India Imposes Rice Export Ban

 

Reuters: India imposes major rice export ban, triggering inflation fears 

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday ordered a halt to its largest rice export category in a move that will roughly halve shipments by the world's largest exporter of the grain, triggering fears of further inflation on global food markets. 

The government said it was imposing a ban on non-basmati white rice after retail rice prices climbed 3 per cent in a month after late but heavy monsoon rains caused significant damage to crops. 

India accounts for more than 40 per cent of world rice exports, and low inventories with other exporters mean any cut in shipments could inflate food prices already driven up by Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year and erratic weather. 

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: India is responsible for approximately 40% of the world's rice exports. Some variants will still be exported, but 25% of the world's rice production is now off the global markets. This is a nightmare situation for third world countries that will get worse if this ban is permanent. If you think the immigration crisis is bad now, you have seen nothing yet.

Update: India’s rice export ban comes amid ‘perfect storm’ with Black Sea wheat crisis, El Nino (see video below). 

 

 India Imposes Rice Export Ban  

Top rice supplier India bans some exports -- AFP  

India’s rice export ban could send decade-high prices spiking even further -- CNBC 

India triggers inflation fears after imposing major rice export ban -- CNN  

Rice prices set to climb further after India export ban, trade at standstill -- Reuters

India's latest rice export ban could spell long-term trouble for US -- Agri-Pulse 

India’s Rice Export Ban Could Drive Global Food Prices Even Higher—Here’s What You Need To Know -- Forbes

Ethnic Clashes Threaten To Push India’s Manipur State Into Civil War

The Guardian: ‘Foreigners on our own land’: ethnic clashes threaten to push India’s Manipur state into civil war 

As they saw the smoke rising up from torched houses nearby, Nancy Chingthianigng and her family knew they urgently needed to escape. 

It was early May and all around them, Manipur – a state in the north-east of India – had begun to burn, as members of the dominant Meitei ethnic group violently clashed with the minority Kukis in some of the region’s worst ethnic conflict in living memory. 

As a minority Kuki living in the state capital of Imphal, where the Meitei tribe dominate in number and political power, 29-year-old Chingthianigng feared for her life; news had already reached them of relatives and neighbours being targeted by Meitei gangs. Late that night, five members of the family piled into a car and headed for a Kuki-controlled area of the state.  

Read more .... 

Update #1: Armed mobs rampage through villages and push remote Indian region to the brink of civil war (AP) 

Update #2: ‘Foreigners on our own land’: ethnic clashes threaten to push India’s Manipur state into civil war (The Guardian)  

WNU Editor: The Indian government has made it very clear to the U.S. to not get involved .... U.S Envoy Stirs Row With 'Ready To Assist On Manipur' Remark; Cong's Manish Tewari Counters (Hiindustan Times)  

Update #3: The violence in Manipur state is not the only internal crisis that India is facing .... From Maoist Insurgency to Manipur: Mapping India’s Internal Security Crisis (The Quint).

Dozens Dead As Ethnic Clashes Grip Indian State

 

BBC: Manipur violence: Dozens dead as ethnic clashes grip Indian state 

At least 30 people have been killed in ethnic clashes in the remote Indian state of Manipur, officials say. 

The violence began earlier this week after a rally by indigenous communities against moves to grant tribal status to the main ethnic group in the state. 

Mobs attacked homes, vehicles, churches, and temples. Some reports put the death toll as high as 54. Around 10,000 people have reportedly been displaced.

Thousands of troops have been sent in to maintain order. A curfew is in place in several districts and internet access has been suspended.  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Even with the presence of the Army, the violence continues .... Ethnic clashes continue in India’s Manipur despite army presence (Al Jazeera). 

Dozens Dead As Ethnic Clashes Grip Indian State  

Ethnic tensions in India's northeast forces evacuation of thousands to guarded camps -- Reuters 

Dozens Killed in Ethnic Clashes in India's Manipur State -- New York Times  

54 dead after ethnic clashes in India's remote northeast -- France 24  

India investigates deaths in restless northeastern state -- DW  

Indian troops ordered to ‘shoot on sight’ amid violence in Manipur -- The Guardian

Indian Air Force Fighter Jets Crash In Mid-Air. Pilot killed. Two Other Indian Air Forces Pilots Injured In Crash

Two Indian Air Force fighter jets crashed in an apparent mid-air collision while on exercises south of the capital New Delhi © - / AFP  

FOX News: Indian Air Force fighters jets crash in mid-air, killing pilot: See the wreckage  

Two other Indian Air Forces pilots injured in crash 

A plane crash involving two fighter jets in India has killed one pilot and severely injured the other. 

