Surgical Strike 2.0 LIVE: 350 terrorists killed as IAF hits terror camps in Balakot (PoK) ; won’t let India down, says PM Modi

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Surgical Strike 2.0: Today’s strong action shows the will and resolve of a New India, says BJP Chief Amit Shah. PM Modi, during his rally in Rajasthan, says “India is in safe hands”.

Surgical Strike 2.0 LIVE: 350 terrorists killed as IAF hits terror camps in PoK; won't let India down, says PM

Surgical Strike 2.0: At least 325 terrorists and 25 to 27 trainers were at the camp when the Indian Air Force hit their camp in Balakot region of PoK.

 

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Air Force strikes in PoK: In a surprise to Pakistani security forces, the Indian Air Force reportedly dropped around 1,000 kg bombs on Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camps across the Line of Control (LoC) in Muzafarabad sector early morning on Tuesday. Pakistan army spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor also confirmed that that the Indian Air Force (IAF) violated the Line of Control (LoC). “Facing timely and effective response from Pakistan Air Force released payload in haste while escaping which fell near Balakot,” he tweeted, adding that no casualties have been reported so far. ANI also reported: “At 0330 hours on 26th February, a group of Mirage 2000 Indian Fighter jets struck a major terrorist camp across the LoC and completely destroyed it.”

Read all the latest updates on the Surgical Strike 2.0

3.36pm: After Indian Air Force fighter jets bombarded terror launch pads in Pakistan, China has urged both countries to exercise restraint. China has said that New Delhi should fight against terrorism through international cooperation. China is considered an all-weather ally of Pakistan and has blocked India;s efforts to get the United Nations to declare JeM Masood Azhar a global terrorists.

3.27pm: Former Army chief General Bikram Singh on the Surgical Strike 2.0: “It’s an excellent operation that has been undertaken. It was certain it’ll happen, it was writing on the wall as PM had announced it.”

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ANI

@ANI

Ex-Army Chief General Bikram Singh: It’s an excellent operation that has been undertaken. It was certain it’ll happen, it was writing on the wall as PM had announced it. We’ve seen that earlier when PM announced after Uri we went in for surgical strike 1.This is surgical strike 2

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3.23pm: Pakistan PM Imran Khan has said that he would take Pakistani media to the attack side in Balakot to “expose India’s lies”. He is expected to hold a detailed press conference at 3.30pm.

3.15pm:Over 350 terrorists killed in IAF airstrikes: Hundreds of Fidayeen and their trainers were shifted from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to a five-star, resort style camp in a hilltop forest in Balakot after the Pulwama attack, providing Indian forces with “a sitting duck target” when they carried out an air strike early on Tuesday, killing up to 350 terrorists, PTI reported. They said at least 325 terrorists and 25 to 27 trainers were at the camp, the biggest operated by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad group, which had claimed responsibility for the February 14 suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, Kashmir that killed 40 jawans. Everyone at the camp was sleeping and Pakistani defence establishment had no clue that the attack was coming so deep into their country because they had expected a surgical strike on camps in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir near the Line of Control, said PTI.

2.45pm: Main targets of today’s air strikes were Ibrahim Azhar, the elder brother of Masood Azhar who was also involved in the IC-814 hijacking and Mufti Azhar Khan Kashmiri, head of Kashmir operations, JeM.

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ANI

@ANI

Key Jaish e Mohammed terrorists targeted in today’s air strikes: Mufti Azhar Khan Kashmiri, head of Kashmir operations(pic 1) and Ibrahim Azhar(pic 2), the elder brother of Masood Azhar who was also involved in the IC-814 hijacking

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2.35pm: Former Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje said that Narendra Modi has delivered on his promise to avenge the honour of our brave-hearts not as a Prime Minister, but as a patriot.

Vasundhara Raje

@VasundharaBJP

यह नया हिंदुस्तान है – घर में घुसेगा भी और मारेगा भी!

Today Shri @narendramodi ji has delivered on his promise to avenge the honour of our brave-hearts not as a Prime Minister, but as a patriot who’s heart bled at the disrespect to his motherland.

#SurgicalStrike2

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2.25pm: Flags of United States of America, United Kingdom and Israel were seen in JeM’s training centre in Balakot.

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ANI

@ANI

Intel Sources: Flags of USA, UK and Israel painted on staircases seen in Jaish e Mohammed facility destroyed by Indian Air Force jets in Balakot

2.20pm: Surgical strike 2, in which over 300 terrorists were eliminated by Indian Air Force, was an intelligence-based counter-terror attack, not a military action.

