The Indian government has rightly given a clarion call for India to be a Chip Maker rather than a Chip Taker. The requirement of semiconductors in India's national security domain has become critical since they form the substrate of every important activity in the country - from the economic to the military domain.
The US–China balloon row shows that the significance of methods like balloon surveillance has not reduced in the era of high-tech satellites and drones.
In the Union Budget 2023–24, the estimated allocations for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) are Rs 5,93,537.64 crores, an increase of 13 per cent over BE 2022–23 (Rs 5,25,166.15 crores).
The Saudi–Iran Rapprochement
The Chinese-mediated rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran puts a check on the widening gap between the two regional powers.