New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Friday conferred 10 Kirti Chakras, including seven posthumously, to personnel of the Army and paramilitary forces for displaying indomitable courage and extraordinary valour in the line of duty. Kirti Chakra is India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award.
President Droupadi Murmu confers gallantry awards to 10 individuals with 7 posthumously receiving the Kirti Chakra, India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award. Additionally, 26 Shaurya Chakras, including 7 posthumously, were presented during the ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The recipients, including personnel from the Army, paramilitary forces, and state/Union Territory police, were recognized for their courageous acts and devotion to duty.
President Murmu, who is the Supreme Commander of the armed forces, also presented 26 Shaurya Chakras, including seven posthumously, to the personnel of the armed forces, Central Armed Police Forces and state/Union Territory police during a defence investiture ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the defence ministry said in a statement.
Sepoy Pawan Kumar of The Grenadiers, 55th Battalion, the Rashtriya Rifles; Captain Anshuman Singh of the Army Medical Corps, 26th Battalion, the Punjab Regiment; and Havildar Abdul Majid, 9th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) from the Indian Army have been conferred the Kirti Chakra posthumously, according to the list of awardees shared in the statement.
Inspector Dilip Kumar Das, Head Constable Raj Kumar Yadava, Constable Bablu Rabha and Constable Sambhu Roy of 210 CoBRA Battalion, CRPF have been also conferred the Kirti Chakra posthumously.
Three personnel, including two of major-rank and one naib subedar, have been conferred the Kirti Chakra, the ministry said.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan later also shared pictures from the ceremony on its official X handle.
“President Droupadi Murmu conferred Kirti Chakra upon Captain Anshuman Singh, The Army Medical Corps, 26th Battalion The Punjab Regiment, posthumously. Disregarding his own safety, he exhibited exceptional bravery and resolve to rescue many people in a major fire incident,” it said.
In another post, it wrote, “President Droupadi Murmu confers Kirti Chakra on Major Digvijay Singh Rawat, 21st Battalion The Parachute Regiment (Special Forces). In Manipur, he established an intelligence network, which enabled him to map all Valley-based Insurgent Groups (VBIGs) accurately. In one of the operations, he apprehended three insurgents by physically overpowering them,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan posted.
The gallantry awards were given for displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage and extreme devotion to duty, the ministry said.
“Attended the Defence Investiture Ceremony-2024 (Phase-1) at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where Rashtrapati Ji presented the Gallantry Awards. Our nation is proud of the valour and dedication of our brave soldiers. They exemplify the highest ideals of service and sacrifice. Their courage will always inspire our people,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X and also shared photos.
A constable of J&K Police was also bestowed a Shaurya Chakra posthumously, besides six other personnel from the Army.
A group of personnel from the Army, the Air Force, Navy and those rendering services under the Ministry of Home Affairs have also been conferred the Shaurya Chakra, according to the list.
The Shaurya Chakra is India’s third-highest peacetime gallantry award after the Ashok Chakra and Kirti Chakra.
Srinagar, July 6
A soldier was killed in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Saturday, officials said.
They said security personnel were conducting a cordon-and-search operation in Modergam village of the south Kashmir district when the terrorists opened fire at them.
The officials said the soldier of the Indian Army sustained injuries in the exchange of fire and died.
The operation is under way and further details are awaited, they added.
Integration of India’s indigenous TEJAS fighter jet in progress at HAL
Annual defence production reaches ₹1.27 lakh crore in FY 2023-24, signalling a 16.7% growth from the previous year
India is seeking to solidify its status as a global manufacturing centre through the increase in Indigenous defence production, propelled by policies and expansion in exports
With a surge in indigenous defence production, India aims to cement its position as a global manufacturing hub driven by policies and export growth.
India’s defence production has soared to new heights, achieving a figure of ₹1.27 lakh crore in the fiscal year 2023-24, a notable 16.7% increase from the preceding year. This surge, reported by the Ministry of Defence, shows the country’s progress towards self-sufficiency in defence manufacturing, buoyed by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Surge In Indigenous Manufacturing
The milestone was celebrated by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, who hailed the achievement as a testament to India’s growing capability in the global defence sector. “Our consistent efforts under the ‘Make in India’ program have propelled us towards record-breaking production levels year after year,” stated Shri Rajnath Singh, emphasising the government’s commitment to elevate India into a leading defence manufacturing hub.
