Current Events :
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has clarified that “disability pension” given to a section of retired military personnel shall continue to be exempt from income tax, unless the exemption is removed through a specific notification.
The minister in a letter to Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra referred to the issue raised by her in Parliament under Rule 377 seeking a review of the decision to “remove income tax exemptions on disability pension” for those service personnel who despite being injured continue duties until retirement.
Moitra posted the letter on X in which the Defence Minister says “taking note of the concern raised regarding the issue…the amendments notified shall take effect on or after such date as may be notified by the Central Government”.
“Pending such notification, the entire disability pension, that is disability element and service element, of disabled officer of the Indian armed forces shall be exempt from income tax,” the letter said.
Moitra welcomed Rajnath’s clarification and thanked him for what she described as his “empathy” towards disabled defence personnel. She expressed hope that officials in the Finance Ministry would show similar sensitivity and refrain from implementing the proposed changes.In March, a Parliamentary Standing on Defence recommended that a proposal to impose income tax on pensions for disabled soldiers need to be “examined” and reconsidered.
For the first time in its 52-year existence, Punjab’s Defence Service Welfare Department will appoint retired women officers from the Armed Forces as defence services welfare officers. This would make Punjab among the first sates to take such a step.
Four women officers of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel have been short-listed by the Punjab Public Service Commission after the written examination and interview, and appointment letters would be issued shortly, sources said.
The rules for appointment of officers in the department were changed recently, allowing former short service commission officers also to apply, providing they are of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and equivalent or above. This, sources said, would enable officers to join at a younger age than permanent commission officers and serve longer.
Short service commission officers can serve for up to 14 years and can attain the rank of Lieutenant Colonel after about 11 years of service. By the time they are discharged on completion of their term, they would be about 40 years old. Permanent commission officers, depending upon their rank and army, start retiring at the age of 54 years.
The Armed Forces had opened their doors to women officers in 1992 for the short service commission. Prior to that, service in the Armed Forces for women was open only in the medical stream, including the nursing service. Women in all three services are now eligible for grant of permanent commission.
The department is authorised one Director of the rank of Brigadier and equivalent and 25 officers of the rank of Colonel / Lieutenant Colonel. One officer is posted in each district while three are based at the department’s headquarters in Chandigarh.
At present, the department is functioning with just four officers besides the Director, who are handling work at the headquarters as well as overseeing the district offices. The process for filling up the vacant posts, of which the four women officers are a part, is underway and about 12 other officers are expected to join, sources said.
One issue in the appointment is that there is reservation in the posts as per rules applicable to all state government departments. The posts earmarked for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, etc cannot be filled up by general pool candidates in Punjab, which sources point out is unlike some other states where left over reserved vacancies are filled by general candidates.
COL SHANJIT S BHULLAR ,PRESIDENT CHD ZONE SANJHA MORCHA
The start point of the mighty Sind river , in the Background are the peaks of Amarnath , the Yatra stars on 03 Jul 202
TIGER HILL
he Sikh Regiment has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, to empower Agniveers through education and skill development,
The collaboration will enable Agniveers serving in the Sikh Regiment to pursue higher education alongside their military duties. Under the initiative, Agniveers will have access to diploma programmes that can be completed within six months, as well as undergraduate degree programmes such as Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Computer Applications and Bachelor of Commerce, which can be completed within three years.
The initiative aims to enhance the academic qualifications, professional competencies and long-term career prospects of Agniveers, equipping them with valuable skills for both military and civilian careers, a defence spokesperson said on Thursday.
This collaboration reflects the Sikh Regiment’s enduring commitment to the holistic development and welfare of its soldiers. It also aligns with the Government of India’s vision of creating a skilled, educated and future-ready youth force capable of contributing effectively to nation-building, he added.
The Sikh Regiment is among the Indian Army’s oldest and most highly decorated Infantry regiments, tracing its origins to 1846 as part of the Bengal Army of the erstwhile British East India Company.
