Virat Kohli Targets

Virat Kohli Targets

Unknown   21:49

Virat Kohli-led Indian Test team, under the guidance of Anil Kumble, has the chance to seal their supremacy on world cricket

Mumbai: India need to dominate Test matches and players cannot be content with just looking to improve, captain Virat Kohli said after the tourists thrashed West Indies by an innings and 92 runs in the first Test in Antigua on Saturday.

The margin of the victory, secured within four days, was India's largest outside Asia and gave the side a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.

"We are not at a stage now where we need to come and improve," Kohli, who scored his first double hundred during the test, told reporters.

"We should be ready enough in international cricket to start dominating test matches and win those crucial situations and sessions. That's how we become a better team.

"If you think we are going to keep learning every series, learning every game, we will never get that hunger and that mindset to win games from difficult situations.

"We need to challenge ourselves a little bit, which this team has been willing to do and which is a wonderful sign. The way we finished the test, it all panned out pretty nicely."

While Kohli has led India to a test series win in Sri Lanka and beat South Africa 3-0 at home, their record outside South Asia in the longest format has been poor.

They have lost series in South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia on tours since late 2013, something new coach Anil Kumble has said he wants to rectify.

The 27-year-old Kohli replaced Mahendra Singh Dhoni as India's test captain after the wicketkeeper-batsman retired from that form of cricket during the tour of Australia in late 2014.

Kohli wants his side, who are currently second behind Australia on the International CricketCouncil test rankings, to target consistency as well as wins.

"If we have a chance to win 4-0, then why not," Kohli said. "We don't need to get complacent. If we end up getting a 2-0 lead, it's not that we would be playing for a draw in the next two tests.
"As we know, if we learn to win test matches, then we'll learn how to win tests everywhere.
"We will learn how to play in different situations and we will know exactly what to do when a certain situation is going a certain way."

Indian Railways' 'Auto Express'

Indian Railways' 'Auto Express'

Unknown   21:47

Indian Railways (IR) is aiming at 25% share in automobile freight traffic
Auto Express will ferry cargo from Gurgaon to Nidvanda
In April, IR had announced India's first rail auto hub in Walajabad
In an effort to target 25 per cent share in automobile freight traffic, the Indian Railways has launched the first time-tabled auto freight train, Auto Express, that will ferry cargo from Gurugram, Haryana to Nidvanda, Karnataka. Suresh Prabhu, Railway Minister, said, "Like our ever-growing population, auto population is also increasing on a faster rate. In fact auto sector is a fastest growing economy. If railways can tap it then it will be major source of revenue."

Flagged off on Tuesday, Auto Express promises not only timely, but also speedy, delivery of automobiles. Prabhu hopes this endeavour will help increase the automobile industry's confidence on Indian Railways' reliability. Currently, almost 2000 cars are transported between Gurgaon and Nidavanda every month. With the launch of the time-tabled auto-car freight train, the volume is expected to go up along with the number of trips, thus resulting in an increase to nearly 6000 cars a month.

Mohd Jamshed, Railway Board Member (Traffic), explained that the enterprise had first launched the time-tabled Cargo Express, and now the Auto Express, to assure faster movement of traffic. He added, "These special trains have wagons to run 100 km per hour. So the travel duration has decreased from 70 hours to 57 hours."

However, this isn't the Indian Railways first enterprise to utilise the potential offered by the automobile industry. In April, authorities had announced that India's first rail auto hub will be established in Walajabad, Kanchipuram. The facility, located in proximity to manufacturers such as Hyundai, Nissan, and Ford, is expected to, or at least hopes to, service over 1 million units of cars every year.

Monster Jam In Gurgaon

Monster Jam In Gurgaon

Unknown   21:43

After Rain, Monster Jam In Gurgaon Leaves Commuters On Road For Hours

GURGAON:  Commuters were stuck for hours on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway on Thursday evening after heavy rain lashed the national capital.

There was a massive jam as vehicles - from cars, to two-wheelers to buses and other modes of public transport - were stuck for over four hours, especially on the Delhi-Jaipur stretch.


"@mlkhattar sir for more than 4 hrs we r in jam to pass just 2 km at sohna rd near Subhas chk Gurgaon. This is not good for happening haryana," tweeted a commuter, Satya Prakash Gupta.
@narendramodi Traffic has come to standstill in Gurgaon for the last 5 hrs; local admin is nowhere!

