Alpha Tocol Delivers 1st Rear Fuselage For Mk1A To Hindustan Aeronautics

Private firm Alpha Tocol Engineering Services on Sunday handed over the first rear fuselage for Light Combat Aircraft Mk1A to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the Defence Ministry said.

The rear fuselage was handed over at the HAL's Aircraft Division in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, according to a Defence Ministry statement.

Speaking on the occasion, Singh termed the handing over as a milestone in the historic journey of India's defence manufacturing.

"The ceremony is a testimony to India's progress towards Aatmanirbharta in defence and the Government's commitment towards enhanced public-private partnership," he said.

The defence minister commended HAL and the private sector for constantly strengthening the Armed Forces with latest platforms and technologies.

He stated that the HAL, through its integrated model and strategies, is not only bolstering the strength of soldiers, but is also opening new dimensions of manufacturing and Research and Development (R&D) by collaborating with the private sector.

The statement said a fuselage is the main body section of the aircraft which holds the pilot, passengers and cargo, while the rear fuselage supports the tail section and its associated components.

Singh described HAL as the fuselage of the country's defence and aerospace sector, with private companies such as L&T, Alpha Tocol, Tata Advanced Systems and VEM Technologies playing the role of rear fuselage, supporting HAL.

"Together with these Indian components, the aircraft which is being manufactured in our defence and aerospace sector will reach greater heights in the times to come," he said.

The minister credited the bravery and dedication of the air warriors as well as the equipment being manufactured by Indian public and private sectors for the growing strength of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

"While our courageous air warriors have made an invaluable contribution, the equipment being manufactured indigenously is providing them the added strength, with which they protect our borders," he said.

Singh exuded confidence that HAL and the private sector will continue to overcome every challenge and bolster the Armed Forces in every way.

The statement said the HAL had placed orders on various Indian private companies such as L&T, Alpha Tocol Engineering Services, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), VEM Technologies and Lakshmi Mission Works (LMW) for supplying major modules for the 83 LCA Mk1A contract.

HAL has already manufactured 12 LCA MK1A rear fuselages, which are on the aircraft in the manufacturing line. With this supply, a major structure module produced by an Indian private partner will be integrated into the LCA Mk1A aircraft, enabling HAL to meet additional delivery commitments for IAF from 2025-26 onwards.

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, MP Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi, Chief Managing Director (CMD) of HAL D K Sunil, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Alpha Tocol Engineering Services, Wing Commander Baran Sen (Retd), CMD, VEM Technologies V Venkataraju, Senior VP, Larsen & Toubro, Arun T Ramchandani, were present along with other dignitaries.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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J&K Lt Governor Orders "Thorough, Transparent" Probe Into Kathua Killings

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday ordered a thorough and transparent investigation into the killing of three relatives of a family in Kathua district.

The bodies of Varun Singh (15), his paternal uncle Yogesh Singh (32) and maternal uncle Darshan Singh (40) were found from the Ishu nullah in the remote Malhar area in the higher reaches of the district on Saturday. The trio had gone missing on March 5.

"I have ordered a thorough and transparent investigation, and all the necessary support to the families will be provided," the LG said in a post on X.

He said he was shocked and saddened beyond words at the brutal killing of the three.

"I assure the people that the perpetrators will be brought to book at the earliest. Justice will be ensured and accountability will be fixed," Mr Sinha said.

He offered his condolences to the families and friends of the victims.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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India Looking For Good Trade Agreement With US, Says Nirmala Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said India is looking for a "good" trade agreement with the US to promote economic growth and ensure smooth supply chains.

She also said that amid a growing global tariff war, India will have to move "smartly" to guard against possible dumping of goods from countries that are facing higher US tariffs. At the same time, India will protect the interests of domestic industries that rely on affordable imports.

"In a broad sense, I think, both sides should have ambition for a good treaty, and nobody can fault that. Particularly for India, when you are looking at Viksit Bharat, you need to have good traction. Everybody is concerned about the growth numbers," she said at The Economic Times Awards.

The minister said that a lot more steps are required to strengthen the country's exports across the board, wherever there is potential.

"So, I am sure the commerce minister (Piyush Goyal) is quite seized of this, and he would take this (trade) agreement to meet the ambitions that we have in terms of promoting growth, in terms of ensuring that our supply chains are intact and smooth and flowing well, and therefore, that would guide his negotiations, I would think," Sitharaman said.

India and the US are negotiating a bilateral trade agreement, with an aim to double trade to USD 500 billion by 2030. After a week-long visit, Goyal on Saturday returned from Washington after holding trade talks with his US counterparts.

Over the concern that due to the US tariffs, there is a possibility of dumping of goods in the country, Sitharaman said: "When such chances exist, we will have to guard ourselves against it. But, how smartly do we do that?...We need to be smart about these sorts of things".

