Army chief Bipin Rawat flies in home-grown Tejas, calls it 'wonderful' aircraft
Bengaluru, Feb 21: Army chief General Bipin Rawat Thursday took to the skies in the home-grown Light Combat Aircraft Tejas at the Aero India show here and described the French fighter jet as a "wonderful aircraft" that would add to the air power.
Sitting behind the pilot in a two-seater trainer variant of the Tejas, General Rawat took a sortie, a day after the HAL-made fighter jet received the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) at the air show, signalling that it was combat ready.
"Flight in LCA Tejas was an experience of a lifetime," General Rawat said, after a 40-minute sortie in the skies above the Yelahanka Air Force Station, north of Bengaluru.
Describing the LCA ride as "a wonderful experience," the Army chief said "From what I could witness, avionics are very good.Its targeting is very good.
We were doing normal manoeuvres. We did not do the loop," he said.
"If it gets added to the inventory, it will add to air power," said General Rawat, who is the first Army chief to fly in the agile, the smallest and lightest multi-role supersonic Tejas.
Tejas would replace the aging Jaguar and Mig-21 fleet.
After taking the sortie, General Rawat also flew in the HAL-made Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) at the air show.
The helicopter was piloted by Wg Cdr S John, HALs Test Pilot.
Terming the sortie in the LCH as an "experience of lifetime", the Army Chief said, it is suitable for the Army to take on adversaries in any terrain and different altitudes.
LCH is a 5.5-ton class, combat helicopter designed and developed by HAL, which is powered by two Shakti engines and inherits many technical features of the Advanced Light Helicopter.
The FOC Certificate and Release to Service Document (RSD) relating to Tejas were handed over to the Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa on the opening day of Aero India 2019 on Wednesday.
FOC involves addition of key capabilities to the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) aircraft which are Beyond Visual Range Missile capabilities,Air-to-Air Refuelling, Air-to-Ground FOC earmarked weapons and general flight envelope expansion.
Initial Operational Clearance for the aircraft was given in 2013 and IOC standard Aircraft were inducted into IAF No.45 Squadron in July 2016.
The IAF squadron has since flown over 1,500 sorties successfully on the aircraft.
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Metro ridership in Haryana sees over 13 pc rise in 2025-26
Chandigarh (PTI): Haryana's urban transit system witnessed a strong growth in 2025-26, with metro ridership registering a robust 13.55 per cent increase, the state government said in a statement on Thursday.
The progress was reviewed in the 64th board meeting of Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC) chaired by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi.
Between April 2025 and February 2026, the metro network recorded over 1.74 crore passengers, compared to 1.53 crore in the corresponding period the previous year.
July recorded the highest monthly growth at 22.93 per cent, while all months showed consistent positive trends.
Financial performance has also remained strong, with fare revenue rising 12.64 per cent till January 2026, the statement said.
Non-fare revenue surged by 108 per cent, driven by effective monetisation of station spaces, advertisements and commercial activities, resulting in an operating surplus for Rapid Metro.
Further initiatives, including the auction of station naming rights and additional advertisement sites, are expected to strengthen HMRTC's financial position, the statement said.
Appreciating the performance, Rastogi stated that the consistent rise in ridership and revenue reflects the success of Haryana's integrated transport strategy, rising commuter confidence and a clear shift towards public transport.
HMRTC Managing Director Chander Shekhar Khare said that, alongside operational gains, the state is making steady progress on an ambitious pipeline of metro and regional transit projects.
Metro connectivity from Gurugram Sector 56 to Panchgaon is under active consideration, with Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited studying the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and layout plan, and finalising a depot location in Sector 36A near Sihi village, he said.
The Gurugram-Faridabad Namo Bharat corridor has achieved a key milestone, with alignment and station locations finalised and approved by the Haryana government. The National Capital Region Transport Corporation is preparing the DPR, he added.
Similarly, the Delhi-Kundli metro extension is proposed to be placed before the Haryana Cabinet for approval.
The 136.3-kilometre Delhi-Panipat-Karnal RRTS Corridor has also progressed, with the revised DPR submitted for financial concurrence ahead of Haryana Cabinet consideration.
Within Gurugram, DPR preparation has been approved for key intra-city corridors, including the 17.09-kilometre Bhondsi-Subhash Chowk-Rajeev Chowk-Sohna Chowk Railway Station corridor, enhancing connectivity along Sohna Road, Khare said.