GlobalData’s intelligence on the Indian defence market highlights that the latest draft version of the Defence Production Policy was introduced in 2016 to achieve self-reliance in the design, development, and production of equipment, weapon systems, and platforms required for defence, to create conditions conducive for the private industry to take an active role in this endeavour, to enhance the potential of SMEs in indigenisation, and to broaden the country’s defence R&D base.
A breakdown of the production figures reveals that Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and other Public Sector Units (PSUs) contributed significantly, accounting for 79.2% of the total production value, with the private sector contributing the remaining 20.8%. This balanced growth signifies a collaboration between public and private entities to advance India’s defence manufacturing capabilities.
The achievement is attributed to a decade-long reform agenda to enhance the ease of doing business and promote indigenous production. These reforms, coupled with indigenisation efforts, have fostered an environment conducive to growth in defence output. The result is a boost in domestic production and a rise in defence exports, which surged to ₹21,083 crore in FY 2023-24, marking a 32.5% increase from the previous fiscal year.
(With Inputs From International Agencies)
New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked the Central government over the Agniveer scheme and asserted that the INDIA bloc will never let the Army weaken.
Taking to his official X handle, Gandhi posted a video and spoke about Ajay Kumar, an Agniveer martyr and said, “The family of martyr Agniveer Ajay Kumar has not received any compensation from the government till date.”
The Congress leader also said that the family of Ajay Kumar received payment only from the insurance company. “There is a difference between ‘Compensation’ and ‘Insurance’; the payment has been made to the family of the martyr only by the insurance company,” Gandhi said.
He added further, “The family of martyr Ajay Kumar has not received the assistance that they should have received from the government. The family of every martyr who sacrifices his life for the country should be respected but the Modi government is discriminating against them.”
The Congress MP further asserted that he will keep raising the Agniveer issue. “Whatever the government says, this is a matter of national security and I will keep raising it. INDIA bloc will never allow the Army to weaken,” Gandhi said.
Targeting the government, Gandhi said, “It’s been six months but they have not received any amount in their bank account. Till now, why haven’t they received any ex-gratia? Why they have not received any amount under salary arrears?”
Gandhi further said that the truth is that there are two types of martyrs in the nation–one is normal Jawan and the other is Agniveer. “While both will lay down their lives for the country, only one will be officially recognized as a martyr. One will get a pension and the other one will not. One will have the access to canteen and the other will not. This is the truth of the nation,” he said.
A day before, reacting to the clarification issued by the Indian Army on the emoluments to Agniveer Ajay Kumar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had said that the “Indian Army is committed to the welfare of Agniveers.”
Taking to X, the defence minister wrote, “Indian Army is committed to the welfare of Agniveers!”
Indian Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) posted a ‘clarification on emoluments to Agniveer Ajay Kumar’ on Wednesday and said certain posts on social media have brought out that compensation hasn’t been paid to the next of kin of the Agniveer.
“Certain posts on Social Media have brought out that compensation hasn’t been paid to the next of Kin of Agniveer Ajay Kumar who lost his life in the line of duty. “It is emphasised that the Indian Army salutes the supreme sacrifice made by Agniveer Ajay Kumar. The last rites were carried out with full Military Honours. Of the total amount due, the family of Agniveer Ajay has already been paid ₹98.39 lakhs,” ADGPI had said in a post on X.
“Ex-Gratia and other benefits amounting to approximately 67 lakhs, as applicable according to the provisions of the Agniveer Scheme, will be paid on Final Account Settlement shortly post-due police verification. The total amount will be ₹1.65 crore approximately. It is re-emphasised that emoluments due to a fallen hero are paid expeditiously to the next of Kin of departed soldiers, including Agniveers,” it added.
This report is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
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NEW DELHI: The process to modernise the mechanised infantry fighting arm of the Indian Army will soon get a fillip as the preparations for request for proposal (RFP) for more than 500 infantry combat vehicles (ICVs) are in advanced stages.
Sources said that against its request for information (RFI) issued earlier, it received responses from 15 Indian vendors. However, issues raised by a few vendors are being actively worked out.
ICVs are to be deployed in high-altitude areas (HAAs), deserts and amphibious terrains. The Army is seeking to replace its nearly 10 battalions with new ICVs. Besides, the Army is also looking to procure 105 wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs) for recce and support. RFI for this is under formulation, a defence source said.
Meanwhile, the US-made Stryker armoured infantry combat vehicle under consideration will soon begin its testing and trials. Stryker is an eight-wheel-driven combat vehicle developed by General Dynamics Land Systems.
