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Some people here think buying fighters is like buying pulses: Parrikar (Lead)
Panaji, Dec 9 (IANS) Slamming the Congress for criticising the Rafale deal in the run up to the Gujarat elections, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said that in India, purchases of fighter aircraft is, unluckily, considered on par with buying pulses.
The former Defence Minister also said, that while buying fighter planes, the plane itself may cost less than its hi-tech accessories.
He also slammed his predecessor A.K. Antony for his questionable remarks on the Rafale purchase deal, which the then Minister had said was in violation of vigilance guidelines and had delayed the purchase considerably.
“I am explaining this only to make you understand that an aircraft may cost 92 million Euros, but the other components will cost you 150 million Euros because you have to make it fighting fit. Unluckily we in India deal with aircraft purchases, or the fighter purchases like we think of tur dal and moong dal. They are not,” he said.
Elaborating on the intricacies of the Rafale deal, between the Indian and the French government for 36 fighters at a cost of Rs 58,000 crore, Parrikar said that the aircraft’s actual cost is much lower than the price of other special equipment, which is also a part of the deal.
“I was watching many of the Congress stalwarts talking about Rafale in Gujarat election and I realised these people don’t know anything about defence. A fight aircraft is not only aircraft. Aircraft is probably smaller part of the total cost. The real cost comes in special equipment,” Parrikar said.
“How many of you know that this particular deal has a helmet to be worn by the pilot and a target was locked by just watching at the target. It is a virtually 360 degree visibility. The pilot doesn’t have to actually check up. You must have seen on many movies, pilot locking the opponent on his radar and then firing. Here he didn’t have to do that. He has to just watch,” he said.
“Our Rafale’s will be coming with this equipment. You watch the opponent’s target more or less and press the button, the computer does the rest. So you have an advantage of 10 to 15 seconds over your… That cost of development of helmet is included,” he added.
Parrikar also said that the Indian Air Force was strategically on the backfoot compared to its Pakistani counterparts vis a vis beyond visual range missiles and that the lacunae was plugged with the purchase of the Meteor missile, under the deal.
He claimed that between 1999 and 2014 till Narendra Modi came, Pakistan had acquired a capacity of 100 km range, whereas India had upgraded their BVR weaponry to only 60 km on the Su-30s. “So we were now, in danger of being shot down by Pakistani fighters staying 100 km away and not being able to retaliate. Meteor does take care of that with 150 km range,” he said.
Parrikar also singled out Antony for his “strange” noting on the Rafale purchase deal file, which had said “start discussion, finalise price and after everything is finished, please come back to me with all the documentary evidence how Dassault or the Rafale company was the lowest”, saying this had delayed the agreement.
–IANS
maya/vd
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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