Malaysia may choose Korean aircraft over HAL’s Tejas, says HAL CMD at Aero India
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) might lose the chance to sell its Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas to Malaysia, said to the defence PSU’s top executives. Malaysia has shortlisted the Tejas for 16 aircraft but HAL is facing stiff competition from Korea. Meanwhile, Argentina and Egypt have exhibited their interest in the Tejas aircraft.
While speaking to the media at Aero India 2023, chairman and managing director, HAL, C B Ananthakrishnan said, “In Malaysia we were one of the shortlisted companies and we were hopeful of bagging a contract. But there is a slight setback in what we are hearing. Koreans are likely to get the order. We have not received anything in black and white. We are still making our attempts to push the product. Argentina and Egypt have shown interest. We have proposed 15 aircraft to Argentina and 20 to Egypt. We are to hear from them.”
HAL removes Hanuman image on aircraft at Aero India
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on Tuesday removed the picture of Lord Hanuman from ‘Hindustan Lead in Fighter Trainer (HLFT)-42, which was on display at the Aero India 2023 here.
The image with a slogan “The storm is coming” could be seen on the first day of Asia’s largest air show, which took off on Monday, on the vertical fin of the HLFT-42 at a static display.
“There used to be an HAL aircraft called HF-24 Marut (meaning wind). It was derived from it. There is nothing specific to derive from it (image of Lord Hanuman),” an official of the Bengaluru-headquartered HAL said.
Citizen group sends postcards to Justice Victoria Gowri on ‘Constitutional values’
Early on Tuesday afternoon, a group of concerned citizens arrived at Bengaluru’s General Post Office, with postcards in hand. They were members of the Reclaim Constitution project, an initiative aimed at taking constitution to the masses. They were sending postcards to Justice Victoria Gowri, who was recently appointed as an additional judge in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.
The custom-made postcards featured art from the Constitution as well as excerpts from the Constituent Assembly debates, particularly a paragraph attributed to TT Krishnamachari during a debate on Article 25, which safeguards freedom of religion, amongst other rights.
Vet enters well to rescue leopard
Dr Meghana Pemmaiah, a veterinarian who recently saved a leopard that had fallen inside a well in Karnataka, said: “I have been part of many rescue operations but this is the first time, I had to get down into a well sitting inside a cage to rescue a leopard. If I look back, sometimes I fear what could have happened if something had gone wrong.”
A one-year-old leopard had fallen into a well in Niddodi village, 35km from Mangaluru city, in Karnataka Sunday. More than two days had passed and the forest department was unable to rescue the animal as it was hiding in a small cavity inside the well. Thereafter, veterinarian couple Dr Meghana Pemmaiah and Dr Yashaswi Naravi, and experts Prithvi Salian and Nafisa Kousar along with forest officials decided to change their strategy to rescue the animal.
In what looked like a veiled dig at China, the Defence Minister Tuesday said that India does not believe in giving “sermons” or “cut-and-dried” solutions to countries needing assistance and nations with superior military powers or better technological prowess do not have the right to dictate solutions to others. He made the comments at the Defence Ministers’ Conclave. At the inaugural session of a seminar, he sought joint efforts to develop India as a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hub and emphasised the need for MRO services to safeguard the defence equipment and systems India possesses and to protect the Indian defence forces.
A sessions court in Tumkur district has rejected an anticipatory bail plea filed by a secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad over an alleged hate speech delivered in Tumkur town last month. The VHP secretary, Sharan Pumpwell alias Sharan Kumar, claimed in a speech that the killings of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 and the recent murder of a Hindu youth in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district on July 28 last year were demonstrations of Hindu power.
If the missile evaluation trials of the Short Range-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Weaponised (SR-UAV-W) are successful, the Indian Army and the paramilitary forces might procure these, said officials of the Aeronautical Development Establishment, a laboratory of Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO).
