India successfully carries out night launch of nuclear capable Agni Prime missile
New Delhi (PTI): India has successfully carried out a night launch of new generation nuclear capable ballistic missile 'Agni Prime' from the Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha, boosting the country's strategic deterrence capability.
The defence ministry said the test-flight was carried out on Wednesday evening and it met all the trial objectives, validating the reliable performance, as confirmed from the data captured by a number of range sensors deployed at different locations.
The Strategic Forces Command (SFC), along with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), carried out the flight test of the missile that has a strike range of 1,000 to 2,000 km.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, SFC and the armed forces for the successful test flight and stated that the successful development and induction of the missile will be an excellent force multiplier for the military.
"Strategic Forces Command (SFC), along with the DRDO, conducted the successful flight-test of new generation ballistic missile Agni-Prime from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha at around 1900 hours on April 3," the ministry said.
"The test met all the trial objectives validating its reliable performance, as confirmed from the data captured by a number of range sensors deployed at different locations, including two downrange ships placed at the terminal point," it said.
The launch was witnessed by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, the Chief of Strategic Forces Command and senior officials from the DRDO and the Indian Army.
Gen Chauhan and Chairman DRDO Samir V Kamat appreciated the efforts of the SFC and DRDO for the successful flight test.
Last month, India successfully carried out the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle (MIRV) under its 'Mission Divyastra'.
By carrying out the test, India joined a select group of nations having such a capability. The MIRV feature ensures that a single missile can deploy multiple war heads at different locations.
Agni-V missile has a range of up to 5,000 km and it can bring almost the entire Asia, including the northernmost part of China as well as some regions in Europe under its striking range.
The Agni 1 to 4 missiles have ranges from 700 km to 3,500 km and they have already been deployed.
In June last year, India successfully carried out the night launch of the 'Agni Prime'
In April last year, India successfully carried out the maiden flight trial of an endo-atmospheric interceptor missile from a ship off the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal as part of its ambitious ballistic missile defence programme.
The purpose of the trial of the sea-based missile was to engage and neutralise a hostile ballistic missile threat thereby elevating India into an elite club of nations having such a capability.
India has been developing capabilities to intercept hostile ballistic missiles both inside and outside the earth's atmospheric limits.
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Shah says no interference in Muslims' religious matters as Oppn slams Waqf bill as unconstitutional
New Delhi (PTI): The ruling NDA on Wednesday launched a feisty defence of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha amid the opposition's charge that it was unconstitutional and targeted Muslims, as Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that the government had no intention of interfering in their religious matters and was solely driven by the aim of transparent administration of Waqf properties.
Shah's intervention came during the day-long debate that witnessed a fierce exchange between the two sides, with Congress Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi alleging that the bill was an attempt to attack the basic structure of the Constitution, defame minorities, disenfranchise them and divide the society.
Minorities Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju in his opening remarks rejected the allegation that the proposed law was an interference in the constitutionally guaranteed freedom in religious affairs.
The bill has nothing to do with religion, but deals only with properties, he said tabling the Bill, which was examined and redrafted by a joint committee of Parliament.
"The government is not going to interfere in any religious institution. The changes made in the Waqf law by the UPA government gave it overriding effect over other statutes, hence the new amendments were required," Rijiju said amid noisy opposition protests.
"You (opposition) tried to mislead the people on issues which are not part of the Waqf Bill," she said to the opposition.
Both ministers asserted that the proposed reforms would ensure the welfare of poor Muslims and women.
The BJP was bolstered by a show of support from its key allies like the TDP, JD(U), Shiv Sena and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), while the INDIA bloc put up a united show in opposing the bill.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the bill is a BJP's ploy for polarisation following its reverses in the Lok Sabha polls, alleging that it will send a wrong message to the world denting the country's secular image.
The bill will prove to be a "waterloo" for the BJP as some of its allies might be claiming to support the bill but inside they are not happy about the development, he said.
"Bringing Waqf Bill is the BJP's political game, it is a new form of their communal politics. The BJP wants to appease those supporters who are now distancing themselves from the party because of its policies.
After most of the leading opposition leaders had spoken, Shah launched a stout defence of the bill and rejected the most common criticism that the appointment of non-Muslims in the Waqf council and boards violated a community's right to manage its own affairs.
He also warned against instigating Muslims against the law, noting that an opposition MP had said that the minorities will not accept this. "It is the law of the Indian government and Parliament. Everyone will have to accept it."
The bill will become a law after it is notified following its passage in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Shah said the government is not going to have any say in the matters of Waqf, endowments made by Muslims for religiously charitable and pious purposes, adding that the council and boards are aimed at the management of the properties to ensure that they are used in line with the stated aims behind their donation.
He accused the opposition of "fear-mongering" over the bill's provisions, saying this is how they raised a vote bank.
He accused the Congress-led UPA government of effecting many amendments in the Waqf law in 2013 for its appeasement politics, saying these changes made the Act "extreme". Had those changes not been made, the government might not have brought the bill, he added.
He cited a host of instances from across the country about vast properties being claimed by different state Waqf boards, with a section of people involved in their management making personal gains while doing little for the community. The new law will catch such people and throw them out, he added.
"This money is of the poor Muslims not for a few moneybags," he said, citing the meagre income of Rs 163 crore from Waqf properties.
Citing speeches of several opposition leaders, including RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav, in 2013, he said even they had noted the rampant property grab in the name of Waqf law.
Gogoi argued that the bill had not been adequately discussed with minority representatives.
"In 2023, four meetings of the Minority Commission were held, and yet, there was no mention of the need for a Waqf amendment bill. I ask the government - was this bill drafted by the Minority Affairs Ministry or some other department?"
The opposition MP also raised concerns over Clause 3, which defines individuals practising Islam.
"Minorities are now being forced to prove their religious identity with certificates. Tomorrow, will people from other faiths also have to do this? This is against Article 26 of the Constitution," he said.
BJP's Anurag Thakur said, "This bill is not about Hindu versus Muslim, this is law versus lawlessness, Constitution versus corruption."