At present, comprising 20 regular infantry battalions and three Territorial Army battalions, the regiment draws its manpower exclusively from the Jat Sikh community.
Guided by its ethos of “Service Before Self,” the Sikh Regiment continues to invest in the growth and empowerment of its Agniveers, ensuring their personal and professional development during and beyond their service to the nation, an official statement said.
The Army had introduced the Agnipath scheme in 2022 under which soldiers, termed as Agniveers, are required to serve for a period of four years after which 25 per cent would be absorbed into the regular cadre and the remaining would be discharged from service with a tax-free compensation package. The period of service is currently under review with proposals to extend the service period and increase intake into the permanent cadre being examined.
India on Friday laid the foundation stone for a specialised advanced metal-processing unit that will produce aluminium alloys required for defence systems, aviation, missiles and even the railways.
Aluminium alloy is a critical component for the defence and aerospace sectors.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art 10,000-tonne aluminium extrusion press at Yantra India Limited’s Ordnance Factory, Ambajhari, in Nagpur, Maharashtra, on Friday.
Extrusion is a manufacturing process used to produce objects with a fixed cross-sectional profile by forcing material through a die.
The 10,000-tonne capacity refers to the pressing force the machine can exert to shape large, ultra-high-strength and heavy-gauge aluminium alloys.
Yantra India Limited (YIL) is a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence.
The new facility in Nagpur will enable India to manufacture large, single-piece structural components for fighter aircraft, transport aircraft and space launch vehicles.
The Ministry of Defence said the proposed press would be one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in the country. It will support the manufacture of large and complex aluminium alloy profiles required for defence systems, platforms, aerospace and aviation structures, missile programmes, railways, transportation sectors and other strategic industrial applications.
The project will help reduce dependence on imports of critical aluminium extrusions and strengthen the domestic supply chain, while supporting future requirements in strategic sectors through indigenous production.
Rajnath Singh said, “This extrusion press addresses a crucial need. Modern fighter jets, missiles and advanced space programmes require metals that are lightweight and strong, capable of withstanding even the most extreme conditions. Such metals are produced through specialised processes. If the quality of the metal is superior, it will perform well in every situation.”
Highlighting the significant role played by Made-in-India equipment in the success of Operation Sindoor, Rajnath Singh stressed the need to increase the indigenous manufacturing of robust hardware to complement the bravery of defence forces personnel.
The minister said the extrusion press is a step towards fulfilling a major national need, while keeping future requirements in mind.
Aluminium alloys form the backbone of aircraft structures, missiles, rockets and military vehicles because they provide an optimal combination of light weight, high strength and corrosion resistance.
Historically, India has relied on imports for many high-precision aluminium extruded components because domestic facilities lacked the capability to produce them at this scale.
With India’s growing emphasis on self-reliance in defence manufacturing, the country is expected to produce around 500 fighter aircraft over the next 15 years, in addition to thousands of armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Such programmes are expected to benefit significantly from this advanced metal-processing capability
As a part of its force accretion plan, the Indian Navy is scheduled to commission three indigenously built frontline warships – Dunagiri, Sanshodhak and Agray – in Kolkata on June 21.
The ceremony will be presided over by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is the second time this year that the Navy will commission three frontline platforms in a day. On January 15 this year, the Navy had commissioned warships INS Surat and INS Nilgri besides the submarine INS Vagsheer.
Ahe Indian Navy has set itself on course to commission 19 warships in 2026, making it the biggest force accretion done in a year. In 2025, the Navy commissioned 14 vessels, including a submarine.
Sanshodhak.
Collectively, it would mean 33 ships would be commissioned in span of 24 months – January 2025 and December 2026. Sources said this production tempo is unprecedented history and demonstrates the maturity of domestic shipbuilding ecosystem.
This year would be the peak of expansion for the Navy in a year.
The three warships to be commissioned on June 21 have been designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.
The vessels represent key operational capabilities across maritime combat, hydrographic surveying and anti-submarine warfare. Together, they reflect the Navy’s balanced approach to capability development, strengthening blue-water operations, enhancing maritime domain awareness and securing coastal waters against evolving threats.