SR-UAV-W, also called the Basic Archer, has undergone flight demonstration and will undergo missile evaluation soon. Speaking with The Indian Express, an official from the DRDO said, “We have made two versions of Archer-one — a basic archer also called SR-UAV-W — and Archer-Next Generation (Archer-NG). The missile evaluation trials of basic Archer are left where we will arm the UAV with anti-tank missiles and hit a dummy target. We want to see how the weapon performs. If the trials are successful, the Army and the paramilitary forces could induct these. They have expressed a lot of interest in this.”
monthly limit of free stories.
with an Express account.
“While working on RUSTOM 1 (a short range remotely piloted aircraft system), we came up with the idea of Archer. Basic Archer can be used to cater to the requirement of intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, tracking and reconnaissance (ISTAR). It gathers real time and high quality imagery. It can operate up to a height of 22,000 feet with an endurance of up to 12 hours. It also carries Electro Optical and Infrared (EO/IR) payload,” the official said. Read More
A waqf tribunal in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district has allowed both Muslims and Hindus to worship at the Ladle Mushak dargah in Aaland on Maha Shivaratri. The shrine was at the centre of communal tensions last year after members from the two communities clashed over offering prayers.
Muslims have been given the 8am-12pm time slot for the Urs festival on Saturday, while Hindus have been allotted time between 2pm and 6pm for the Shivaratri puja, according to deputy commissioner Yeshwanth Gurukar.
The dargah is named after the 14th-century Sufi scholar renowned for his philosophical ideas and also houses the tomb of Raghava Chaitanya, a 15th-century saint. It has been a shared place of worship for Muslims and Hindus for many years. Read More
No other political figure perhaps occupies the same space as Tipu Sultan, the 18th-century ruler of Mysuru, in the political discourse of Karnataka.
Now, Karnataka Higher Education Minister C N Ashwath Narayan has stirred a fresh row, telling a rally in Mandya to “finish off’ Congress leader Siddaramaiah the way “Vokkaliga chieftains Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda finished off Tipu Sultan”.
Siddaramaiah responded by saying that he respected Tipu, like he did Kittur Rani Chennamma, Sangolli Rayanna among others. He later demanded the resignation of Narayan, saying he had no “moral right to continue in the Cabinet”. The minister has claimed his remarks were misconstrued and he regrets them if they caused Siddaramiah hurt. Read More
The latest BJP leader in Karnataka to go down the Tipu Sultan road to attack the Congress, Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan has triggered a controversy saying Siddaramaiah should be “finished off” just like the 18th-century Mysuru ruler was.
As Siddaramaiah sought his resignation, and other leaders expressed outrage, the minister told the Assembly Thursday that he regretted his remarks. “What I meant by using the phrase was that we should ensure the defeat of the Congress in the next election. I don’t have any personal differences with Siddaramaiah. I have only political and ideological differences,” he said. “If he is hurt by my statement, I express regret.”
The video of Narayan’s remarks regarding Siddaramaiah, made on Monday, emerged just hours after BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel asked people to chase away “those who support Tipu into the forest”. “Only those who perform bhajans of Ram” should remain “in this land”, he said. Read More
Senior Congress leader G Parameshwara acknowledged on Thursday that he is among the Chief Ministerial aspirants if the party comes to power after the Assembly elections in Karnataka, slated in April-May, news agency PTI reported.
The five-time MLA, however, maintained that the party high command will decide on the next CM after the elections, but said that given an opportunity he is ready.
Parameshwara, a Dalit, was Deputy Chief Minister during Congress-JD(S) coalition government led by H D Kumaraswamy.
With TBM Lavi achieving a breakthrough, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) Wednesday said that 21.25 km of the Pink Line between Kalena Agrahara station and Nagawara is expected to be completed by March 2025.
As much as 72 per cent of the tunnel work is now complete, said officials. In an official statement, the BMRCL said that 15.21 km out of 21.245 km of tunnelling work is completed.