"Two fighter aircraft of IAF were involved in an accident near Gwalior this morning. The aircraft were on routine operational flying training mission," the Indian Air Force (IAF) wrote in a statement on Twitter. 

"One of the three pilots involved sustained fatal injuries." "An inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the accident." 

Read more .... 

Indian Air Force Fighter Jets Crash In Mid-Air  

2 Indian fighter jets crash, killing pilot -- AP  

Two Indian military jets crash, one pilot killed -- France 24 

India: Pilot killed after 2 fighter jets crash -- DW Two Indian Airforce Aircraft Collide Mid-Air in Central India -- Bloomberg  

Mirage, Sukhoi collide in MP, instructor killed -- India Times  

Sukhoi, Mirage Fighter Jets Crash Near Gwalior, 1 Pilot Dead -- NDTV

India Successfully Test Fires An Agni-V Ballistic Missile

The Agni V missile can hit targets more than 5,400 km away. (File)  

Al Jazeera: India test-fires Agni-V missile amid border tensions with China  

The nuclear-capable ballistic missile, with a range of 5,400km (3,300 miles) is launched from eastern India, a government minister says. 

India has successfully test-fired a long-range nuclear-capable missile, according to a government minister, as New Delhi aims to boost its defence capabilities amid border tensions with China. 

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile was fired on Thursday from Abdul Kalam Island in eastern Odisha state.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction. These tensions are only going to contine:

China-India tensions simmer after missile test, troop brawl https://t.co/sypptYTVjT

— South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) December 16, 2022

India Successfully Test Fires An Agni-V Ballistic Missile  

Days After China Clash, Agni V Successfully Tested, It Can Target Beijing -- NDTV  

Amid border tensions with China, India successfully tests Agni V missile -- Hindustan Times 

India successfully test fires Agni-V, ballistic missile with a range of over 5,000 KMs -- FPJ  

What is Agni-5, the long-range nuclear capable missile that India has tested? -- Indian Express

Indian Nuclear Sub Carried Out A Successful Test Of A Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) On Friday

India's sub-surface ballistic nuclear submarine INS Arihant. Reuters  

DW: India's nuclear submarine Arihant successfully test-fires missile 

The test launch of a ballistic missile from nuclear submarine INS Arihant makes India the sixth country which can conduct nuclear strikes and counterstrikes on land, sea and air. 

India fired a ballistic missile from its first nuclear submarine INS Arihant, with the projectile hitting the target area in the Bay of Bengal with very high accuracy, the Indian defense ministry said on Friday. 

The successful launch of the Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) by INS Arihant is ''significant to prove crew competency and validate'' ballistic missiles which is ''a key element of India's nuclear deterrence capability,'' the defense added.  

Read more ....

Indian Nuclear Sub Carried Out A Successful Test Of A Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) On Friday  

Nuclear-powered INS Arihant carries out successful launch of SLBM -- Indian Express 

India tests N-missile from submarine for 'assured retaliatory capability' and strategic deterrence -- Times of India 

India fires ballistic missile from INS Arihant, India’s first home made nuclear submarine -- WION

Indian SSBN INS Arihant Fires Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile -- Naval News 

India says submarine-launched ballistic missile test a success -- Al Jazeera  

Indian nuclear sub test-fires missile -- RT  

Deterrence messaging behind INS Arihant’s N-missile launch -- Hindustan Times

India Passes The U.K. To Become The World's Fifth Largest Economy

UK's decline down the international rankings is an unwelcome backdrop for the new prime minister.  

NDTV/Bloomberg: UK Slips Behind India To Become World's Sixth Biggest Economy 

India leaped past the UK in the final three months of 2021 to become the fifth-biggest economy. 

Britain has dropped behind India to become the world's sixth largest economy, delivering a further blow to the government in London as it grapples with a brutal cost-of-living shock. 