Sources in the defence and security establishment said talks between India and the US on Stryker are “at an advanced stage”. One of the reasons why Stryker is under consideration, according to sources, is that Indian vendors are unable to meet the Qualitative Requirements (QR).
In case the Stryker deal is firmed up, there will be limited off-the-shelf purchase under the US’ foreign military sales (FMS) to begin with. It will then be followed by a joint production in India and vehicles will be configured as per Indian Army’s requirements comprised of indigenous equipment and parts, sources said.
The capabilities of the Stryker “will have to be altered to suit Indian high altitude terrain such as eastern Ladakh”, where tensions along the Line of Actual Control have been ongoing between India and China since May 2020. Sources said the decision will be taken progressively after a “holistic analysis”.
(With Inputs From Agencies)
Ahead of the 22nd India-Russia Summit, Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) has successfully produced and delivered 35,000 “Made in India” Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles to the Indian Army. This marks a major milestone in the ongoing defence cooperation between India and Russia, emphasising India’s “Make in India” initiative in the defence sector.
The Kalashnikov AK-203, a modernised version of the AK-200 series chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge, is designed to bolster the combat capabilities of the Indian Army. IRRPL is a joint venture involving India’s Ordnance Factory Board, Russia’s ROSOBORONEXPORT JSC, and the Kalashnikov Group, both subsidiaries of ROSTEC State Corporation—Russia’s primary supplier of armaments, military, and special equipment.
This project is a crucial part of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan (Self-Reliant India) program, which prioritises the localisation of defence production. Sergey Chemezov, Director General of ROSTEC, highlighted the significance of this venture, stating, “Today, India is the first foreign customer to produce the ‘two hundredth’ series of Kalashnikov assault rifles. Production has been deployed in India in full compliance with the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan programs.”
The rifles were manufactured at the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, which has been outfitted with the necessary machinery to ensure timely production and delivery. Alexander Mikheev, Director General of ROSOBORONEXPORT, emphasised the project’s successful implementation, noting, “This enabled the production and delivery of 35,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles to the Indian Army within the agreed timeframe with the Ministry of Defence of India.” He also described the joint venture as a “vivid example of fruitful cooperation between our countries in the defence sector.”
Additionally, ROSTEC has announced the production of “Mango shells” in India, designed to defeat armoured vehicles with composite armour, under the Make in India program. The 125mm Mango round is compatible with the T-72 and T-90 MBTs.
Defence cooperation remains a cornerstone of Indo-Russian relations, marked by numerous collaborative projects over the years. These include the S-400 air defence system, licensed production of T-90 tanks and Su-30MKI aircraft, supply of MiG-29 and Kamov helicopters, INS Vikramaditya (formerly Admiral Gorshkov), production of AK-203 rifles, and BrahMos missiles. As the summit approaches, Russia has also approved the India-Russia logistics pact, enhancing military interoperability between the two nations.
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THE Agnipath scheme came under scrutiny during the just-concluded session of Parliament. It also made headlines during the recent Lok Sabha elections. In a traditional army like ours, the introduction of a scheme that changes its basic structure must be backed by strong and cogent reasons.
Even though not so stated, the main reason for the change was to reduce the pension expenditure, thus saving money for the modernisation of the defence forces. That is understandable, since over 70 per cent of the defence Budget currently goes into meeting the revenue needs. Pensions have been singled out as a major drain. The One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme has been vilified, though unfairly. There are many other categories of pensioners who have been beneficiaries of the OROP or its equivalent. Soldiers only started getting benefits of the scheme in 2015, after over three decades of struggle. The number of pensioners is on the rise because of their longer life span. But this trend is temporary. Statistically, the numbers entering the pension scheme and those exiting it are likely to plateau soon.
Unfortunately, India does not have a defence culture. An average citizen has scant knowledge of or interest in the subject. There is an age-old wish for the defence forces: ‘may there never be wanting, and may they never be wanted’. A good army does not keep the country secure by fighting a war, but by preventing one. It does this through deterrence by remaining fully equipped, trained and ready. To keep it thus ever ready entails costs.
When an annual review is done, all ministries and departments show a tangible utilisation of the allocated funds. This is done by counting additional highways, universities, hospitals, airports, etc. But those entrusted with keeping the country safe have nothing to show in physical terms. The fact that every other development has been possible because of them is often overlooked. Their contribution is not perceptible, and their expenses are liable to be misconstrued as being wasteful. Consequently, they are the first to come in the crosshairs of the cost-cutting measures.
