News Analysis India

Tag: Ajay Bhatt

  • Defence, security key aspects of India-Bangladesh ties: Union Minister Ajay Bhatt

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: Defence and security are important aspects of bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh with armed forces of both the countries cooperating and coordinating with each other at various levels, Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said here on Tuesday.

    Both India and Bangladesh have highly skilled and professional armies and they cooperate with each other to maintain peace in the Eastern region, Bhatt said while addressing the ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ seminar organised to commemorate 50 years of Bangladesh’s liberation.

    He said armies of both the countries recently conducted joint exercises which helped in bolstering bilateral ties.

    The North-eastern region is regarded as the Gateway to South East Asia under the Act East Policy with a potential for varied employment opportunities and this is a “special reason why the region is like the rising sun for both the countries”, he said.

    India and Bangladesh occupy a special place in the subcontinent with both the countries connected by history, culture, language, a 4096.7-kilometres long border and 54 rivers, he said.

    The two neighbouring nations are considered as pillars of regional cooperation and economic development, the minister said.

    “The relation between the two countries is one that cannot be defined but it is all pervasive with both interlinked by the principles of equality, trust, understanding and partnership,” Bhatt added.

    The Land Boundary Agreement (LBA), signed in 2015 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Dhaka, had further strengthened the ties between India and Bangladesh and led to speedy development and progress in some sectors, the minister said.

    “Both the countries are committed to ensure sustained growth and development while keeping a focus on trade, commerce, cultural ties, agricultural development and security of the region. There is still a long way to go but we will traverse the path together,” he said.

    The two countries are committed to strengthen trade ties and water connectivity will play a major role in this regard with raw materials, tea, machinery, textile, paper and chemicals to be transported using the river route, he said.

    “The strong ties between the two countries will also promote tourism which in turn will help people of both the countries understand the culture and heritage of each other,” the minister added.

    At the seminar, GOC-IN-C, Eastern Command, Lt Gen Manoj Pandey said the seminar was a platform to share ideas, and generate opportunities to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries.

    Joint Secretary in charge of India’s ties with Bangladesh and Myanmar, Ministry of External Affairs, Smita Pant, in her keynote address, said India has made a proud contribution to the liberation of Bangladesh.

    During the pandemic when trade via roadways between the two countries was hampered, railway links were opened to deal with the problem, she said at the seminar organised under the aegis of the Eastern Command and the Gajraj Corps.

    ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ celebration is being undertaken throughout the country to commemorate the 50 years of liberation of Bangladesh with victory in the 1971 war between India and Pakistan.

  • Snooping row: Defence ministry didn’t buy Pegasus. So, who did?

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: In its first response to the Pegasus snoopgate controversy, the Ministry of Defence on Monday said it did not have any transaction with Israel-based NSO Group, which owns the spyware.

    The clarification came from Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt in response to a question by CPI’s Rajya Sabha member V Sivadasan.

    “Ministry of Defence has not had transaction with NSO Group technologies,” he said in a brief written statement.

    Sivadasan had bundled the question along with others on expenditure incurred by the defence ministry. When the controversy first broke,

    Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had in Parliament dismissed media reports on the use of the software to snoop on Indians, saying the allegations were aimed at maligning Indian democracy. 

    With the defence ministry washing its hands of the military grade cyber weapon, the question is who procured it, since over 1,000 Indian mobile numbers were on the list of possible targets.

    Also, a few of the instruments were found infected by Pegasus.

    NSO Group, an Israeli surveillance software company, has been under increasing attack following allegations that its Pegasus phone spyware was used for surveillance on journalists, activists and political leaders in several countries including India.

    NSO has denied any wrongdoing.

    The opposition parties have been targeting the central government over the snooping row and disrupting proceedings in Parliament since it met on July 19 for the Monsoon session.

    The opposition parties have been demanding a discussion on the Pegasus issue in parliament, claiming it has national security implications.

    IT and Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had dismissed media reports on the use of Pegasus software to snoop on Indians, saying the allegations levelled just ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament were aimed at maligning Indian democracy.

    In a suo motu statement in Lok Sabha, Vaishnaw had said that with several checks and balances being in place, “any sort of illegal surveillance” by unauthorised persons is not possible in India.

    The controversy erupted after an investigation by a global media consortium based on leaked targeting data claimed evidence that the military-grade malware from the NSO Group was being used to spy on politicians, journalists, human rights activists and others.

    In his reply, Bhatt also said that an allocation of Rs 4,04,364 crore was made to the defence ministry in the budget estimate (BE) stage in 2018-19 and the expenditure made during that fiscal by the ministry was Rs 4,03,459 crore.

    The minister said that an outlay of Rs 4,31,010 crore was made at the BE stage in 2019-20 while expenditure against the allocation was Rs 4,51,902 crore.

