Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh addressed the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) Annual General Meeting in New Delhi on September 28, 2021. The key highlights of his speech are:
- Govt created an atmosphere of jointness to ensure modernisation of Armed Forces
- Countries around the world focusing on modernisation of their militaries and demand for military equipment are rapidly increasing due to emerging security concerns, border disputes and maritime dominance
- Indian companies capable of manufacturing state-of-the-art equipment in cost-effective way
- Govt reforms aim to create long-term linkages with OEMs to meet global demands
- Focus must be on emerging areas such as cyberspace & AI
- Public-Private partnership crucial for ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’
GOVERNMENT INCREASES INCOME LIMIT OF DISABLED DEPENDENTS FOR FAMILY PENSION
MoD has enhanced the income criteria for grant of family pension to children/siblings suffering from mental/physical disability. Accordingly, such child/sibling shall be eligible for family pension for life, if his/her overall income from sources other than family pension remains less than the entitled family pension at ordinary rate i.e 30 per cent of last pay drawn by the deceased govt servant/pensioner concerned plus the dearness relief admissible thereon. This enhancement shall accrue with effect from February 8, 2021. Presently, the disabled child/sibling is eligible for family pension if overall monthly income of disabled child/sibling from sources other than family pension is not more than Rs 9,000/- along with dearness relief thereon.
SUCCESSFUL MAIDEN FLIGHT TEST OF AKASH PRIME MISSILE
A new version of the Akash Missile—‘Akash Prime’ has been successfully flight tested on September 27, 2021. In comparison to the existing Akash System, Akash Prime is equipped with an indigenous active Radio Frequency seeker for improved accuracy. Other improvements ensure more reliable performance under low temperature environments at higher altitudes.
