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India all set to acquire 30 armed Predator Drones from the US

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The Commune
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India is expected to clear the purchase of 30 MQ-1 Predator drones from the United States after a high-level Defence Procurement Board or DPB, headed by Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and including the three vice chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) after months of dialogue with the US.

The purchase of the MQ-1 Predator, a remotely piloted aircraft that can carry missiles is an important force multiplier and this particular drone has seen a lot of action in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, reports Timesnow.

As per reports ten Predators, armed with guided bombs and Hellfire missiles, will go to the Army, Navy and Air Force each and now the final clearance is awaited from Defence Acquisition Council headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh and including the three chiefs for clearance.

The Indian Navy is already operating two unarmed Predator drones from the US and is fully satisfied with the performance of two leased unarmed drones and had in fact pushed for early acquisition of MQ-9 drones to meet the maritime challenge posed by China.

As of now, China and Pakistan have the armed Wing Loong II drone with precision strike capability. However, how reliable is this attack drone remains to be seen.

The Indian Navy was designated as lead by both Army and Air Force in the acquisition of MQ-9 drones and the sale will be made through the US Foreign Military Sales route under government to government scheme.

The Indian Navy is most satisfied with the performance of the two unarmed Predator drones on lease from the US as allowed maritime domain awareness from Sunda Strait in Indonesia to the eastern seaboard of Africa. 

Meanwhile, the Indian Army is set to acquire six Heron high altitude long endurance drones from Israel on lease and parallelly upgrade the existing Heron drones with data-link and better radars to meet the challenge posed by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aggressive tactics in East Ladakh as well as in the Xinjiang region across Karakoram Pass.

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Kerala: RSS worker hacked to death in Palakkad, SDPI said to be behind attack

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The Commune
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S Sanjith, a 27-year-old RSS Swayamsevak was hacked to death in front of his wife in Kerala’s Palakkad district on Monday (November 15) morning.

Fanatic Islamist organization Social Democratic Party of India is said to be behind the attack.

Sanjith was reportedly stopped by a gang when he was travelling with his wife. Police said that there were more than 50 stab wounds on Sanjith.

The gruesome murder has sent shockwaves in the locality with police maintaining a strict vigil.

Further investigation is underway.

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India receives S-400 anti-missile systems from Russia on time

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The Commune
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In a significant development for India’s national security, Russia has started supplying the S-400 Triumf advanced anti-missile systems, which can bring down enemy fighter jets, UAVs and incoming missiles at a distance of up to 400 km to India.

As per reports, the first unit will be deployed near the western front against Pakistan and complete delivery of the first S-400 squadron will be done by the end of the year and already the first parts of the squadron have already started reaching India and would be quickly deployed on the designated locations.

The announcement was made by the Director of Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) Dmitry Shugaev in Dubai air show. FSMTC is the Russian government’s main defence export control organisation.

Dmitry Shugaev, told Russian news agency Sputnik, “The supplies of the S-400 air defence system to India have started and are proceeding on schedule,”.

The timing is also quite meaningful as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s planned visit to India next month as part of the annual bilateral meeting.

Russia will complete the delivery of the first squadron by the end of this year and after that, the Indian Air Force (IAF) would start focusing on the eastern front.

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India ahead of China and Germany in mobile transactions: Reports

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The Commune
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Economists at the State Bank of India (SBI) in a report have stated that an increase in mobile transactions along with the number of bank branches, a careful recalibration of bank branches along a robust digital infrastructure has enhanced India’s financial inclusion metrics.

“India has stolen a march in financial inclusion with the initiation of Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts since 2014, using the banking correspondent (BC) model judiciously for furthering financial inclusion,” the report reads, as quoted by the Times of India (TOI).

Mobile and internet banking transactions in India have risen to 13,615 per 1000 adults in 2020 from 183 back in 2015. Due to this many people made payments online or used their mobiles to make payment during the pandemic, thus reducing contact 

Also, the number of bank branches has increased to 14.7 per 1 lakh adults as compared to 13.6 in 2015. India stands ahead of countries like China, Germany, and South Africa in these concerning financial inclusion metrics.

Moreover, the number of no-frills bank accounts opened in the last seven years has reached 43.7 crore with deposits worth Rs 1.46 lakh crore as of 20th October, and two-thirds of these accounts are operational in rural and semi-urban areas and a massive 78 per cent of these accounts are with state-owned banks.

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PM Modi meets with powerful US delegation to discuss bilateral relations

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The Commune
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modi CERAWeek award

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today (November 13), met with a US Congressional delegation led by Republican Senate Majority Whip Senator John Cornyn, reports The Hindu.

The delegation included Senator Michael Crapo, Senator Thomas Tuberville, Senator Michael Lee, Congressman Tony Gonzales, and Congressman John Kevin Elizey.

