Naxalism confined to just five, six districts: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday declared that Naxalism is now confined to just five to six districts in the country and even in such places, it will not continue for a long time.The Naxal hubs have been transformed into educational hubs. The area known as Red Corridor is now rapidly changing into a growth corridor, he said, speaking at the 128th birth anniversary celebrations of freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju organised by Kshatriya Seva Samiti (TG & AP) and Union Ministry of Culture.Singh said the government has taken a decision that by March 31 next year, the entire country would be naxal-free.Referring to Operation Sindoor , he emphasised that only terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan was targeted, avoiding civil or military establishments, and adhering to ethical principles.He lauded Sitarama Raju, the legendary freedom fighter from Andhra Pradesh, as an embodiment of courage, duty and 'karma'.Similarily, the country's brave soldiers demonstrated courage, duty and 'karma' in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, he said.Quoting from Ramayan, he said, during 'Lanka Dahan', Lord Hanuman hit only those who hit him.Similarly, the country demonstrated courage during Operation Sindoor and targeted only terror structures in Pakistan and not civilian or military establishments, he said."I would also like to say, if any such mischief (Pahalgam terror attack) takes place in future, we will give befitting to reply to terrorism with the same strength," he said.The life of Sitarama Raju, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, is also an example of social unity, he said.Singh said new technology, infrastructure development and digital revolution are very much needed for development in the context of a 'New India', but it is the "cultural soul" which can keep the country united.He affirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is working to realise the vision of Sitarama Raju on tribal development through various central initiatives.The tenet of 'Viksit Bharat', he explained, involves taking pride in its cultural heritage, while upholding constitutional values and being inspired by the dreams of the youth.Singh also urged everyone to take the life of Sitarama Raju to every school and home.Speaking on the occasion, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said Sitarama Raju, in the short span of his life (less than 30 years), stood as an inspiration and his memory makes the countrymen feel proud.Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy, Karnataka Minister Bose Raju, former Union Minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju and other leaders were present on the occasion.
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The Wire
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- The Wire
Five Key Revelations from Army's Deputy Chief on Operation Sindoor
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This exposed the collusive nature of threat faced by India, where it faces multiple state actors working in concert, even if as a proxy conflict. This fundamentally changes India's strategic calculus and defence planning, as it confirms the two-front collusive threat is not a theoretical construct for the Indian military but an operational reality. Pakistan had full real-time intelligence visibility into India The most shocking revelation made by Lieutenant General Singh was that Pakistan had full visibility into Indian military deployments, which was made evident during the director general of military operations (DGMO)-level talks. 'When the DGMO-level talks were going on, Pakistan actually was mentioning that 'we know that your such and such important vector is primed and ready for action. I would request you to perhaps pull it back'. So he was getting live inputs … from China,' he disclosed. This represents a huge vulnerability and demonstrates China's direct involvement in providing strategic military intelligence against India, fundamentally altering the nature of the conflict. Indigenous equipment performance issues Lieutenant General Singh acknowledged that while some indigenous systems performed well during Operation Sindoor, others revealed critical gaps. He also highlighted supply chain vulnerabilities, noting that equipment scheduled for delivery by January or October-November was not available during the operation. Providing a specific example on the requirement of drones and his meeting with Indian drone manufacturers, he said he had asked these manufacturers in April how many of them would be able to 'provide the equipment that you're supposed to in the stipulated time'. 'A lot of hands went up. But when again I called them after one week, nothing came by. 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This indicates that any conflict with Pakistan is also a test ground for Chinese military technology, which allows them to improve and upgrade their product for the next conflict. These upgrades will be available to Pakistan, which will be better prepared for the future. Turkey's direct military support to Pakistan with drones He also disclosed that Turkey provided substantial support to Pakistan, including Bayraktar drones and trained personnel. 'Turkey also played a very important role in providing the type of support that was there. Bayraktar, of course, he's been giving from before. We saw numerous other drones also coming in, landing in the face of war, during the war, along with trained sort of individuals who were there,' he revealed. This brings out Turkey's active role in supporting Pakistan against India, indicating a broader geopolitical alignment that extends beyond traditional Pakistan-China cooperation. Lieutenant General Singh's revelations are the first public official acknowledgement of China's real-time support to Pakistan and of Turkey's direct involvement in Operation Sindoor. He candidly revealed Pakistan's unprecedented visibility into Indian deployments and acknowledged critical shortcomings in indigenous equipment and supply chains. These revelations collectively underscore the immediate strategic challenges for India's defence posture. The multi-front threat reality and intelligence compromise are the most critical concerns requiring immediate attention and strategic response.
Time of India
an hour ago
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Op Sindoor shows our force's commitment to Swaraj: Shah
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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Shinde's ‘Jai Gujarat' slogan triggers ‘insult' outcry from Sena (UBT)
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