 

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ANI

@ANI

Sources: This was an intelligence based counter terror strike not a military action for sake of war. Have demolished entire terror set up in the suicide bombing training centre in Balakot, and over 300 terrorists were eliminated in the covert operation by Indian Air Force

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2.14pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Surgical Strike 2.0.

“Sogandh mujhe is mitti ki, mei Desh nahi mitne dunga,

Mei desh nahi rukne dunga, mei desh nahi jhukne duna

Mera vachan hai bharat maa ko, tera sheesh nahi jhukne dunga”

 

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BJP

@BJP4India

लाइव : पीएम श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी की चूरू, राजस्थान में विशाल विजय संकल्प सभा। https://www.pscp.tv/w/b0Tw5jFZTEVKTlh4RG5ORU58MXZBeFJ5cU9Pa1BKbFNxVEcno6VkIfTp86oRjBp1ZadbvLjEPfcfZzHsVBSr 

BJP @BJP4India

लाइव : पीएम श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी की चूरू, राजस्थान में विशाल विजय संकल्प सभा।

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2.17pm: ‘India is in safe hands,’ says Prime Minister Modi after IAF strikes terror camps in PoK.

2.04pm: “I pay tributes to the braves of Rajasthan,” says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

1.50pm: JeM’s Yusuf Azhar alias Mohammad Salim alias Ustaad Gohri, who was killed in the Indian Air Force Strikes in Pakistan, was on the Interpol list and among the most wanted terrorists’ list in India.

 

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ANI

@ANI

JeM’s Yusuf Azhar alias Mohammad Salim alias Ustaad Gohri who was targeted today by IAF #airstrike in Balakot across LOC was on the Interpol list and among the most wanted in India.

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1.49pm: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Surgical Strike 2.0: “The entire country is feeling proud and I congratulate the forces.”

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ANI

@ANI

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal: Soldiers entered Pakistan and targeted JeM camps. It was a very brave act. The entire country is feeling proud and I congratulate the forces. The entire country was with the government and the Prime Minister at this time. Strict action was needed

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1.41pm: “Today’s strong action shows the will and resolve of a New India,” says BJP Chief Amit Shah.

Amit Shah

@AmitShah

Today’s strong action shows the will and resolve of a New India.
Our New India will not spare any acts of terror and their perpetrators and patrons.

1.39pm: The Pakistan Foreign Office says its Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has postponed his trip to Japan due to the “sensitive situation” brewing in the region in the wake of the Pulwama attack, reports Dawn.

1.36pm: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami lauds PM Modi on Surgical Strike 2.0. “I extend my greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi due to whose bold functioning, a successful air strike has been carried out which has demolished terror camps in Pakistan,” Palaniswami said.

1.28pm: As per media reports, many of the top commanders of the banned terror group JeM were shifted from the Balakot terror camp immediately after Pulwama terror attack.

1.25pm: Lt Gen DS Hooda (Retired), the Northern Army Commander during the ‘Surgical Strike’ in 2016, says: “My compliment goes to the government for taking this action.”

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ANI

@ANI

Lt Gen DS Hooda (Retired), the Northern Army Commander during the ‘Surgical Strike’ in 2016: My compliment goes to the government for taking this action & also to the Air Force for the way they have carried out this strike (in Balakot) in an absolutely professional manner.

 

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1.24pm: “We are very happy,” says the kin brother of CRPF jawan Vijay Maurya, who lost his life in the Pulwama terror attack.

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ANI UP

@ANINewsUP

Brother of CRPF jawan Vijay Maurya(who lost his life in #PulwamaTerrorAttack): We are very happy that this(IAF strikes on JeM camp across LoC) happened, but we want pressure on Pakistan be kept up so that no terror org like JeM dares to attack us again

1.20pm: Shame, shame! Slogans were raised against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in their Parliament, reports India Today.

1.18pm: A day after Pulwama blast, IAF was ready with plan to attack PoK: Here’s a timeline.

1.15pm: MEA on Indian Air Strike: “Information regarding the location of training camps in Pakistan and PoJK has been provided to Pakistan from time to time. Pakistan, however, denies their existence. The existence of such massive training facilities capable of training hundreds of jihadis could not have functioned without the knowledge of Pakistan authorities.”