    In 2020-21, the defence ministry incurred an expenditure of Rs 4,85,726 crore as against an allocation of Rs 4,71,378 crore at the BE stage, he said.

    The percentage of allocation to the defence ministry out of the total budget of the central government for 2018-19 was 16.56 percent while it was 15.47 percent in 2019-20 and 15.49 percent in 2020-21, according to the minister.

    Bhatt said an amount of Rs 45,705 crore was spent in 2018-19 on procurement from foreign sources while the figure for 2019-20 was 47,961.47 crore.

    The ministry spent Rs 53,118 crore in procurement from foreign countries in 2020-21.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Defence ministry didn’t buy Pegasus. So, who did?

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: In its first response to the Pegasus snoopgate controversy, the Ministry of Defence on Monday said it did not have any transaction with Israel-based NSO Group, which owns the spyware. The clarification came from Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt in response to a question by CPI’s Rajya Sabha member V Sivadasan. “Ministry of Defence has not had transaction with NSO Group technologies,” he said in a brief written statement.

    Sivadasan had bundled the question along with others on expenditure incurred by the defence ministry. When the controversy first broke, Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had in Parliament dismissed media reports on the use of the software to snoop on Indians, saying the allegations were aimed at maligning Indian democracy. 

    With the defence ministry washing its hands of the military grade cyber weapon, the question is who procured it, since over 1,000 Indian mobile numbers were on the list of possible targets. Also, a few of the instruments were found infected by Pegasus. NSO is emphatic that it supplies its spyware only to verified and vetted governments to help them strengthen internal and external security.

  • No transaction with NSO Group: Defence Ministry on the firm at the centre of Pegasus snooping row

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The defence ministry on Monday said it did not have any transaction with the NSO Group, the developer of military-grade spy software Pegasus that is in the eye of a huge political firestorm following the snooping controversy allegedly involving the programme.

    The brief written statement on the NSO Group came from Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt in response to a question in Rajya Sabha by CPI(M) member V Sivadasan.

    “Ministry of Defence has not had any transaction with NSO Group Technologies,” the minister said.

    Sivadasan, as part of a number of questions on expenditure by the defence ministry, also asked whether the government had carried out any transaction with the NSO Group Technologies.

    NSO Group, an Israeli surveillance software company, has been under increasing attack following allegations that its Pegasus phone spyware was used for surveillance on journalists, activists and political leaders in several countries including India.

    NSO has denied any wrongdoing.

    The opposition parties have been targeting the central government over the snooping row and disrupting proceedings in Parliament since it met on July 19 for the Monsoon session.

    The opposition parties have been demanding a discussion on the Pegasus issue in parliament, claiming it has national security implications.

    IT and Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had dismissed media reports on the use of Pegasus software to snoop on Indians, saying the allegations levelled just ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament were aimed at maligning Indian democracy.

    In a suo motu statement in Lok Sabha, Vaishnaw had said that with several checks and balances being in place, “any sort of illegal surveillance” by unauthorised persons is not possible in India.

    The controversy erupted after an investigation by a global media consortium based on leaked targeting data claimed evidence that the military-grade malware from the NSO Group was being used to spy on politicians, journalists, human rights activists and others.

    In his reply, Bhatt also said that an allocation of Rs 4,04,364 crore was made to the defence ministry in the budget estimate (BE) stage in 2018-19 and the expenditure made during that fiscal by the ministry was Rs 4,03,459 crore.

    The minister said that an outlay of Rs 4,31,010 crore was made at the BE stage in 2019-20 while expenditure against the allocation was Rs 4,51,902 crore.

    In 2020-21, the defence ministry incurred an expenditure of Rs 4,85,726 crore as against an allocation of Rs 4,71,378 crore at the BE stage, he said.

    The percentage of allocation to the defence ministry out of the total budget of the central government for 2018-19 was 16.56 percent while it was 15.47 percent in 2019-20 and 15.49 percent in 2020-21, according to the minister.

    Bhatt said an amount of Rs 45,705 crore was spent in 2018-19 on procurement from foreign sources while the figure for 2019-20 was 47,961.47 crore.

    The ministry spent Rs 53,118 crore in procurement from foreign countries in 2020-21.

  • India has received 26 Rafale aircraft till date, delivery of 10 more proceeding: Centre

    The multi-role Rafale jets, built by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, are known for air superiority and precision strikes.

  • India has received 26 Rafale aircraft till date, delivery of 36 more proceeding: Union govt 

    The multi-role Rafale jets, built by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, are known for air superiority and precision strikes.

  • More than 90,000 job openings lying vacant in Indian Army: Defence Ministry

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: While the Indian Army is facing a shortage of over 7,900 officers, more than 90,000 vacancies for soldiers including junior commissioned officers are also lying vacant, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said in a written reply to the query raised the Rajya Sabha.