The Pink Line of the Namma Metro will connect Kalena Agrahara on Bannerghatta Road (southern part of Bengaluru) to Nagawara (the north side). It will cover a distance of 14 km underground and 7 km of elevated stretch which will pass through the central business district. The inter-change with the Purple Line will be at MG Road Metro station. As many as 18 Metro stations are likely to come up on this stretch. Read More
The Bengaluru police have arrested three people, including a minor, on criminal conspiracy charges to kill Bommanahalli MLA Satish Reddy. They identified the arrested as Girish from Chitradurga and Akahsh, besides the minor.
The police took action based on a complaint filed by the MLA’s aide Harish Babu against history-sheeter ‘Wilson Garden Naga’, a minor and two others, based on a court order.
Satish Reddy told The Indian Express that he wanted to know the facts behind the plot. “I demand the police to conduct a fair probe, and I have informed the chief minister too”. Read more
Colonel S S Rajan (Retd), the convenor of Military Veterans Karnataka, has hit out at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for not turning up to inaugurate the National Military Memorial in Bengaluru on February 14. A video of the Army veteran expressing his anger and anguish is now viral on social media.
The inauguration was to be held on February 14, the day the 2019 Pulwama attack took place. The defence minister was scheduled to inaugurate the memorial at 4.30 pm by laying a wreath at the Veeragallu (hero stone) dedicated to soldiers killed in action. The families of soldiers ‘killed in action’ and over 100 ex-servicemen had gathered at the venue.
However, after waiting for more than an hour, Colonel Rajan was informed by the director of the Karnataka Rajya Sainik Welfare and Resettlement department that the inaugural function had been cancelled. (Read more)
Bengaluru, the Silicon city of India, has been ranked among the most traffic-congested cities in the world, according to location technology company Tom Tom, which ranks urban congestion worldwide. The capital city of Karnataka has secured the second position, next only to London, with an increased travel time of nearly 29 minutes and 10 seconds to drive a distance of 10 kilometres in the year 2022, said Tom Tom traffic index released on Wednesday.
London has recorded a travel time of 36 minutes and 20 seconds to cover the same distance. Bengaluru tops the chart of India’s most traffic-congested cities, followed by Pune (ranked 6), New Delhi (34) and Mumbai (47).
TomTom Traffic Index ranks cities around the world by their average travel time and provides free access to city-by-city information. (Read more)
Higher Education Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan Thursday expressed regret regarding his statement criticising Congress leader Siddaramaiah.
"I regret the statements made if it has hurt (Opposition leader) Siddaramaiah," the Minister told the Legislative Assembly. "I don't have any personal differences with him. The differences are political and ideological," he added.
Ashwath Narayan had said on Monday that if the BJP loses the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections then Siddaramiah, who admires Tipu, will come to power. “Do you want Tipu or Savarkar? Where should we send this Tipu Sultan? What did Uri Gowda Nanje Gowda do? You should finish him off the same way?” he said. Reacting to this, Siddaramiah had called for the minister's resignation.
For 24 hours: Mainly clear sky. Mist is very likely during early morning hours in some areas. Surface winds are likely to be strong and gusty at times. Maximum and minimum temperatures are very likely to be around 33 and 16 Degree Celsius respectively.
For 48 hours: Mainly clear sky. Mist is very likely during early morning hours in some areas. Surface winds are likely to be strong and gusty at times. Maximum and minimum temperatures are very likely to be around 33 and 16 Degree Celsius respectively.
Karnataka Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan Wednesday urged people to ‘finish off’ Congress leader Siddaramaiah the way two Vokkaliga chieftains Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda had killed 17th-century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan.
While addressing the rally at Mandya, Ashwath Narayan said if the BJP loses the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections then Siddaramiah, who admires Tipu, will come to power. “Do you want Tipu or Savarkar? Where should we send this Tipu Sultan? What did Uri Gowda Nanje Gowda do? You should finish him off the same way?” he said. (Read more)
The Bengaluru Traffic Police Thursday issued a new traffic advisory around the Yelahanka area as Aero India 2023 continued for the fourth day. The aviation programme began on Monday and is set to conclude on Friday. In the meantime, commuters have been advised to avoid Bellary Road. Vehicles moving towards and from the airport must use the Hennur-Baglur Road.