1.12pm: “Credible intelligence was received that JeM was attempting another suicide terror attack in various parts of the country, and the fidayeen jihadis were being trained for this purpose. In the face of imminent danger, a preemptive strike became absolutely necessary,” says the MEA.

1.10pm: A major facility at Balakot in Pakistan, which was headed by Maulana Yousuf Azhar (alias Ustad Ghouri), the brother-in-law of Masood Azhar who is the chief of banned terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed, was blown to smithereens. JeM was responsible for the dastardly terror attack on the CRPF convoy in J&K. It was the Balakot terror camp where Pulwama terror attack mastermind Abdul Rasheed Ghazi underwent three-month training.

1.05pm: Mahindra and Mahindra Chairman Anand Mahindra lauded the Indian Air Force on conducting the air strikes in Paksitan. “Let us pray for the continued safety of those who protect us,” says Mahindra.

anand mahindra

@anandmahindra

And they returned safely… which is a feat in itself. Let us pray for the continued safety of those who protect us…

LatestLY

@latestly

IAF Strikes On JeM Camps Across LOC Live News Updates: 12 Mirage 2000 Jets of the IAF Took Part in the Strike #IAF #SurgicalStrike #Surgicalstrike2 #JeM #PakistanArmy #Pakistan #LoC #TerrorCampshttps://www.latestly.com/india/news/iaf-strikes-on-jem-camps-across-loc-live-news-updates-664180.html 

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12.59pm: Former Army General and Union Minister VK Singh says Pakistan wants India to bleed with a 1000 cuts but “each time you (Pak) attack us, be certain we will get back at you, harder and stronger”.

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Vijay Kumar Singh

@Gen_VKSingh

They say they want India to bleed with a 1000 cuts. We say that each time you attack us, be certain we will get back at you, harder and stronger. Salute the brave pilots of the @IAF_MCC that carried out the strikes. #JaiHind

 

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12.56pm: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hails the Indian Air Force (IAF) for carrying out air strikes in Pakistan.

Mamata Banerjee

@MamataOfficial

IAF also means India’s Amazing Fighters. Jai Hind

12.54pm: For the entire Indian Air Force operation, a war room was prepared of which Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and NSA Ajit Doval were advisors, reports India Today.

12.50pm: Hours after India conducted major air strikes in Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan has convened a meeting to review the emerging situation, reports Radio Pakistan.

12.45pm: “Every Indian who had the pain and anguish of the martyrdom of our forces is greatly relieved and delighted this morning. Salute to the Air Force for a meticulous operation. Our forces are world class anyway. It is the political will of our PM and team that made all the difference,” says BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav.

12.43pm: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to issue statement on the air strikes conducted by the Indian Air Force in Pakistan soon.

12.39pm: A Pakistani unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was shot down near the International Border in Kutch district of Gujarat, police said. Debris of the UAV was seen near Nanghatad village in Abdasa taluka of Kutch, they said. On hearing a loud sound around 6 am, villagers went to the spot and found the debris of the UAV, the sources said. Asked if a Pakistani UAV had been shot down by the Indian armed forces, a police official, on condition of anonymity, told PTI, “Such an incident has happened, we are investigating the matter.”

12.19pm: Cricketer Virendra Sehwag says “the boys played really well”.

 

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Virender Sehwag

@virendersehwag

The boys have played really well. #SudharJaaoWarnaSudhaarDenge #airstrike

12.16pm: Sushma Swaraj calls a meeting of all Opposition leaders at Jawahar Bhawan (MEA) to brief them on India’s air strikes at 5PM today.

12.15PM: A ceasefire violation by Pakistani security forces at the international border at Kanachak at Samba, reports Moneycontrol, adding that one Pakistani ranger was killed in retaliatory firing by the Border Security Force.

12.10pm: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi “warns India not to challenge Pakistan”.

Embedded video

PTI

@PTIofficial

Minister of Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi talks to Samaa News after the violation of LOC by Indian Air Force (26.02.19)@SMQureshiPTI

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi warned India not to challenge Pakistan.
Pakistan is fully prepared to respond to any misadventure.

11.58am: Makkal Neethi Maiam (MNM) President welcomes air strikes carried out by the Indian Air Force on terror launch pads in Pakistan, and ‘saluted’ the valour of the “heroes.” The country was “proud of its heroes,” he says.

Kamal Haasan

@ikamalhaasan

Our 12 return safely home after wreaking havoc on terrorist camps in Pakistan. India is proud of its heroes. I salute their valour.

