The successful test flight represents a major leap in the C295 programme and the government’s “Make in India” initiative.

India on Wednesday conducted the maiden test-flight of country’s first “Made in India” Airbus C295 military transport aircraft from the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Vadodara.

The event marks a significant milestone for the country’s aviation and defence manufacturing sectors, with the successful test flight representing a major leap forward for the C295 programme and the government’s “Make in India” initiative.

“The first ‘Made in India’ Airbus C295 military transport aircraft has conducted its first test flight from the Final Assembly Line in Vadodara, marking a milestone for Indian aviation and defence. This maiden test flight is a crucial step in the aircraft’s post production testing process,” Airbus Defence said in a social media post.

The aircraft is the first of 40 C295 aircraft to be built in India under a partnership between Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems Limited for the Indian Air Force.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

Lt. Commander Dilna K. and Lt. Commander Roopa A. of the Navy are among the Shaurya Chakra recipients after completion of Navika Sagar Parikrama II; Sepoy Janjal Pravin Prabhakar of the Mahar Regiment of Rashtriya Rifles and Lt. Shashank Tiwari of the Sikkim Scouts have been conferred the Kirti Chakra posthumously.

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday (June 8, 2026) conferred seven Kirti Chakras, including two posthumously, to personnel of the armed forces for displaying raw courage, unparalleled bravery and total disregard for personal safety in the line of duty.

Air Commodore Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, an Indian Air Force pilot and a Gaganyatri, is also among the recipients of the Kirti Chakra, India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award.

Ms. Murmu conferred seven Kirti Chakras, including two posthumously; 15 Vir Chakras, including three posthumously; and 29 Shaurya Chakras, including one posthumously, to the personnel of the defence forces, Central Armed Police Forces and State and Union Territory police forces during phase-I of the Defence Investiture Ceremony hosted at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Defence Ministry said.

Lt. Commander Dilna K. and Lt. Commander Roopa A. of the Navy are among the Shaurya Chakras recipients.

The President presented the gallantry award to them for their exemplary endurance, bravery and devotion to duty in Navika Sagar Parikrama II.

Lt. Commander Roopa along with Lt. Commander Dilna sailed over 25,600 nautical miles through the Indian, Pacific, Atlantic and Southern Oceans.

“While navigating through the perilous Drake Passage in stormy conditions that caused the boat to heel severely, regaining control required exceptional skill and extraordinary courage. During the expedition, they also became the first Indians to reach Point Nemo, the oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility, by sailboat,” reads the citation in a post on X by the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Lance Naik Meenatchi Sundarama of Rashtriya Rifles, Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba of Para (Special Forces), Major Arshdeep Singh of Assam Rifles and Captain Lalrinawma Sailo of Para (Special Forces) have also been conferred the Kirti Chakra, according to the list of awardees shared by the government.

Sepoy Janjal Pravin Prabhakar of the Mahar Regiment of Rashtriya Rifles and Lt. Shashank Tiwari of the Sikkim Scouts have been conferred the Kirti Chakra posthumously.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan, in a series of posts on X, also shared some photos of the ceremony along with citations.

“President Droupadi Murmu presents the Shaurya Chakra to Major Anshul Baltoo, The Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, 32 Assam Rifles, for displaying bravery in the line of duty. In April 2025, during a combing and search operation in Dima Hasao, South Assam, he confronted an armed cadre at close quarters and single-handedly neutralised him. The operation resulted in the elimination of three armed cadres and the recovery of weapons and war-like stores,” it said.

Another post said the President presented the Shaurya Chakra to Major Leishangthem Deepak Singh, 11 Para (Special Forces), for his exceptional bravery.

“Acting on intelligence regarding the kidnapping of two innocent civilians, he neutralised a terrorist at very close range and shielded a kidnapped civilian with his own body. This resulted in the neutralisation of two hardcore cadres and the rescue of an innocent civilian,” it said.

“President Droupadi Murmu presents Shaurya Chakra to Lieutenant Colonel Neetesh Bharti Shukla, 19th Battalion, The Sikh Regiment, for planning and executing a clinical operation without own casualty. On receipt of specific input regarding infiltration by a group of terrorists, Lieutenant Colonel Shukla laid an ambush along the Line of Control in July 2024. The operation eliminated three heavily armed foreign terrorists,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan posted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attended the ceremony.

In a post on X, he said, “We are proud of their extraordinary courage, commitment and selfless service to the nation.”

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Modi will have served 4,399 days as Prime Minister on Wednesday, becoming the longest continuously serving elected premier.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Wednesday become the country’s longest continuously serving elected premier, marking 12 years at the helm of the central government during a period that saw the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) become the national political hegemon, expand to newer regions, and attract support from myriad communities.

Modi will have served 4,399 days as Prime Minister on Wednesday, becoming the longest continuously serving elected premier. India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru first assumed office in 1947, won the first election in India in 1951-52 and remained in office until his death in 1964. Indira Gandhi, India’s first woman PM, was in office for a little less than 16 years, but in two separate stints.

