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FILE PHOTO: Visitors stand next to a prototype of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), India's most advanced stealth fighter jet, at the "Aero India 2025" air show at Yelahanka air base in Bengaluru. REUTERS
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Execution model for 5th-gen fighter jet project approved
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has cleared the "execution model" to design and produce India's ambitious fifth-generation stealth fighter jet -- the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA).
India has been working on the ambitious AMCA project to develop the medium weight deep penetration fighter jet with advanced stealth features to bolster its air power capability.
AMCA along with the Tejas light combat aircraft are planned to be the mainstays of the Indian Air Force.
The defence ministry on Tuesday said Singh has approved the "execution model" for AMCA that will be developed by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in cooperation with industry partners.
The approval for the the critical step for development of the aircraft came against the backdrop of increasing focus on bolstering India's air power in view of China's rapid stride in the domain.
"This is an important step towards harnessing the indigenous expertise, capability and capacity to develop the AMCA prototype, which will be a major milestone towards Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in the aerospace sector," it said.
The initial development cost of the project has been estimated at around Rs 15,000 crore.
The Indian Air Force (IAF), at present, does not have a fifth-generation fighter jet. China already has Chengdu J-20 jets that it claimed to be a fifth-generation air superiority fighter with precision strike capability.
The IAF is also in the process of procuring 114 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA). In April 2019, the IAF issued an RFI (Request for Information), or initial tender, to acquire 114 jets at a cost of around $18 billion.
ASEAN unveils strategic plan to integrate its economies
The Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN on Tuesday announced an ambitious strategic plan that includes harmonising trade standards and greater financial integration in an effort to collectively become the world's fourth-largest economy.
The five-year, 41-page plan for the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, released during a leaders' summit in Malaysia, calls for increased regional trade, freer movement of businesses and people, enhanced transparency and regulatory practices and sustainable mining, industry and farming policies to attract foreign investment.
The plan said ASEAN countries - Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Brunei - must deepen their economic integration, pursue energy security, boost transport connectivity and strengthen supply chains.
The document identified several challenges for ASEAN’s economic integration ranging from geopolitical tensions, shifting trade flows and technological transformation to climate change impacts and demographic shifts.
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Formed in 1967 initially as five members, ASEAN established an economic community in 2015 with the aim of integrating its economies and boosting the region's global standing.
But despite rapid growth of its members economies in recent years and a collective GDP of $3.8 trillion, integration has been slow, with huge differences in its members' economies, political systems, population sizes and development levels, and no central authority to ensure compliance with ASEAN agreements and initiatives.
The strategic plan said ASEAN's Economic Community Council would be be responsible for implementing the strategies while the ASEAN secretariat would monitor implementation.
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Raja Khas becomes Himachal's first solar model village
Raja Khas, a village located in the Indora sub-division of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh, has earned the distinction of becoming Himachal's first Solar Model Village, Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa said.
Chairing a meeting of the District-Level Coordination Committee (DLCC) under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, Bairwa said that Raja Khas has emerged as the top-performing village among 43 short-listed villages in Kangra district. These villages had been participating in a six-month-long competition aimed at selecting an ideal solar energy village based on solar installation performance, a statement issued here said.
"The government will provide a grant of Rs 1 crore for solar development in Raja Khas, setting a model for green energy adoption in rural areas," he added.
The DC said that a Model Solar Village Implementation Agency has been nominated to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and spearhead the transformation of the village into a fully solar-powered settlement.
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