11.51am: Makkal Neethi Maiam (MNM) President Kamal Hassan Tuesday welcomed air strikes carried out by the Indian Air Force on terror launch pads in Pakistan, and ‘saluted’ the valour of the “heroes.” The country was “proud of its heroes,” he said in a tweet. “Our 12 (apparently fighter jets) return safely home after wreaking havoc on terrorist camps in Pakistan. India is proud of its heroes. I salute their valour,” he said.

11.47am: “We knew something like this would happen, and now we hold the right to retaliate against the air strikes conducted by the Indian Air Force,” says Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

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11.46am: Vijay Gokhle says a large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders were eliminated in largest JeM camp in Balakot. “The camp was led by Maulana Yusuf Azhar alias Ustad Ghauri, the brother-in-law of JeM Chief Masood Azhar.”

11.35am: Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on the Surgical Strike 2.0: “Credible intelligence was received that Jaish-e-Mohammed was attempting another suicide terror attack in various parts of the country & fidayeen jihadis were being trained for this purpose.”

 

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ANI

@ANI

Vijay Gokhale: Credible information was received that JeM was attempting other attacks in the country. A pre-emptive strike became important. India struck the biggest camp of JeM in Balakot.

11.30am: Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf rejects the air strikes conducted by the Indian Air Force. “We realise it’s election year, and a desperation across the border. Fact of the matter is, Indian jets were forced to retreat in haste by Pakistan army patrols and dumped fuel, which in their scramble they thought was a bomb.”

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PTI

@PTIofficial

Indian government is in dire need of winning the upcoming elections, selfish enough, they are willing to create unrest in the entire region. Pakistan will use all international forums to expose India while being ready to retaliate to any aggression. Foreign Minister @SMQureshiPTI

 

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11.24am: The Indian jets flew over my hometown in Garhi Habibullah, and released its payload near Batrasi jungle, confirms a Pakistani journalist.

Rizwan Ahmad Ghilzai@Rizwan_Ghilzai

#Indian jets flew over my hometown #GarhiHabibullah, and released its payload near Batrasi jungle (non-residential area).Alhamdulillah no casualty or damage is reported according to the local police & residents. #PakArmy takes control of the area. #IndianAirCraftsCrossedBorder

11.18am: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on the Surgical Strike 2.0: “Great job by the Indian Air Force”.

Capt.Amarinder Singh

@capt_amarinder

Great job by the #IndianAirForce. The #IAFStrikes have sent the much needed signal to Pakistan and the terrorists it’s harbouring – don’t think you can get away with acts like the #PulwamaAttack. Bravo to the #IAF men and my full support for the action.

 

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11.13am: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh cancels his Greater Noida visit to assess the overall security situation after the Surgical Strike 2.0.

11.09am: A map of distance between Balakot in Pakistan to Uri, which is the nearest LoC area.

11.03am:7 things India used during the Surgical Strike 2.0.

  • Mirage 2000 from Gwalior – multirole fighter jet built by Dassault aviation, acquired in 1980s, predecessor to Rafale.
  • GBU-12 paveway laser guided bomb, an American-built precision guidance bomb kit.
  • Matra magic close combat missile, a French built missile for possible pak air force response during mission.
  • Litening pod, a laser designator and targeting pod to acquire targets and guide precision bomb.
  • Netra airborne early warning jet from Bhatinda — command and control from the air, vectoring the fighters towards targets.
  • Ilyushin – 78m from Agra – flight refuelling aircraft to refuel jets for longer endurance.
  • Heron drone from secret airfield conducted real time surveillance along line of control.

10.38am: The entire operation lasted around 20 minutes, which includes take off till return time, say reports. The strikes were conducted at Balakot, a breeding ground of terror activities, which is 24 kilometre northwest of Muzaffarabad in Pakistan.

10.27am: Major General Asif Ghafoor, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), claims Indian aircrafts’ intrusion across LOC in Muzafarabad Sector within AJ&K was 3-4 miles.

Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor

@OfficialDGISPR

Indian aircrafts’ intrusion across LOC in Muzafarabad Sector within AJ&K was 3-4 miles.Under forced hasty withdrawal aircrafts released payload which had free fall in open area. No infrastructure got hit, no casualties. Technical details and other important information to follow.

10.23am: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday saluted the pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) after it carried out air strikes in Pakistan. “I salute the bravery of Indian Air Force pilots who have made us proud by striking terror targets in Pakistan,” Kejriwal said in a tweet.

