The Indian Army and the Air Force are planning to jointly deploy MQ-9B Predator drones at two key air bases for upgrading their surveillance capabilities all along the Line of Actual Control with China from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh. The drone deal, expected to be worth around USD 4 billion is being done at tri services level with the Indian Navy leading the negotiations for it with the American side. "The MQ-9B drones require a significant runway length for take off and landing which are available with the Indian Air Force. That is why, the Army drones are planned to be deployed with the IAF at airbases in Sarsawa and Gorakhpur," defence officials told ANI. As per of the drone deal with the US, 31 MQ-9B drones are being acquired of which 15 would be for coverage of the maritime zone and would be deployed by the Indian Navy. The IAF and the Army will have eight each of these highly capable long endurance drones and would be able to cover almost all the areas of interest along the LAC with support from other existing assets, the officials said. The American side has given its letter of acceptance to the Indian side at a price tag of around USD 4 billion. There is also a provision of transfer of technology of some equipment to Indian entities under the agreement, they said. With a flight time of over 36 hours at heights over 40,000 feet, the drones can be armed with Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and smart bombs, this fighter-sized drone specializes in (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) missions. The Predator drones are expected to significantly enhance India's ability to conduct unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance patrols, particularly in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and along its land borders with China and Pakistan. MQ-9B has proven to be a critical asset in safeguarding India's security interests as it was used to extensively to monitor anti-piracy operations from naval headquarters to get a clear picture of the actions taking place almost 3,000 km from Indian shores.

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri announced a new oil discovery in the country. Hardeep Singh Puri said that the first oil was extracted yesterday 30 kilometres off the coast of Kakinada in the Krishna Godavari Basin.  Hardeep Singh Puri said, “30 kilometres off the coast of Kakinada in the Krishna Godavari Basin, the first oil was extracted yesterday. Work started on this in 2016-17, then there were some delays due to COVID, but I'm sure that out of the 26 wells there, 4 wells are already operational. We will not only have gas also in a very short period but by May and June, we hope to be able to produce 45,000 barrels per day, which will be 7 per cent of our total crude oil production and 7 per cent of our gas production.”  Narendra Taneja said, “This is a huge step. They first conduced a search operation in deep sea near Krishna-Godavari Basin and then started production. We have now started 47,000 barrels of ONGC production from there. In future, it will be 75000 barrels.” The place where the oil is extracted is 30 kilometres off the coast of Kakinada in the Krishna Godavari basin. Phase 3, leading to peak oil and gas production from the basin, is already underway and likely to be over in June 2024. The 98/2 project is likely to increase Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)'s total Oil and Gas production by 11 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. India, the world's third-biggest oil importer and consumer, is dependent on crude oil from various sources in the global market to meet its domestic demand.