaults. The court’s remarks came while rejecting a man’s plea to overturn the life sentence handed down by a trial court for the rape of his minor daughter under the Pocso Act.
“In our conservative society, people go on the back foot when it comes to lodging a sexual assault complaint due to its repercussions,” a division bench comprising Justice Vinay Joshi and Justice Valmiki Menezes said in a recent judgment. The court refused to quash the life sentence, saying: “One can imagine the mental condition of the survivor when the protector and head of the family is the culprit.”
Despite the FIR being lodged five days after the crime on April 6, 2018, the court recognised the circumstances of the case involving rape by the girl’s father.
The convict, a labourer currently incarcerated in Nagpur central jail, challenged the trial court’s verdict, arguing that the girl’s mother and sister did not support her accusation.

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Anti-collision system on Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Kolkata trains by March 2025 | India News

NEW DELHI: The two busiest railway routes – Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah – will be fully equipped with the anti-train collision system, Kavach, by March 2025 while an AI-based sensor system named “Gajraj” will be deployed on 700 km track across states in the next 7-8 months to prevent elephant deaths in rail accidents.
Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the AI-based intrusion detection system to prevent accidents, involving elephants, has been commissioned as a pilot project over a section of 60 to 70 kms by the Northeast Frontier Railway.”This is 99.5% error-free and works on pressure waves. This helps in detecting elephant movements near tracks, which helps the loco pilot to control his speed at least 200 metres before the point where the animal is crossing,” he said.
The Gajraj system is built to use the existing OFC cables as sensors to identify elephant movements near railway tracks and alert locations to station masters, loco pilots and control offices. A real-time alarm is generated when a movement is detected.
The minister said the another 700 km of rail network will be covered under the Gajraj system across Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu. This will cost around Rs 181 crore.
As per government data, 200 elephants died in the last 10 years in India and the majority of them were from West Bengal and Assam. On the progress of Kavach, Vaishnaw said so far 1,659 km of railway line has been covered and an additional 500 km will be covered by March next year. In the next three years, at least 5,000 km will be covered.
Railway ministry officials said the Kavach system is in the process of getting the Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL) certificate for the additional route targeted to be covered by March 2024. This is the highest level of safety standards in which the possibility of error is the least.
Vaishnaw said that the Indian Railways aims to increase its Kavach installation capacity from 1,500 to 2,500 annually.

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Tunnel Collapsed: 'Silkyara tunnel collapsed 20 times in past 5 years' | India News

Dehradun/Lucknow: The partial collapse of the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarkashi on November 12, which resulted in the entrapment of 41 workers on the Silkyara side for 17 days before their successful rescue on Tuesday, was not an isolated event.
In fact, the 4.5 km-long two-lane bidirectional tunnel, the longest on the Char Dham all-weather road project, had encountered a series of similar incidents in the past five years.Anshu Manish Khalkho, director (admin & finance) of the National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), the PSU overseeing the project, told TOI on Thursday, “Around 19-20 minor to medium-level collapses occurred during the construction of the tunnel.”

Terming the collapses as “normal”, Khalko said, “Such incidents happen during every tunnel construction project but we were unlucky this time that workers got trapped.”

The collapses, also referred to as ‘cavities’, occurred on both the Silkyara side and the Barkot end of the tunnel, Khalkho said, adding that “more collapses occurred on the Barkot side than the Silkyara side”. He further said that an area of 160 to 260 meters (also called chainage) inside the mouth of the tunnel from Silkyara end was identified as a ‘red zone’ or a ‘shear zone’ having brittle rocks. “Additional protective measures will be taken to reinforce the area,” said Khalkho.

WATCH: 41 rescued workers from Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel arrive at Delhi Airport

Another official connected with the tunnel construction, preferring to remain anonymous, said that “the tunnel had faced numerous cavity collapses due to the challenging geology of the region and significant rock deformation”.
Notably, Bernard Gruppe, an European company that is providing design services to Navayuga Engineering, the construction firm that has got the contract for the tunnel construction, had earlier said that “geological conditions (at the tunnel site) proved to be more challenging than predicted in the tender documents”.