Arvind Kejriwal

@ArvindKejriwal

I salute the bravery of Indian Air Force pilots who have made us proud by striking terror targets in Pakistan

10.19am: A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security is underway at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.

ANI

@ANI

Delhi: Meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security underway at 7, LKM

10.08am: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi calls an emergency meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. He had said on Monday that India’s “dream” of isolating Pakistan will never be fulfilled, amidst simmering tensions between the two countries following the Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF soldiers.

10.03am: The Indian Air Force has put on high alert all air defence systems along the international border and LoC to respond to any possible action by Pakistan Air Force, reports ANI.

9.51am: Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, reiterates dialogue from the recent Bollywood hit Uri: The Surgical Strike. “This is new India, this will enter your home, and kill you too.”

View image on Twitter

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

@gssjodhpur

ये मोदी का हिंदुस्तान है, घर में घुसेगा भी और मारेगा भी,
Air Force carried out aerial strike early morning today at terror camps across the LoC and Completely destroyed it
एक एक क़तरा ख़ून का हिसाब होगा !ये तो एक शुरुआत है .. ये देश नहीं झुकने दूंगा…#Balakot #Surgicalstrike2

9.50am: Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi says “helter skelter by Pakistan seems like something big has happened”.

 

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Abhishek Singhvi

@DrAMSinghvi

Indian Air Force Strikes at Balakot don’t have official word yet but the Helter skelter by Pakistan seems like something big has happened. The IAF has gone beyond POK & into Pakistan near their capital while they were busy counting alms received from Saudi & China.

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Abhishek Singhvi

@DrAMSinghvi

Balakot which is quite far out into the LOC is a deep strike and purportedly where Hafeez Saeed gives a lot of his addresses. If IAF penetrated that deep without casualties it’s a highly successful mission.

9.40am: Congress President Rahul Gandhi says: “I salute the pilots of the IAF.”

Rahul Gandhi

@RahulGandhi

🇮🇳 I salute the pilots of the IAF. 🇮🇳

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9.39am: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh head to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the strikes carried out by the Indian Air Force.

9.39am: Where is Balakot in Pakistan: Balakot, a town in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan, is about 50 km (31 miles) from the Line of Control (LoC), which acts as a de facto border between the two countries that have fought three wars since their independence from British colonial rule in 1947, says Reuters.

9.30am: The action comes just 12 days after a CRPF convoy was targeted by a JeM suicide bomber, killing 40 personnel and injuring five others.

9.26am: All terror camps of JeM across Balakot, Chakothi and Muzaffarabad destroyed in Pakistan.

India Today

@IndiaToday

Indian Mirage fighters destroy PoK terror camps: Sources. Live updates #ITLivestream https://www.pscp.tv/w/b0SpLDMyMDQ4MDl8MWt2SnBFUnlrUU94RZLyaypuiyozzShpHw2hJsMZXlBPLPPj8p9VtpdYNv8N

India Today @IndiaToday

Indian Mirage fighters destroy PoK terror camps: Sources. Live updates #ITLivestream

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9.25am: Reports suggest Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been briefed on the air strikes conducted by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

9.19am: The government to brief media on the India Air Force strike soon. The government earlier declined to comment on the issue even though the  Pakistani side confirmed that India conducted air strikes across LoC in Balakot region in Pakistan.

9.09am: Pakistan army spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor confirms the damage done by the Indian Air Force fighter jets.

Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor

@OfficialDGISPR

Payload of hastily escaping Indian aircrafts fell in open.

9.07am: As per News18, the Indian Air Force strikes could have caused around 200-300 casualties on the Pakistani side.

9.05am: NC leader and former J&K CM Omar Abdullah lauds the Air Force, says “if this is true this was not a small strike by any stretch of imagination”.

Omar Abdullah

@OmarAbdullah

Wow, if this is true this was not a small strike by any stretch of imagination but will wait for official word, should any be forthcoming.

ANI

@ANI

IAF Sources: 12 Mirage 2000 jets took part in the operation that dropped 1000 Kg bombs on terror camps across LOC, completely destroying it

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9.01am: The government has so far declined to comment on the issue but has also not denied about reports of the Indian Air Force conducting strikes across the Line of Control.

9.00am: As many as 12 Mirage 2000 jets took part in the operation that completely destroyed several terror camps across the Line of Control in Pakistan.