Here's the full advisory:
Aero India-2023 at Air Force Station, Yelahanka is open for the general public on the 16th and 17th of February 2023. It is expected that a large number of people will attend the show. Hence, the general public should avoid Bellary Road on the 16th and 17th of February 2023 and use alternative routes.
Vehicles moving towards International Airport and vehicles coming from International Airport towards the city compulsorily use Hennur-Baglur Road. The general public who wishes to visit Aero India Show can avail of the parking facility available at the GKVK campus and also the Jakkur campus. BMTC has arranged shuttle buses from the parking lot to the venue of the Aero India show.
All types of goods vehicles and heavy vehicles except BMTC buses are banned on Bellary road from 6 am to 10 pm.
Parking of all types of vehicles is prohibited in:
1. On both sides of the road from Nagenahalli gate to the Ambiance Dhabha cross connecting to Bangalore-Bellary road.
2. On both sides of the road from Mekhri circle to Devanahalli of Bangalore-Bellary Road.
3. On both sides of the ring road from Goraguntepalya to Hennuru junction.
4. On both sides of the road from Reva college junction to Bagalur Cross on Bagalur main road.
5. On both sides of the road from Nagavara Junction to Bagaluru Junction via Thanisandra main road.
Road users are requested to cooperate.
Bengaluru ranked second in the world in increased travel time in the city where it took nearly 29 minutes and 10 seconds to drive 10 km in 2022, according to the Tom Tom traffic index.
Bengaluru is second to London which recorded a travel time of 36 minutes 20 seconds for a 10km drive.
TomTom Traffic Index ranks cities around the world by their average travel times and provides free access to city-by-city information. According to the data, the travel time in Bengaluru increased by 40 seconds in 2021. The worst day to travel through Bengaluru in 2022 was October 15, Saturday, when it took 33 minutes and 50 seconds to drive 10 km.
Two persons in Anapura of Yadgir district died reportedly after consuming contaminated water on Wednesday. More than 15 villagers have been admitted to hospitals.
The deceased are Venkatappa Nakka (35) and Sayamma (72).
The district administration has collected water samples and sent them for tests.
South Western Railway runs Timetabled Joint Parcel Product trains between SMVB, Bangalore and Guhahati.
The Train No.00635 SMVT Bengaluru - Guhahati Parcel Express starts from SMVT Bengaluru at 07.40 hrs on 16.02.2023, Thursday and reaches Guhahati at 19.00 hrs on 19.02.2023.
The Train No.00636 Guhahati - SMVT Bengaluru Parcel Express departs from Guhahati at 04.40 hrs on 20.02.2023, Monday and arrives SMVT Bengaluru at 18.00 hrs on 23.02.2023.
The train will have stoppages at Dharmavaram, Kurnool Town, Kacheguda, Nallapadu, Krishna Canal, Tadepalligudem, Rajamudry, Kharagpur, Sankrail, Malda Town and Rangapani, in both directions.
The trains will have a composition of 15 parcel vans, one Newly modified Goods Wagon and one Luggage cum Brake-Van.
Pratiksha Trust on Wednesday signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) – an autonomous centre of IISc located in the institute campus, to support fundamental and translational research on neurodegenerative diseases in the elderly population.
Under this MoU, the charitable trust founded by Kris Gopalakrishnan, co-founder-Infosys Technologies, has agreed to provide support to CBR in perpetuity, with an initial outlay to the tune of Rs 450.27 crore over the next 10 years for research, innovation and translation. Read more
With the arrest of four persons, the Karnataka Police suspect the involvement of the underworld in the February 5 murder of Sharath Shetty — a young realtor — in the coastal district of Udupi.