Among stakeholders, there are sections that opt for complete stoppage of dumped goods and some sections prefer a calibrated approach to it, she added.

"So, the government's task is to make sure that we plan for it and balance everybody's interests," the minister said.

Already various sectors like steel have approached the government to impose safeguard duties to protect them against the increase in imports from countries, such as China, which have huge inventories.

When asked about the guiding principles that India needs to follow while negotiating free trade agreements, she said: "The first principle is to put India's interest first".

She said the language of certain agreements signed by the previous government "was very loose" and India is facing a challenge now because of those.

She said the commerce ministry is now engaged to review many of the FTAs, including with countries like Japan, Korea, and ASEAN, which were signed in the past.

"...today our understanding is good negotiation...India's interest should be absolutely your top priority. And unless you do negotiate for India's own good, even your negotiation will not be taken seriously by the opposite side, because they are very clear on what they want. But can you not be as clear? And therefore, I would think the approach now is to be a lot more hands-on in your negotiation," she said.

She also pitched for consulting with the stakeholders at every process and taking their inputs from time to time.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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महिलाओं को एक हत्या करने से छूट दी जाए... शरद पवार की पार्टी के नेता ने राष्ट्रपति से ये मांग की

राष्ट्रवादी कांग्रेस पार्टी (राकांपा)-शरदचंद्र पवार की महिला शाखा ने राष्ट्रपति द्रौपदी मुर्मू को पत्र लिखकर महिलाओं के खिलाफ अत्याचारों के मद्देनजर एक हत्या करने पर सजा में छूट देने का आग्रह किया है. शरद पवार के नेतृत्व वाली पार्टी की महिला शाखा की अध्यक्ष रोहिणी खडसे ने अंतरराष्ट्रीय महिला दिवस के अवसर पर राष्ट्रपति को लिखे पत्र में कहा कि महिलाएं दमनकारी मानसिकता, दुष्कर्म वाली मानसिकता और निष्क्रिय कानून-व्यवस्था की प्रवृत्ति को खत्म करना चाहती हैं.

खडसे ने हाल ही में मुंबई में 12 वर्षीय लड़की से सामूहिक दुष्कर्म की घटना का हवाला देते हुए कहा कि महिलाओं के खिलाफ अपराध बढ़ रहे हैं.

खडसे ने पत्र में कहा, “हम सभी महिलाओं की ओर से एक हत्या करने पर सजा में छूट की मांग कर रहे हैं.”

इस पत्र का उद्देश्य राज्य में कानून-व्यवस्था की स्थिति को लेकर राज्य सरकार पर निशाना साधना है.

उन्होंने एक सर्वेक्षण रिपोर्ट का हवाला देते हुए कहा कि भारत महिलाओं के लिए सबसे असुरक्षित देश है, क्योंकि उनके खिलाफ अपहरण और घरेलू हिंसा जैसे अपराध हो रहे हैं.

रोहिणी खडसे ने कहा, "हम दमनकारी मानसिकता, बलात्कारी प्रवृत्ति, कानून और व्यवस्था की अक्षमता को खत्म करना चाहते हैं... हमें उम्मीद है कि हमारी मांग पर गंभीरता से विचार करने के बाद उसे स्वीकार किया जाएगा."

पत्र पर प्रतिक्रिया देते हुए शिवसेना के मंत्री गुलाबराव पाटिल ने कहा कि खडसे को बताना चाहिए कि वह किसकी हत्या करेंगी. हालांकि, उनकी पार्टी की सहयोगी मनीषा कायंदे ने अधिक सहानुभूतिपूर्ण दृष्टिकोण पेश किया.

एमएलसी कायंदे ने कहा कि खडसे शायद कुछ लोगों में कुछ खास प्रवृत्तियों को खत्म करने की बात कर रही हैं. उन्होंने कहा कि यह भावना "हाल की घटनाओं" से उपजी होगी.

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अमिताभ बच्चन ने इस फिल्म में पहली बार दिया था किसिंग सीन, 36 साल छोटी एक्ट्रेस से लड़ाया था इश्क, फिल्म ने जीते 57 अवॉर्ड

अमिताभ बच्चन (Amitabh Bachchan) ने अपने लंबे फिल्मी करियर में कई एक्ट्रेस संग ऑन स्क्रीन रोमांस किया है. लेकिन अपने शुरुआती दौर में उन्होंने कभी किसिंग सीन नहीं दिया था. लेकिन एक फिल्म में जब उन्होंने पहली बार ऐसा सीन शूट किया तब हीरोइन और उनकी जोड़ी बहुत ऑड थी. इसकी वजह ये थी कि जिस हीरोइन को उन्होंने ऑनस्क्रीन किस किया था उसकी उम्र अमिताभ बच्चन की उम्र से करीब 36 साल छोटी थी. लेकिन फिल्म इस कदर उम्दा थी कि फिल्म ने अवॉर्ड पर अवॉर्ड जीत डाले थे. कौन है वो हीरोइन और कौन सी थी वो फिल्म, चलिए आपको बताते हैं.