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ANI

@ANI

IAF Sources: 12 Mirage 2000 jets took part in the operation that dropped 1000 Kg bombs on terror camps across LOC, completely destroying it

8.38am: Pakistan army spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor claims the Indian aircraft intruded into Pakistan from the Muzaffarabad sector.

Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor

@OfficialDGISPR

Indian aircrafts intruded from Muzafarabad sector. Facing timely and effective response from Pakistan Air Force released payload in haste while escaping which fell near Balakot. No casualties or damage.

Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor

@OfficialDGISPR

Indian Air Force violated Line of Control. Pakistan Air Force immediately scrambled. Indian aircrafts gone back. Details to follow.

 

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8.20am: Around 10 Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft strike several terror camps across the LoC.

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ANI

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IAF Sources: At 0330 hours on 26th February a group of Mirage 2000 Indian Fighter jets struck a major terrorist camp across the LoC
and completely destroyed it.

 

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                   BE HOT

               

             BE SMART

                 

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Ease of Doing Business: India jumps 23 notches, now at rank 77

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In a big boost for Narendra Modi government, India climbed another 23 points in the World Bank’s ease of doing business ranking to 77th place, becoming the top ranked country in South Asia for the first time and third among the BRICS.

In the last two years the country has climbed 53 notches, a performance matched in the past only by Bhutan. The biggest gain was in construction permit where India climbed 129 ranks to 52nd place on the back of targeted government effort to remove hurdles.

The details were revealed in World Bank’s Doing Business Report which is an assessment of business regulation across 190 economies.

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Further, India now ranks in the top 25 in the world on three indicators- getting electricity, getting credit and protecting minority investors, department of industrial policy and promotion said on Wednesday.

The doing business report ranks countries on the basis of distance to frontier (DTF), a score that shows the gap of an economy to the global best practice. India’s DTF score improved to 67.23 from 60.76 last year.

The World Bank has recognised India as one of the top improvers for the year. This year, India features among the report’s list of top 10 improvers for the second year in a row. India is the one of only nine countries around the world and only one in BRICS to feature in this list.

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The six reforms recognised in this year’s report are starting a business, getting electricity, dealing with construction permits, getting credit, paying taxes and trading across borders.

In dealing with construction permits, India has implemented an online single window system, introduced deemed approvals and reduced the cost for obtaining these permits. In the electricity sector, the time taken for obtaining a new connection has reduced from 105 to 55 days. For resolving insolvency, India has put in place a new Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and time bound reorganization procedure for corporate debtors.

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Can smartphones for women in Chhattisgarh help in economic development?

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In a remote village in Chhattisgarh, over 200 women lined up outside a government office, each holding a small, orange ticket. One by one, they shuffled into and out of the office, replacing their ticket with a smartphone. Excited new phone owners gathered in groups outside the hall talking about how they would use the phone.

This scene was not unique to one village. All across Chhattisgarh through September 2018, the state government was giving a smartphone to one woman in each rural household. The programme, entitled Sanchaar Kranti Yojana (SKY), or the Telecommunications Revolution Scheme, covered 2.3 million rural women by the end of September. As if that weren’t ambitious enough, SKY also gave smartphones to 300,000 college students and 350,000 urban women–and will increase network coverage by building just under 1,500 towers, thus encouraging even more phone use and ownership beyond the beneficiary pool.

The main purpose behind programme SKY is to address low phone ownership in Chhattisgarh and to empower women in the process. As evident from the heat maps below, Chhattisgarh has India’s fourth lowest mobile phone ownership rate–45.6%–which is five percentage points lower than the overall average.

At the same time, Chhattisgarh’s gender gap in phone ownership is the lowest in India at 14.3 percentage points: 52% of men own a phone compared to 38% of women. At 32.7 percentage points, India’s overall average gap is more than twice that amount. Yet a relatively smaller gender gap in ownership does not necessarily mean the gap won’t grow over time–many states with higher male phone ownership also have larger gender gaps.

In this way, programme SKY is a timely nudge that encourages a narrowing rather than enlargement of the mobile gender gap. (For more insights on the causes and effects of the gap, see a new report by our team, led by Rohini Pande and Charity Troyer Moore of Evidence for Policy Design at Harvard Kennedy School, Erica Field of Duke University and Simone Schaner of University of Southern California.)

The benefits of mobile phones

The potential impacts of SKY go beyond female mobile engagement. Ample research already shows that mobile phones encourage economic development. Phones help producers and consumers access the best price for market goods and learn about job opportunities. In Kenya, mobile money has reduced households’ vulnerability to economic shocks. “Behavioral messaging” through SMS and voice calls have improved behavior in domains like finance, health, and education.