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Elections trigger filing of 'fraught' cases, says CJI | India News

NEW DELHI: Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud on Thursday termed the litigation over appointment of the chief secretary of Delhi as ‘fraught’ and said that as elections draw closer the courts become a site for political engagements and filing of ‘fraught’ cases tend to increase.
Speaking at the Constitution Day celebration function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association, CJI Chandrachud said, “On Wednesday, I had to deal with a fraught case…where Dr A M Singhvi was on one side and the solicitor general of India was on the other side. After the conclusion of arguments, I told my colleagues (on the bench) – let us dictate the judgment on the spot as that lends a degree of transparency.
“As I was dictating the judgment, I saw a very interesting sight. The SG walked up to Dr Singhvi and both were involved in a chat to their heart’s content. For a moment, I thought they were joking about me. I thought they were saying – ‘Why is this CJI dictating such a lengthy judgment’. They may as well be talking about what food they had for lunch or may be (cracking) a joke on the judges. That is the nature of our profession” the CJI said.
When contacted, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said, “Since the judgment was being dictated after the conclusion of arguments, I went to Singhvi to talk about mundane things in life which had nothing concerning the judges, the case nor the court. We talked about pens and some Urdu shayari.” Mehta, a connoisseur of expensive and rare pens, is known for his shayari-based repartee.
Importantly, the CJI said that the Supreme Court as well as other courts deal with ‘fraught’ or hightly contested cases on a daily basis. “Some courts may have more than their share of such fraught cases. When elections come, the number of fraught cases tend to increase in the courts. We as Judges realise this. After elections, things settle down,” he said.
Recalling the grit, determination and resolve of Cornelia Sorabjee to enter legal profession in the late 19th century after she was denied entry to the bar at Bombay and forcing her to appear for pleader examination in Allahabad, the CJI said he was happy to find that a large number of women advocates are practicing in the Supreme Court and other courts as the legal profession has become inclusive to assimilate persons from different genders, castes, and regions.

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Kota Student: Another NEET aspirant hangs self, 26th this year | India News

JAIPUR: Another NEET aspirant hanged herself from the ceiling fan of her hostel room in Kota on Wednesday night, making it the second student suicide in the coaching hub of Rajasthan this week and the 26th student suicide this year.
Nisha Yadav (22) from Auraiya in Uttar Pradesh had been preparing for the medical entrance examination in Kota for the past six months and was staying in a private hostel in the Mahavir Nagar area.
Her father Avshan Singh, who arrived Thursday, told the media that his daughter wasn’t under stress or feeling the pressure of doing well in academics. “She was performing quite well. She was intelligent and willingly came to Kota for coaching in May. She had also visited home 4-5 times. She came back to Kota after the Diwali break on November 18.
There was no apparent stress, but she was experiencing some sort of headache,” he said. On Wednesday night, Nisha had a video call with her family members. Around 1am, her mother called her again, but she didn’t answer. When repeated calls went unanswered, Nisha’s mother contacted the hostel warden and requested her to check on her daughter.
The warden went to Nisha’s room, which was locked from inside. When Nisha did not respond to knocking, the warden contacted the hostel owner, who reached the spot and informed the police.

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Top French honours for senior woman scientist of Isro | India News

NEW DELHI: Felicitating an Isro scientistFrance has conferred its top civilian award on senior space scientist Dr V R Lalithambika for boosting space cooperation between the two countries. French ambassador Thierry Mathou honoured Lalithambika, former director, Directorate of the Human Spaceflight Programme of Isro with Legion of Honor.
A specialist in advanced launch vehicle technology, Lalithambika has worked extensively on various Isro rockets, especially PSLV.
“I am delighted to confer the Chevalier of the Legion d’Honneur on Dr V R Lalithambika, a distinguished scientist and a trailblazer in space technology. Her expertise, accomplishments and tireless efforts have scripted a new ambitious chapter in the long history of the Indo-French space partnership,” ambassador Mathou said in a statement. In 2018, as director of the Human Spaceflight Programme, she coordinated closely with the French National Space Agency (CNES) for the Gaganyaan project.
Lalithambika played a key role in the signing of the first joint agreement for cooperation between the Indian space agency and its French counterpart on human spaceflight, under which the two countries could exchange specialists to work on space medicine.
Receiving the award, Lalithambika said: “I sincerely hope that this honour being bestowed on me will spur more and more women to take up STEM careers and to excel in their chosen fields.”
Lalithambika coordinated with CNES for the signing of a second pact between France and India on the Indian astronaut programme during the visit of the former French foreign affairs minister to Isro. As per the pact, CNES would train India’s flight physicians and CAPCOM mission control teams in France at the CADMOS centre for the development of microgravity applications and space operations at CNES in Toulouse and at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne.
“Dr Lalithambika is an inspiration to the next generation of scientists not only in Toulouse but also in India, where she promoted inclusivity by enabling the recruitment of civilians, including women, to participate in the future of the Indian astronaut programme,” a French Embassy statement read.

