In this column, Shekhar Gupta critiques India's military procurement strategy, revealing a paradox where the country struggles with insufficient armaments despite being the world's fourth-largest military force. Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh's candid comments highlight critical gaps in the Indian Air Force, which are often ignored or downplayed by previous leadership. Gupta argues that India’s defence planning has been reactive rather than strategic, with defense purchases like Rafales and Apache helicopters serving as urgent fixes. This approach, rooted in fear and indecision, exacerbates the country's long-standing dependency on foreign imports.  

An Indian Air Force (IAF) An-32 transport aircraft was involved in a "serious incident" after landing at Bagdogra, West Bengal. The crew is safe, sources confirmed. The Russian-origin An-32 is crucial to IAF’s transport operations. Meanwhile, a Jaguar fighter jet crashed in Haryana’s Ambala during a routine training sortie. The pilot ejected safely. The IAF is investigating both incidents. These back-to-back aviation mishaps raise concerns over aircraft safety and operational readiness. More details are awaited from official sources.

On January 10, 2024, during the inaugural session of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in Gandhinagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated India's ambitious vision to attain developed nation status by 2047, marking a century since independence. He emphasized the nation's rapid economic ascent, noting India's rise from the 11th to the 5th largest global economy over the past decade, with aspirations to soon rank among the top three. Highlighting sectors like artificial intelligence, green hydrogen, and semiconductors, Modi assured that structural reforms are underway to sustain growth. He encouraged citizens to "dream big," expressing his commitment to realizing these aspirations. The summit, reflecting its global significance, saw participation from over 100 countries, with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed as the chief guest, underscoring strengthened bilateral ties. 

Onkar Singh Taggar, a Canadian NRI, has inaugurated Kartar Memorial Hospital in Taggar village, Punjab, to provide affordable healthcare. Built in memory of his father, Capt Kartar Singh, the 80-bed hospital offers a range of services, including general surgery, gynaecology, and paediatrics. The hospital aims to provide corporate-level facilities at charitable rates, with plans to expand into ortho, cardiology, and oncology services in the future. The initiative reflects Taggar’s long-standing commitment to community service, having supported healthcare and education in Punjab for over two decades.

On March 7, 2025, Jitendra Rawat, a senior Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, died by suicide in Delhi's Chanakyapuri area. Rawat, who had been undergoing treatment for depression, reportedly jumped from the terrace of his residence in the Ministry of External Affairs' (MEA) residential society around 6 am. He resided on the first floor of the building. The MEA has confirmed his death and extended support to his family during this difficult time. This incident highlights the critical importance of mental health awareness and support within high-pressure professions. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during the 56th CISF Raising Day in Ranipet, urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to provide engineering and medical education in Tamil. Shah's remarks came in response to Stalin’s criticism of the Centre’s stance on "Hindi imposition" and delimitation issues. Shah highlighted that the Narendra Modi government had made provisions for aspirants to write exams in regional languages, including Tamil. He praised Tamil Nadu's contributions to India's culture, unity, and education, emphasizing its role in enhancing national identity.

On March 6, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Republic Plenary Summit, expressing concern over the evolving nature of Naxalism in India. He noted that while Naxalism has significantly declined in rural regions—reducing from over 100 severely affected districts to approximately two dozen—it is now gaining traction in urban centers. Modi attributed this urban spread to certain political parties adopting ideologies aligned with urban Naxals, indirectly referencing the Congress party. He emphasized the importance of both development and heritage preservation for India's progress and cautioned against the influence of urban Naxals opposing these objectives. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Surat on March 7, 2025, to launch the Food Security Campaign, which will benefit 2,00,000 people under the PMGKAY scheme. On March 8, International Women’s Day, he will attend the ‘Lakhpati Didi Sammelan’ in Navsari district’s Vansi-Borsi. During the event, Modi will disburse over Rs 450 crore to 2.5 lakh women from more than 25,000 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) across Gujarat. The event also marks the deployment of 2,165 women constables managing law and order, underlining the state's emphasis on women’s empowerment.

5 people died in a road accident in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on Thursday. Their SUV lost control, jumped the divider, and crashed into a truck on National Highway 53 near Umariya village. The victims were traveling to Arang when the accident happened. “All five died on the spot,” said Raipur SP Lal Ummed Singh. Locals informed the police around 2 PM. The truck driver has been detained, and an investigation is underway. One victim’s identity card was found, but others are yet to be identified. Their bodies have been sent for postmortem.

  At the Republic Plenary Summit 2025, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed India’s ambitious plan to launch a supercomputing facility equipped with 14,000 GPUs, marking a significant leap from the previous record of 700 GPUs. This new facility is expected to usher in an era of limitless computing power. Vaishnaw also emphasized India’s progress in semiconductor manufacturing, with five units under construction and the first Made-in-India chip set to roll out by 2025. Additionally, he discussed upcoming transformations in India’s railway sector, including the debut of hydrogen-powered trains and bullet trains in the eastern and southern regions.