Shimla, March 22

Almost complete voluntary shutdown on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Janata curfew’ to prevent coronavirus spread was observed on Sunday in the BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh.

Almost all towns and villages witnessed deserted streets with shops and business establishments closed to mark the pan-India solidarity.

Reports of the shutdown of shops and other establishments were received from the state capital, Rampur, Theog, Solan, Dharamsala, Palampur, Kullu, Una, Bilaspur and other places.

With state-run roadways and private transport completing shutting their services, buses were off the roads.

The entry and exit of all contact carriers and inter-state carrier buses were banned, except limited services not exceeding 10 per cent with proper arrangements of sanitisation only to most frequent destinations like Delhi, Haridwar and Chandigarh by state transport buses from March 21 midnight onwards.

In Shimla, a majority of shops were closed in various localities. People avoided morning walks.

However, the supply of milk was normal.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday urged the leaders of all political parties to give wholehearted support to the government to check the coronavirus spread. And, there is adequate stock of essential commodities.

Chairing an all-party meeting here, he said the government would deal the cases of hoardings and profiteering of essential commodities sternly.

The government has decided to postpone the date of payment of various public utility bills like electricity and water without any extra charges.—IANS

The development puts Army plan to shift ARTRAC from Shimla to Meerut on hold for now.

New Delhi: The Indian military is actively deliberating on setting up a new joint training command to meet the training needs of all its three branches, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, ThePrint has learnt.

While the location for the tri-service command is yet to be finalised, Nagpur is being discussed as an option, highly-placed defence sources said. The structure of the command is yet to be finalised.

The development has also put on hold for now the Army’s proposal to shift its training command ARTRAC from Shimla to Meerut, sources told ThePrint.

“The possibility of a joint training command for the three services is being deliberated upon. Shifting out ARTRAC from Shimla may not be relevant at this point,” a senior defence official said.

The official added that there would be discussions on how the existing training commands could be merged to form the new structure.

While the Army’s training command is in Shimla, the Air Force’s training command is located in Bengaluru. The Navy does not have a separate training command. All training-related establishments of the Navy come under the purview of the Southern Naval Command.

The move for a joint training command is a continuation of the process that began in 2018 when a joint doctrine for the services was released by former chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) Admiral Sunil Lanba in the presence of then Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat and IAF chief B.S. Dhanoa.

Apart from stating that there should be a tri-service approach for modernisation of the three services, the joint doctrine had proposed joint training of personnel, unified command and control structure.

Also read: Army set to place order for 118 Arjun Mark 1-As, the most potent tank in its inventory

‘If you don’t train together, how do you operate together?’

A senior naval officer said a joint training command would bring all training policies and methodologies of the services and related foreign training under one office. They are currently scattered into tri-service and service-specific training for the services at different stages of a personnel’s career.

“A joint training command may help in arriving at a common policy for the services, thus increasing efficiency, saving money and increasing inter-services administrative ease of working,” the officer said.

Currently, after the basic training at the tri-services institute — the National Defence Academy (NDA) — select officers undergo a tri-service course at the Defence Services Staff College after 10-12 years of service. The officers then undergo a higher command course that is primarily service specific but has representatives from the other two services.

Some officers also get selected to a tri-service course at the College of Defence Management in Hyderabad, which is a parallel course to the higher command. After around 28-30 years of service, a select few officers are picked for a tri-services course at the National Defence College in Delhi.

This is apart from the various courses in friendly foreign countries that a few officers may undergo from time to time.

“After achieving certain career milestones, particularly after successfully completing the Defence Services Staff College course, an officer from any of the three services is expected to broaden his horizons beyond that of his own service,” the naval officer said. “Jointness in training, war-fighting, administration and operations becomes the keywords. A joint training command will enhance the desired jointness through commonality in training.”

Speaking to ThePrint, a senior Army officer said a joint training command would also help in the integration of training across the rank and file of the three services.

The officer said jointness in training would also lead to a congruence of the standard operating procedures (SOPs).