Senator John Cornyn is the co-founder and co-chair of the Senate Caucus on India and Indian Americans and had recently written a letter to the Biden administration exempting India from Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for buying S-400 anti-air missile system from Russia.

“The congressional delegation noted the excellent management of the COVID situation in India despite the challenges of a large and diverse population. The prime minister noted people’s participation based on the country’s democratic ethos played a key role in managing the worst pandemic of the last one century,” a PMO release said.

PM Modi noted that people’s participation based on the democratic ethos of the country played a key role in managing the worst pandemic of the last century and the Indian PM appreciated the consistent support and constructive role of the US Congress in deepening the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership which is anchored in shared democratic values.

“There was a warm and frank discussion on regional issues of mutual interest, including those related to South Asia and the Indo-Pacific region,” the PMO said.

PM Modi and the visiting delegation talked about the increasing convergence of strategic interests between the two partners and expressed the desire to further enhance cooperation to promote global peace and stability and also enhance the bilateral relationship. strengthening cooperation on contemporary global issues such as terrorism, climate change, and reliable supply chains for critical technologies.

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Netizens demand action against Tamil YT channel ‘Plip Plip’ for abusive and obscene content

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The Commune
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Following their ‘roast video’ on recent Rajinikanth-starrer ‘Annathe’, controversial YouTubers who identify themselves as ‘Sarvs Saga’ and ‘Gurubaai’ running the channel named Plip Plip have been facing ire for their abusive remarks against Rajinikanth.

Plip Plip is a Tamil YouTube channel which is known for its abusive content. The channel run by two persons who identify themselves as Gurubaai and Sarvs Saga are known for using obscene language that objectify women and spewing abuses referring to the male and female genitalia. In one of their videos they had even glorified gang rape.

https://twitter.com/saranstm/status/1448252315694247937

In their latest video, the duo makes several obscene comments on Nayanthara and Rajinikanth. Sarvs Saga makes an objectionable sexual reference to Nayanthara calling her as “Butt Amma” with a hand gesture implying ‘spanking’.

He goes on to say that while watching the film he felt like he got stuck with a drunk mother******. Throughout the video, Sarvs Saga does blatant age-shaming of Superstar Rajinikanth.

Sarvs Saga also makes another derogatory reference to the scenes involving Rajinikanth,  Livingston, Pandiaraj, Khusbhu and Meena calling it as ‘cuckold’.

This video still exists in YouTube.

Sarvs Saga and Gurubaai (who has a separate channel of his own) are known for using vulgar language in their videos by making sexual references. They frequently and willingly use foul language in Tamil derogating women.

Despite several complaints by social media users, no action has been taken against them or their channel.

These two YouTubers who along with several other YouTubers who are vocal supporters of the DMK met CM Stalin in October.

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In light of this, many on social media have demanded action against the duo for their abusive content. It is being said that fans of Rajinikanth are about to file a police complaint.

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Pastor in Andhra arrested for sexually harassing minor SC girl in Church

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The Commune
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In yet another case of sexual harassment by the clergy in Church, a pastor in Andhra Pradesh has been arrested for sexually harassing minor girls from Scheduled Caste community.

Pastor Uppalapati Ravindra Prasanna Kumar is the head of Covenant Church & District President for National Christian Board, Andhra Pradesh Chapter. He had allegedly sexually exploited a girl belonging to the Scheduled Caste community within the Church premises.

The incident reportedly happened on 6th November 2021, but the police did not register FIR initially. The issue was then brought to attention of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) by Hindu Jana Shakti Vice President Prerna Thiruvaipati.

SC/ST Rights Forum, a legal advocacy organization had said that Sub-Inspector Maruthi had allegedly tried to ‘settle the matter’ by making the victim agree to a compromise.

However, upon the intervention of NCPCR, the pastor was arrested.

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Watch: DMK Minister openly doles out cash to people in public place

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The Commune
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In a shocking video, DMK Minister Gingee Masthan can be seen issuing ₹100 to people for free from his car.

Chennai and other coastal districts in the northern parts of Tamil Nadu have been receiving heavy rainfall since Deepavali.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and his Ministers have been touring affected areas to assess damage and provide relief.

In light of this, Minister of Minorities Welfare Gingee Masthan who was also visiting areas in his constituency was found distributing cash for free to people at a public place.

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BSF kill Bangladeshi cattle smugglers in West Bengal, TMC makes a political issue out of it

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The Commune
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In the Indian state of West Bengal that shares a very long border with Bangladesh, two cattle smugglers were killed in an encounter by the Border Security Force (BSF) near the Sitai locality in Cooch Bihar district in the early morning of November 12 at around 3 AM.