A few studies highlight the value of women’s mobile phone access, both for themselves and others. One study found that M-PESA, Kenya’s mobile money platform, has lifted 2% of Kenyan households out of poverty. Increases in consumption were concentrated among female-headed households, suggesting that women had more to gain from mobile money. A study from Niger found that when women took cash transfers through mobile money application rather than as cash, household dietary diversity improved, a result attributed to women’s increased bargaining power within the household.

This result echoes a broader finding in current research: Empowering women with assets is valuable to economic development. Studies show that when women have access to resources, they use them for children. For example, greater access to pension benefits among female-headed households in South Africa led to improved nutrition for girls. There are similar patterns among households in Brazil, where studies show that higher female income leads to greater chance of child survival, higher nutrition investments in girls, and larger relative investments in human capital and leisure.

Similarly, we might expect women to use their SKY phones to improve their children’s lives in some way. While empowering women with technology is a noble pursuit in its own right, this further highlights the value of SKY targeting female beneficiaries rather than male.

A problem: The male monopoly

The success of SKY’s targeting of female beneficiaries comes with a caveat: Transfers are only as effective insofar as the beneficiary perceives them as useful and relevant. Recent experience with the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), or Prime Minister’s People’s Wealth Scheme, illustrates this.

The intent of PMJDY was to open a bank account for at least one member in every household. Yet PMJDY alone was not enough to achieve full financial inclusion, as many accounts remained dormant after being opened. In order for the economy to see the downstream impacts of the scheme, beneficiaries needed to understand what a bank account could do for them and how to use one. In other words, the relevant metric for measuring financial inclusion lies not in the number of people with an account but the number of people who use accounts.

In a similar way, if SKY beneficiaries do not find phones useful or obtain the skill to use them, then the initiative will fail to close the mobile phone gender gap and women will not reap these benefits. The issue is further complicated by the fact that unlike bank accounts, phones can be easily transferred, and men often control asset ownership within households in South Asian cultures.

Thus, even if a woman sees her new phone as useful, if she does not know how to use it, then her husband may use his monopoly on technological know-how to justify taking it. This underscores the potential added value of digital literacy training to the SKY programme and, more broadly, highlights the importance of providing training alongside programmes that give assets to the poor.

 

 

 

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Telangana pride flies high as bikernis play Bathukamma mid-air

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In a watershed moment in the history of Bathukamma celebrations in Telangana, four Bikernis made history by playing Bathukamma high up in the air! It was a spectacular assertion of Telangana pride as the gang of Hyderabadi daredevils, Jai Bharathi, Poornima Karamala, ASD Shanthi and Jayasri Kosaraju, soared over 100 meters high over Bison Polo Ground, on paramotors, with their flower stacks in tow, to pay homage to the Mother Goddess on Dasara day. The ladies, who recently returned from an adventurous bike ride across nine districts of Telangana, are clearly overwhelmed. “It was the best Bathukamma of our lives. We got to see how the festival is celebrated across the state as we sang and danced with women everywhere we went, all through the nine days. As we were riding around in ethnic handlooms, there was a lot of buzz around us all through the trip. So, to play Bathukamma in the air was a perfect culmination to the festive season,” says Jai Bharathi, who is an architect by profession.

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ASD Shanthi, a constable of She Teams, believes the event is celebration of the Telangana woman. “Bathukamma is a festival of female felicitation that epitomises the folk ethos of Telangana. So the idea behind the ride was to promote ethnic weaves and spread the message of woman empowerment. This daredevil mid-air celebration was the brain child of Telangana’s Department of Language and Culture and Telangana Tourism. It shows that the women of Telangana are capable of doing anything and are ready to take on the world,” says Shanthi. Shanthi adds, “I’ve grown up playing Bathukamma from my childhood itself but celebrating it in the air was something else altogether. I always had this dream of flying like a bird; and it came true and how!”

Poornima Karamala, director of a Hyderabad-based event management firm, nods in agreement saying, “It was the first paramotor ride of my life and boy, was it fun! It was a perfect way to pay homage to Goddess Gauri and woman power in general. The experience was inspirational. Now, I want to learn paramotoring.”

