Connect with us

Top Stories

Navy’s latest P-8I aircraft makes quiet touch down at INS Hansa | Goa News – Times of India

Published

on

[ad_1]

PANAJI: The Indian Navy quietly took delivery of its ninth Boeing P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft at INS Hansa on Wednesday. The aircraft, which took off from Seattle on November 14, stopped at Hawaii and Guam before landing at Goa.
“The aircraft landed around 11am and was handed over by Boeing officials to the Navy,” said a naval official. The Navy remains tight lipped about the P-8I’s near-term deployment.
At a time when China makes greater forays into neighbouring waters, the aircraft, the first of four additional aircrafts purchased by the ministry of defence under the options clause, will give the Navy longer reach over the Indian Ocean region.
The Indian Navy procured eight Boeing-manufactured P-8I aircrafts in a $2.1 billion deal inked in January 2009. Then, in July 2016 it placed an order for four more aircrafts for $1.1 billion.
While the four new P-8Is are to be based at INS Hansa, some aircraft are likely to be deployed along the eastern seaboard. The Indian Navy has deployed the earlier eight at INS Rajali in Arakkonam (Tamil Nadu) but some of the P-8Is have been forward deployed in view of the confrontation with China.
The P-8I, which has been described as a “flying frigate” by senior naval officers, including former chief of naval staff Admiral Arun Prakash, is equipped with sonars to track ships and submarines, but can also fire torpedoes and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
Naval sources said that four P-8Is will be based at INS Hansa in the long run and will be operated by naval squadron INAS 315 Winged Stallion from Dabolim. The existing turbo-prop powered Il-38SD will be replaced by the P-8Is, said sources.
The P-8I, with its exceptional surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, has been used by India to keep track of China’s activities. It was used in Ladkah as well as the 2017 Dokhlam stand-off.
Officials from Boeing Defence India were present at INS Hansa to hand over the aircraft to the Indian Navy. Minister of state for defence Shripad Naik was also present and was briefed about the role played by the aircraft in recent operations.
Boeing is currently completing construction of the Training Support and Data Handling Centre at INS Rajali and a secondary center at the Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology, Kochi, as part of a training and support package contract signed in 2019.

[ad_2]

Source link

Special Stories

Broke Swiggy guy walks 3 km to deliver food, Social media helps him find better job. Heartwarming story is viral

Published

on

Social media can be a wondrous place at times. While on most days, its ugly face is on display, on days like today, it sets examples of the power of kindness. In a social media post, a LinkedIn user shared how a delivery executive, in need of money and a better job, bagged one after the users on the platform came together to help the person out.

Priyanshi Chandel, Marketing Manager at tech company Flash, shared an incident about a Swiggy delivery agent who had come to deliver food at her residence. When she asked the late and out-of-breath delivery person, identified by her as Sahil Singh, about what happened, he told her that he had no transport and had to walk 3 km to deliver the order.

He also said that he was out of money and had nothing left to pay his landlord too. Singh told her that he was not looking for money from her but requested her to help him bag a job. He said that he had a degree in Electrical and Communication Engineering, and had worked with Byju’s and Ninjacart before. He had to move back to Jammu during the pandemic.

“I have not eaten for a week, just drinking water and tea to get by. I am not asking for anything, please if you can find me a job, I used to make 25k before, I am 30 years old, my parents are getting old and I can’t keep asking for money from them (sic),” Chandel quoted saying.

She also shared his marksheets and contact number for people to help. His details shared show that he is a 2018 BTech graduate from Mewar University, and completed his schooling from the Jammu and Kashmir state board.

After she shared the details, the comments section was filled with people who stepped up to help. While someone recharged his Yulu account so that he did not have to walk around to deliver food, someone offered a place to stay. Many offered to help him with his applications, while some offered jobs too.

Chandel, later on put an update on the post, and said that he received a job.

However, so far it is unclear what job he has received.

2023 has so far been a year of job losses, an eventual outcome of the pandemic and increased hiring by tech companies. For instance, the SSC MTS 2023 recruitment exam that took place in Uttar Pradesh in May saw over 55 lakh applications for Group D jobs. Numerous candidates who applied for positions such as peon, watchman, gardener had educational backgrounds like BTech, MBA, and Master’s degrees.

Continue Reading

Top Stories

Goa CM, NRI Commissioner writes to MoEF for help in safe return of Goans from Ukraine

Published

on

Panaji: Goa chief minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Thursday urged Union Minister for External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar to help in safe return of Goans who are in the Ukraine.

Sawant tweeted “we are concerned about the Goans in Ukraine who are considering to return to India in the light of ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis. I request Union Minister for External Affairs @DrSJaishankar ji for help in the safe return of Goans. I am keeping track of the situation.”

The chief minister’s tweet comes hours after Goa’s NRI Commissioner Narendra Sawaikar wrote to the Union External Affairs ministry seeking help in return of Goans who are in the Ukraine.

“Many Goans are currently residing in Ukraine due to various purposes including higher studies and due to the ongoing tension between Russia and Ukraine, I have started receiving requests for help and assistance from them to return back to India,” Sawaikar wrote.

The Commissioner further wrote in the letter that advisories have already been issued by the Ministery of External Affairs to Indians currently in Ukraine and our Indian Mission in Kyiy is currently handling the matter.

“Striking note of urgency, the Government of India has recently asked the family members of Embassy officials in Ukraine as well as students and citizens whose stay is not vital , to leave the Eastern European nation amid it’s raising tensions with Russia,” the letter reads.

Sawaikar wrote that the Goans in Ukraine are in touch with this office as they are anxious to temporarily return till the situation normalizes.

Continue Reading

Top Stories

Election Commission announces polling dates and counting days for Vidhan Sabha elections in 5 states

Published

on

On Saturday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for the Vidhan Sabha elections in 5 States, namely, Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

While briefing the media, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra informed that the elections in the poll-bound States will commence from February 10, 2022, to March 7, 2022. Elections in the State of Uttar Pradesh will be conducted in 7 phases, followed by Manipur with 2 phases. Elections in Goa, Uttarkhand and Punjab will be conducted in a single phase.

According to the Election Commission of India, the votes will be counted on March 10, 2022. ECI informed that all physical campaigning will be ceased until January 15, 2022, in light of the rising cases of Coronavirus.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending