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Indicia Knowledge Brief
A Daily Assessment on Indian Defence and Internal/Homeland Security
April 12, 2015.
Primary aims of Indicia Daily Brief are two-fold. First, it distills infinite information into a
capsule form, thus saving precious time of its clients. Second, it tries to link micro-events
to larger strategic canvas through its analyses, thus providing support knowledge for
better understanding and decision-making.
Indicia Analysis of the Day
With Airbus planing to increase its Indian outsourcing from $400 million
to $2 billion in next five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in
India" initiative has gained further momentum.
This also has
accomplished part of his mission to attract investment in India.
Marking a great success PM Narendra Modi’s visit to France has resulted
in understandings between the two countries in Defence cooperation,
fight against terrorism, infrastructure, nuclear reactor, renewable sources
of energy, railways, smart cities and tourism.
In yet another push to the ‘Make-in-India’ initiative, Government-owned
Cochin Shipyard Limited will build Indian Navy's multi-purpose vessels,
including warships.
I. National Defence and Security:
500% increase in 5 years: Airbus's 'Make in India' plan to be worth $2bn:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" initiative has gained further
momentum. "Airbus plans to increase its Indian outsourcing from $400 million
to $2 billion in next five years," MEA spokesman Syed Akbaruddin tweeted on
April 11. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 11 visited Airbus's facility in
Toulouse, in southern France, and called it "amazing". "Amazing visit to Airbus
facility. They are very enthusiastic about "Make in India" initiative," PM Modi
said in a tweet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also asked for a selfie during his
tour of Airbus facility in Toulouse. On April 10, Modi held talks with President
Francois Hollande and both sides inked 17 agreements and three letters of
intent. India said it would buy 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly away condition as soon
as possible.
Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/500-increase-in-5-years-Airbuss-Make-in-India-plantobe-worth-2bn/articleshow/46887840.cms
*
India, France talk business; ink 17 deals on defence,
infrastructure, nuclear reactor among others:
Defence cooperation, fight against terrorism, infrastructure, nuclear reactor,
renewable sources of energy, railways, smart cities and tourism were the major
topics of discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French
President Francois Hollande on April 10. Calling France among India's most
valued friends, Modi said the "two big democracies share similar values" as 17
agreements were signed in Paris. The agreements included coming together of
the two countries on key projects related to railways, urban heritage and
tourism sectors among others. In a major announcement, Modi also said that he
has requested France to provide India with 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly-way
condition. The agreement had been under consideration for nearly three years.
While the announcement has been made, Modi said that the terms and
conditions of the contract are yet to be finalised. During their meeting, India and
France discussed bringing perpetrators and conspirators of terrorist attacks to
justice. An agreement on proceeding forward on the stalled nuclear project in
Jaitapur in Maharashtra was also among the 17 pacts signed after the talks
between the two leaders. The Jaitapur project, where French company Areva is
to set up six nuclear reactors with total power generation capacity of about
10,000 MW, is stuck for long because of differences over the cost of electricity to
be generated.
Source:
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/india-france-talk-business-ink-17-deals-on-defence-infrastructurenuclear-reactor-among-others/539122-3.html
*
Why India is in hurry to buy Rafale jets:
India will now negotiate direct purchase of 36 Rafale jets from France through a
government-to-government deal worth around $4 billion, without any "Make in
India" or technology transfer component, to meet IAF's urgent "critical
operational necessity" for new fighters.After Modi held extensive talks with
French President Francois Hollande in Paris on April 11, it was announced that
fresh commercial negotiations will now be held for the direct acquisition of two
Rafale squadrons (each has 18 jets) in "flyaway" condition. Here is why India
was in a hurry to buy Rafale jets:....
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/why-India-needs-Rafale-jets/listshow/46885478.cms
*
Rafale fighter jets to be inducted into IAF in span of two years:
Manohar Parrikar:
Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said on April 11 that Rafale fighter jets will
be inducted into the Indian Air Force in a span of two years. Manohar Parrikar
hailed the government's decision to directly purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets and
said that "India has finally broken the ice over the deal which has been pending
for the last 17 years." "Rafale fighter deal is a great decision taken on the terms
and conditions that are better," Parrikar added. A breakthrough in the muchdelayed process of buying Rafale jets was reached on April 10 as Prime Minister
Narendra Modi announced India will buy 36 Rafale jets from France in flyaway
condition soon, citing "critical operational necessity". The decision is among the
several agreements reached between the two countries after his meeting with
French President Francois Hollande in Paris. "Keeping in view the critical
operational necessity of fighter aircrafts in India, I have spoken with the
(French) president for buying 36 Rafale jets in fly-away condition as soon as
possible," Modi said while addressing the media jointly with the French
president. Modi said these jets will be bought under an agreement between the
two governments. He added that officials from both sides will discuss terms and
conditions of the deal in details and take it forward. Modi also said defence
cooperation with France has been enhanced and the two countries would work
together in manufacturing defence equipment and developing technology.....