India leaped past the UK in the final three months of 2021 to become the fifth-biggest economy. The calculation is based in US dollars, and India extended its lead in the first quarter, according to GDP figures from the International Monetary Fund. 

The UK's decline down the international rankings is an unwelcome backdrop for the new prime minister. Conservative Party members choose Boris Johnson's successor on Monday, with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss expected to beat former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak in the run-off. 

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Here is the list of top countries by GDP (link here).

India launches Its First Home-Built Aircraft Carrier As China Concerns Grow

India launched its first home-built aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant, today - which is valued at $2.5billion  

Daily Mail: India launches its first home-built aircraft carrier as the nation looks to counter China's growing naval fleet 

* India launched the $2.5billion INS Vikrant today after an 18-year production 

* Prime Minister Modi said: 'It's a historic day and landmark achievement' 

* Ship weights 47,400 tons and can carry a crew of 1,600 and 30 aircraft 

* China launched its third aircraft carrier in June and is expanding its fleet India has launched its first home-built aircraft carrier as the nation looks to counter 

China's much larger growing naval fleet. The $2.5billion (£1.86billion) INS Vikrant is India's second operational aircraft carrier - joining the Soviet-era INS Vikramaditya it purchased from Russia in 2004 to defend the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal. 

The new 262-metre (860 foot) carrier was designed by the Indian navy and built at the Cochin shipyard in southern India.  

Read more .... 

 India launches Its First Home-Built Aircraft Carrier As China Concerns Grow  

India launches new aircraft carrier as China concerns grow -- Defense News/AP 

India Launches First Home-Built Aircraft Carrier Amid China Concerns -- VOA  

India Inducts Second Aircraft Carrier as Seas Get Militarized -- Bloomberg 

India unveils first homemade aircraft carrier, with eye on China -- Gulf Times  

INS Vikrant: Inside India's newly-commissioned aircraft carrier -- BBC  

India's first homegrown aircraft carrier puts it among world's naval elites -- CNN

India Fires 3 Officers For Accidentally Firing Missile Into Pakistan

A BrahMos cruise missile from India landed in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province in March. (Reuters: B Mathur/ File)  

BBC: India sacks officers for accidentally firing missile into Pakistan 

India's government has sacked three air force officers for the "accidental firing of a missile" into Pakistan in March. 

The incident had escalated tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations. Delhi had blamed the "deeply regrettable" incident on a "technical malfunction" during routine maintenance. 

Islamabad warned Delhi to "be mindful of the unpleasant consequences of such negligence" and to avoid a repeat. 

The officers responsible for the 9 March incident have been terminated from service, the Indian Air Force said in a statement on Tuesday.  

Read more .... 

 India Fires 3 Officers For Accidentally Firing Missile Into Pakistan  

India fires 3 military officers for Pakistan missile misfire -- AP  

Indian air force sacks three officers for accidentally firing missile into Pakistan -- The Guardian/Reuters  

India fires three officers for accidentally launching missile into Pakistan -- CNN  

India sacks 3 officers for misfiring missile into Pakistan -- DW  

"Deviation" From Rules Led To Missile Misfire Into Pak, 3 Officers Sacked -- NDTV  

India dismisses military officers for accidental Pakistan missile misfire -- ABC News Australia  

India fires officers for accidental missile launch into Pakistan -- Al Jazeera

UN Says India Will Overtake China As The World’s Most Populous Country In 2023

Photo: Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India 

 CNBC: India set to overtake China as the world’s most populous country in 2023, UN says 

 * “India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country during 2023,” the U.N. says. 

* According to the U.N., its latest projections show that the global population could reach roughly 8.5 billion in 2030 and 10.4 billion in 2100. 

* In a statement, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres talks of a “shared responsibility to care for our planet.” 

India is on track to overtake China as the planet’s most populous country next year, according to a U.N. report published on Monday. 

The report, from the population division of the U.N.’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said China and India were each home to over 1.4 billion people in 2022. 

“India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country during 2023,” the U.N. said. 

The Indian government’s census for 2011 put the country’s population at more than 1.2 billion.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: The world's population growth has been incredible since the end of the Second World War .... “The global human population will reach 8.0 billion in mid-November 2022 from an estimated 2.5 billion people in 1950,” according to the U.N.’s report.

