Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma revealed that the initiative would provide specialised training to 300 engineering graduates in fields like Robotics, Aerospace, Defence, and Artificial Intelligence.
'Will the government say if that obligation was fulfilled?' he asked
As per the offset policy, a certain percentage of the deal value with foreign firms should flow into India as foreign direct investment.
France's reaffirmation came when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had a telephonic conversation with French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly.
The move came days after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled a series of reform measures to promote the domestic defence industry and cut India's reliance on imported weapons and military platforms.
During the brief meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron vowed 'unrelenting fight' against Islamist terror.
Though the planes would be officially inducted into the IAF on Oct 8, they would start arriving in India only in May 2020, reports have stated.
At this stage there is little need to go into the merits of the demand to probe afresh the “politically-loaded” Rafale purchase ~ the complexities would be dealt with subsequently.
From the price agreed on to selection of the offset partner, the Rafale deal has however been mired in row on several fronts.
Dassault operates in a ‘buyer's market‘. The option of the seller is comparatively limited and restricted, as it has to constantly feed and pay heed to the need of its foreign buyers. Customer satisfaction reigns supreme. The seller has to keep foreign clients in good humour, listening and attending to their smallest fads. The most spectacular of all deals is Rafale CEO's ability and steadfastness to stick to the claim ~ ‘I do not tell lies‘ ~ in a turbulent market like that of combat aviation. This is indeed commendable.