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rafale-fighter-jets-to-be-inducted-into-IAF-in-span-oftwo-years-Manohar-Parrikar/articleshow/46886414.cms
*
Rafale purchase: Political commitment, out-of-box approach
cracked the deal:
After a series of twists and turns, a multi-billion dollar deal for new fighter jets
for the Air Force has hit the last mile with the NDA government determined to
iron out differences and wrap up negotiations with an out-of-the-box solution to
end a two-year deadlock. A test of political will to find an innovative approach to
ink a contract that was threatening to get out of hand, but one that had
significant strategic and geopolitical implications, has been on display in the lead
up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Paris, where the Rafale deal has
been firmed up along with a memorandum of understanding on joint defence
production in India. The reworked deal—buying 36 fighters outright with the
option for more could work out to up to $7.5 billion and scrapping an earlier
requirement to manufacture 108 jets in India—has the potential to pump in at
least $2.3 billion into the Indian defence manufacturing sector, a major chunk of
which will go to the private industry. While the mega deal—initiated in 2007
with six competitors—had been chugging along since 2012 when Dassault's
Rafale was declared the winner, signs had appeared in the past few weeks that
for the first time since coming to power, the NDA government was looking at
walking the distance, provided New Delhi did not have to make significant
concessions. Dassault had been struggling to get the contract through in the last
year of the UPA, which had gone slow on all defence procurements. The
newfound political will in New Delhi, as well as a strong diplomatic push from
Paris, offered the final chance to bag an order that was widely classified as the
world's biggest open tender for fighter aircraft. While many differences had been
sorted out, a deadlock persisted for almost two years on two major sticking
points. Innovative solutions were needed for both, something that the NDA
government is not known to shy away from. The easier one to sort out was
liability for quality and delays in production. As per the original terms, French
manufacturer Dassault had responsibility for timely delivery of the fighters as
well as technical defects. But as the final negotiations started, the French firm
raised the point that in case of delays by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd—nominated
to produce the fighter in India—penalties would be unfair.....
Source:
http://m.timesofindia.com/india/Rafale-purchase-Political-commitment-out-of-box-approachcracked-the-deal/articleshow/46885796.cms
*
Modi undermines Defence Ministry: Opposition:
A collage of patched images showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi inking the
Rafale fighter jet deal in France and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
inaugurating a mobile fish stall in Panaji on the same day has gone viral on the
social media. This has allowed the opposition to allege that the defence ministry
has been undermined in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime. On
April 10, when national media and political commentators looked forward to the
summit meeting between the Indian prime minister and French President
Francois Hollande and Modi's signing off on 36 Rafale fighters deal, Parrikar, the
former Goa chief minister, inaugurated a government-operated fish stall in
Panaji. Independent MLA from Fatorda Vijai Sardesai was one of the first to take
a crack at the contrasting developments. "It's quite evident now that PM Modi
might have understood that Parrikar is not serious about a very crucial and
sensitive department of Union of India like Defence Ministry," Congress
spokesperson Durgadas Kamat said in an official statement issued. The Congress
leader also said the defence minister was running a parallel government in Goa
during his weekend trips to the state. "Our allegation is that Chief Minister of Goa
Laxmikant Parsekar is being reduced to a puppet as far as running the state is
concerned. Parrikar should stop interfering in the administration of the state as
it lowers the dignity of a ministry as elite as Defence," the statement said.....
