Dassault Papers Show Reliance Entry Mandatory For Rafale Deal: Report
NEW DELHI/PARIS: An internal document of Dassault Aviation, the makers of the Rafale fighters that India is buying from France, has added more fuel to the controversy that is raging in India over the deal for the 36 jets.
French investigative journal Mediapart have reported that they have accessed a document that says Dassault picking Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as the offset partner in India was mandatory for the Rafale deal.
The article uses the French word 'contrepartie' to describe Reliance being made the offset partner, which when translated to English, means "counterpart".
Last month, the French aerospace major had said the decision to partner with Reliance Defence for the Rafale deal was its own, after former French President Francois Hollande had claimed, in an interview to Mediapart, that the Indian government proposed Reliance Defence as the partner in the Rs. 58,000 crore Rafale deal and France did not have a choice.
Political sparring over the Rafale deal had escalated sharply after Mr Hollande's comment. The opposition has accused the government of going for a not-so-favourable contract to benefit Anil Ambani. Both the government and the industrialist have denied the charge.
The previous Congress-led UPA government had negotiated with Dassault for 126 Rafale jets under which 18 jets were to be supplied in a fly-away condition and 108 were to be manufactured in India along with state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). However, the UPA could not seal the deal.
In the deal negotiated by the new government, Anil Ambani's firm became Dassault's offset partner with no experience in the field. As part of the offset clause, Dassault has to ensure that business worth at least half the money - Rs.30,000 - is generated in India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after holding talks with the then French President Hollande on April 10, 2015 in Paris.
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
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Indian vessel 'Jag Laadki' carrying over 80,000 MT crude oil reaches Gujarat's Mundra Port
Ahmedabad, Mar 18 (PTI): Indian-flagged tanker 'Jag Laadki', carrying around 80,886 metric tonnes (MT) of crude oil, arrived at Mundra Port in Gujarat on Wednesday amid the West Asia conflict, officials said.
A day earlier, LPG carrier 'Nanda Devi' arrived at Vadinar port in Gujarat's Devbhumi Dwarka district, carrying 46,500 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) navigating through the Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, another vessel - 'Shivalik' - carrying LPG docked at Mundra Port.
Adani Ports, which operates Mundra Port, said in a statement that the crude oil carried by Jag Laadki was sourced from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and loaded at Fujairah Port there.
"Measuring 274.19 metres in length overall and 50.04 metres in beam, the tanker boasts a deadweight tonnage of approximately 164,716 tonnes and a gross tonnage of about 84,735 tonnes," it said.
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The tanker's arrival at the Mundra Port underscores the facility's critical role in handling substantial crude imports, it said.
"This delivery supports major refinery relies on such shipments to maintain operations and bolster India's energy security during supply disruptions in the region," Adani Ports added.
The port provided the safe berthing of the vessel and maritime coordination in safeguarding vital energy lifelines of India, it said.
Fujairah Port in UAE faced drone and missile attacks during the ongoing Israel-US and Iran war.
India imports about 88 per cent of its crude oil, 50 per cent of natural gas and 60 per cent of LPG needs. Before the US-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28 and Tehran's retaliation, more than half of India's crude imports, about 30 per cent of gas and 85-90 per cent of LPG imports came from Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The conflict has led to a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the main transit route for Gulf energy supplies. While India has partly offset crude supply disruptions by sourcing oil from countries including Russia, gas supplies have been curtailed to industrial users and LPG availability to commercial establishments such as hotels and restaurants has been reduced.