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26% of 25.5 lakh applicants for minority scholarship bogus | India News

NEW DELHI: A scrutiny of the 25.5 lakh applicants verified by states for minority scholarship scheme of the ministry of minority affairs for 202223 threw up a shocking reality over 6.7 lakh applicants were found to be nonexistent when Aadhaarbased biometric authentication was carried out, pointing to a scam involving fake beneficiaries.
The scrutiny also revealed that out of over 1 lakh institutional nodal officers (INO) and same number of heads of institutions (HoI) who were responsible for verification of applications, 5,422 INOs and 4,834 HoIs were found missing during the biometric authentication exercise.
Finally, a total of 18.8 lakh applicants could be verified by the ministryled drive, including 6.2 lakh applicants who had applied for renewal of scholarship. According to ministry officials, the scrutiny showed that only under the renewal category in 202223, 30% applicants were found to be bogus. In 202122, the ministry had received 30 lakh applications of which 9.1 lakh were for renewal.
The scholarship is given with the approval and due certification of the nodal minority official at the district level after verification by the institutional nodal official. The money is given through direct benefit transfer into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
The findings on missing beneficiaries, nodal officers and heads of institutions will be shared by the ministry of minority affairs with CBI, which is already probing allegations of serious irregularities in minority scholarships.

TOI had earlier reported how a scrutiny of 1,572 minority institutions from 21 states, registered on the national scholarship portal, had revealed that 830 of them had fake beneficiaries, prompting the ministry to hand over the probe to CBI. Nearly Rs 145 crore as scholarships across various categories were doled out to beneficiaries registered by these institutions between 201718 and 202122.
The scrutiny by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) unearthed a multistate scholarship scam. The ministry handed over the case of alleged diversion of public funds to CBI in July but continued with the scrutiny of the database and undertook bioauthentication under a special drive to verify the genuineness of the applicants for 202223.
During the first phase of the drive to scrutinise 25.5 lakh applicants verified by states, 19.8 lakh applicants did their biometricauthentication and remaining 5.7 lakh were found missing.
In a followup round of verification at the level of institutional nodal officers and district and state nodal officers, the number of verified applicants came down further to 18.8 lakh.
There are 1.8 lakh institutions ranging from madrasas to top notch private and government academic institutions which are registered on the scholarship portal for minority students. The amount of minority scholarship ranges from from Rs 4000 to Rs 25,000 annually. The ministry releases over Rs 2000 crore for the scholarships annually.

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Exit Polls: Exit polls split on Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, give Congress edge in Chhattisgarh, Telangana | India News

Exit polls on Thursday disagreed on the outcome of the assembly polls in three of the five states while broadly agreeing that the Congress had the edge in Telangana and Chhattisgarh. The divergence was mainly on Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and to a lesser extent on Mizoram.
If the results on Sunday mirror what the polls are projecting — a big if going by past experience — this round of polls, billed as a semifinal by many, would leave both sides with enough to claim they have the momentum in the run-up to Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

Of the six polls analysed here (Times Now-ETG, India Today-My Axis India, Dainik Bhaskar, Republic Matrize, ABP-C Voter, News24-Today’s Chanakya), two gave BJP a decisive mandate in Madhya Pradesh, one suggested that BJP would win a simple majority, another that Congress would win a simple majority and two others put Congress slightly ahead in a close race that could throw up the possibility of a hung assembly.

On Rajasthan, two of the polls gave BJP a clear majority, one gave Congress a majority and the rest projected a much closer race. Even among these, two put BJP ahead and one, Congress.

Mizoram staring at first hung House: Exit polls
On Telangana, all polls agreed that Congress was in pole position, though in some cases the lower end of the range of seats projected could leave the party tantalisingly short of a majority. If the polls prove right, BRS would be out of office in the state for the first time since its creation a decade ago.