Source:
opposition.html
http://english.manoramaonline.com/news/politics/modi-undermines-defence-ministry-
*
Over 1,400 acres defence land encroached in MP, Chhattisgarh:
IDES:
Over 1,400 acres of defence land has been encroached upon in Madhya Pradesh
and Chhattisgarh, allegedly by farmers and common people, according to officials
of the Indian Defence Estate Services (IDES). A survey of defence land is being
conducted and is nearing completion, an official said. Squatters, including
farmers and others, have encroached upon over 1,100 acres of land under
jurisdiction of the Bhopal Defence Estate Officer (DEO) in Sagar district and 371
acres under the limits of Jabalpur DEO. Besides, seven acres of defence land was
encroached upon under the limits of DEO of Mhow, which was earlier known as
Military Headquarters of War in Indore. "There has been encroachment of
around 165 acres of defence land in Chhattisgarh coming under Jabalpur DEO's
office," an official said on April 09. The Jabalpur DEO office looks after defence
land in 22 districts of Madhya Pradesh as well. "The encroachment is mainly on
the Army's camping grounds which were used during the British period
primarily for soldiers to break their journey and take rest while moving," an
official said. In some tracts of Army land, government offices have allegedly come
up, a DEO said on the condition of anonymity, adding that some encroachments
are 50 to 60 years old. Jabalpur DEO Rajiv Shrivastava said they recently
removed around 407 encroachments from defence land in Pachmarhi - a hill
station in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh.....
Source:
http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/over-1400-acres-defence-land-encroached-in-mpchhattisgarh-ides_1576967.html
*
Indian Railways to build station near Chinese border, defence
minister says:
Indian Railways will soon set up a station in Arunachal Pradesh near the IndiaChina border, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said on April 11. "A draft of the
MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) is ready and will be signed soon,"
Parrikar said, adding he has spoken in detail about the project to railway
minister Suresh Prabhu. The defence minister said that the "gravity" of the
border issue between China and India has come down as far as Arunachal
Pradesh is concerned. State run China Daily had reported on April 09 that China
was planning to build a tunnel under Mount Everest, called Qomolangma in
Tibetan, as part of its plan to extend its rail link to Nepal, a move that could send
alarm bills ringing in India. This is the first time a tunnel plan has been revealed
to reach Nepal. China had earlier discussed extending the Qinghai-Lhasa line to
the Nepalese border without digging a tunnel. Sources said the idea was to find a
short route to Nepal for accessing the vast Indian market. Besides, China might
be trying to involve Nepal for its Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM)
project because New Delhi has shown little enthusiasm for this corridor, sources
said.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indian-Railways-to-build-station-near-Chinese-borderdefence-minister-says/articleshow/46888835.cms
*
CSL to build multipurpose vessels under Make in India campaign:
Government-owned Cochin Shipyard Limited will build Indian Navy's multipurpose vessels, including warships, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
ambitious "Make-in-India" campaign which aims to turn the country into a
manufacturing powerhouse of weapons. Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari
on April 10 said an agreement would be signed between the Defence Ministry
and the Ministry of Shipping to manufacture different types of naval ships,
including warships, in the next five years at CSL as part of government's efforts
to "encourage the Indian industries". Dedicating a specialized multi-purpose
Buoy Tender Vessel to the nation at the shipyard, Gadkari said he discussed the
matter with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and "he assured me we will
make an agreement between the two ministries" in this regard. As per the
agreement to be signed, Gadkari said that in the next five years, whatever orders
are from the Defence Ministry to manufacture ships, that will go to Cochin
Shipyard. Asked for further clarification on the agreement, he said the Defence
Ministry is "mentally prepared" to give orders to the Cochin Shipyard Limited
and "they are just studying how much requirement the Navy has in the next five
years". "They will give the order to the Cochin Shipyard. There will be agreement
between the Defence Ministry and the Shipping Ministry," the Minister said. He
said the ships to be manufactured in Cochin Shipyard Limited includes warships
and other different types of ships, based on the requirement of the Navy.....
Source:
http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/csl-to-build-multipurpose-vessels-under-make-in-indiacampaign_1576778.html
*
India & France to get cracking on SR-SAM:
India and France are expected to announce forward movement in the longdelayed SR-SAM ‘Maitri’ joint weapon programme this month when PM
Narendra Modi is in France on his first official visit to the country as Prime
Minister. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared progress last month,
stipulating that DRDO could take forward discussions towards a joint
development of an SR-SAM system for the Indian Navy as a ship-borne weapon
system. For the moment, the IAF’s SAM requirements will be met by the Akash
Mk.1, though MBDA is also looking for an in on the Akash Mk.2 program with a
technology plug-in from the SR-SAM. Top sources said that while the SR-SAM
would now be developed keeping a vertical hot-launch from a universal deck cell
configuration for Indian Navy warships, a land version could easily be spun off
later should the requirement emerge. The Maitri sports a range of 15 km, a
smokeless solid rocket motor and jet vane control for thrust vector type mobility
in the air, especially during endgame flight. The missile will be developed to
perform with the indigenously developed Revathi 3D central acquisition search
and track radar. In many ways, development of the Maitri has already begun in
earnest, with all workshare and development share modalities already worked
out.
