Nepal Foreign minister Shishir Khanal says India is "our most important partner"; Adds, "Nepal has placed highest priority to India. Ready to engage substantially"

#IndianSubcontinent

Govt bets ₹8,550 Cr package on 1.5 lakh small & marginal farmers to crush stubble burning. 🌾

Stubble burning remains a challenge due to short window between harvest & sowing. Small holders often lack resources.

Govt has now planned multiple initiatives under SMAM/CRM:
- Custom hiring centres & hi-tech hubs
- Financial assistance for equipment
- Training & support for in-situ residue management.

This aims to cover millions of hectares indirectly. Builds on previous efforts like distributing happy seeders.

Implications:
→ Drastic drop in paddy residue burning.
→ Better air quality, reduced health costs
→ Boost to farm incomes through mechanisation.
→ Takes us towards sustainable, climate-resilient agriculture. #Agriculture #Environment

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue will be in installed in Israel. #ForeignAffairs

Israel is planning to install a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in one of its major cities.

Israel is signaling India as a top-tier global ally, equal or greater to the U.S., by approving a grand statue of 17th-century king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, despite his lack of direct ties to the region. This deliberate cultural gesture aims to foster familiarity and safety for the growing Hindu workforce, actively encouraging a larger presence of Indian and Hindu professionals in a shifting domestic labor landscape.

Israel honors Western allies and European figures through memorials, but approving a grand statue of 17th-century Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj breaks tradition. Despite no direct ties to the region, this marks Israel’s first move to honor Indian heritage instead of inward-focused commemoration. #Culture #ForeignAffairs

The Ministry of Defence just decentralized the sky. 🚀

The MoD has announced a breakaway from the historic monopoly by defense PSUs like Bharat Dynamics.

• The Two-Front Reality: As aerial and tactical threats evolve along the borders with China and Pakistan, New Delhi is aggressively accelerating its defense timeline.

• A Rocket Force Prelude: This unprecedented outsourcing is a direct prelude to raising a dedicated Rocket Force for a highly coordinated, lethal response.

• The New Vanguard: Industrial heavyweights including Adani Defence, Bharat Forge, ICOMM, and Solar Defence, are stepping into the arena as development-cum-production partners.

• The High-Stakes Arsenal: The private sector takes over critical, next-gen tech: hypersonic air-to-surface missiles, fourth-generation MANPADS, and 1,000kg-class smart glide bombs.

• The Clock is Ticking: A strict 3-to-5-year mandate to prototype, test, and manufacture. The goal? Radical reduction of the defense development cycle. #Defense

DRDO invites proposals under the TDF for:

• A Comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment Framework for Large Language Models

• An Indigenous Zero-Day Vulnerability Discovery Framework

The initiatives aim to strengthen India's AI security and cyber defense capabilities.

EoI submissions open June 12, 2026 and close June 25, 2026 (1400 hrs IST). #defence #Ai

🔗 TRF_DRDO

India Has Issued NOTAM For Aerial Activity (Likely Missile Test) In Bay Of Bengal Region.

From:10/05/2026 , 10:00 IST
Until:13/06/2026 , 17:00 IST

UNSG António Guterres honors Indian Army Major Abhilasha Barak.

She has been named the 2025 UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year for her work with UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.

🇬🇧🤝🇵🇱 Poland signs Mutual Defense Treaty with UK dubbed as the "Northolt Treaty"

Aims to tackle the Russian Threat.

Peak WWII Era Vibes...

#InternationalNews

🇮🇳🤝🇳🇵India and Nepal annouce linkage of India's #UPI with Nepal’s National Payments Interface to enable faster, cheaper cross-border remittances. #Economy #IndianSubcontinent

Domestic cooking gas LPG price hiked by Rs 29 per 14.2-kg cylinder (PTI)

#Energy

NMDC to Invest up to ₹50,000 Cr to Double Capacity

NMDC plans to invest ₹40,000–50,000 crore over the next three years to reach 100 million tonne (MT) iron ore capacity by 2030. Spending will be ₹6,000 crore in FY27, followed by ₹9,000–10,000 crore annually. Output targets are 53+ MT for FY26 and 60 MT for FY27, supported by opening Bailadila Deposits 4 and 13, and a new 15 MT slurry pipeline by June/July.