Similarly, in Chhattisgarh, all polls put Congress ahead, albeit in a tighter race than may have been anticipated just months ago. Only one poll, by Today’s Chanakya for News24, gave a clear mandate to Congress in the 90-member assembly.

In Mizoram, the polls disagreed on whether the Mizo National Front (MNF) or Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) was ahead in the race to form the government, but all agreed that Congress was third in the race. Only one of the polls, India Today-My Axis India, gave a clear mandate, to ZPM in the 40-member House. Should the results bring a hung House, it would be a first for the state.

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Sharon Stone calls Ranveer Singh an 'all-rounder creative genius' as he gets honoured at the Red Sea International Film Festival - See photos | Hindi Movie News

Ranveer Singh was recently honoured at the Red Sea International Festival in Jeddah. The actor received the award by the hands of the gorgeous and talented Sharon Stone.
Before calling the Bollywoodactor on stage and presenting him with the award, Sharon said, “I have had the exciting pleasure of meeting Ranveer Singh before. What a great guy! He is truly an all-rounder creative genius.It gives me genuine great pleasure to welcome him to the stage to receive yet another prestigious award.”

After receiving the award, Ranveer thanked his fans for all the love. He said, “I want to thank my beautiful fans the most. They have been my driving force. They inspire me to push my limits and strive for greatness, to find that moment of truth that is invaluable.”

Shocking! ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’s Randhawa mansion turns into a crime scene, 55-year-old gets murdered at the Noida property

This year’s jury lineup was announced previously. It included Swedish-American actor Joel Kinnaman (of Suicide Squad); Freida Pinto (of Slumdog Millionaire); Egyptian actor Amina Khalil and Spain’s Paz Vega.
Ranveer Singh was last seen in Karan Johar’s Rocky and Rani Kii Prem Kahani alongside Alia Bhatt. He will be next seen in Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again. The film also has Ranveer’s wife-actor Deepika Padukone alongside Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff and Kareena Kapoor. The first-look posters from the film were recently shared, one by one, by the makers.

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English Vinglish, rural UP style, from a doughty 'Dehati Madam' | India News

LUCKNOW: English Vinglish – rural Uttar Pradesh style. Yashodha Lodhi (29) is a YouTuber with nearly 2.9 lakh subscribers and 2.6 crore views. Her USP? Teaching spoken English. Lodhi, a resident of SirathuKaushambi ticks no boxes metropolitan types would assume needs ticking to teach English.
Her elocution won’t pass muster in a city private school, and her life is textbook of rural misfortune – given away as a girl child to a relative by her parents, patchy schooling till class 12, married to a daily wager, who was robbed temporarily off his earning capacity by an accident, family saddled with a bank loan that paid for her husband’s medical care.But this doughty, self-taught young woman, thanks to her 368 instruction videos, all shot with her ghunghat in place, has thousands of loyal followers. And although she’s a relative newbie, having started in May last year, she brings in around Rs 25,000 a month for her family, a sum that means a great deal more in rural UP than in cities.
Lodhi also has a great sense of branding. Embracing her social reality and using it as a pull, she calls her YouTube channel ‘English With Dehati Madam’.
Madam has a keen understanding of pedagogic fundamentals. Her videos have titles like ‘How to create an English-speaking environment’, ‘Is grammar important?’, ‘Idiom…cut to the chase’, ‘Mistakes. Have a fear of making mistakes’.
In one of her videos ‘How to think in English’, Lodhi says the issue for many people is that they don’t think in English before speaking it, so “fluency gets lost in translation”. She then explains how she mastered the art of ‘thinking in English’.
“You must develop the habit of reading books, it’s the key for fluency in English. After this video, I’m 100% sure that your inclination for reading will substantially grow,” Lodhi tells her ‘students’. Often, her lessons are from a slice of life. ‘Conversation between two neighbours’ and some are made for just fun, like ‘My lovely sasu maa celebrating Diwali’.
Lodhi’s income has helped pay the bank loan, and it supplements her husband Radhey’s income. Radhey’s accident and the financial shock that came with it were the triggers for Lodhi’s YouTube venture.
She started with channels on desi cooking, embroidery and decoration. “None worked out,” she says. Not one to give up, she spent hours on the internet learning about content creation, video editing and ways to gain online traction.
“In early 2022, I came across several motivational speakers fluent in English, which gave me the idea to be a motivational ‘dehati’ speaker who can communicate in English. So, I taught myself English and used my dehati identity to gain viewership”.
Her one regret? Few in her own village, Dhumai Lodhan Ka Purvaseem interested. She only has a handful of local followers.
“In my village, women laugh watching me speak English. They neither have any interest in learning the language, or in letting their daughters learn it”.
She’s had more impact at home. “My sisters-in-law are interested in learning the language,” she says.
As family role models go, Yashodha Lodhi is a tough act to beat.