Indians Riot Against Loss Of Army Job Security

 

The Guardian: Trains and tyres burn as Indians protest against loss of army job security 

Rallies spread across states over news of four-year contract to replace job-for-life scheme 

Young people in India have set trains and tyres alight and vandalised buses in angry protests against a new army recruitment scheme that calls time on a guaranteed job for life. 

The protests took place in Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh after the announcement on Tuesday of the Agnipath (“path of fire”) scheme, which aims to recruit people aged between 17 and 21 on four-year contracts. 

Once the contract ends, 25% of the proposed 45,000 recruits will be allowed to stay on, and the rest must leave. 

Those who don’t qualify to continue their military careers will receive a lump sum of 1.2m rupees (about £12,000) in lieu of a pension or benefits.  

Read more .... 

Indians Protest Against Loss Of Army Job Security  

Angry protests hit India over new short-term military jobs -- AP  

Protests against India's new military recruitment system turn violent -- Al Jazeera  

Highways blocked, rail traffic disrupted: Protests erupt against 'Agnipath' scheme in many states -- Times of India  

Agnipath protests: Trains torched, internet services snapped as stir rocks India -- Hindustan Times

India Plans To Impose A 30% Tax On Cryptocurrencies

 

CoinDesk: India Edges Toward Crypto Legalization With 30% Tax, Announces Digital Rupee Indian 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a 30% tax on any income from the transfer of virtual digital assets, a first for the nation. 

Sitharaman also said that the digital rupee will most likely be issued in the 2022-2023 time frame, which is the first time the Indian government has given a timeline on the launch of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). 

"There has been a phenomenal increase in transaction in virtual digital assets. 

The magnitude and frequency of these transactions have made it imperative to provide for a specific tax regime," Sitharaman said in the Indian budget speech, which lasted for over two hours.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: India wants to launch a digital rupee and tax crypto profits (CNN)  

Update #2: Cryptocurrency slapped with 30% tax (RT)  

WNU Editor: An easy prediction. Most countries will be imposing taxes and regulations (or bans) on crypto in the coming years.

India Facing A Major Energy Crisis

 

BBC: Why India is on the brink of an unprecedented power crisis 

India is on the brink of an unprecedented power crisis. More than half of the country's 135 coal-fired power plants are running on fumes - as coal stocks run critically low. 

In a country where 70% of the electricity is generated using coal, this is a major cause for concern as it threatens to derail India's post-pandemic economic recovery.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: India's energy crisis is going to last into 2022 .... India’s Coal Crunch Could Drag On For 6 Months (OilPrice.com). 

More News On India's Energy Crisis  

India's power plants are running dangerously short of coal -- CNN  

Energy Crisis Deepens in India as Power Plants Face Outages -- Bloomberg  

India Is Facing A Serious Coal Crisis -- OilPrice.com  

India is also staring at an energy crisis -- Quartz

Violent Border Clashes Between India's North-Eastern States Of Assam And Mizoram Left Several Dead And Many Injured

BBC: Assam-Mizoram clash: 'It was like a war between two countries 

Violent border clashes between India's north-eastern states of Assam and Mizoram last week left several dead and many more injured. Subir Bhaumik travelled to the region to find out how a long-running border dispute was affecting the lives of locals. 

The highway connecting Mizoram, a hilly state of 1.3 million people, to the rest of India is unusually quiet these days. 

Wedged between Myanmar and Bangladesh, Mizoram is linked to the Indian mainland through neighbouring Assam. 

Tensions with Assam escalated on 26 July after clashes erupted between police on either side of a contentious border point. The two sides fired at each other, leaving seven dead and 60 people injured. Six of those killed were policemen from Assam. 

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: This border dispute has been festering for a long time, and has always been under-reported in the West. But this recent border clash resulted in six policemen being killed, and the border closed for a short period of time.

Bomb-Laden Drones Were Used In An Attack On An Indian Air Force Station In Kashmir

Pictures from Ground Zero from Jammu IAF Station.

Explosion blew the hole in the roof of the barrack, fortunately no one was severely hurt. - Such explosion near hangar/equipments would've cost massive loss to the nation. pic.twitter.com/5iZFgmmmEx

— Saral Patel (@SaralPatel) June 27, 2021

Reuters: India probes suspected use of drones in blast at Jammu air base - officials 

SRINAGAR (Reuters) - India is investigating the suspected use of drones by separatist militants after two explosions rocked an Indian Air Force Station in the northern region of Jammu, two senior security officials said on Sunday. 

