The Indian delegation was led by Pausumi Basu, Joint Secretary (BM-I), Ministry of Home Affairs, while the Nepali side was headed by Ananda Kafle, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs of Nepal.
Koizumi briefed the Prime Minister on progress in bilateral defence cooperation and reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to expanding security ties with India. Modi also referred to discussions held with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit in July 2026 and welcomed the steady momentum in the defence relationship.
The Visakhapatnam-based Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL) has signed agreements covering a Submarine Fired Decoy (SFD) with defence public sector company Bharat Dynamics Limited and technology linked to the fabrication, installation and commissioning of LM2500 gas-turbine systems with Hyderabad-based Vertex Engineering Systems Pvt. Ltd. DRDO confirmed the agreements through an official announcement.
Lakshadweep is set to strengthen its science and space-education infrastructure with plans for a new space museum, as the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre expands ISRO’s outreach activities across the islands. The proposed facility could provide students and the public with permanent access to exhibits explaining India’s launch vehicles, satellites, space missions and emerging technologies.
The Indian Army has demonstrated the ability of its newly inducted AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to operate from unconventional locations, with the combat helicopters carrying out landing and take-off drills on a highway in forward areas of Rajasthan near the India-Pakistan border. The exercise marks another step in the operational integration of the Army Aviation Corps’ Apache fleet into the western theatre.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh co-chaired the meeting with Jeremy Pocklington, Permanent Secretary at the UK Ministry of Defence. The discussions covered ongoing bilateral defence initiatives, emerging areas of industrial collaboration and the broader security environment.
The agreement was signed in Pune on August 21 by Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya M. Scindia and Brazil’s Minister of Communications Frederico de Siqueira Filho on the sidelines of the BRICS ICT Track meeting.
India’s strongest opportunity in artificial intelligence may not lie in competing immediately at every layer of the global AI stack, but in building applications, digital infrastructure and energy-efficient data centres at scale. Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology and Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw has said India’s established software ecosystem, growing AI startup base, renewable energy capacity and expanding semiconductor capabilities together give the country a strong position in the next phase of the technology economy.
Indian Railways will manufacture 238 new air-conditioned Electric Multiple Unit rakes for the Mumbai suburban railway network, with production distributed among three major railway manufacturing units. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2027 and the entire programme is expected to be completed by 2030.
According to the ARDE trial-support specification, activities associated with the PGB-500 campaign are expected to involve Air Force Station Jodhpur and 3 AFRU at Chandan near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.