As per reports, one BSF trooper was also injured after smugglers attacked the BSF patrolling party which tried to stop them and was rushed to the hospital. According to the reports, the BSF team patrolling that area spotted some Bangladeshi smugglers trying to smuggle cattle by lifting them over the barbed wire fence using improvised cantilevers.

They entered Indian territory by using ladders out of iron bars to cross the fence. When they were spotted by the BSF they were warned to go back, but the smugglers chose to attack BSF personnel with iron rods, sticks, and sickles. 

Since the smugglers only used rods and sticks, the BSF, first resorted to using non-lethal weapons to deter them, however, the rules of engagement changed once the deadly smugglers attacked them that led to the death of these smugglers who steal cattle from border villages and cattle in these rural areas are a source of income.

BSF also issued a statement regarding the encounter. “On 12th Nov 2021 at about 0300 hrs, miscreants from Bangladesh side ventured into Indian territory and tried to smuggle cattle heads by establishing improvised bamboo cantilever. BSF domination ahead of the fence warned them to go back, but miscreants didn’t pay heed to BSF, “ it said.

However, journalist Anupam Mishra has claimed that not two but three smugglers had died in the encounter that took place with them and shared the video of a deceased smuggler.

After the incident came to light the ruling TMC under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that this incident was a fallout of the centre expanding the jurisdiction of BSF to 50 km in the states of West Bengal, Punjab, and Assam. All these states are a hotbed of smuggling narcotics and weapons which is a serious threat to our national security.

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Retail investors can now invest in government securities

By
The Commune
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Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched two innovative customer centric initiatives of RBI viz. Retail Direct Scheme and the Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, here today via video conference. The Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India Shri Shaktikanta Das were also present at the event.

Addressing the event, the Prime Minister praised the Finance Ministry and institutions like RBI for their efforts during the pandemic. “This period of Amrit Mahotsav, this decade of the 21st century is very important for the development of the country. In such a situation, the role of RBI is also very big. I am confident that Team RBI will live up to the expectations of the country”, the Prime Minister said.

Referring to the two schemes that have been launched today, the Prime Minister said that these schemes  will expand the scope of investment in the country and make access to capital markets easier, more secure for investors. Retail direct scheme has given small investors in the country a simple and safe medium of investment in government securities. Similarly, One Nation, One Ombudsman System has taken shape in the banking sector with the Integrated Ombudsman Scheme today, he said.

The Prime Minister emphasized the citizen centric nature of these schemes. He said that one of the biggest touchstones of any democracy is the strength of its grievance redressal system. The Integrated Ombudsman Scheme will go a long way in that direction. Similarly, the Retail Direct Scheme  will give strength to the inclusion of everyone in the economy as it will bring in the middle class, employees, small businessmen and senior citizens with their small savings directly and securely in government securities. As Government securities have the provision of guaranteed settlement, this gives assurance of safety to the small investor, he said.

The Prime Minister said that in the last 7 years, NPAs were identified with transparency, the focus was on resolution and recovery, Public Sector Banks were recapitalized, one after the other reforms were carried out in the financial system and public sector banks. He added, to further strengthen the banking sector, cooperative banks were also brought under the purview of RBI. Due to this the governance of these banks is also improving and the trust in this system is getting stronger among the depositors, he added.

The Prime Minister said in the past few years, in the country’s banking sector reforms ranging from inclusion in the financial sector to technological integration have been carried out. “We have seen their strength in this difficult time of Covid. The decisions of the RBI also helped in increasing the impact of the big decisions that the government has taken in recent times”, he said.

The Prime Minister said till 6-7 years ago, banking, pension and insurance, used to be like an exclusive club in India. All these facilities were not accessible to the common citizens in the country, poor families, farmers, small traders-businessmen, women, dalits-deprived-backward, etc. Criticizing the earlier system, the Prime Minister said those who had the responsibility of taking these facilities to the poor never paid any attention to it. Rather, various excuses were made for not changing. It was said that there is no bank branch, no staff, no internet, no awareness, no idea what the arguments were, he lamented.

The Prime Minister said UPI has made India the world’s leading country in terms of digital transactions in a very short span of time. In just 7 years, India has jumped 19 times in terms of digital transactions. Today our banking system is operational 24 hours, 7 days and 12 months anytime, anywhere in the country, Shri Modi stressed.

The Prime Minister said we have to keep the needs of the citizens of the country at the center and keep on strengthening the trust of the investors. “I am confident that RBI will continue to strengthen India’s new identity as a sensitive and investor-friendly destination”. The Prime Minister concluded.

(Published from PIB)

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TheCommune
The Commune is a news and views portal focusing on social and political issues of the southern part of India with a focus on Tamil Nadu.
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