*New Delhi*: In a major deal for India's private defence industry, Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group and Rafale maker Dassault Aviation today announced a joint venture (JV) that will be a "key player" in execution of offset contract worth about Rs 22,000 crore as part of the fighter jet deal.The announcement of the JV, Dassault Reliance Aerospace, comes within days of India and France on September 23 signing an agreement for 36 Rafale fighter jets at a value of euro 7.87 billion, or about Rs 59,000 crore.
The agreement includes a 50 per cent offset obligation, the largest-ever offset contract in the history of India.
The main point of the offset agreement is 74 per cent of it has to be imported from India, which means direct business worth around Rs 22,000 crore. The offset, spread over seven years, will be finalised soon. There is also a technology-sharing component, which is being discussed with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Other companies involved in the Rafale deal include French firms MBDA and Thales, besides Safran, which too will be part of the overall offset obligation.
The Dassault Reliance Aerospace joint venture will be a key player in the execution of offset obligations, a joint statement by the companies said.
The development has come as a boost to the Reliance Group, which entered the defence sector only in January 2015.
"This new joint venture called Dassault Reliance Aerospace will support Prime Minister Modi's Make in India and Skill India policies and develop major Indian programmes with high levels of technology transfer to benefit the entire aerospace sector," it added.
The proposed strategic partnership between Dassault and Reliance will also focus on promoting research and development projects under the IDDM programme (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured), a new initiative of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
"The formation of this joint venture with Reliance Aerospace led by Anil Ambani's Reliance Group illustrates our strong commitment to establish ourselves in India and develop strategic industrial partnerships under the Make in India policy promoted by the Indian government," Eric Trappier, Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO said.
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*Watch Video *
#WATCH A pigeon with a threat letter written in Urdu found at Simbal post by BSF in Pathankot, was later handed over to local police (Oct 2) pic.twitter.com/eYhXE2OxLn
— ANI (@ANI_news) October 3, 2016
Cross border attacks continued on Monday. One Border Security Force (BSF) trooper was killed and another injured late Sunday night when a group of heavily armed guerrillas attacked the camp of counter insurgency 46 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) in Baramulla.
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**Nitish Katara killing:* *In February 2002, Nitish Katara was abducted and murdered by politician DP Yadav's son Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav for having intimate relations with Vikas Yadav's sister Bharti. The Yadavs never approved of the relationship between the two, and Katara received threats several times. On February 17, Nitish and Bharti attended a common friend's wedding, where Yadav’s brother, Vikas, and a cousin were present. From there, Katara was taken for a drive by Yadav's brothers, and did not return. Three days later, Katara's body was found near a highway. He had been battered to death with a hammer, and then set aflame.
*Also Read: SC awards 25-year jail term to Vikas Yadav in Nitish Katara murder case*
*Manoj-Babli case:* Manoj and Babli, from Karora village in Kaithal district, were brutally murdered by Babli's relatives in June 2007. The cruel act was carried out on the orders of a khap panchayat, for marrying in the same gotra. On June 23, two decomposed bodies were found from Barwala branch canal in Hissar. Further investigations led to shocking details. According to reports, the couple was asked to accept each other as brother and sister. They refused, and then were forcefully fed pesticides. They were then strangled to death, and the bodies were thrown in the canal.
*Bhavna Yadav death:* In November 2014, a 21-year-old Delhi University student Bhavna Yadav was strangled to death by her parents, just three days after her marriage, because she tied the knot against her parents’ wishes. Bhavna was allegedly killed by her father Jagmohan Yadav and mother Savitri Yadav at her house in south-west Delhi's Dwarka North. According to reports, after killing their daughter, the parents took the body to Alwar in Rajasthan, and set it on fire. Bhavna had married 24-year-old Abhishekh Seth on November 12 against the wishes of her family members.
*Dalit hacked to death:* In March 2016, a young Dalit man was hacked to death for marrying an upper caste girl, who herself narrowly survived the brutal assault in a Tamil Nadu town. Sankar had married Kausalya, 19, who is from the politically influential Thevar community. CCTV visuals showed about six men attack Sankar, a third year engineering student, with sickles and machetes when he and Kausalya were walking on a crowded street. The killers apparently came on two motorcycles and appeared to have been shadowing the couple. Before escaping, the killers also thrashed the young woman, leaving her badly wounded. But she miraculously survived.
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*Pro-Kannada activists burn tyres to block the road during the Karnataka Bandh in Bengaluru. Pic/PTI*
*New Delhi:* The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that it has no jurisdiction to direct it to set-up the Cauvery Management Board as it was just a recommendation of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal and not binding on the government.
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi made the submission before the bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit while mentioning the Centre's application for modification of the apex court's September 30 order that directed the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board.
While fixing the hearing on the application on Tuesday at 2.00 p.m., the bench reminded the Attorney General that he had agreed on the last date of hearing that the Centre would constitute the Cauvery Management Board by October 4.
