India approves procurement of 97 Tejas jets, over 150 Prachand choppers
The Hindu
India approves procurement of 97 Tejas aircraft and 150 Prachand helicopters to bolster armed forces. DAC headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also clears Su-30 fighter fleet upgrade. Projects cost exchequer Rs 1.3 lakh crore.
India on Thursday accorded an initial approval to procure an additional batch of 97 Tejas light combat aircraft and around 150 Prachand helicopters to boost the overall combat capability of the armed forces, official sources said.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also cleared a proposal of the Indian Air Force to upgrade its Su-30 fighter fleet, the sources said.
It is learnt that mega procurement projects and the Su-30 upgrade programme are expected to cost the exchequer ₹1.3 lakh crore.
The defence ministry is expected to provide the details of the projects cleared by the DAC soon.
While residents are worried over deaths due to diarrhoea in Vijayawada, officials still grapple to find the root cause. Contaminated drinking water supplied by VMC officials is the reason, insist people in the affected areas, but officials insist that efforts are on to identify the disease and that those with symptoms other than diarrhoea too are visiting the health camps.