Hemant Soren, who assumed office as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand for a second consecutive term on November 28, is likely to appoint ministers in the new government on December 5. Soren had taken the oath alone on November 28 after securing an impressive victory in the state assembly elections. Sources said Soren proceeded with the oath-taking alone because his alliance partners, the Congress and the RJD, were not ready with the names of the ministers to be sworn in alongside him.
The RJD, which has four MLAs in the new assembly, had been insisting on two ministerial berths, while Soren had offered only one. The Congress, which had four ministers in the previous government, has been offered the same number in the new cabinet. However, its demands for the posts of Deputy Chief Minister and Speaker in the assembly were rejected by the Chief Minister.
According to sources, both the Congress and the RJD have accepted Soren’s offer, and preparations for the swearing-in ceremony have begun in Ranchi. The Chief Minister has convened the first session of the new assembly on December 9, during which his government will seek a trust vote to prove its majority.
The 81-member Jharkhand assembly can have a maximum of 12 ministers, including the Chief Minister. Hemant Soren’s JMM, having won 34 seats, will have six ministers, while the Congress, with 16 MLAs in the new House, will get four, and the RJD will have one. The CPI(ML), which won two seats as part of the INDIA bloc led by the JMM, is not seeking any ministerial berths.
Defence Ties
Rajnath to visit Russia for Su-30 engine ToT
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Russia in the second week of December to explore the possibility of signing a transfer of technology (ToT) agreement for the manufacture of AL-31FP engines, which are used in the Sukhoi Su-30 fighters. India is currently in the process of indigenising the production of fighter aircraft.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a public sector defence production company, has already commenced production of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas and is working on advanced versions of the aircraft. These aircraft have been indigenously designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency. However, India does not yet possess the expertise to manufacture engines for these aircraft domestically, and the engines are currently procured from other countries.
An agreement between HAL and General Electric of the United States to produce GE414 aircraft engines in India has encountered difficulties. India is now exploring a transfer of technology agreement with Russia to locally manufacture aircraft engines. Sources indicate that India plans to procure 240 AL-31FP engines to address its immediate need to upgrade the Su-30MKI fighters currently in service with the Indian Air Force.
The country also aims to produce these engines domestically for future requirements. These engines may also be utilized for the Russian-origin fighters that make up a significant part of the IAF inventory. The HAL chairman is already in Moscow to lay the groundwork for the Defence Minister’s visit.
Shahid Faridi
The writer is Resident Editor
TNIE, New Delhi.
Follow him on X @Shahid_Faridi_