“For example, the IAF and Army aviation have different SOPs for flying similar aircraft under similar operational conditions,” the officer said. “It will also help in a shift in mindset from own service towards a common interest.”

Another Army officer said the joint training of the three services would go a long way in the operations and execution of jointness. “If you don’t train together, how do you operate together?”

The officer added, “For any cohesive new generation conflict management, integrated training designed towards jointness is the only prudent way ahead. It will not only ensure better execution of operations, but also enhance understanding of nuances towards optimal deployment.”

The officer also said the success of the first theatre command would, by and large, be dependent on the success of sustained training in jointness.

Srinagar, March 21

The Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Wakf Board today ordered the suspension of congregational prayers at its mosques and shrines ahead of the Meraj-ul-Alam celebrations.

“In view of the outbreak of coronavirus, declared as pandemic by the World Health Organisation and as a preventive measure to contain its spread in Kashmir Valley and due to restrictions under Section 144 of the CrPC by the district administration, it is hereby ordered to suspend regular prayers in shrines/mosques affiliated to the Wakf Board and displaying of Holy Relic (PBUH) on the occasion of the Meraj-ul-Alam (SAW) celebrations,” read an order issued by the Wakf Board. — TNS

New Delhi: In a fresh set of instructions, the Army has said that those on leave have been told to extend their leave till April 15 so that they don’t return to their parent bases till the Covid threat subsides.

Also all movement of officials and troops between one location and another has been stopped forthwith. This does not mean, any change in deployment as those mandated along borders to the west and the north are at own locations. All officers attending courses at various academies are to be retained at existing station till April 15. Officials moving on transfer have been told to stay put till April 15. — TNS

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 21

The Kashmir valley remained deserted as an unprecedented lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus entered its second day on Saturday. More people arriving in the region were put under quarantine.

For the second consecutive day, markets remained closed in Srinagar — a city of more than a million people which is observing an almost complete shutdown.

Police and paramilitary personnel remained stationed in the region and had blocked roads across the city to prevent the gatherings of people.

The lockdown began on Friday in Srinagar after the first positive coronavirus case was reported on Wednesday. All educational institutes in the region remain closed.

Apart from Srinagar, several other districts in south and north Kashmir have also imposed Section 144 which restricts large gatherings.

As the region battles the spread of coronavirus, more people arriving in the region were put under quarantine as part of widespread preventive measures.

An official of the Srinagar civil administration said 225 people, who arrived in the city from Bangladesh and other countries on Saturday, were “isolated to undergo quarantine”.

More than 600 people now remain isolated at 50 quarantine facilities set up in the city. The administration has also invoked Disaster Management Act-2005 to meet the growing challenges caused by the threat.

As part of the latest measures, Srinagar District Magistrate Shahid Choudhary also ordered cancellation of all gazetted holidays in the city with an aim “to strengthen the response apparatus”.

The administration has released Rs 3 crore under the State Disaster Response Fund to strengthen the response mechanism against the spread of the coronavirus. The fund will be utilised to procure “requisite equipment and items for effective response mechanism”, the official said.

ribune News Service
New Delhi, March 20

The government has sanctioned creation of 1,000 additional posts in the CISF to help the force better deploy its personnel in guarding vital installations in the country, including airports.

The CISF guards about 60 civil airports in the country and has an elite VVIP security wing under its command called the Special Security Group (SSG).

The MHA has given sanction for the creation of 899 posts in the paramilitary force and subsequently another 119 posts, a senior official said.

“With the sanctioned posts, from the constable to the inspector level, the CISF can raise one more battalion (1,000 personnel) within the next two years,” the official said, adding the current strength of the CISF is about 1.8 lakh personnel.

The government has recently handed over security-related duties of the Srinagar and Jammu airports to the CISF. It replaced the Jammu and Kashmir Police in these two airports.

The government has already made clear its intention of entrusting more and more civil airports to the CISF and increasing its task in the domain of the VVIP security.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 22

The Punjab Chief Minister on Sunday issued orders for shutdown of all non-essential services and businesses with immediate effect till March 31 to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Only essential services will be allowed to function. All Deputy Commissioners and SSPs have been directed to issue relevant orders and implement the restrictions immediately, a top government functionary told The Tribune.

