The Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), a regional security grouping, officially welcomed Bangladesh as its fifth member state on Wednesday. The announcement came during the 8th Deputy National Security Adviser (DNSA) level meeting, hosted virtually by Mauritius. The existing members – India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and the Maldives – warmly received Bangladesh into the fold, while Seychelles participated as an observer state.

The Colombo Security Conclave was established in 2020, when India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives agreed to expand the scope of their trilateral meeting on maritime cooperation. Mauritius joined the conclave at the fifth meeting of the grouping in Male in March 2022.

During Wednesday’s virtual meeting, member states reviewed the progress of activities outlined in the CSC’s Roadmap for 2023-2024. They also discussed decisions taken at previous high-level meetings, including the 7th DNSA level meeting hosted by the Maldives in July 2023 and the 6th NSA level meeting in Mauritius last December.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second-biggest ally is demanding Rs 30,000 crore ($3.6 billion) from India’s federal budget this year to help fund projects in Bihar state, according to people familiar with the matter, a test for the coalition government.

The Bihar government, which is led by Janata Dal (United)’s Nitish Kumar, made the request during a pre-budget meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last month, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private.

The government has received the request from Bihar but hasn’t yet decided how much will be allocated to the state this year, one of the people said.

India has become an exporter of sniper rifles for the first time after a Bengaluru-based firm bagged the contract from a friendly nation. Small-arms manufacturer SSS Defence has bagged a mega export contract from a country for the supply of .338 Lapua Magnum calibre sniper rifle. Not only the sniper rifles, the private firm also bagged contracts for the supply of nearly USD 50 million worth of ammunition from multiple countries.

The sniper rifle, which is intended for targets up to 1,500 metres and beyond, is completely designed and made in India.

Quoting sources in the defence sector, a report by The Print said this is the first time India has exported sniper files to a foreign country. Sources further said that SSS Defence has already completed the export of the sniper rifles and is in talks with a few other nations as well.

The News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA) has unanimously elected India TV chairman Rajat Sharma as its president.

He replaces Avinash Pandey, the former CEO of ABP Network.

Sharma said that the TV news industry is at a critical juncture and NBDA needs to collectively work together to advance the interests of the genre, which is operating under tremendous pressure.

"It is our responsibility to ensure that we are allowed to operate in a fearless atmosphere to deliver free and fair news," he added.

NBDA is the largest organisation of news broadcasters and digital media in India, consisting of almost all major news networks in the country.

An Indian Air Force contingent landed at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base in Darwin on July 11 to participate in the biennial, multinational Exercise Pitch Black 2024 scheduled to be conducted from July 12 to August 02.

“The IAF contingent comprises of over 150 highly skilled air warriors including pilots, engineers, technicians, controllers and other subject matter experts, who will be operating the formidable Su-30 MKI multirole fighters, with the C-17 Globemaster and the IL-78 Air-to-Air refuelling aircraft in combat enabling roles,” the IAF said in a statement. “The exercise would provide IAF with an opportunity towards force integration with participating nations and mutual exchange of best practices.”

India has decided to sign and ratify the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement. This international treaty, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), aims to protect marine biodiversity in the high seas through international cooperation.

Also known as the ‘High Seas Treaty,’ the BBNJ Agreement ensures that no country can claim sovereign rights over marine resources in the high seas – areas open to all for activities such as navigation, overflight, and laying submarine cables and pipelines.

Following the Cabinet’s endorsement of the treaty on July 2, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh emphasized India’s commitment to environmental conservation and sustainable development.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will oversee the implementation of the BBNJ Agreement in India.

The Uttar Pradesh government has signed more than 150 defence manufacturing deals worth Rs 25,000 crore as the state administration eyes India’s burgeoning defence export basket.

India’s annual defence production hit a record high of almost Rs 1.27 trillion in 2023-24 (FY24), up 16.7 per cent over the previous year’s figure of about Rs 1.09 trillion, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Friday.

The defence projects are coming up in the mega UP Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC) spanning six nodes of Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Aligarh, Chitrakoot and Agra districts.

These projects are estimated to create 40,000 fresh jobs, said a senior UP government official.

Over three years after the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) first cautioned against the Centre’s decision to teach engineering in regional languages, IIT-Jodhpur has decided to implement the idea from its upcoming session. Its new batch of undergraduate students, who start this month, will be offered the option of being taught in either Hindi or English.

Speaking to The Indian Express on Tuesday, institute director Avinash Kumar Agarwal said the option will be available across all programmes. The admission process remains the same, but at the start of the academic year, the First-Year students will be asked for their preference to be taught in English or Hindi.

In a significant move, the Maharashtra government announced on Monday that higher education for girls belonging to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) will be made free.

This initiative, aimed at promoting women's education, was decided during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Additionally, tuition and exam fees for orphaned students of both genders will be waived, as per a government resolution (GR).

India’s Health Ministry has appointed Dr Soumya Swaminathan as ‘Principal Advisor’ at the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme. Her appointment is on a pro bono basis.

Prof Swaminathan was the former Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization. She has previously served as the Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

In a statement, the Health Ministry said, as the Principal Advisor for the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme, “she will provide technical advice on the overall strategy to achieve program goals, suggest policy directions and necessary course corrections for optimal outcomes, and advise on research strategy.” She will also assist in the formation of expert groups with top talent globally. Additionally, Dr Swaminathan will support the Union Health Ministry, state officials, and development partners in assessing the impact of the TB elimination programme.