Shetty was hacked to death near Pangala temple on National Highway 66 when he was attending a ritual. Udupi Superintendent of Police Hakay Akshay Machindra Tuesday said a rivalry led to the murder.
“We have discovered that a few internet calls were made during the planning and execution of the murder and at this point, we cannot disclose any other name,” said a police officer. Read more
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala on Wednesday in connection with two cases of blasts in Coimbatore and Mangaluru, its official spokesperson said. The searches were carried out at 40 places -- 32 in connection with the Coimbatore car bomb blast and eight linked to the Mangaluru blast.
One of the cases relates to a bomb blast in a car laden with explosives in front of Kottai Eswaran Temple in Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu. The accused, Jamesha Mubeen, after swearing 'Bayath' (allegiance) to the ISIS, was planning to carry out a suicide attack on October 23 last year and cause extensive damage to the temple complex with the intention to strike terror among a section of the society, the agency spokesperson said.
The second case relates to a pressure cooker bomb blast that took place in a moving auto-rickshaw in Mangaluru City in Karnataka on November 19 last year. The blast occurred when the accused was carrying the improvised explosive device for planting it in a public place. (PTI)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday expressed confidence that India will soon be among the leading countries in the field of innovation and emerge as the "light house" to the entire world. Speaking after inaugurating the annual defence innovation event 'Manthan' during the Aero India here, he said, if we want to bring the next generation industrial revolution, then we should either do new things, or try to do the existing things in a new way.
"If we have to develop, then we have to re-define the competition. If we think of moving ahead with old technologies and old systems, then we will always be two centuries behind those countries (developed). That's why today it is necessary that we think in new ways and move forward accordingly," Singh said.
Suggesting that we should try to do something new with the traditional things that are going on, he said, a great example of this is the UPI payment method developed in the country. "Moral of the story is that we should innovate. Innovation means thinking in a new way, which youth like you can do well," he added.
Noting that if we have to go ahead of other countries, it is necessary for "new people" and start-ups to come forward, the Minister said, in his view, start-up means new energy, new commitment, and new enthusiasm. Pointing at first Prime Minister Jawahalal Nehru's speech on "Tryst with Destiny" on India becoming independent, he said, today, after 75 years of independence, we have got an opportunity to move forward on the path of 'Design our Destiny'.
"From now on, our mantra should be 'Design our Destiny', that is, we move forward towards the Design of our Destiny with our effort, abilities and resolve to build it," Singh said. "Our destiny is to become the world's top economy in the coming 25 years; Our destiny is to become the Science & Technology superpower of the world," he said, adding that 'Amrit Kaal' is the best time for this, and youth are the best designers and developers of the country's destiny.
Organised by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), the Manthan platform brings leading innovators, start-ups, MSMEs, incubators, academia and investors from defence & aerospace ecosystem under one roof. Highlighting that the environment that has been created for start-ups in the country in the last few years is no less than a boon for our youth, the Minister said, seven-eight years ago the number of start-ups in the country could be counted in fingers, but today their number has reached more than one lakh.
More than a hundred unicorns have been set up by the youth of the country. This not only tells the importance of the newly created start-up ecosystem in our country, but also showcases the new enthusiasm among our youth, and the passion among them to do something new, he said.
Speaking about new innovations and innovative spirit among the youth, Singh said, "I'm fully confident that soon our country will be among the leading countries in the world with respect to innovations, and like in the past, in the future too India will emerge as the light house to the entire world." iDEX has so far introduced hundreds of innovators to the market, he said, adding that thus thousands of skilled and semi-skilled Indians have been helped in direct and indirect employment generation.
The Defence Ministry has also approved a simplified, and fast track procedure for procurement from iDEX start-ups and MSMEs, the Minister said. iDEX has opened avenues for achieving self-reliance in the defence ecosystem.
"In order to encourage our new entrepreneurs for the development of larger projects, we have decided to increase the grants given so far," he said, adding that this shows the government's support for the hard work, dedication, and encouragement of our innovators and start-ups. (PTI)
In a significant announcement, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said the government will spend 75 per cent of the total defence capital outlay for procurement from domestic defence manufacturers from 2023-24.
