India

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India Unveils Major Border Infrastructure Upgrades with Inauguration of 125 BRO Projects

Dec. 9, 2025 | Infrastructure & Urbanization

India has bolstered its strategic infrastructure along critical border regions with the inauguration of 125 BRO projects.

**On December 7, 2025, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated these infrastructure works from Leh, marking the Border Roads Organisation’s largest single-day, highest-value event.**
Executed at a cost of around ₹5,000 crore, the projects comprise 28 roads, 93 bridges and four miscellaneous works across Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Mizoram.

**These upgrades improve last-mile connectivity to remote villages and forward military locations, boosting troop mobility, logistics and operational readiness.**
Enhanced road and bridge networks support real-time communications, satellite surveillance and rapid deployment capabilities, even during harsh winters marked by heavy snowfall and avalanches.

**A centerpiece of the effort is the 920-metre Shyok Tunnel on the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi Road in Ladakh.**
Built using a cut-and-cover design, the tunnel offers all-weather access through rugged mountain terrain, strengthens supply lines to forward posts and ensures safe passage during landslides and avalanches. BRO engineers and armed forces personnel overcame severe environmental conditions to complete the tunnel.

**Rajnath Singh also opened the Galwan War Memorial by virtual link to honor the bravery and sacrifice of the Armed Forces.**
He referenced Operation Sindoor, noting that robust border connectivity enabled timely logistics and rapid force deployment after a terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

**The BRO has adopted indigenous technologies, including Class-70 modular bridges developed with Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.**
These modular bridges enhance disaster response and support economic activity in remote border areas.

**The inauguration in Ladakh drew governors, lieutenant governors and chief ministers from affected regions, along with Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi and other senior military and government officials.**
Singh emphasized the government’s commitment to linking border regions with the national mainstream, strengthening tourism, creating employment opportunities and building public confidence in development and governance.

Parliament Debates 150 Years of Vande Mataram Amid Political and Cultural Divides

Dec. 9, 2025 | Politics

The Indian Parliament will convene a special debate to mark the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram.

**Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open a special Lok Sabha debate on December 8, 2025, dedicating ten hours across both Houses to celebrate the national song’s sesquicentennial.**
The Rajya Sabha discussion begins on December 9. In the Lok Sabha, speakers alongside the Prime Minister will include Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and eight Congress leaders, among them Gaurav Gogoi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The Rajya Sabha debate will be launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and followed by Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda.

**These sessions form part of year-long celebrations that Modi inaugurated on November 7 to promote Vande Mataram’s significance among youth and students.**
The Winter Session of Parliament continues until December 19, with early December dominated by these debates. The government has set aside three hours of Lok Sabha time for its speakers, allocating the remaining seven hours to opposition members and the Rajya Sabha.

**The debate’s political dimension pits contrasting BJP and Congress narratives.**
The BJP plans to accuse the Congress Working Committee of removing key stanzas in 1937, a decision Modi has tied to the seeds of Partition. Party spokespersons will point to Jawaharlal Nehru’s acceptance of a truncated version and argue that the Congress diluted the song’s original form.

**Congress defends the 1937 decision as an inclusive step based on Rabindranath Tagore’s advice to limit national use to the first two stanzas, which avoid religious imagery.**
The party rejects any link between that choice and communal division, noting it retained the widely accepted portions and preserved the song’s role in India’s freedom movement.

**Bankim Chandra Chatterjee first published Vande Mataram in Bangadarshan in November 1875 and later included it in his novel Anandamath in 1882.**
Rabindranath Tagore set it to music, and it became a rallying cry during the early 20th-century nationalist movement, especially after the 1905 partition of Bengal. Despite colonial attempts to suppress it, the song’s popularity grew, and by 1905 the Indian National Congress formally adopted part of it for national occasions. In 1950, the Constituent Assembly granted Vande Mataram equal status with Jana Gana Mana as India’s anthems.

**Religious and cultural objections have shaped Vande Mataram’s history.**
The Muslim League opposed it for its Hindu references, and orthodox Muslim groups still reject verses that personify the nation as a deity. Organizations such as the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind endorse only the first two stanzas, excluding later verses on theological grounds.