"Total failure of administration in GURGAON, hero Honda chowk standstill from last 3 hrs," tweeted another commuter, Pradip Agarwal.

Gurgaon Police Commissioner Navdeep Singh Virk said that the entire traffic and district police force was on roads to help commuters.



"Waterlogging on several roads in Gurgaon has led to a gridlock in parts of the city. Entire traffic police is on road trying to do the best," tweeted Gurgaon police.

Over four-feet-deep water was witnessed inundating some places near the expressway.

The excessive flooding was caused by overflow in Badshahpur drain due to heavy downpour that began around 4.30 p.m.


Kanwarias (Lord Shiva's devotees bringing Gangajal from Uttarakhand), vehicles of NSG commandos, Central and state officials were also stuck in the rainwater under which the expressway and other arterial roads disappeared.

Traffic was disrupted at the Hero Honda, Jharsa, Iffco and Shankar chowks (intersections).

Dengue alert

Dengue alert

Unknown   10:33

Education department asks schools to keep premises clean

The education department has instructed the authorities of private and government schools in Uttarakhand to clean their school premises immediately to check breeding of mosquito that spreads dengue.

It may be mentioned here that panic has spread among residents after three dengue deaths were reported in the city this week.

Dengue alert: Education department asks schools to keep premises clean
File photo

The education department trying hard to prevent the school premises from becoming breeding grounds of mosquitoes.

"Stagnant water should be flushed out of the school premises immediately to check the breeding of Aedes aegypti mosquito at a time when dengue is posing a serious threat to the city," said Rakesh Kunwar, director of education.

"We have also asked the teachers to teach the students about the appropriate preventive measures so that students will not only learn but will also convey the same to their parents,” added Rakesh.

IndiGo passenger

IndiGo passenger

Unknown   10:31

How IndiGo passenger, who was off loaded in Mumbai, misbehaved in flight

It was a massive terror scare for the passengers on the Dubai - Kozhikode Indigo flight today when a man suddenly stood up and started shouting and abusing all those around mid-air. Mentions of ISIS in between his abuses terrified the passengers and the flight made an emergency landing in Mumbai. The man, a native of Kerala's Kannur, was detained where he was found to be mentally unstable.
A co-passenger Ismail, native of Kozhikode who was on the flight with the man recalls the incident " the flight took off at 4.25am (UAE time). We were all sleeping. And after about two hours, somebody in the front suddenly got up, started shouting and abusing all of us. He said he won't leave anyone and the ISIS is killing innocents".

Also Read: IndiGo flight diverted to Mumbai, 2 detained for unruly behavior

In an exclusive video accessed by India Today, a man can be seen walking towards the airhostess in an aggressive manner and then when a co passenger tries to stop him, the man hurls blows at him.

The passengers who tried to calm him down were also hit and he forced himself to the cockpit. The flight landed at the Kozhikode airport at around 12pm, about two hours late.

"He was saying things that were completely unrelated to each other. He blamed ISIS for using innocent lives for their agenda, for not understanding the religion correctly. All this in Malayalam. His brother then told us that he was mentally unstable and that he was being taken to Kerala for treatment," said Shibu Ramachandran, another passenger.

The man and his brother were interrogated at the Mumbai airport by officers of IB, ATS and Mumbai police. He has been sent for treatment and no case has been lodged.

Indigo released a statement in connection with this: "IndiGo confirms the diversion of its flight 6E 89 (Dubai-Kochi) to Mumbai this morning on grounds of unruly behaviour on board. A little before landing, a passenger seated on 5D (who was accompanied by his brother) suddenly started misbehaving with the crew. He jumped on the forward cart (which is used for food and onboard merchandise) and sat on it. The crew immediately informed the Captain-in-command and the lead crew. The lead, politely requested the passenger to step down from the cart and he obliged. This passenger after stepping down from the cart, suddenly got violent and started physically abusing the other co-passenger.

Taking the precautionary measure, the Captain immediately informed the Air Traffic control (ATC) and the ground security staff about the situation onboard. The flight made the precautionary landing at the Mumbai airport where this passenger was handed over to the CISF for further investigations. The matter is now with the local authorities.

At IndiGo, safety and security of passengers and crew are of top priority and at no time safety can be compromised.''

The Mumbai airport police, however, is not sure if pro-ISIS slogans were raised on the flight. IndiGo has also not hinted at any terror link to the incident.