The Army’s manpower is internally reviewed regularly. However, it needs to be remembered that weapons and technology per se do not win wars; it is the soldier who does. If that were not true, Israel, with far superior weapons and technology, would have achieved its avowed aim of finishing the ragtag Hamas a long time ago. But Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is desperately asking for 10,000 additional soldiers.
India has over 15,000 km of land borders. These run through the toughest terrain in the world. The situation on some 7,000 km of the land border remains perpetually active, calling for the deployment of troops. It is debatable whether the 12 lakh-strong Army is too large. Although Pakistan is no pole star, it is pertinent to remember that our western neighbour — with less than one-fourth of our size and nearly one-seventh of our population and an economy in a shambles — is maintaining 6.5 lakh personnel. By that yardstick, our defence forces’ strength should be around 33 lakh instead of the present more than 14 lakh personnel. With our booming economy, the incessant drumbeat of our Army being too large and causing a burgeoning expenditure needs to be muted.
Maintaining peace and security is not the purview of the Army alone. It requires a synergy of diplomatic, economic, political and other factors. Unfortunately, our relations with our immediate neighbours have remained strained over the years. It falls to the Army to ‘manage’ those relations by keeping the adversaries at bay. This underscores the need for keeping a strong army.
As a result of the suspension of recruitment in the Covid-19 years, while retirements continued, the Army manpower had come down by nearly two lakh. Luckily, there was no war during the period. If considered prudent by the security policymakers, that reduced strength can be institutionalised. But whatever is retained must be homogenous. A hybrid army comprising a mix of regular and contractual soldiers cannot match a cohesive force.
After controversy erupted, certain benefits of the Agnipath scheme were put forward. One is the lowering of the age profile by two/three years. It may be mentioned that after the 1962 war debacle, the Army had sent out teams to different theatres to carry out physical tests at varying altitudes. Based on their findings, mandatory standards were prescribed for annual battle physical efficiency tests. Interestingly, the standards for all aged from 18 to 35 years were exactly the same. The age factor, therefore, is more of a post-event justification than a factor in favour of the continuation of the scheme.
It is true that the short service commission officers who served for five or 10 years performed laudably well in wars. But officers serve as leaders, where they take individual decisions at the cutting edge. The soldiers, on the contrary, always work as a team in which esprit de corps is their glue. This is difficult to achieve in a disparate group.
It has also been reported that an internal survey of the Army found the scheme to have merit. The reality, however, is that the system does not allow the Army to publicly express disagreement with a government scheme. All internal analyses get dovetailed into support for the decision that has already been taken; it is not examined critically.
If the scheme is designed to inculcate discipline in the country’s youth, as some have said, this can be achieved through less risky options. For one, the NCC (National Cadet Corps) scheme can be expanded and more Army personnel can be involved in the training than at present.
The only known benefit of the scheme is bringing down the pension expenditure. This is clearly and quotably visible. The serious drawbacks of the scheme will only be known in the event of a war. But it will be too late by then.
continued focus on modernisation has been listed among the top priorities of Gen Upendra Dwivedi, the 30th Chief of the Army Staff. The Vice Chief since February, he takes over from Gen Manoj Pande, whose tenure, in an unusual move, was extended by a month. Gen Dwivedi has pointed to a faster induction of new technology and greater emphasis on self-reliance, amid the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape. Acknowledging the unique security challenges, he has given an assurance of the Army’s capability and readiness. As the standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh lingers on, the Army Chief’s immediate concern will be to tackle the spike in terror attacks in the Jammu region. He had, as the Northern Army Commander, effected major deployment changes in the area bordering Pakistan.
Theaterisation plans and structural reforms, being overseen by the Chief of Defence Staff, remain a work in progress. Elaborate consultative mechanisms are time-consuming, and so they should be. It is vital to ensure there is no forced acquiescence. The envisaged synergy between the Army, Air Force and the Navy has to be a natural progression of shared goals and purpose. To actualise it, the role of the Service Chiefs becomes critical. Demands of a higher percentage of Agniveer retention at the end of four years have found resonance in political circles, particularly after it became a major election issue recently. How concerns over the Agnipath recruitment scheme are handled by Gen Dwivedi will be keenly watched.
Gen Dwivedi, who was commissioned into the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in 1984, is an alumnus of the Sainik School at Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. He and Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi studied together. That’s a comforting coincidence for the armed forces fraternity.