Dunagiri, the fifth ship of INS Niligri class stealth frigates, is equipped with advanced weapons and sensors, including BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles and the Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile system, significantly enhancing the Navy’s combat capability.
Agray.
Sanshodhak, the fourth Survey Vessel (Large), is designed for coastal and deep-water hydrographic surveys and collection of oceanographic and geophysical data for defence and civil applications, and is equipped with advanced survey systems, including Autonomous Underwater Vehicles and Remotely Operated Vehicles. Three ships of this type have been commissioned in the past two years, INS Sandhayak, INS Nirdeshak and INS Iksha.
Agray, the fourth of the Arnala-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, is equipped with lightweight torpedoes, indigenous rocket launchers and shallow-water sonar systems to detect and engage underwater threats in littoral waters.
The three platforms demonstrate the growing maturity of India’s indigenous shipbuilding ecosystem, with indigenous content exceeding 75 per cent. Their construction involved extensive participation by Indian industry, including more than 200 MSMEs, and generated substantial direct and indirect employment.
The commissioning of these vessels highlights the collaborative efforts of the Government of India, the Indian Navy, public sector shipyards, private industry and MSMEs in advancing the objectives of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and strengthening India’s maritime capabilities.
The Indian Air Force will acquire nine ‘Jaguar’ retired fighter jets from the United Kingdom to be used as a source for spare parts and reusable sub-assemblies.
Sources in the IAF confirmed the move to acquire nine such planes from UK.
The Jaguar jet was originally produced by an Anglo-French partnership in the 1960s during the Cold War as a ‘deep penetration strike aircraft’. The plane is not produced anymore. The IAF, with almost 120 such jets in its fleet, is the only force to be flying the twin-engined Jaguar. The IAF has begun inducting in 1979 and the jet continues to equip squadrons at Ambala, Gorakhpur and Jamnagar, the last one being in a maritime strike role.
This is not the first time that such an import is being done to ensure that the Jaguar keeps flying. Earlier, batches of retired planes were imported from France, Oman and the UK, all of which had withdrawn the fighter. In 2018, France gifted 31 retired Jaguar airframes, along with associated engines and assorted spares, to the IAF at no cost.
Last year, India and Oman formalised an agreement to transfer over 20 retired Jaguars that were decommissioned by the Royal Air Force of Oman. These aircraft have flown for fewer operational hours, their components are in good shape.
The spare parts are used to overcome shortages of parts like landing gears, hydraulics, avionics and the Rolls-Royce Adour engines. The IAF ‘cannibalises’ the imported planes for spare parts.
In the past decade or so, half of the Jaguar fleet was upgraded to meet modern operational standards, while the other half was found to be ‘too old’ to be invested in and these will start retiring from 2028.
The upgraded ones have an Israeli active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars. This allows the Jaguar to track multiple aerial and ground targets simultaneously, map terrains with extreme resolution, and perform advanced electronic jamming. Also the entire fleet underwent a change as the cluster of dial indicators had been replaced with dual Multi-Function Displays (MFDs), an Engine and Flight Instrument System (EFIS), and an advanced Head-Up Display (HUD) by Israel’s Elbit Systems.
The additions included electronic warfare suite (D-JAG), including an integrated electronic warfare system featuring modern radar warning receivers (RWR), electronic countermeasures (ECM), and jamming pods to protect the low-flying jet from enemy air defence networks.
The ammunition included a Harpoon missile for maritime roles and other precision munitions on variants that hit at targets on land.
The IAF also attempted a multi-billion-dollar project to replace the aging, underpowered Rolls-Royce Adour engines with Honeywell F-125N engines, but the plan was dropped due to high costs, meaning the upgraded Jaguars still fly on their original powerplants.
Instead of installing brand-new engines, the IAF shifted its approach to a combination of maintenance optimisation and opted for a lower-cost alternative with Rolls-Royce to partially “refurbish” the original Adour Mk 811 engines.