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Shah Rukh Khan sports a stylish hair-do as he gets snapped at the airport; patiently waits for security check - WATCH video | Hindi Movie News

Shah Rukh Khan stepped out looking all dapper in an all-black outfit. The superstar sported a stylish hair-do and cool shades as he got snapped at the Mumbai airport.
Watch the video here:

As some fellow passengers recognized him and expressed their excitement with squeals, SRK smiled and waved at some of his admirers. Meanwhile, members of the media repeatedly called out to him for a quick pose.

During the security check, he and his manager Pooja Dadlani smiled, cooperated with the security personnel, and presented all the necessary documents before being granted entry to the airport premises, just like any ordinary individuals.

Bribery case involving Shah Rukh Khan and Aryan Khan: Bombay HC extends Sameer Wankhede’s interim protection from arrest

Videos of SRK’s discreet entrance to the airport quickly circulated on social media, earning praise for both the superstar and the diligent security officials on duty for their disciplined behavior. While one wrote, ‘love you khaan sahab(sic)’, another one added, ‘Dang.. look at this man….uff. His swag is something different and can we take a moment to say how amazing his hair looks. Long hair suits him so damn well(sic)’.

Meanwhile, SRK is awaiting the release of his third movie of the year, ‘Dunk‘. It marks his first collaboration with filmmaker Raj Kumar Hirani. The film also stars Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal in lead roles. It is slated to hit the theatres on December 22 where it will lock horns with Prabhas starrer ‘Salaar’ at the box office.

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Will the 3 hour-21 minutes run time of Ranbir Kapoor starrer 'Animal' affect its business at the box office? Trade experts discuss | Hindi Movie News

The run time of Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Animal‘ has raised concerns in the exhibition sector as it is anticipated to impact business by approximately twenty percent. Some exhibitors noted that while the film is expected to have the biggest opening for a Ranbir Kapoorfilm, accommodating more shows for ‘Animal,’ which is likely to open at Rs 35 crore, will be affected.Single screens can only have four shows, and multiplexes will also have fewer shows.
Trade analyst Atul Mohan stated, “In the spotlight this week is the release of Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Animal,’ boasting a runtime of 3 hours and 22 minutes. Concerns arise regarding potential impacts on show frequency due to extended ad durations. ‘Animal’s’ A certificate and initial reactions hint at possible hesitations among family audiences also. But despite all this, ‘Animal’ is all set to become the highest opener for Ranbir in the range around 35-40 crore.”

While historic Hindi cinema featured celebrated lengthy films like ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ (3 hours 8 minutes), ‘Sholay’ (3 hours 18 minutes), and ‘Lagaan’ (3 hours 44 minutes), along with ‘Hum Aapke Hai Koun!’ and others, times have evolved, reshaping audience preferences in entertainment consumption. In an era where shorter formats gain traction, it remains to be seen how ‘Animal’s’ duration influences its reception at the box office.

Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Animal’ mints Rs 6.40 crore in advance booking; actor opens up on film’s duration saying, ‘we are not arrogant…’

While Mohan expresses concern over the duration of ‘Animal,’ Girish Wankhede has a different take on it. He said, “The length will never make much of a difference because if the film is good, people will come, and they will enjoy it. Now it is not a new practice to have a film with a length of more than three and a half hours. Recently, ‘The Killers of the Flower Moon’ and even ‘Openheimer’ and ‘Napoleon,’ these are bigger films, and they are doing well. In the early olden days, from ‘Mera Naam Joker,’ which used to have two intervals to films of Raj Kapoor and even Sooraj Barjatya. They used to be with a bigger length. So if the film has that much intensity and engagement for the audience, people will not complain. If the length is more than three hours, still people in this time also will enjoy it because it has a certain star potential. It has got huge star value, performers, performers, and then even the film has got great excitement because of it still. So I think it should not be any hindrance. Yes, the number of shows will decrease because of the length of the film, but as we are opening the film at 9 AM show now, some of the multiplexes are even starting the shows as early as 8 AM, and it won’t be surprising if we are Saturday and Sunday with the demand if we do the shows in the night as well. So it was one opportunity which we could not escape because of the length of the film. It’s an opportunity in disguise, so we should make the most of it.”