On Saturday, seven districts had ordered shutdown till Wednesday. The new order has put in place a shutdown till March 31 all across the state.

Only essential services such as the police, health, power, emergency transport, supply of milk, food items, medicines, etc, will continue.

New Delhi: After numerous delays and extensive trials, the Indian Army is set to finally place an order for 118 indigenously manufactured Arjun Mark 1-A ‘Hunter Killers’, which will have all-weather capability and better fire power and stability than the Arjun main battle tank (MBT).

Army sources told ThePrint that the Mark 1-A, which weighs 68 tonnes and features a 120mm main gun, has cleared all tests, and that cost negotiations with its developer, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), are complete. The sources added that the Army has pushed the file to place the order, which will be done “soon”.

The move comes as a big boost for the Chennai-based Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), a DRDO lab.

Also read: Tanks, fighter aircraft will soon be on their way out like Sony Walkman: Army chief

The major improvements

“The tank comes with 14 major improvements that the Army has sought, which will make it the most potent and self-protective tank in the Army’s inventory,” V. Balamurugan, director of the CVRDE, told ThePrint.

Balamurugan said the first tank will be rolled out from the factory within 30 months of the order of intent (the technical term used for the order) being placed.

He explained that four upgrades were made to the firepower of the tank, besides other developments, including new transmission systems.

The Mark 1-A includes an improved gunner’s main sight, integrated with automatic target tracking. This would enable the tank crew to track moving targets automatically, and engage them even when Arjun is on the move.

The Arjun Mk-1A’s gun is controlled by a computerised integrated fire control system, giving the tank has a high first round kill capability. The gun’s day-and-night stabilised sights, coupled with automatic target tracker, guarantee accurate engagement even in dynamic conditions, a senior DRDO official told ThePrint.

Other than the conventional fin stabilised armour piercing discarding sabot and high explosive squash head ammunition, the Mark 1-A comes with thermo baric and penetration-cum-blast ammunition.

Also read: Indian Army tanks now have sharper night vision equipment developed by DRDO

The Arjun saga

The Arjun MBT project was initiated in the mid-1970s, but the first two regiments of the tank were inducted into the Army starting 2004. Even then, they have never been used to their optimal capability because of a variety of reasons — including excess weight, issues with certain parts, and availability of spare parts.

The Arjun MBT had performed better than Russian T-90s during a desert trial conducted by the Army in 2010. However, reliability and availability weighed on the Army’s mind. The force argued that weight of the MBT, 62.5 tonnes, was a handicap as it meant that Arjun was too heavy for roads, bridges and canals along the Pakistan border.

The Army, in 2010, proposed an improved version of the tank, which would be called the Mark II, and was to have over 80 improvements, including 15 major ones.

However, this also meant that weight would increase further.

Also read: How Army-IAF fight over Apache helicopters cost India an extra Rs 2,500 crore

Cannon-launched guided missiles

In 2012, the DRDO offered the Arjun for trials with all the major enhancements, except one — a cannon-launched guided missile (CLGM).

The Army had insisted on having that capability, since other tanks like the T-90 also had it.

The DRDO roped in the Israelis and sourced the Lahat CLGM, which could conclusively hit targets between two and five kilometres away. The trials validated the CLGM’s laser designator.

However, the Army wanted a missile that could hit targets as close as close as 1.2 km, Balamurugan said.

He added that the Israelis took about a year to decide on producing it, but by then, the DRDO had decided to go in for an indigenous CLGM.

Talks between the DRDO and the Army continued until March 2018, and it was finally agreed that the next batch of Arjuns, to be called Mark 1-A, would be supplied without the missile firing capability.

“The process for building that (CLGM) is already on, and could actually be integrated on the Mark 1-A as they start rolling out,” Balamurugan said.

As far as weight is concerned, he said that though the Mark 1-A weighs more, it has been designed in such a way that pressure exerted at specific points is much lower.