Amarnath Yatra suspended

Amarnath Yatra suspended

Unknown   10:25

Amarnath Yatra suspended after landslides close Jammu-Srinagar highway

The strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway was closed on Thursday due to landslides, resulting in the suspension of Amarnath Yatra.

The landslides were triggered by incessant rains in Ramban district, a senior official of the traffic department said,  adding that the yatra has been suspended till the highway is restored for traffic.
Amarnath Yatra suspended after landslides close Jammu-Srinagar highway
File Photo

The over 300-km long Jammu-Srinagar highway is the lifeline of supplies for the landlocked Kashmir Valley and the only surface link for the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims to reach the valley.
Incessant rains in Jammu has swollen most rivers in the region.

Three persons including two children in Janipur area of Jammu city and a woman in Rajouri district were killed by flash floods on Wednesday.

Narsingh Yadav fails

Narsingh Yadav fails

Unknown   10:23

Narsingh Yadav fails to prove sabotage, faces ban
Narsingh Yadav is likely to get a ban of two to four years after his 'A' and 'B' samples tested positive for a banned steroid by NADA.

Narsingh Yadav's Rio Olympic dreams are over. The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has said that the 26-year-old wrestler failed to prove charges of sabotage in the doping row that cost him a ticket to Brazil. (Narsingh Yadav can replace Praveen Rana after NADA green signal, says IOA)
Narsingh will get a ban of two to four years after his 'A' and 'B' samples tested positive for a banned steroid by NADA.The distraught wrestler will get to know his fate on Saturday or Monday.
Narsingh's lawyers have pleaded that the wrestler was a victim of circumstances and urged the panel not to put a ban on his Rio Olympic prospects.

"Argument by NADA was that Narsingh is not eligible for remission which he has been asking," NADA lawyer Gaurang Kanth told the media at the end of Thursday's hearing.

"How the substance entered Narsingh's body could not be well established by them. We have stated that the plea taken by him that he is under no fault and he had been negligent (at the SAI training centre in Sonipat) is not correct and that will not hold any ground."

"The quantum of punishment can be four years, or it can be reduced to two years. Depends on when the judgement will be coming out," he added.

NO PROOF OF SABOTAGE 

However, NADA's counsels have dismissed Narsingh's plea, saying the athlete has failed to establish sabotage or negligence.

The anti-doping agency also said that top athletes like Narsingh must be more careful.

NARSINGH STILL HOPEFUL

A desolate Narsingh, meanwhile, is still hopeful of representing the country at the Rio Olympics, which are scheduled to run from August 5 to 21.

"I am continuing my practice. I am hopeful of going to Rio. Hopefully everything will be clear by Saturday of Monday," he told reporters.

Narsingh's chances of participating in the upcoming Rio Games came under a cloud last Sunday when he returned a positive result for a dope test conducted by the NADA on June 25.

Following this, the Mumbai-based grappler, who was selected to represent the country in the men's 74kg freestyle category ahead of two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, was handed a provisional suspension. (Rio Olympics: A look at India's brightest medal prospects)
He ran into further trouble on Wednesday after it was announced that a second test conducted on July 5 has also returned a positive result.

PRAVEEN RANA NAMED REPLACEMENT

Meanwhile, under pressure from the United World Wrestling, a hesitant Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has named Parveen Rana for the replacement slot in order to preserve India's Olympic quota in the 74kg freestyle category.

WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said that Rana's name was sent on July 25 - which was the last date for naming replacements - to secure the Olympic quota.

"Although Praveen Rana has been named as replacement for Yadav if he gets a clean cheat, I am ready to fight another battle for him to secure his Olympic berth," Singh told IANS.

"Rana's name was sent to secure country's Olympic quota and the proposal was accepted on July 26. If we wouldn't have recommended Rana's name, we would have missed our quota," he added.

MP Assembly

MP Assembly

Unknown   10:21

MP Assembly adjourned after BJP objects to Digvijaya Singh's tweets to his partymen

Madhya Pradesh Assembly was on Tuesday adjourned for half an hour amid uproar over senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh's appeal to his party MLAs to raise the issue of 'corruption' during the Kumbh Mela in the House.

The former Chief Minister had tweeted a link of news report captioned, "Congress mum on Simhastha-Kumbh, Bala Bachchan accused of fixing".

MP Assembly adjourned after BJP objects to Digvijaya Singh's tweets to his partymen
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh (FILE PHOTO)
In another tweet, Singh asked the Congress Legislature Party to raise the issue of corruption in the Kumbh.