The state-run miner is diversifying into coal and critical minerals. The Tokisud coal block is operational; the Rohne coking coal block opens Q3, expected to add ₹5,000–8,000 crore in annual revenue.

Additionally, NMDC is focusing on rare earths, investing ₹3,000 crore in a Vizag blending yard and a joint project with Gujarat Mineral Dev Corp. The company is also scouting for ₹2,000–3,000 crore worth of overseas mineral assets this year. #Mining

IAF'S data network, the IACCCS, integrating radars, sensors, weapons and missiles -- which played a vital role during Operation Sindooor in May last year -- has been upgraded.
The Army's data network, the Akashteer, plugs in seamlessly to the overarching IAF network.
The upgraded system was validated along the western front facing Pakistan. #Defence

West Bengal Govt has directed the DGP to track down those who damaged trains during the 2019 CAA protests. #Policy

New PPP framework for greenfield projects will allow Private Equity, Pension Funds & Sovereign Wealth Funds to invest right from the bidding & development stage not just after assets are operational.

Context:
Previously, financial investors stayed away from early-stage construction risk. The new model brings greater flexibility, better risk-sharing between public & private, relaxed eligibility criteria, and even anonymous bidding options.

Sectors covered: Highways, #railways, #ports, airports, urban #infra, water supply, #power, petroleum & more.

Scale:
- 241+ projects worth over ₹2.2 lakh crore (~$26+ Billion) already in pipeline across Centre & States.
- Examples of similar models succeeding: Mersey Gateway Bridge (UK), North East Link (Australia).

Pension giants like Canada Pension Plan Investment Board are already active in Indian infra. Ontario Teachers’ has >$4B invested.

India’s LNG Imports Recover To 2.2 MT In May, US Replaces Qatar As Largest Supplier

• US leads imports: US emerged as India's largest supplier of LNG in May 2026 with 0.9 million tonnes, about 41% of total imports. This was 13.5% higher than April and 32% higher than March. Monthly average from US in 2025 was only 0.2 million tonnes. No LNG came from Qatar for second month in a row. Imports from Nigeria 0.5 MT, Oman 0.3 MT, Angola 0.3 MT, UAE 0.1 MT, Qatar 0 MT.

Despite high prices and Asian spot LNG at $17-18/mBtu, imports recovered to 2.2 MT in May, 6.4% above 2025 monthly average. Power and fertiliser demand kept volumes flowing. #Energy

US DFC + I Squared Capital to invest $1.5B ~₹14,400 cr for energy infra in India + S-E Asia.

• Focus: LNG projects, energy security infra across Indo-Pacific. Targets South + S-E Asia due to rising power demand, falling domestic gas, shift from coal.

• Scale: DFC’s single-largest project. Total platform target $3B. DFC board also approved $2.5B new strategic investments to strengthen US supply chains + energy exports.

• Rationale: Build critical infra, reduce price volatility, expand US LNG/equipment exports, support regional stability. Mix of debt + equity, plus private capital mobilization. #Energy #Power

ARMY TO INDUCT ZORAWAR LIGHT TANK IN 2028-29 AFTER TRIALS COMPLETE

India's army plans to induct the Zorawar light tank in 2028-29 after addressing issues identified during trials and user evaluations, with the timeline dependent on completion of testing.Tank was earlier expected in 2027.

Developed by DRDO and L&T for high-altitude areas, the 25-tonne tank is part of a ₹17,500 crore project to produce 354 units for agile, air-transportable operations. DRDO-L&T will build 59 tanks, rest under separate programme.

The project aims to provide an indigenous solution for India's unique terrain, with Prime Minister Modi reviewed the first prototype on 5 June. #Defence