News on Indian Economy
The initiative is important because modern armies need combat engineers who can keep pace with tanks and mechanised formations. Traditional mine-laying often requires considerable manpower and time. A vehicle-mounted system can scatter mines much faster while remaining mobile.
The development centres on the Baigachhi area of Ashoknagar, around 48 kilometres from Kolkata, where ONGC discovered commercially significant hydrocarbons after decades of exploration across the Bengal Basin. Local reporting describes the latest milestone as the commencement of commercial crude production, while ONGC itself has said that its first commercial hydrocarbon discovery in the basin has taken a decisive step towards monetisation.
Until now, the framework covered 41 specified countries. Under the revised system, OGEL coverage has been extended to all countries except negative or sensitive nations and countries subject to United Nations Security Council sanctions or arms embargoes.
The proposed collaboration comes as Singareni begins mineral exploration at the Devadurga Gold–Copper Block in Karnataka’s Raichur-Yadgir region, marking an important step in the company’s strategy to evolve from a predominantly coal-focused enterprise into a broader mining and minerals company.
The renewed push came during the Fourth India–Argentina Joint Trade Committee meeting, held at Palacio San Martín in Buenos Aires on 24 August 2026. The meeting reviewed progress since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Argentina in 2025 and sought to convert the growing political relationship between the two countries into deeper trade, investment and industrial cooperation.
The proposed aircraft is significantly more capable than the relatively small logistics drones increasingly used for last-mile military resupply. Reported requirements call for a 50-kilometre one-way operating range, a service ceiling of about 25,000 feet, as many as five sorties per day and operation in temperatures falling to around –40°C. Crucially, the aircraft is also expected to retain autonomous capability when satellite-navigation signals are unavailable or deliberately jammed.
The Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA), citing trade data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said the growth was achieved despite continuing geopolitical uncertainty, disruptions in global supply chains and elevated input and logistics costs.
Foreign currency assets, the largest component of India’s reserve stock, increased by $9.48 billion to $591.33 billion.
The two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 28 August 2026 at CISF Headquarters in New Delhi. The partnership will connect the security force directly with India’s growing ecosystem of drone startups, technology developers and counter-UAS specialists, creating a structured mechanism for training, applied research, testing and operational deployment.
For India, such an arrangement could address one of the most persistent technological gaps in its aerospace sector. The country has successfully developed indigenous fighters, helicopters, missiles, radars, electronic-warfare systems and increasingly sophisticated unmanned aircraft, but a high-thrust afterburning turbofan suitable for an advanced fighter remains a major technological frontier.