Also See: Best Hindi Movies of 2023 | Top 20 Hindi Movies of 2023 | Latest Hindi Movies

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Defence Ministry: Ministry of defence nod for projects worth over 2 lakh crore | India News

NEW DELHI: The defence ministry on Thursday gave the preliminary approval for capital acquisition proposals worth Rs 2.23 lakh crore, including the procurement of 97 more Tejas fighters and 156 Prachand light combat helicopters as well as an upgrade of 84 existing Sukhoi-30MKI jets, in a hugely significant boost for indigenous defence production.
The Rajnath Singh-led defence acquisitions council also accorded the acceptance of necessity (AoN) for 400 new towed artillery gun systems for Rs 9,900 crore to replace old Indian field guns and two types of Pinaka `area denial munitions’ for the Army.The Navy, in turn, will get 450 lightweight medium range anti-ship missiles as “a primary offensive weapon” for frontline warships at a cost of about Rs 8,400 crore.
All these approvals, of course, are just the first step in the long procurement process, which finally have to be cleared by the cabinet committee on security before the actual contracts can be inked. “Of the 22 proposals granted AoNs, acquisitions worth Rs 2.2 lakh crore (98%) will be sourced from domestic industries,” a MoD official said.

India clears biggest ever defence deal, set to buy 97 LCA Tejas fighters, upgrade 94 Su-30s

The main takeaway was the huge orders for defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL). They included the nod for 97 more 4.5-generation Tejas Mark-1A fighters for Rs 67,000 crore and 156 Prachand helicopters (90 for Army, 66 IAF) for Rs 53,000 crore. TOI was the first to report on November 24 that these two mega projects were on the DAC’s agenda.
HAL will also upgrade 84 of the existing 260 Russian-origin Sukhoi-30MKI fighters in the IAF combat fleet, with indigenously-designed weapons, radars, avionics, communications and electronic warfare systems, at a cost of around Rs 63,000 crore. With the total cost including that for the design and development phase, the upgrade of these 84 Sukhois will take around a decade.
The AoN for the second indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-2), which will be built at the Cochin Shipyard for around Rs 40,000 crore as a “repeat order” of the 44,000-tonne INS Vikrant or IAC-1, will be taken up at the next DAC meeting.

The 97 Tejas Mark-1A fighters will add to the 83 such multi-role jets already ordered under the Rs 46,898 crore contract inked with HAL in February 2021. Under the first-ever Rs 8,802 crore contract for 40 Tejas Mark-1 jets, HAL was supposed to complete deliveries by December 2016.
But only 32 single-seat fighters and two of the eight twin-seat trainers have been delivered so far. HAL will need to majorly crank up its annual production rate to deliver the 83 improved Tejas Mark-1A jets in the February 2024-February 2028 timeframe as promised. They will now be followed by another 97 jets.
The 156 Prachand helicopters, capable of offensive operations in high-altitude areas like Siachen Glacier and eastern Ladakh, in turn, will add to the 15 such choppers (10 IAF and 15 Army) already inducted under the first Rs 3,887 crore contract inked in March last year.
The need for a mountain warfare-capable chopper like the 5.8-tonne Prachand, which is armed with 20mm turret guns, 70mm rocket systems and air-to-air missiles, was first acutely felt during the 1999 Kargil conflict.
The AoNs also included 1.15 lakh “nubless projectiles” for 155mm artillery guns to enhance their lethality as well as automatic target trackers and digital basaltic computers to boost the capabilities of the T-90S main-battle tanks of the Army.
The DAC also accorded approval for a major amendment in the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) of 2020, under which now a minimum 50% of indigenous content in the form of material, components and software has to be ensured in all categories of procurement cases.

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