The explosions in the early hours of Sunday injured two people and caused minor damage to a building, the officials said. 

They added that the blasts have caused concern in security circles as they could mark the first time that drones have been used in an attack in India. 

New Delhi has struggled for decades to dampen secessionist sentiments in the disputed Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir, which has a Muslim majority population, blaming neighboring Pakistan for supporting insurgencies there. Islamabad denies involvement.  

Read more .... 

More News On Bomb-Laden Drones Being Used In An Attack On An Indian Air Force Station In Kashmir  

Two explosions rock technical area of Jammu Air Force Station -- Times of India  

India: Explosions rock Jammu military base -- DW  

Jammu air base twin blast: Initial probe hints at drone attack, helicopters possible targets -- India Today  

Pak Terror Groups Under Probe After Drone Strike At Jammu Air Base -- NDTV  

Major Indian Airbase Near Pakistan Border Hit by Drone Strike -- Sputnik  

Air force station rocked by blasts in suspected drone attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir -- RT  

Terror attack at IAF station in Jammu: What we know so far -- Times of India

The Indian Navy's Only Nuclear Attack Submarine Returns To Russia Before Lease Expires

INS Chakra is sailing to Vladivostok, Russia where she will be returned from where she was leased

Some really exciting traffic in the Singapore Strait today, Indian Navy's INS Chakra Akula-II-class SSN and Delhi-class DDG!! Many thanks to my fellow warship spotters @supbrow and Jaime fir heads up and company! pic.twitter.com/4d8oiMV4ck

— Olli Suorsa (@OlliSuorsa) June 4, 2021

NDTV: Navy's Only Nuclear Attack Submarine Returns To Russia Before Lease Expires 

A submarine of the Russian Akula-2 Class, INS Chakra was commissioned into the Indian Navy on April 4, 2012 and was based in Visakhapatnam.  

New Delhi:The unexpected emergence of the Indian Navy's only nuclear powered attack submarine, the INS Chakra, in the waters of the Singapore Straits heralds the end of her service in the Indian Navy. 

NDTV has learned that the 8,140-ton submarine is presently en route to Vladivostok, Russia where she is being returned approximately ten months prior to the expiry of her ten-year lease that cost New Delhi approximately $2 billion. She is being operated by an Indian crew and is being accompanied by a Russian and Indian warship.  

Read more ....  

Update: Indian Nuclear-Powered Attack Submarine Heads Back to Russia as Lease Term Ends (Sputnik)  

WNU editor: This nuclear sub was used for training purposes, and because of maintenance issues is being returned to Russia early. 

The Indian Navy's goal now is to build these subs .... India clears decks for long-pending mega project to build six new-gen stealth submarines (Times of India).

Despite All Passengers Showing A Negative Test While Boarding, Fifty-Two Passengers On One Flight From Delhi To Hong Kong Test Positive For Covid After Landing

At least 52 people from a single flight from Delhi to Hong Kong have tested positive for Covid-19, despite all passengers presenting a negative coronavirus test before boarding. Pictured: An earlier graphic showing the seating plan of 49 passengers who tested positive for Covid-19 - the figure has since increased to 52  

Daily Mail: Fifty-two passengers on one flight from Delhi to Hong Kong test positive for coronavirus after landing - despite ALL presenting a negative test while boarding 

 * All of the passengers who tested positive flew into Hong Kong on a flight from Delhi, run by Indian airline Vistara on April 4 

* A total of 118 passengers could have been on-board the flight, but Hong Kong authorities did not disclose the figure 

* Positive results surfaced during three-week quarantine period in Hong Kong 

At least 52 people from a single flight from Delhi to Hong Kong have tested positive for Covid-19, despite all passengers presenting a negative coronavirus test before boarding. 

All of the passengers who tested positive flew into Hong Kong on a flight from India's capital, run by Indian airline Vistara on April 4. 

Hong Kong as a whole has been recording fewer daily new infections than the total number detected on the flight, since it brought a fourth wave of infections under control in January. 

Meanwhile in India, the country's healthcare system is collapsing under a devastating second wave of coronavirus that is killing more than 2,800 people a day in the nation that is home to 1.3 billion people. 

