Yudh Abhyas

India, US To Conduct ‘Yudh Abhyas’ Near China Border

Before this, between November 8 and 18, the member countries of the “Quad” will conduct the Malabar exercise off Yokosuka in Japan.

Indian and the US militaries will conduct the battalion-level “Yudh Abhyas” exercise between November 15 and December 2 at Auli in Uttarakhand, just 100 km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Before this, between November 8 and 18, the member countries of the “Quad” will conduct the Malabar exercise off Yokosuka in Japan, a report in the Times of India (TOI) said. The ‘Quad’ includes the US, Japan, Australia and India.

Earlier in 2022, the Quad had declared that it would “deter” any “coercion” in the Indo-Pacific with an eye on China’s expansionist policies. “Yudh Abhyas” will include “high-altitude warfare drills”, the report added. Around 350 soldiers from each country are expected to take part in the military exercise.

“With around 350 soldiers from each side, Yudh Abhyas will witness employment of integrated battle groups in mountains and extreme cold climate, along with heliborne elements and an integrated surveillance grid,” an official was quoted as saying by the TOI.

The US and Indian forces had concluded the “Vajra Prahar” exercise at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh in August. It involved the special forces of the two countries.

These forces undertake covert, specialised operations including counterterrorism.

In early October, the National Security Strategy (NSS) of the US said that China was its “only competitor with both intent and capability to reshape the international order”. It added that US and India will work together to “support our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific”.

India will also conduct the “Austra-Hind” infantry combat exercise at the Mahajan range in Rajasthan between November 28 and December 11.

Recently, the two countries concluded the “Pitch Black” air combat exercise at Darwin.

India and Singapore will also conduct the “Agni Warrior” exercise at Deolali in Maharashtra between November 13 and 30. (Courtesy: https://www.business-standard. com/)

Indian Students This Year Get Twice As Many US Visas As China

While the US gets most international students from China, Indians this year (till July) got about twice the number of students visas as the Chinese, showed an analysis of non-immigrant visas issued by The US also issues M-1 visas for international students, who wish to study at vocational or other recognised non-academic institutions, other than language training programmes.

the US State Department, reported The Indian Express.

This report by IE has only taken F-1 visas into account.

A total of 77,799 Indian students received F-1 visas from January to July this year, while in China, 46,145 got the visa, the report said.

The F-1 visa is issued to those who wish to study at a US university or college, high school, private elementary school, or, other academic institutions. Even though the number of Chinese students going to the US for higher studies has declined since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic,

China still accounts for highest number of international students studying in America. This is followed by India and South Korea at the second and third places, respectively, the IE report said.

In 2021, 99,431 Chinese students got F-1 visas, while from India, 87,258 got the visa and from South Korea, 16,865.

This number for the year 2020 was at 4,853 for China and 21,908 for India, The Indian Express report stated.

The figures were significantly hit in 2020 due to Covid-prompted lockdowns in different nations and China’s severe movement restrictions on its citizens.

The US economy benefits greatly from international students, as in 2019, before the pandemic, foreign citizens studying in America contributed $44 billion to the nation’s economy.

Out of this, $16 billion came from Chinese students and nearly $8 billion from Indians, the report said.

After the US, the UK attracts a lot of foreign students, and the nation too witnessed a sharp increase in Indian students getting education visas against their Chinese counterparts.

In the July 2021-June 2022 period, the UK issued 486,868 sponsored study visas, out of which, 117,965 accounted for Indian students — an 89 per cent rise from the previous year, reported IE.

Meanwhile, a total of 115,056 study visas were granted to Chinese students.

Compared to 2019, Indians students saw a 21 per cent increase in study visas from the UK, while for China, the number dipped by 4 per cent, the report stated. (Courtesy: https://www.business-standard. com/)

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