The decision will mean setting aside of around Rs 100,000 crore for procurement of military platforms and equipment from the Indian manufacturers, he said.
Singh made the announcement at an event where several agreements and technology transfer agreements were firmed up among large number of defence companies which participated in Aero India 2023. "It is a very significant decision which will further strengthen the domestic defence manufacturing sector," Singh said.
He also said that Aero India 2023 has shown that the Indian defence sector is ready to march ahead along with top global defence companies.
The MoUs and technology transfer agreements signed during Aero India will facilitate a new beginning for defence manufacturing in India, he said. A new chapter in India's aerospace sector has begun today, he said referring to the agreements. (PTI)
Justice B Veerappa who is the executive chairman of the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA) Tuesday convened a meeting with Bengaluru special commissioner (traffic) M A Saleem, transport and road safety commissioner S N Siddaramappa among other government officials to propose an extension of date for the 50 per cent rebate on pending traffic fines. However, the proposal is yet to get the state government’s nod.
“As per the request made by the special commissioner (traffic) it was decided to request the state government to extend the 50% concession on pending traffic challan cases for another 15 days from the date of issuance of notification by the state government,” said a statement from KSLSA.
In Bengaluru, the traffic police department collected over Rs 120 crore in pending traffic fines and disposed of over 41 lakh cases. Read more
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Wednesday visited the pavilions of domestic defence firms at Aero India and interacted with entrepreneurs. He urged them to focus on cutting-edge research to meet the need for niche technologies and high-end manufacturing as per international standards.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday held a bilateral meeting with Zambian counterpart Ambrosa Lufuma on the sidelines of Aero India 2023 in Bengaluru. "Had fruitful discussions with Zambia's Defence Minister, Ambrose Lufuma on the sidelines of #AeroIndia2023 in Bengaluru," he tweeted.
The five-day Aero India show began at the Air Force Station in Yelahanka, Bengaluru on February 13. (ANI)
In the wake of an objectionable play in a private deemed-to-be-university in the city recently, the Karnataka government on Wednesday said it will not tolerate any insult to the architect of the Indian Constitution Dr B R Ambedkar.
During zero hour in the Karnataka Assembly, JD(S) legislator Dr K Annadani raised the issue of the play allegedly demeaning Dr Ambedkar. "The government has taken action by arresting some people. Such an insult to Ambedkar is unacceptable. Remove the 'deemed university' status and withdraw all the facilities given to the educational institution," Annadani said and trooped to the well of the House.
Replying to him, the state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said, "the government is not in a position to tolerate it. If the management's role is found then certainly action will be taken," Madhuswamy said.
On repeated insistence seeking removal of deemed-to-be-university status, Madhuswamy said the government will not yield to whatever was asked for in the House.
Annadani alleged the professor and the dean of the university must be held accountable as they knew about the play when the rehearsal was happening.
The skit that was performed by the students of the Jain (Deemed-to-be) university at a college festival recently, purportedly contained offensive references mocking Dr Ambedkar and Dalits, the portion of which was widely shared on social media. Nine persons including seven students have been arrested in this connection. (PTI)
German defence firm HENSOLDT is set to share full range of critical technologies with state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for manufacturing of Obstacle Avoidance System (OAS) for Indian helicopters.
The OAS is a key equipment that helps in improving situational awareness of pilots and thereby reduces the possibility of accidents, besides enhancing mission accomplishments, according to aviation experts. The HAL is looking at production of OAS for the Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), officials said.
The indigenously designed and developed ALH is a twin engine, multi-role, multi-mission new generation helicopter in the 5.5 tonne weight class.
The HENSOLDT and HAL made the announcement on the collaboration covering design and IPR (Intellectual property Rights) for manufacturing of the Obstacle Avoidance System for Indian helicopters and for potential future exports on the sidelines of Aero India 2023, the German company said. (PTI)
State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will provide maintenance support services for engines of American MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft System, considered one of the most sophisticated armed drones globally, for their operations in India, officials said on Wednesday.