    The Navy, which is considered third in terms of the size among all the three defense forces, stands second in terms of manpower shortages as it is short of 1,190 officers and 11,927 sailors in its ranks.

    Bhatt informed that the Army was short of 7,912 officers and 90,640 soldiers in its ranks and efforts are being made to fill up these vacancies.

    On the Indian Air Force, Bhatt said, “The IAF was short of 610 officers and 7,104 men in its ranks.”

    Bhatt said that the government has taken a number of measures to reduce the shortages.

    “These, inter-alia, include sustained image projection, participation in career fairs and exhibitions, and publicity campaign to create awareness among the youth on the advantages of taking up a challenging and satisfying career,” added Bhatt.

    To encourage the youth to join the Armed Forces, motivational lectures are regularly organized in schools/colleges/other educational institutes and National Cadet Corps (NCC) camps, he further said.

    According to the Defence Ministry, the government has taken various steps to make the job in the Armed Forces attractive including improvement in promotion prospects in the Armed Forces and to fill up vacancies. 

  • Ajay Bhatt: Uttarakhand leader who led BJP to massive win in Assembly polls

    By PTI
    DEHRADUN: Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt simultaneously held two important offices as the Uttarakhand BJP chief and the Leader of Opposition at the time of the previous Assembly polls, and piloted his party to a massive win of 57 of 70 seats.

    The Nainital MP, who was sworn in as a Union Minister on Wednesday, has served the BJP successfully in several key positions in Uttarakhand over the years.

    The former Ranikhet MLA helped the BJP overcome the formidable challenge of wresting power from the Congress in the 2017 polls.

    The 60-year-old Brahmin leader from Kumaon had a stroke of bad luck too as he himself could not retain his own seat.

    However, Bhatt more than made up for the loss when he became an MP for the first time in the 2019 General Election, defeating seasoned Congress leader and former chief minister Harish Rawat in Nainital by 3,39,096 votes.

    It was the biggest margin with which any MP had won from the state that year and highly creditable given the fact that it was Bhatt’s Lok Sabha poll debut made against a Congress heavyweight like Rawat.

    Though aggressive as a Leader of Opposition, Bhatt’s attacks in the Assembly were always couched in dignified language.

    He always came to the House fully prepared, armed with facts and figures and never faltered during debates.

    Bhatt’s name was among the probables for the chief minister’s post in Uttarakhand whenever talks of a change of guard arose in the state.

    First, when Trivendra Singh Rawat was replaced by Tirath Singh Rawat and then more recently when Tirath was replaced by Pushkar Singh Dhami as the new chief minister.

    Born on May 1, 1961 at Ranikhet to Kamlapati Bhatt and Tulsi Devi, Ajay Bhatt lost his father at an early age and had a childhood full of struggle.

    After getting a law degree from Almora College, he had a successful career as a lawyer.

    He joined the ABVP as a student and has been in active politics since 1980.

    Inspired by senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, Bhatt was actively associated with the Uttarakhand’s struggle for statehood and the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

    He won from Ranikhet for the first time in undivided Uttar Pradesh in 1996.

    He also became a minister in the Interim government led by Nityanand Swamy in Uttarakhand when it was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000.

    He represented Ranikhet in the Uttarakhand Assembly for two terms from 2002-2007 and then again from 2012-2017.

  • BJP legislature party meeting starts to select new Uttarkhand CM, MP Ajay Bhatt says not in race

    By ANI
    DEHRADUN: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Wednesday arrived at the party office in Dehradun for the party’s legislature meeting.

    Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ will also participate in Uttarakhand BJP legislative party meeting in Dehradun later today.

    “We are looking for someone who can be made the chief minister,” said MLA Suresh Rathore.

    A new Chief Minister candidate is likely to be decided in the meeting following the resignation of Trivendra Singh Rawat resigned from the chief ministerial post.

    Dhan Singh Rawat, who is a minister of state in the Uttarakhand government is being considered as the frontrunner for the chief ministerial post.

    He is considered to be close to the RSS. BJP MPs Anil Baluni, Ajay Bhatt and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank are the other contenders for the position.

    ALSO READ | With Trivendra Rawat ouster, BJP sends a clear message to its Chief Ministers

    Meanwhile, BJP MP Ajay Bhatt said that he is not in the race for Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister post.

    “I have done all the job assigned to me to benefit the people of the state and my party. I’m not part of any race,” said Bhatt on being asked if he is in the race for the Uttarakhand CM post.

    Rawat tendered his resignation after meeting governor Baby Rani Maurya on Tuesday, a year before Uttarkhand is scheduled to go to the polls.

    The BJP swept the elections in 2017, winning 57 seats in the 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly. Congress, on the other hand, won just 11 seats.