The Indian government plans to enact a new civil aviation policy within the next five months to boost investment and cater to the infrastructure needs of the fast-growing sector, and at the same time is working on a new economic regulatory mechanism for monitoring, but not setting, air fares.

NEW DELHI — An Indian air force Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft crashed Dec. 13 soon after taking off near the western city of Pune. The pilots ejected safely. The crash comes as authorities are discussing the predominant reasons for the spate of crashes involving Indian air force (IAF) fighter jets. During the last three years, the IAF has lost 30 fighter aircraft and 10 helicopters in crashes.

NEW DELHI — Indian scientists are in the process of developing robots to replace human soldiers in the near future as part of the country’s unmanned warfare system. A new research facility has been set up by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and BEML Ltd., the state-run heavy engineering and defense equipment major, in Avadi, a suburb of Chennai in south India, to make robot soldiers and cargo-transporting robots for the country’s army.