Mumbai, July 8: India and Indonesia have finalized a significant BrahMos missile deal, along with 20 other agreements, during a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. This deal, which has been in discussion for the past four months, marks Indonesia as the third country to purchase BrahMos missiles, following the Philippines and Vietnam. Under the agreement, India will also supply the Astra air-to-air missile for operations in Indonesia. Additionally, India will assist Indonesia in developing electronic voting machines (EVMs). During this visit, the Indonesian government honored Prime Minister Modi with the prestigious ‘Bintang Adipurna’ award, equivalent to India’s Bharat Ratna, for his contributions to international relations.
In other news, Dr. Girish Bhardwaj, known as the “Bridge Man of India,” passed away on July 7 at the age of 76. A professional mechanical engineer, he was renowned for constructing over 140 low-cost suspension footbridges across various states in India, significantly improving access to schools, hospitals, and markets for rural communities. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017 for his contributions to rural connectivity and social service.
Furthermore, on the same day, the Indian government appointed Sanjeev Jain as the new ambassador to North Korea. Jain, an IFS officer from the 2008 batch, previously served as India’s ambassador to Cabo Verde and has held various diplomatic positions, including in Paris and Sri Lanka.