The Attorney General told the bench that he had made a mistake by committing to set up the Cauvery Management Board.
Even as the Centre tried to wriggle out of its commitment to set up the board, the bench questioned Karnataka why it has not released the water.
"Have you released some water? There can be a part compliance of our order. We can understand your difficulty," it said as senior counsel Shekhar Naphade, appearing for Tamil Nadu, said Karnataka has not released any water as directed by the court.
As Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi urged the court to hear the Centre's application seeking modification of September 30 order, Naphade opposed it, asking what was the hurry as Karnataka was not complying with the court's order and will not comply at all.
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The retreating monsoon has claimed nine lives in Marathwada region of Maharashtra with five killed in flash floods, officials said on Monday.
While four persons from Jalna and Nanded districts of the region died after they were struck by lightning, the other five from Beed and Latur districts drowned in flash floods on Sunday following heavy rains, officials from Marathwada Divisional Commissionerate said.
The victims are yet to be identified.
The monsoon withdrawl, which is otherwise said to be beneficial for pulses production, brought some heavy spells to Marathwada this time, causing flash floods in arid areas. Some areas in Beed district recorded more than 100 mm rainfall on Sunday in less than 12 hours disrupting normal life.
"It is a rare phenomenon. Hence we sought the help of National Disaster Response team for evacuation and rescue operations," Navalkishor Ram, Beed District Collector told PTI on Monday.
Also, as most of the rivers including Bindusara and Manjara have shallow beds, water is overflowing resulting in crop loss over 5-7 lakh hectares in the region. Besides, flooding has led to uprooting of crops, which has come as an irreparable loss to farmers.
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A two-wheeler borne woman motorist, who was riding without a licence or a helmet, allegedly assaulted a woman sub-inspector. The incident occurred at C P Tank, where the latter was on traffic duty.
According toa report by *The Indian Express*, sources from the VP Road police station, said that the accused, identified as Premlata Bansal (46) assaulted sub-inspector Shubhangi Malusare (26), who stopped her and demanded that she paid a fine. Bansal then immediately started scratching her and attempted to ride away but was thwarted.
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*Toronto*: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley arrived here today on a three-day visit during which he will review progress made in trade ties with Canada, including in the proposed comprehensive economic partnership agreement. Jaitley arrived here on the first leg of his 7-day official trip that will also take him to the US.
In Canada, he will meet top official and review progress made in the proposed Comprehensive Economic partnership agreement (CEPA) and Foreign Investment and Protection Agreement (FIPA). Jaitley will also hold meeting with foreign investors.
During his US visit, Jaitley will attend the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The three-day annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank will begin on October 7 in Washington.
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The Supreme Court, on Monday, awarded a 25-year jail term to Vikas Yadav and cousin Vishal in the sensational Nitish Katara murder case. The SC also awarded a 20-year jail term to co-convict Sukhdev Pehalwan in the case.
In February 2002, Katara was abducted and murdered by politician DP Yadav's son Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav for having intimate relations with Vikas Yadav's sister Bharti. The Yadavs never approved of the relationship between the two, and Katara received threats several times.
On February 17, Nitish and Bharti attended a common friend's wedding, where Yadav’s brother, Vikas, and a cousin were present. From there, Katara was taken for a drive by Yadav's brothers, and did not return. Three days later, Katara's body was found near a highway. He had been battered to death with a hammer, and then set aflame.
Rejecting a plea for death penalty, Delhi High Court last year enhanced the sentence for Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal from life imprisonment to 25 years without remission for the murder of Nitish Katara and five more years for destruction of evidence in the case.
A special bench of justices Gita Mittal and J R Midha also imposed a penalty of Rs 50 lakh each on Vikas, son of UP politician D P Yadav, and his cousin Vishal for the murder.
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*Gorakhpur:* Under attack for his comments in support of Pakistani actors working in Bollywood, Salman Khan has found an unlikely ally in firebrand BJP MP Yogi Adityanath, who too has said India's fight is against terrorists and "not against art and culture".
*Also read: Shiv Sena slams Salman Khan; father Salim stays mum*
"Our fight is not against art and culture, it is against terrorism," Adityanath said here yesterday replying to a query on the latest controversy surrounding the Bollywood actor.
Adityanath, who is also the head priest of Gorakhnath Peeth, voiced his views on the issue during an informal chat with reporters after the inauguration of a 'Jan Suvidha Kendra' at the railway station.
*Also read: Being 'Bhaijaan'! Salman Khan backs Pakistani actors, says they are not terrorists*
After the Pakistani actors were given a 48-hour "deadline" by the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) to leave the country in the wake of the Uri terror attack, Khan had said they (Pakistani filmstars working in India) were "artistes and not terrorists", evoking sharp reactions from various quarters. Reported by Mid-Day 3 days ago.