Over the course of the past 12 years, the government has managed to eradicate the once dreaded left-wing terrorism, revolutionise welfare delivery, build the JAM trinity and UPI, boosted rail, road and airport infrastructure, reshaped India’s defence and nuclear doctrine, and avenge Pakistani terrorism, especially the Pahalgam terror attack, with Operation Sindoor. The government has also steered the country through a pandemic and three devastating global wars.

The milestone comes weeks after Modi led the BJP to landmark victories in assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam. The party formed the government in Bengal for the first time since independence, vanquishing the Trinamool Congress and building a base for itself in a province once dominated by the Left and the Congress but where Jana Sangh ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee was born.

To mark the occasion, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is set to pass a resolution at its meeting on Wednesday. According to people aware of the details, the PM will be felicitated by NDA members at the meeting for his performance and leadership. The meeting, which will be attended by 72 NDA leaders, will be chaired by the PM.

The PM said the 12-year journey was dedicated to trust, development, and public welfare. “With the blessings of 1.4 billion fellow citizens and the spirit of nation first, we have spared no effort in empowering our youth, women, and our farmer brothers and sisters. It is the result of these tireless efforts that today, from infrastructure to the digital revolution, the country has gained a new identity on the global stage,” he said

On May 26, 2014, Modi took charge as India’s Prime Minister. He was re-elected with a bigger mandate in 2019 and became the PM for the third time in 2024.

As congratulatory messages poured in from across the world, BJP president Nitin Nabin said Modi’s tenure was marked by development and public welfare, with the country having made unprecedented progress across sectors. He said more than 250 million people were pulled out of poverty through schemes designed for poverty alleviation such as 40 million permanent houses; subsidised health care for 600 million; 570 million Mudra loans for economic empowerment; and construction of 120 million toilets, which specifically addressed women’s dignity.

The party chief also said that record defence exports worth ₹38,400 crore were achieved, along with record overall exports worth ₹79 lakh crore. On the security front, he said the government has been able to end left-wing terror, clamp down on terror networks in the border states and enhance security measures on the ground.

Speaking at the event which was attended by Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, and Ashwini Vaishnaw and BJP general secretaries Vinod Tawde and Tarun Chugh, Nabin also referred to the government taking strong political decisions including the effective abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.

Union minister for parliamentary affairs Kiren Rijiju said the PM’s 4,399 days in office were a moment of pride for the party. “I believe the work accomplished for our country during this tenure will be etched in golden letters, marking the time when, under Modi ji’s leadership, India took its first steps towards becoming a Viksit Bharat [developed India].”

Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the country was witnessing history. “…On this day, PM Modi established himself as the longest-serving democratically elected Prime Minister of India… India’s domestic production rate has reached an average of 7% over the past 12 years, on the basis of which an unprecedented transformation has also occurred.”

This 12-year tenure, he said, will take India’s direction, position and prominence on the global stage to new heights. “Whether it is the G20 presidency, International Yoga Day, or Vaccine Maitri… Whether we talk about national highways, which have increased to 1.5 lakh kilometres, in the field of civil aviation, we are going from 74 airports to 160, in the railway sector, there has been a fourfold increase in the development rate and capacity of railways… Unprecedented transformation has also come in social development…” he said.

Leaders across the world also congratulated the PM and acknowledged his transformative governance, advocacy for the Global South, and his vision of an inclusive and economically dynamic India.

Anura Kumara Disanayaka, the President of Sri Lanka, in a letter said, “This milestone is a testament not only to your years in office, but also to the trust and confidence that the people of the world’s largest democracy have repeatedly placed in your leadership.”

James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, in a video message, described Modi as “a role model and an example of leadership” and said, “lifting over 200 million people out of poverty to a good life today is an amazing feat.”

Kamla Persad-Bissessar, PM of Trinidad and Tobago, said under Modi’s leadership, India evolved as a leading voice on global matters.

Over the course of the week, the BJP will amplify these achievements of the Modi government, underlining how changes have been made across sectors and reforms ushered in public service, expansion of social security net, empowerment of socially and economically disadvantaged and self-reliance in defence and energy production said people aware of the details.

Modi will chair a meeting of the chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of NDA-ruled states and Union Territories on Thursday. According to people aware of the details, the meeting will take stock of the implementation of policies and programmes initiated by the government, the roadmap for the Viksit Bharat campaign and the measures being taken to mitigate the impact of the ongoing West Asia crisis.

There is also speculation that the meetings will be followed by a rejig in the council of ministers as well as in the organisational setup of the BJP. Since the government came to power for the third term in June 2024, there have been no changes in the council of ministers. Recently two Union ministers of state, Ravneet Singh Bittu and George Kurien, were not renominated to the Rajya Sabha on the expiry of their tenure, which has stoked speculation that new faces will be inducted into the Modi cabinet.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)