Jayasri Kosaraju, the only non-Telanganite in the group, says playing Bathukamma was a first for her and admits it’s a “dream come true”. “I am from Vijayawada, so I never played Bathukamma. It was only after we moved to Hyderabad 15 years ago that I learnt about the festival. But now I have become one of the first four women to have played Bathukamma mid-air! I’m gonna brag about it for the rest of life,” says the fashion designer, smiling.
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Harikrishna, Director, Department of Language and of Culture sums it up saying, “Bathukamma is the pride of Telangana and for many centuries we have celebrated the festival on land. So along with the Department of Tourism, we decided to take the festivities to the next level by celebrating Bathukamma on water and air as well. That’s not all, this year Bathukamma celebrations took place across continents in Australia, America, and Europe and Africa.”
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Swami Paripoornananda Joins BJP, May Campaign In Telangana Elections

Swami Paripoornananda, head of Sree Peetham mutt, joined the BJP today in the presence of party president Amit Shah. He is likely to be a key face of the BJP in the two Telugu speaking states in India – Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. His entry is particularly significant given the upcoming Assembly elections in Telangana.

Reports suggest he is interested in contesting from Telangana either in the state polls or in the 2019 general election.

“I am happy to be part of this party…I am grateful to BJP president Amit Shah and Ram Madhav ji. I will follow them and work,” he said after being welcomed into the party by Amit Shah and BJP general secretary Ram Madhav

“I will work 24*7. I need nothing because Telugu people have given me a lot. I come here as a karmachari (worker) and will remain a karmayogi (one who desires nothing for his work),” Swami Paripoornananda said at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.

Swami Paripoornananda, often described as the “Yogi Adityanath of the south”, was banned from Hyderabad for six months in July for allegedly making provocative statements. The Hyderabad High Court suspended the ban in August.

Though his Mutt is located in Kakinada in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, he has a significant following in Telangana as well.

Earlier this year, Swami Paripoornananda had demanded the arrest of Telugu actor and movie critic Kathi Mahesh over his alleged statements against Hindu deities and said he had “hurt” Hindu sentiment.

“It is a day of joy for the BJP because Swami Paripoornananda has joined the party. He has contributed immensely in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and all the southern states in the fields of social work, religion and public awakening…Earlier his blessings were with us, now he is with us himself,” Amit Shah said, welcoming Swami Paripoornananda into the party.

“We expect that his joining the party will benefit the BJP across the south, especially in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. I believe his entry will energise the party in the Telangana elections and increase our chances of victory,” the BJP president added.

India wins election to UN Human Rights Council with highest number of votes

  • India was elected unopposed to the United Nations’ top human rights body on Friday for a period of three years beginning from January 1, 2019, after getting 188 votes in the Asia-Pacific category
  • India’s Ambassador and representative to UN, Syed Akbaruddin‏ tweeted his happiness after the country was inducted into UNHRC

India was elected to the United Nations’ top human rights body on Friday for a period of three years beginning from January 1, 2019, after getting 188 votes in the Asia-Pacific category.

The 193-member UN General Assembly held elections here for new members to the UN Human Rights Council. The 18 new members were elected by absolute majority through a secret ballot. Countries needed a minimum of 97 votes to get elected to the Council.

India was vying for a seat in the Asia Pacific category. Along with India, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Fiji and Philippines had also staked a claim in the same regional group. Given that there were five nations vying for five seats in the Asia Pacific category, India’s election to the Council was all but certain.

Election of members of the Human Rights Council: India gets 188 votes, Fiji 187, Bangladesh 178, Bahrain 165, Philippines 165. (Asia Pacific group)

India’s Ambassador and representative to UN, Syed Akbaruddin‏ tweeted his happiness after the country was inducted into UNHRC. His Twitter post read, “Voting for a Happy Outcome. Thanks to the support of all our friends @UN , India wins seat to Human Rights Council with highest votes among all candidates.”

On the same day as India was elected into the UNHRC, the country celebrated its 25th anniversary of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). PM Narendra Modi marked the occasion addressing a crowd gathering at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, wherein he said,

“For the last 25 years, the NHRC has been the voice for the common man of the country. It has led the way for the building of the nation by being the voice for the oppressed, poor. Your work towards justice has been recognized by international human rights institutions as well. As proud a matter as it is for India, protection of human rights has always been a part of our culture and traditions.”

The Prime Minister further stated that human rights were at the very focus of the freedom movement in the country, adding that the commitment towards human rights pulled the country out of a great crisis during the 1970’s.

“In that dark period of emergency, even the right to life was stripped; what can you say about rights? But Indians again achieved human rights through their own efforts,” Prime Minister Modi said.