The announcement of the project comes amid India's ongoing talks with the US to procure 30 MQ-9B armed drones at a cost of over USD 3 billion primarily to crank up its surveillance apparatus along the frontier with China as well as in the Indian Ocean region.
The HAL and US defence major General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI), the manufacturer of the MQ-9Bs, announced the collaboration on the MRO (maintenance repair and overhaul) services for the drones on the sidelines of Aero India-2023 at the Yelahanka air base complex. (PTI)
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Response Plus Holding PJSC (RPM) will explore new opportunities for cooperation in the areas of emergency medical services, medical evacuation, helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) and other mutually-beneficial fields in India, and the Gulf and the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) regions.
An MoU to this effect was inked on the sidelines of the ongoing Aero India 2023, Asia's largest air show here, an HAL statement said.
RPM is a leading healthcare provider of emergency medical services, remote healthcare services and occupational health solutions in the United Arab Emirates.
RPM CEO Major Tom Louis said: "This Memorandum of Understanding would mutually help us to explore opportunities nationally as well as internationally to provide the much-needed HEMS and fixed wing emergency medical services." (PTI)
The BJP which is focusing on winning more seats in 'Old Mysuru' region to gain majority in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly polls, is organising the party's 'Yuva Morcha' (youth wing) convention in Mandya on February 20. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is BJP's in-charge for the upcoming assembly polls is likely to attend the event.
"Aimed at taking the programmes of Basavaraj Bommai led government to every household of the state, the state BJP has decided to organise conventions of all morchas of the party like- Yuva (youth), Mahila (women), Raita (farmer), SC, ST and Minority morchas across the state, and for this I have been made the convener," state BJP Vice President B Y Vijayendra said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said the target is to have conventions across the state aimed at strengthening the morchas, so that they work effectively for the election, and take the programmes of the BJP governments at the state and Centre to the people. (PTI)
The Karnataka Tourism Department on Tuesday said it has signed a concession agreement with Dyanamicx Ropeway Pvt Ltd., for development of passenger ropeway at Nandi Hills, for a project cost of Rs 93.40 crore.
Nandi Hills, in the Chikkaballapur district, about 60 kilometers away from Bengaluru, is home to some historical sites and heritage monuments, and is also famous for its trekking trails, cycling routes and adventure sports such as paragliding.
The much-awaited project with an alignment of approximately 2.93 KM will be developed on Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, an official release said.
Dyanamicx Ropeway Pvt Ltd. will develop the project on Design, Build, Finance, Operate & Transfer (DBFOT) framework with a concession period of 30 years, it said. (PTI)
Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Tuesday reiterated that upcoming Assembly elections will be his last electoral battle, but he will remain active in Karnataka politics.
The former Chief Minister last month announced his decision to contest from Kolar this time, subject to approval from the Congress high command.
However, he said he is ready to enter the poll fray from whichever segment the party asks him to, whether it is from Badami or Varuna. On Tuesday, he addressed a large number of his supporters and party workers who had come from Badami, to urge him to contest from his current constituency once again.
"You have to understand my difficulty too, I'm 76 now, and this will be my last election, I will not be contesting an election again. I will be in politics, but will not contest polls, this is my last election," Siddaramaiah said. (PTI)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inspected Wednesday an exhibition at the annual defence startup event ‘Manthan’, at Chandan Singh Air Force Convention Centre in Yelahanka, Bengaluru.
"I am happy to announce the launch of Defense India Start-up Challenge-DISC-9. Defense Ministry has also approved a simplified and fast-track procedure for procurement from iDEX start-ups and MSMEs. iDEX has opened avenues for achieving self-reliance in defence," he said. (ANI)
Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has signed an MoU with Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) for co-operation in addressing global market opportunities for supply of state-of-the-art products such as autonomous boats, and other systems / solutions based on Artificial Intelligence for Naval platforms.