The state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narottam Mishra on Tuesday objected to Singh's tweets, saying an "outsider" is directing the (acting) leader of opposition Bala Bachchan to raise certain issues, and this was interference in the proceedings of the House.

Mishra said Singh's tweets amounted to conewstempt of Assembly and disrespect to Bala Bachchan, who is a Dalit.

Some Ministers and BJP members backed Mishra.
Speaker Sitasharan Sharma reserved his ruling on the point of order raised by Mishra.
Senior Congress MLA Ramniwas Rawat said Singh had not given any direction in his tweets.
Mishra raised the issue as a part of a conspiracy to create uproar and thwart opposition's attempt to raise the issue of corruption in the Kumbh at Ujjain (which ended in May), Rawat alleged.
Accusations flew back and forth between the treasury and opposition benches over the issue.
Amid the uproar, Congress's Tarun Bhanot said nobody can take away freedom of expression.
Citing newspapers reports, he said that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan himself had asked veteran BJP MLA Babulal Gaur not to raise issues in the House.

As the din continued, the Speaker adjourned the House for thirty minutes.
Outside the House, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mishra said that Digvijay Singh was free to give any direction to his party leader, but by doing it in public (through Twitter), Singh demonstrated his "anti-Dalit mentality".

Defending his father, Digvijay's son and Congress MLA Jaivardhan told reporters, "Why can't Singh, former Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha member, express his view on social media?"
Bachchan had raised the issue in the House even before his father's tweets came, he added.
"We have raised the issue of wheat mixed with mud being given to flood victims among other subjects of public importance, but the Government is avoiding debates on them and creating furore to waste the time of the (monsoon) session," he alleged.

GRP recovers Rs 20 lakh

GRP recovers Rs 20 lakh

Unknown   10:19

GRP recovers Rs 20 lakh unaccounted cash from a passenger

GRP on Wednesday recovered unaccounted cash of Rs 20 lakh from a passenger in a train at Ajmer during checking.
A team of GRP was checking the trains and checked a bag in a coach of Katra-Ahmedabad train, which contained Rs 20 lakh. The bag belonged to a passenger named Taleeb Khan, SP GRP Omprakash said.
GRP recovers Rs 20 lakh unaccounted cash from a passenger
The cash is unaccounted and he could not give a satisfactory answer. The cash has been seized, he said.

UP DGP Prakash Singh

UP DGP Prakash Singh

Unknown   10:17

Cops deserted posts during Jat protests, says former UP DGP Prakash Singh
Former Uttar Pradesh DGP Prakash Singh told India Today that the committee will file its report within a week, identifying officers at and above the rank of inspector who rebelled during the unrest that saw widespread rioting and looting.

A former top cop, who is leading a probe into the conduct of Haryana Police during a violent pro-quota movement by the Jat community in February, said on Wednesday dozens of members of the force deserted their posts as protests intensified.

Former Uttar Pradesh DGP Prakash Singh told India Today that the committee will file its report within a week, identifying officers at and above the rank of inspector who rebelled during the unrest that saw widespread rioting and looting.

"Yes, there are complaints that police officers deserted their posts, which were verified.
We are not probing a particular caste of community but those officials who turned cowards and did not perform their duties," Singh said. "Our aim is not to identify the small officers."
Members of the relatively well-off Jat community burnt houses and vehicles, vandalised businesses and allegedly even sexually assaulted women in Haryana, demanding job and education quotas similar to those provided to underprivileged castes.

The role of the police department came under the following reports that personnel, many from the same caste group as the protesters, either directly or indirectly aided and abetted the rioters. Dozens of these cops are likely to face action based on the report.

Confirming that video clips shared by complainants and found on social media were considered as evidences, Singh said the panel also received corroborating proof such as written and oral statements that will be submitted to the state government along with the findings.

The probe, he said, was limited to eight districts - Rohtak, Jhajjar, Jind, Bhiwani, Hissar, Kaithal, Panipat and Sonipat - that were the worst affected by the movement.

The committee did not cover the alleged cases of rape that occurred during the protests in areas like Murthal.
Singh rejected speculation that the report would embarrass the BJP-led state government and said it is ready to "face the truth".

A video clip showing protesters setting ablaze the residence of a minister in Rohtak and then distributing sweets has gone viral on social media.

In another video, his family members including his son and wife can be seen fleeing the house to save their lives. Countless telephone calls made by them to the police and fire brigade reportedly went unanswered.

