India to buy over 160,000 guns worth $553 million for border troops
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India will buy more than 160,000 guns worth $553 million for troops on its disputed, high-altitude borders, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.
The defence acquisition council cleared the purchase of 72,400 assault rifles and 93,895 carbines for 35 billion rupees ($553m) in a meeting chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The weapons will be bought to “enable the defence forces to meet their immediate requirement for the troops deployed on the borders,” the ministry said in a statement.
New Delhi has signed several big-ticket defence deals since Prime Minister Narendra Modi stormed to power in 2014.
India — the world's largest defence importer — has been investing tens of billions in updating its Soviet-era military hardware to counter long-standing territorial disputes with its nuclear-armed neighbours China and Pakistan.
India and China fought a brief war in 1962 over their border and last year were involved in a months-long showdown over a disputed Himalayan plateau.
India is also mired in conflict in the Himalayan region of Kashmir where roughly 500,000 soldiers are deployed.
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Comments (49) Closed
Jan 17, 2018 01:26am
Each gun costs $3500.
Seems costly?
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Jan 17, 2018 01:40am
What a stupid joke?
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Jan 17, 2018 01:45am
So expect more attack
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Jan 17, 2018 01:56am
Good.... for the guns-selling countries..
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Jan 17, 2018 02:37am
A delightful day for foreign arms manufacturers.
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Jan 17, 2018 03:31am
Why?
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Jan 17, 2018 03:39am
500 million Indians don’t have toilets
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Jan 17, 2018 04:27am
Great news.
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Jan 17, 2018 04:30am
What a shame. These guns and ammo are useless against Pakistan. Besides, 90% of Indians starve, but modi spends on frivolous PR acts, before elections.
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Jan 17, 2018 04:38am
Yes don’t spend any money on education, health and jobs.
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Jan 17, 2018 04:40am
wasteful expenditure should be avoided.
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Jan 17, 2018 04:45am
They are buying weapons for an offensive war yet they blame Pakistan for everything and US as usual turns a blind eye.
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Jan 17, 2018 04:52am
A great buy
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Jan 17, 2018 05:05am
About $3000 a piece! Who is the lucky supplier?
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Jan 17, 2018 06:18am
Maybe feed the hungry soldiers as well. Just saying...
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Jan 17, 2018 06:55am
More weapons = more bloodshed.
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Jan 17, 2018 07:02am
It doesn’t nit say who from? I suspect it is Israel!
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Jan 17, 2018 07:56am
@Karido either China, Israel, Russia or the west they supply weapons to IndoPak my people, my family. I'm sad as most of IndoPak don't see that how we are both getting fooled so badly for so long.
Jai Hind! Pakistan Zindabad!
IndoPak Blood Brothers 4 Life!
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Jan 17, 2018 08:38am
@Imtiaz Ali Khan I hope people of the continent listen to your sane and passionate appeal. Presently people are blinded by the hate instilled by respective governments and fail to realize that our roots are same.
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Jan 17, 2018 08:52am
Feed your soilders first so they use and fight with love a passion for their country.
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Jan 17, 2018 09:46am
@Zak : And moreover I am worried of the day when citizens will stop paying taxes, which is how the military gets supported!
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Jan 17, 2018 09:59am
On their trip to Gujarat Wednesday, PM Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu will also visit a Centre of Excellence for Vegetables in Vadrad village, Sabarknatha. The 10.5-hectare centre of excellence has been set under the joint initiative Indo-Israel Agricultural Project (IIAP).
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Jan 17, 2018 10:05am
@amir_indian Then why waste money on arms, spend here, to feed people.
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Jan 17, 2018 10:16am
@Zak , wow, 90% Indians starve? Why leave the rest 10%
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Jan 17, 2018 11:15am
This is what politicians does keep the tension between two countries then do deals like this and get big kick backs and get richer.
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Jan 17, 2018 11:32am
Spend this money earned by poor nation...It should have been spent on toilets and welfare of people for betterment rather killing innocent people on borders.
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Jan 17, 2018 12:37pm
These weapons will be used against Pakistan and the poor civilians and soldiers near the border will be the victims of this madness. Humanity needs to look at it self and see what we as a race has done to the planet, other creatures and each other. We all belong to the human family. It is time we acted as such.
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Jan 17, 2018 01:00pm
Who is the supplier
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Jan 17, 2018 01:37pm
My tax is not going waste...
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Jan 17, 2018 02:50pm
I like the professionalism with which Dawn reports. Keep it up.
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Jan 18, 2018 02:45pm
@BhaRAT, it seems you are toiletcontroller, because you nows exactly the number.
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Jan 18, 2018 02:46pm
@Zak, be happy in your own universum.
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Jan 18, 2018 02:53pm
Good move,Soldiers need the best weapons to defend their motherland.
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Jan 18, 2018 03:26pm
@JS He was trying to be authentic.
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Jan 18, 2018 05:28pm
Who gets the contract? And yes, the price seems to be hitting the roof.
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Jan 18, 2018 05:41pm
@Ravi All that spending you mention for education,jobs etc. makes sense only if you are alive. So security is paramount.
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Jan 18, 2018 06:20pm
@KB They are very much...
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Jan 18, 2018 06:43pm
Surely money spent on weapons necessarily not best used. But the world in which we live represents a cruel reality of mistrust and and therefore, one is best served, if armed and well prepared.
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Jan 18, 2018 07:08pm
@BhaRAT Just realised that?? for 70 years where were you??? now go build some for them
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Jan 18, 2018 07:25pm
@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad As always is a Joke. It is your discovery?
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Jan 18, 2018 07:30pm
@Zak Sir take care of your self. No need to lecture us.
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Jan 18, 2018 09:04pm
Nation make sure first priority to defense by surrendering self desires.
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Jan 18, 2018 11:42pm
@Imtiaz Ali Khan i am agree with u
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Jan 19, 2018 12:34am
Fantastic news.
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Jan 19, 2018 01:30am
Again it's done through bipartisan (congress or BJP) when it comes to boarder the goal is the same.
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Jan 19, 2018 06:55am
@Imtiaz Ali Khan I seldom come to Dawn.com for the pakistani views on ours/Indians. Lots of time I see these type of lovely comments which makes me happy. It is a sign of hope that we may come out of the pseudo war like scenario and understand the truth like Imtiaz bhai.
If we stop behaving like warriors, lease the condition of brotherhood (It will be an ultimate achievement) even if we ignore each other both of our countries will prosper.
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Jan 19, 2018 08:03am
This is much needed for them
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Jan 19, 2018 12:08pm
@Gaurav : Locks you use everywhere is wasteful expenditure. Use that money for something productive and enlighten us about your experience and what you think is wasteful expenditure.
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Jan 19, 2018 12:35pm
@ad Indians can afford it. You cannot. No worries.
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