The pact was inked on the sidelines of the ongoing Aero India 2023, Asia's largest air show, at Air Force Station Yelahanka.
BEL CMD Bhanu Prakash Srivastava, and GSL CMD Brajesh Kumar Upadhyay exchanged the MoU documents, a BEL statement said. (PTI)
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and leader of opposition Siddaramaiah on Wednesday accused the Basavaraj Bommai-led government of taking "40 per cent commission" and giving tenders to those who paid more commission.
"The government is giving tenders to those who paid more commission. Instead, the government should give tenders to those who need them. This is the part where 40 per cent commission is advanced," said Siddaramaiah.
"We are investigating those who are accused of corruption and favouritism. We warned the government and contract officials earlier. We will go to court," said Siddaramaiah.
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party, saying that it is mobilising money and raising funds for elections through corruption. (ANI)
Karnataka possesses all qualities to top the list in the field of the aerospace sector in the world, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Tuesday.
"In the field of the aerospace sector, Karnataka is after London and Singapore, and it has all the qualities to become the number one position," Bommai said at a dinner hosted as a mark of respect for VVIPs and industrialists participating in the Aero India Show 2023.
The Chief Minister said that Karnataka has hosted this event for the 14th consecutive year and no state in the country has hosted the air show so many times. "This time, the show is more and a large number of industrialists are participating," he said.
Bommai said the opportunities are more in Bengaluru and engineers are working continuously to make the Air Show successful. (ANI)
The Karnataka Congress party has accused the BJP government of issuing inflated tenders across departments in the final month of tenure in the State. Tenders have been issued for Rs 1,000 crore for works previously valued at Rs 500 crore, KPCC chief D K Shivakumar alleged.
The Bengaluru Traffic Police have issued an advisory to avoid congestion in the city on Wednesday, in view of the Aero India event.
According to the advisory, citizens who wish to visit Aero India Show can avail the parking facility available at the GKVK campus and also the Jakkur campus. BMTC has arranged shuttle buses from GKVK and Jakkur Aerodrome to ADVA parking in Air Force Station Yelahanka.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is working on developing a precision guidance kit, a seat ejection system for the pilots and pyrotechnic cartridges, DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat has said.
The DRDO is also coming up with an engine for its Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Tapas.
"We are working on the precision guidance kit. We have developed the seat ejection system, a life-saving product for the pilots and several pyrotechnic cartridges," Kamat told reporters on Tuesday at the Yelahanka Air Force Base, where the 14th edition of the biennial Aero India-2023 is underway.
The premier defence organisation has also indigenously developed an engine with 180 HP capacity for the UAV Tapas. "This engine has been indigenously developed and very soon, maybe in two months, it will be a part of Tapas. It can go up to 17,000 ft altitude and it has worked satisfactorily," he said. (PTI)
The Karnataka High Court has ruled that the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) will have to pay compensation to a couple nearly 15 years after it originally acquired their property in 2007, and said that “the government cannot act as a robber of citizens’ lands”.
Hearing a writ petition by M V Guruprasad and Nandini Guruprasad, a single-judge bench of Justice Krishna S Dixit on February 10 began its judgment by referring to a St Augustine quote: “Without justice, what else is the state but a great band of robbers?” Read more
Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah Tuesday called for the BJP government in the state to withdraw the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act of 2020 by stating that it was detrimental to the interests of farmers.
During a motion of thanks for the Governor’s address to the joint session of Karnataka legislature on February 10, Siddaramaiah said that the Governor in his address had praised the cow protection policies implemented by the BJP government despite some of the policies like the prohibition of cow slaughter having a negative impact on the livelihood of farmers. Read more
Welcome to our Live Blog. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate Wednesday Manthan 2023, the annual defence innovation event, at Chandan Singh Air Force Convention Centre in Yelahanka, Bengaluru.
Stay tuned as we bring you the latest news updates from across Karnataka and about the Aero India event.