"I was not against reservation to the Jats. My house was set ablaze and there was a political conspiracy to kill my family. The video clips show Congress workers torching my house," said the minister, Captain Abhimanyu, himself a Jat. "We have identified a number of people. Stern action will be taken against the people after the committee submits its report."

The Haryana government has already suspended over a dozen policemen and removed three senior cops.

Agra ranks in civilian-owned weapons

Agra ranks in civilian-owned weapons

Unknown   10:14

Agra ranks among top cities in India in terms of civilian-owned weapons
If the High Court stay is removed from issue of weapon licenses, Agra district could match PM Narendra Modi's Gujarat, which has 59528 licensed weapons and a population of over 6 crores.

Call it their sensitivity towards self-defence or their mistrust for the public law and order machinery, the mad passion to possess weapons among the people of Agra is fast propelling this city at the top of the states in India with the most numbers of armed civilians.

According to the district administration sources, there are about 46 thousand licensed weapons in Agra district while about the same number of people have applied for a license. Even in the city, about 26 thousand licenses are currently active, while the number of weapons in villages is a bit lower at 20 thousand.

Talking to India Today, a district administrative official claimed that the population of Agra district has crossed 40 lakh, while Delhi has 1.67 crore people, but compared to Agra, the number of weapons in Delhi is just about 35 thousand, which is a lot lower than Agra. If the High Court stay is removed from issue of weapon licenses, Agra district could match PM Narendra Modi's Gujarat, which has 59528 licensed weapons and a population of over 6 crores. Similarly, Himachal Pradesh has a population of about 6.8 crore people while it has He said that if we look at several other states in India, the situation will be more or less the same. Uttar Pradesh has a population of 20 crores and there are 1190181 weapons here. The population of Rajasthan is 6.8 crores and there are 132501 weapons there. In Jammu and Kashmir, the population is 1.2 crores with 272271 weapons, Punjab has 2.7 crores population and 352213 weapons, while Haryana has 2.5 crores population and 139771 weapons. Looking at these figures, it was clear that Agra district was indeed sitting on a huge stockpile of civilian-owned weapons and the entire Uttar Pradesh owned more than 30 percent of the v-owned weapons in the entire country.

Social activist Deep Sharma said that the tendency to own weapons was not driven just by the desire to defend on'e life and property, but in Uttar Pradesh, it was also a status symbol and the weapons were shown off in family functions like weddings, engagements etc., where indiscriminate public firing of such weapons to celebrate caused several deaths each year.

Talgo train tested between Mathura-Kosi Kalan station

Talgo train tested between Mathura-Kosi Kalan station

Unknown   10:12

Brake system of Talgo train tested between Mathura-Kosi Kalan station

The brake system of Spanish Talgo train was tested on Wednesday during its trial run between Mathura and Kosi Kalan station.

"Brakes were applied a couple of times in the Talgo train during its journey between Mathura and Kosi Kalan to note how much time the train takes to stop in case brake is applied before signal," the ADRM of Agra division of North Central Railway said.

Brake system of Talgo train tested between Mathura-Kosi Kalan station
"The distance covered after the application of brakes was also recorded," he said, adding that the same exercise would be repeated tomorrow.

After the successful launch of semi-high speed Gatimaan Express on Delhi-Agra route in April, Talgo trial is being conducted as part of Railway's strategy to increase the speed of trains.

Talgo train is expected to be pressed into service on Delhi-Mumbai sector. Talgo train envisages the journey between Delhi and Mumbai can be completed in about 12 hours.

Killer stunt

Killer stunt

Unknown   10:05

How van driver's obsession with speed killed 9 schoolgoing kids in UP
Nine schoolgoing kids were killed and several others injured when their minivan was rammed by a speeding train in Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh.

School bags, lunch boxes and parts of human body that lie scattered near an unmanned railway track in Aurayi region of Bhadohi town of Uttar Pradesh tell you much about the horrific incident the place witnessed on Monday, July 25. Nine school going kids were killed and several others injured when their minivan was rammed by a speeding train.

Eyewitnesses blame the van driver for the loss of innocent lives. The driver tried to jump off the vehicle to save himself but failed. He too was crushed by the train.

THE DRIVER WHO WAS OBSESSED WITH SPEED

According to the locals, the driver of the minivan - Hashim was a freak. He loved listening to music at high volume while driving and was obsessed with challenging the speeding trains with his own driving skills.