**Ahead of critical state polls, the BJP intends to link figures like Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Subhas Chandra Bose to its campaign against regional rivals such as the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal.**
Opposition parties—including Congress, the TMC and the Samajwadi Party—may counter by recalling the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s role in the freedom struggle and the views of early Hindutva leaders. These Vande Mataram debates are poised to reflect and intensify existing ideological conflicts in the run-up to key state elections.

Monitored Intelligence for India - Dec. 9, 2025

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Senior Trump administration official begins 5-day visit to India

The Hindu | English | News | Dec. 9, 2025 | UndeterminedPolitics and Elections

Allison Hooker, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, began a five-day visit to India on December 7, 2025, aimed at advancing bilateral strategic and economic ties. Her trip to New Delhi and Bengaluru occurs amid rising tensions between the two nations following the imposition of a 50% tariff on Indian goods by the U.S., including a 25% levy on India’s purchase of Russian crude oil.

The U.S. embassy stated that this visit aligns with President Donald Trump’s goals for a strong U.S.-India partnership and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region. During her visit, Ms. Hooker plans to deepen economic and commercial relations by promoting American exports and fostering collaboration in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and space exploration.

In New Delhi, Ms. Hooker will meet with senior Indian officials, including Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, to discuss regional security, economic cooperation, and shared Indo-Pacific priorities. In Bengaluru, she will visit the Indian Space Research Organisation and engage with Indian leaders in the space, energy, and technology sectors to encourage innovation and explore expanded cooperation in research partnerships.

This visit follows closely on a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, held two days earlier during Putin’s brief visit to New Delhi.

Samyukt Kisan Morcha to protest draft Seeds Bill, alleges it strengthens control of MNCs

The Hindu | English | News | Dec. 9, 2025 | Protest, Demonstration, Dissent

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a coalition of farmers' organizations, has called for protests against the draft Seeds Bill, urging farmers to burn copies of the Bill on December 8, 2025. The SKM claims the proposed legislation will increase control of seed supply by multinational corporations (MNCs) and large corporate houses, threatening seed sovereignty and food security in India.

The draft Seeds Bill, notified by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on November 12, 2025, aims to replace the Seeds Act of 1966. SKM criticizes the draft for undermining federal rights of states and favoring corporate interests, similar to the effects of the Contract Farming Act. The Bill, according to SKM, lacks provisions to ensure timely access to affordable, quality seeds necessary for food security, financial security of farmers, and profitable farming.

SKM describes the draft as regressive legislation that promotes the corporatisation of the seed sector, enabling large-scale profiteering from Indian biodiversity by MNCs. The organization demands the immediate withdrawal of the Bill and has encouraged farmers nationwide to protest on December 8, 2025, by burning copies of the draft to defend federal rights and seed sovereignty.

Konsulat India buka peluang kerja sama industri di Sumsel

Indian Consulate opens opportunities for industrial cooperation in South Sumatra

Antara News | Local Language | News | Dec. 9, 2025 | UndeterminedBizdev-Partnering

The Consulate General of India has opened opportunities for industrial cooperation with the Provincial Government of South Sumatra to boost investment and develop strategic industrial sectors in the region. Consul General H. E. Mr. Ravi Shanker Goel highlighted South Sumatra's potential in mining, energy, plantations, and natural resource processing, emphasizing downstream industries such as energy, fertilizers, coal processing, palm oil, and rubber.

India is promoting economic cooperation with Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, to strengthen global supply chains and expand markets for industrial products. South Sumatra is viewed as a strategic partner due to its abundant natural resources and growing infrastructure.

In addition to industrial cooperation, opportunities exist for collaboration in education and tourism sectors. While Indian institutions have partnerships with universities in Bengkulu and North Sumatra, no cooperation has been established yet with Sriwijaya University in South Sumatra. Scholarships and self-financing study opportunities in India are proposed as potential avenues.

Trade between India and Indonesia remains robust, with imports from India to Indonesia reaching 9 billion USD from January to September 2025. The establishment of cooperation between India and South Sumatra is expected to yield mutual benefits.

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