ये है फिल्म का नाम

हम जिस फिल्म के बारे में आपसे बात कर रहे हैं. उस फिल्म का नाम है ब्लैक. इस फिल्म में रानी मुखर्जी लीड रोल में थी. फिल्म में रानी मुखर्जी एक ऐसी युवती के किरदार में थी जो देख नहीं सकती, न ही सुन सकती है और न ही बोल सकती है. उसकी इस स्याह जिंदगी में एक टीचर आता है, जो उसे बिना देखे, बिना बोले और बिना सुने सब कुछ समझना सिखाता है. उसी टीचर से वो पूछती हैं कि किस का अहसास कैसा होता है. तब वो टीचर उसे किस करता है. ये टीचर कोई और नहीं अमिताभ बच्चन थे, जिनकी खुद की याददाश्त फिल्म में इस किस के बाद खो जाती है.

जीते थे 57 अवॉर्ड

जिस वक्त रानी मुखर्जी और अमिताभ बच्चन ने ये फिल्म एक साथ की थी, तब दोनों की उम्र का फासला 36 साल का था. बॉलीवुड हंगामा की माने तो फिल्म ज्यादा कमाई नहीं कर सकी थी. फिल्म का ग्रॉस कलेक्शन था 32.21 करोड़ रु. और कुल कमाई थी 40.18 करोड़ रु. कमाई के मामले में भले ही फिल्म एवरेज मूवी रही हो, लेकिन अवॉर्ड झटकने के मामले में लाजवाब रही है. आईएमडीबी की साइट के मुताबिक फिल्म ने अलग अलग अवॉर्ड शोज में करीब 57 अवॉर्ड हासिल किए.
 

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Air Force Plane Involved In "Incident" In Bengal's Bagdogra, Crew Safe

A transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was involved in a "serious incident" after landing in West Bengal's Bagdogra, sources said. The crew is safe, they said.

The Russian-origin aircraft, An-32, which was involved in the incident today, is the backbone of the IAF's transport operations.

A Jaguar jet of the IAF crashed in Haryana's Ambala earlier today during a routine training sortie. The pilot ejected safely.

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Old Anti-Conversion Law Making A Comeback, Arunachal Christians Protest

Thousands of people under the banner of the Arunachal Christian Forum held a peaceful protest today near Itanagar against the implementation of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act 1978, an anti-conversion law. Though passed by the state in 1978 and President's assent received, this law was not implemented in Arunachal Pradesh for over four decades. But in September 2024, the the Itanagar Bench of the Gauhati High Court, after hearing a petition, ordered the government to frame rules for this within six months.

ACF president Tarh Miri said over two lakh Christians, cutting across denominations, had gathered at Borum today. An apex body of Christians in Arunachal Pradesh, the ACF has been protesting against the implementation of the law, claiming it would harm Christians in the state and curtail their freedom of religion. They observed an eight-hour hunger strike in Borum on February 17.

"The move by the present government to implement this law is unconstitutional, against the spirit of secularism and anti-Christ" said Tarh Miri.

Government sources say the law cannot be repealed and the government has been directed by a court to implement it. The state, however, will hold "consultative meetings with all religious leaders and other stakeholders" over framing of the rules for the Act, sources said.

"There is confusion among people over the act, people are making their own narrative... since there is a court directive, the government will form a committee having our MLAs, a different faith leader led by the home minister and the committee will frame the rules in such a way that there is no prejudice," said PD Sona, Education Minister and government spokesperson.

The APFRA prohibits religious conversion "by use of force or inducement or by fraudulent means" and entails a two-year jail term or a fine up to Rs 10,000. The law also mandates that every conversion has to be reported to the district Deputy Commissioner. A failure to report it will attract a penalty.

From 0.79% of the state's population in the 1971 Census, the Christian numbers had grown to 30.26% in the 2011 Census.

Around 13 per cent people in the state follow Buddhism. There is also a huge share of people who still follow indigenous faith like the Donyi Polo.  

The leaders of the indigenous faiths had met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat during his recent "Arunachal Pravas". Speaking on Sunday, Mr Bhagwat had emphasised the need to balance cultural heritage with modern aspirations.

A section of the indigenous faith followers, meanwhile, are holding marches to support the implementation of the four- decade old anti-conversion law. 

"This act is for people of all faiths in Arunachal. It will serve all. This is not at all unconstitutional," said one of them, Kamjai Taism.

In the northeast, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram are Christian-majority states while Manipur also has a significant Christian population, therefore this fresh controversy over the anti-conversion law will be keenly watched.
 

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