Locals said that despite being warned against it, Hashim had a habit of driving his vehicle across the railway track at full speed challenging the passing trains.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THOSE LAST FEW SECONDS

Injured kids, who are now recuperating at a local hospital in Bhadohi, explained how in a flash their packed-to-the-capacity van was flunged in the air upon been hit by the train when Hashim tried to compete with it.

"Everyday, he used to tell us... don't worry I will be on that side of the railway track before the train comes. We will reach the school before the song (which he played on his mobile phone) ends," said Anjali, one of the kids who was injured in the accident.

People present at the railway crossing had tried to stop Hashim but he ignored their warning leading to the tragic accident.

Hashim was warned by local elders to drive carefully and curb his instincts of driving at high speeds. However, he never listened to them.

Missing IAF plane

Missing IAF plane

Unknown   09:58

Hunt for missing AN-32: Search teams pick up signals possibly from Indian Air Force aircraft
An intensive search for the missing IAF's AN-32 transport plane with 29 people onboard entered the fifth day today. No debris or survivors have been located yet.

Search teams have detected 4-5 pings from the ocean bed, however, it is yet to be verified if those are from the AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force which went missing last Friday (July 22) soon after taking off from Chennai's Tambaram air base for Port Blair.

"We have detected 4-5 pings, trying to verify whether these are real or false alarms," Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told Rajya Sabha today.

MASSIVE SEARCH OPERATION CONTINUES

An intensive search for the missing IAF's AN-32 transport plane with 29 people on board entered the fifth day today. No debris or survivors have been located yet.

"13 Naval vessels, 2 Coast Guard ships besides assets from Andaman and Nicobar islands are engaged in the operations," Coast Guard Commander (East) Inspector General Rajan Bargotra told reporters.

Several agencies, including National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (NCOIS), were coordinating in the search operations and if needed vessel of NIOT 'Sagar Nidhi' which is on its way from Mauritius will be used for search operations, he said.
The search area has been expanded from the initial 14,400 square nautical miles.

AIR FORCE DEFENDS USE OF AN-32s

Amid criticism in some quarters about the existing over 100 AN-32 aircraft and how they have outrun their life, Chief of the Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha sought to defend it saying in the last three decades of its operations, IAF has exploited the capabilities of this aircraft as the workhorse of the force.

The missing AN-32 transport aircraft, which was inducted into the IAF between 1984-1991, had last year undergone a major refit.

About the AN-32 aircraft

The search for missing Antonov AN 32 which took off from Tambaram Airforce base on Friday morning has been intensified.

The Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre at Chennai has been coordinating round the clock surveillance towards search effort along with Southern Air Command of IAF, Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard.

Here is all you need to know about the aircraft:

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AN 32, considered as the work horse of Indian Airforce, extremely helpful in transporting cargo is well known for its capability to handle rough weather. The design derivative of AN 26, with engine nacelles placed above the wing allowed fixing of larger propellers and engines twice as powerful as on AN 26. The aircraft was designated to be well suited for operations in tropical regions and in unpredictable climatic conditions.

The aircraft was chosen for the role of medium tactical military transport roles for the Indian Airforce which includes air-dropping cargo, passenger carrying, firefighting and paratrooping.

The aircraft was inducted into Indian Airforce in 1984 and nearly 101 aircrafts are in service. But with the collapse of USSR, trouble in acquiring spares for the aircraft accumulated as the vital aircrafts' spare were manufactured in Ukraine which broke away from USSR.

In 2010, following approval for upgradation, 40 AN 32s were upgraded in Kiev, Ukraine. But work got way delayed due to fighting in the Baltic country.

AN 32 can fly at a maximum speed of 530 km/h and has a range of 2,500 km. It has a capacity to carry 50 passengers or a max takeoffs wait of 16,800 kg.

The western alternative for AN 32 was C-2 Greyhound but it's payload capacity was reduced with a reduced body to be used extensively in supplying cargo to US Nimitz class aircraft carriers.

The Indian Airforce had no idea of replacing AN 32s at anytime soon as more plans for its upgradation was underway.

The first incident of a missing plane was reported on March 25, 1986 when an Indian Airforce  AN 32 reportedly disappeared over Indian Ocean during a delivery flight from the Soviet Union via Muscat, Oman.

With the recent reports of another missing AN 32 which was on its way from Chennai to Port Blair, serious questions about including modern navigation system into Coast Guard Aircrafts and Airforce Cargo flights are being discussed.