Source: http://www.ibcnews.in/2015/04/11/india-france-to-get-cracking-on-sr-sam/
*
3 ways for building up IAF fighter squadron:
The Defence ministry is likely to pursue three other routes to make up for the
depleting numbers of fighter squadrons for the Indian Air Force. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s announcement that India will buy 36 Rafale fighter jets would
compensate only a fraction of what the IAF has demanded from the Defence
ministry. Faced with declining fighter strength for years, IAF wanted 126, or six
and a half squadrons, of medium multi-role fighters. The government has now
given it two squadrons of French fighters, and hopes other options would be
exercised to make up for the rest. The first option would be to ask Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited, Bengaluru, to accelerate the delivery of the indigenous
Tejas Light Combat Aircraft Mark-II for quicker induction. The Tejas LCA was
thought of as the original MiG replacement but the aircraft is way behind in time
schedule for induction in the air force. The first assembly line version of Tejas
was handed over to the IAF only in January 2015. Other choices would involve
negotiating with Russia for buying more Su-30 MKI jets and stepping on the gas
for the fifth generation fighter aircraft – being co-developed with Russia –which
is suffering from time and cost overruns. IAF has a sanctioned strength of 44
fighter squadrons, but a large number of them are outdated MiG-21s that were
inducted in the 1960s. As per the IAF scheme of things, only the upgraded MiG21 Bisons will fly till 2025. Last year, the air force informed the Parliamentary
Standing Committee on defence that its “active” strength is only 25 squadrons.
IAF operates Su-30MKI, Mirage-2000, Jaguars, MiG-21 Bison and MiG-27. While
the phasing out of some of the older generation MiGs have begun, all MiGs are
slated to retire between 2014 and 2025. The Su-30 MKI are heavier aircraft and
can’t undertake missions which a light weight medium aircraft like MiG can carry
out. India has contracted for 272 Su-30MKI from Russia for licensed production
at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. So far more than 200 platforms were inducted
into the IAF, which have positioned these fighter jets at Pune, Bareilly, Tezpur,
Chabua, Halwara and Jodhpur and has planned to set up a new Su-30 MKI
squadron at Sirsa in Haryana.
Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/470992/3-ways-building-up-iaf.html
II
Homeland Security
*
Seven STF jawans killed, 11 injured in Maoist attack in Bastar:
Seven personnel of Special Task Force (STF) were killed and eleven others
injured in an encounter with outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) rebels
at a village near Chhattisgarh's Bastar region on April 11. Additonal director
general of police (anti-Naxal operations) Rajinder Kuamr Vij said that the
encounter took place at Pidmal village between Dornapal and Chintagufa when
the rebels tried to attack the security personnel. The forces retaliated leading to
a fierce encounter during which seven security personnel died and eleven others
injured. The gun-battle continued for more than an hour with the rebels who
were believed to be in large numbers. STF's commander Shankar Rao is among
the dead. The injured personnel have been shifted to nearby hospitals and the
critically injured are expected to be airlifted to state capital for further
treatment. After lying low for sometime, there are indications that the Maoist
rebels can step up violence in Bastar region during summer when they observe
their tactical counter offensive campaign (TCOC).
Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/raipur/Seven-STF-jawans-killed-11-injured-in-Maoistattack-in-Bastar/articleshow/46888773.cms?
*
3 BSF jawans hurt in cross-border firing in Punjab:
Three Border Security Force (BSF) jawans were injured in cross-border firing in
Amritsar sector of Punjab by smugglers from the Pakistani side, BSF officials said
on April 11. The injured troopers were rushed to hospital, officials said. BSF
deputy inspector general (DIG) RPS Jaswal said that the troopers were injured in
an exchange of fire with smugglers from Pakistan side early on April 11. He said
the firing took place at the Daoke Border Out Post (BoP), about 5-6km from
Attari border check post. BSF officials said the area was being searched
following the incident. The troopers are always on high alert along the sensitive
India-Pakistan border in Punjab. The border, which has an electrified fence
inside the Indian territory, is used by Pakistani and Indian smugglers for heroin
smuggling. The BSF has recovered nearly 125 kg of heroin along the Punjab
border with Pakistan this year. Nearly 65 kg was recovered in the Amritsar
sector. The BSF had recovered over 361 kg heroin, its highest ever seizure, along
the border last year.
Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/3-BSF-jawans-hurt-in-cross-border-firing-inPunjab/articleshow/46885355.cms?
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