The News On AIR report noted that S&P had kept India’s outlook stable since 26 September 2014, making the 2024 shift significant after nearly a decade. The agency cited policy stability, deepening reforms, high infrastructure investment, cautious fiscal management and a stronger monetary policy framework as reasons that could support a higher rating over the next 24 months.
The project began as CVRDE’s effort to convert BMP-II class tracked amphibious vehicles into tele-operated and autonomous platforms. According to DRDO’s Technology Focus account, CVRDE took up the “Conversion of BMP-II into Tele-operated and Autonomous Vehicle” project in 2007, later naming it MUNTRA. The programme developed technologies such as drive-by-wire control, tele-operation, perception systems, robotic manipulators, autonomous navigation, multi-sensor fusion, payload tele-operation, power management and software integration.
The visit comes at a sensitive but promising moment. India and Canada have gone through a difficult diplomatic phase in recent years, and trade negotiations had slowed during that period. The renewed CEPA push indicates that both sides are now trying to rebuild economic confidence through structured engagement, sectoral cooperation and high-level political signalling. Reuters reported that Goyal will lead a delegation of about 150 Indian industry leaders and hold meetings with Canadian ministers, business leaders and industry groups in Ottawa and Toronto.
The most important part of the project is its ammunition manufacturing capability. Reports say the Shirdi facility includes an artillery shells plant with an annual production capacity of around five lakh shells. The unit is expected to produce 155 mm and 120 mm artillery shell hardware, tank ammunition and related systems. In a world where the Ukraine war and other modern conflicts have shown the centrality of high-volume ammunition production, such a facility has direct strategic relevance for India.
The project is located in Puga Valley, a high-altitude geothermal field in Ladakh’s Changthang region, at over 14,000 feet. Unlike solar or wind power, geothermal energy does not depend on sunlight, cloud cover or wind speed. It taps heat stored beneath the Earth’s surface and converts it into usable energy through hot fluids and steam. For Ladakh, where winter conditions are severe and energy logistics are difficult, this makes geothermal power especially valuable. It can provide a steadier renewable-energy source while reducing dependence on transported fossil fuels.
This approach directly supports India’s post-2020 space-sector reforms. The Indian Space Policy 2023 opened the door for greater participation of non-government entities across the space value chain, including manufacturing, launch vehicles, ground infrastructure, satellite operations, remote sensing, navigation and space-based services. The policy also identifies IN-SPACe as the single-window body to promote, guide and authorise private participation in the sector.
Domestic consumption alone is projected to reach ₹15.64–18.86 lakh crore, or US$170–205 billion, by 2035. Exports could cross ₹5.52 lakh crore, or US$60 billion, giving India a chance to move from being a large domestic market to becoming a serious global supply-chain hub for electrical equipment.
Indian researchers have developed a cost-effective, high-performance thermal energy storage material that could improve the
The greatness of Sanskrit begins with the Vedic tradition. The Vedas were preserved not merely through writing, but through an astonishing oral discipline where pronunciation, accent, metre and sequence were protected with almost scientific care. This made Sanskrit a language of sound as much as meaning. Every syllable mattered. Every pause mattered. Every tonal movement carried weight. That is why Sanskrit survived political change, regional diversity and long historical disruptions with unusual continuity.
During the visit, the Minister reviewed the operations of HMT’s Machine Tool Division, Foundry Division and strategic manufacturing sections. He also inspected manufacturing, assembly and testing processes related to CNC systems, precision machine tools, specialised engineering equipment and indigenously developed Sonar Directing Gear systems used for Indian Naval platforms. This defence-linked capability gives the visit a deeper strategic meaning, because HMT is not only serving commercial industry but also supporting India’s self-reliance in sensitive engineering domains.