A total of 188 passengers could have been on-board the flight, but Hong Kong authorities did not disclose how many people were on the plane. 

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: This tells me two things. The tests that are being done in New Dehli are not being done right and/or the Indian variant may be more versatile than what we think.

Update: In the meantime the the situation continues to deteriorate in India .... Indian Vaccine Makers Jack Up Prices As Outbreak Worsens; 1st COVID "Triple Mutant" Identified (Zero Hedge).

Twitter Deletes Tweets Critical Of The Indian Government's Response To The Covid-19 Pandemic

 

DW: Twitter censors tweets critical of India's COVID response 

The Indian government requested Twitter take down dozens of tweets critical of the country's pandemic response, which has drawn global attention as case numbers and deaths continue surging to record levels. 

Twitter on Saturday said it took down dozens of tweets in India that were critical of the Indian government's recent pandemic response, as a second wave of COVID infections continues to bring the country's healthcare system to its knees. 

Over 20 tweets, some from Indian lawmakers, were reportedly withheld from public view in India in response to a notice by the central government to the social media giant.  

Read more .... 

More News On Twitter Deleting Tweets Critical Of The Indian Government's Response To The Covid-19 Pandemic  

India asks Twitter to take down some tweets critical of its COVID-19 handling -- Reuters 

India demands Twitter take down tweets critical of Covid handling -- The National 

India asks Twitter to block posts critical of COVID-19 handling -- Gulf News/Bloomberg  

Twitter removes 50 tweets critical of India’s COVID management -- National Herald

22 Indian Security Members Killed In Maoist Attack

#WATCH | On ground visuals from the site of Naxal attack at Sukma-Bijapur border in Chhattisgarh; 22 security personnel have lost their lives in the attack pic.twitter.com/nulO8I2GKn

— ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2021

Reuters: 22 Indian security members killed in Maoist attack - govt official 

(Reuters) -At least 22 members of Indian security forces were killed in a central Indian state by Maoist fighters, in one of the bloodiest attacks by the extreme left-wing insurgent group this year, officials said on Sunday. 

Security personnel belonging to the Central Reserve Police Force’s elite CoBRA unit, the District Reserve Guard, and the Special Task Force were attacked on Saturday in the tribal-dominated Chhattisgarh state during an anti-insurgency operation. 

Read more .... 

 More News On 22 Indian Security Members Killed In Maoist Attack 

India recovers bodies of 20 more troops after Maoist clashes --AP 

22 Indian Security Members Killed in Maoist Attack - Govt Official -- US News and World Report/Reuters 

Indian police and soldiers killed in Maoist rebel attack -- DW 

Chhattisgarh Maoist attack: Bodies of 18 jawans recovered at encounter site, toll rises to 23 -- Times of India 

22 police officers killed, 30+ wounded by guerilla fighters during anti-Maoist raid in India -- RT

India To Buy 30 MQ-9 Reaper Drones To Boost Defenses Against China And Pakistan

A US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper armed with bombs and air-to-ground missiles | General Atomics 

The Print: Navy, Army and IAF finally agree to procure armed drones from US in $3 bn deal 

The Navy, Army, and IAF's decision comes just days before US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's visit to India later this month. 

New Delhi: Impressed with the performance of the two leased Sea Guardian drones, the Navy, Army and the Air Force will finally jointly procure 30 armed versions of the American unmanned aerial system in what could be a $3 billion deal, ThePrint has learnt. 

The decision comes just before US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s visit to India later this month. Austin’s visit could be a precursor to the impending meet of the ‘Quad’ leaders — US, India, Australia and Japan — which is likely to be held soon. 

Read more .... 

 More News On India Buying 30 MQ-9 Reaper Drones 

India leases top-notch US drones for surveillance amid border with china -- Times of India 

What type of ‘Predator’ armed drones will India get in $3 billion deal? -- The Week 

India plans to buy 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones for $3 billion from US company General Atomics -- Business Insider 

After Initial Refusal, India To Buy 30 Armed MQ-9B Sea Guardian Drones From The US – Reports -- EurAsian Times

India looks at armed drones for US-style unmanned bombings -- India Today

India To Buy 30 MQ-9 Reaper Drones To Beef Up Border Security With China, Pakistan -- Zero Hedge