This Week in Explainers: Why ‘atmanirbhar defence’ is India’s phrase of the week

It’s the Diwali weekend and India has had a couple of reasons to cheer. “Make in India” is no longer a distant dream.

For starters, India’s first private military aircraft facility was opened in Gujarat’s Vadodara. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez inaugurated it.

India is also taking big strides in defence exports. Top buyers include the United States, France and Armenia. And the country is getting innovative with its arsenal. As drones become a big part of modern warfare, India now has its own anti-drone gun called Vajra-Shot.

Festives filled the air. Diwali was celebrated with much joy across the country. Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya stole the show, as it lit 25 lakh diyas and held a mega aarti, breaking two Guinness World Records.

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All this and more in our weekly roundup of stories from India.

1. Until a few years ago, India was reliant on other nations to boost its defence. But no more. With each passing year, it is becoming more self-reliant (atmanirbhar), which has been the prime minister’s vision. Earlier this week, PM Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez inaugurated the Tata-Airbus aircraft facility. It’s the first such plant that will see a military aircraft being made on Indian soil.

The Vadodara facility will manufacture 40 C-295 transport planes for the Indian Air Force. From jobs to defence manufacturing, here’s why this project is a reason for India to celebrate.

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Tata-Airbus plant: Why India’s first private facility for military aircraft is significant 2

Why anti-drone gun Vajra-Shot is a big deal for India’s Armed Forces

2. From the conflict in West Asia to the Russia-Ukraine war, drones are a big part of modern warfare. Counter-drone technology then is the need of the hour. Not wanting to be caught unawares, India is preparing for any potential threats.

A Chennai-based defence start-up Big Bang Boom Solutions developed an anti-drone gun called the Vajra-Shot . The handheld weapon can detect and jam drone signals, disrupting communications between drones and their operators. Here’s everything we know about it .

3. India is growing as a defence exporter. And one of its top buyers is the tiny West Asian nation, Armenia.

As defence exports reached an all-time high in the financial year 2023-24, Armenia became a top buyer. It has secured advanced missile systems, surveillance aircraft, and rocket launchers from India. The country, which depended on Russia, is now looking at other options. We tell you all about it in this story .

4. Russia’s war in Ukraine continues and the sanctions are beginning to hurt Moscow. The country airlines are facing a shortage of planes, making it difficult to keep pace with the rising demand for air travel.

In such a situation, it has turned to “friendly nations” like India for help. It wants them to run domestic flights in its airspace. Is it possible? Will New Delhi step in? We explain .

5. Dhanteras has become synonymous with gold. Indians rush to buy the precious metal on this auspicious day. But guess what the Reserve Bank of India did this Dhanteras. It shipped 102 tonnes of gold from the Bank of England’s vaults in London to secure locations within India.

This year alone, the RBI has brought back 202 tonnes of gold. So why was gold stored in a bank overseas? And what’s behind India’s latest move? We tell you all about it .

6. When you think of Diwali shopping what comes to mind? Clothes, jewellery, firecrackers? But in parts of India, people are shelling out up to Rs 50,000 to buy owls. Illegal trade of the bird sees a spike during this time of the year. We tell you why .

7. This year, Diwali coincided with another festival, Halloween. Until a few years ago, this was only a tradition in the West. But through pop culture, Halloween transcended to India’s metros and now children going trick-or-treating and costume parties are not unheard of.

But did you know that India too has its own traditions that celebrate dead ancestors, the supernatural and the spooky? This story tells you all about them.

That’s our curated reading list for the Diwali weekend. Enjoy the celebrations. And if you like the way we explain the news, bookmark this page , please.