Army to clean high-altitude tourist spots: Sitharaman

Vikramdeep Johal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 11

“Saragarhi: The True Story”, a documentary by UK-based journalist-filmmaker Jay Singh-Sohal, will be screened at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire tomorrow to mark the 120th anniversary of the epic frontier battle.It features footage from the site that falls within Pakistan’s unruly tribal region. The day shooting took place on the Samana mountain range, the Pakistan Army was fighting Islamic State militants 40km away at Rajgal. Filming also took place in the UK and India.Jay Singh-Sohal says: “It’s been a long but fulfilling journey to research, film and promote for the first time the bravery of the Sikhs at Saragarhi. It’s a personal endeavour; I’ve myself been inspired by it because it speaks to the shared history and values that make me proud to be both British and Sikh, and I know many others in my community feel the same.”On September 12, 1897, 21 Sikh soldiers of the 36th Regiment of Bengal Infantry had fought to the last man against 10,000-odd tribesmen during an uprising on the North West Frontier between colonial India and Afghanistan.According to the filmmaker, who has also penned a book on the battle, the Sikhs who fought for Britain on the frontier were “rightly rewarded and honoured” for their bravery and devotion to duty. “Today, we must continue to remember the sacrifices they and others made in such conflicts which might not be so well known, but are vitally important,” he adds.Gurinder Singh Mann, a historian and head of the Sikh Museum Initiative, says, “After the Anglo Sikh Wars (1840s) and the annexation of Punjab, many Sikhs were looking for employment. As a result, several regiments were formed in the British Indian Army over the subsequent decades. The battle at Saragarhi stresses the importance of the role the Sikhs played as part of the Empire.”The heroic tale is also the subject of two delayed Bollywood projects, one an Ajay Devgn production and the other being handled by veteran director Rajkumar Santoshi. In the latter, the lead role of Havildar Ishar Singh is being played by Randeep Hooda.

Lt Swati Mahadik with her children at the passing-out parade. PTI

Chennai, September 9

In an inspiring example of grit and courage, the wife of Col Santosh Mahadik, who was killed fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir nearly two years back, today joined the Army as an officer after 11 months of gruelling training.Swati Mahadik, 38, a mother of two, was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Army Ordnance Corps.Her husband Col Mahadik, a recipient of the Sena Medal for gallantry, was killed in an anti-terror operation in Kupwara in north Kashmir in November 2015.An officer from the elite 21 Para Special Forces, he was known for always leading from the front. Col Mahadik was the Commanding Officer of 41 Rashtriya Rifles.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Following in her husband’s footsteps, Swati had joined the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in October last year.Present at the passing-out parade were her proud family members — daughter Kartikee, 12, son Swaraj, 7, mother-in-law Kalindi Ghorpade, father Babanrao Shedge and her mother.Swati had already crossed the upper age limit for joining the Army and it was only after the Army and Ministry of Defence specially relaxed the age limit for her that she could initiate her new career goals.Later, she told mediapersons how she had silently resolved to join the Indian Army at the funeral of her husband in November 2015. She sent both her children to boarding schools and then appeared for the Staff Selection Board (SSB), which she cleared.After undergoing several rounds of physical fitness and medical examinations as part of the five-tiered selection process, she was selected to join the OTA.Also at the passing-out parade was Lt Nidhi Dubey, the widow of another soldier, the late Naik Mukesh Dubey.Welcoming two such gritty widows to the armed forces, the Indian Army said in a tweet: “Salute the spirit. Both Lt Swati Mahadik and Lt Nidhi Dubey have strived hard to become officers today after their husbands passed away. Both of them have made all of us proud.” Agencies

‘Uniform was his first love, now mine’I wanted to be close to him (Col Mahadik) by joining the Army. Uniform was his first love and that is why I have decided to join the Army so that I can wear the uniform. I want to give a way of life to my children which he would have given to them. —Lt Swati Mahadik

Our Correspondent

Palampur September 7

A veteran outreach/interaction programme was organised at the Palampur Military Station today. The basic objective behind the programme was to reach out to the veterans, honour and resolve the problems of ex-servicemen, which they usually face after retirement and also to commemorate a mark of respect and recognition of their services rendered for the security and integrity of the nation.Brig SK Verma (retd), Director, Directorate of Sainik Welfare, HP, gave an insight into various welfare schemes and entitlements of veterans and projects being undertaken by the Centre and the state government.Maj-Gen VS Ranade, General Officer Commanding, Dah Division, addressed the veterans and stressed the facilities available to the veterans at local station, state and Central government levels. During the event, several information counters were established to make the veterans aware about various ongoing and upcoming projects in the field of job placements, education facilities, resettlement, pension entitlement and other veteran-related issues.Online Jeevan Praman Registration and Aadhaar card registration were made available to the veterans.The event witnessed attendance of veterans from Palampur tehsil and nearby areas. Station Commander, Palampur Military Station, Brig Charandeep Singh, SM & officer in-charge, ECHS Polyclinic, were also present.

Lockheed and Sweden”s Saab are in a two horse-race to equip the Indian military with at least 100 single-engine jets that have to be produced locally under Prime Minister Narendra Modi”s ”Make-in-India” plan. Reuters file photo

New Delhi, August 29

Lockheed Martin is closing in on an international deal for F-16 fighter planes, and has offered to eventually build all the jets at a proposed plant in India if it wins a bigger order to supply the Indian Air Force, a top executive said.

The US defence giant and Sweden’s Saab are in a two horse-race to equip the Indian military with at least 100 single-engine jets that have to be produced locally under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make-in-India’ plan.

Randall L. Howard, who leads F-16 business development, said Lockheed is offering to make India the sole F-16 production centre, so eventually it will make the planes not just for India, but also for other countries.

Lockheed is closing its F-16 production line at Forth Worth, Texas, and will supply new orders from a new facility at Greenville, South Carolina. But the plan was to eventually build the planes in India, Howard told Reuters.

“Our next customer, which we believe to be very soon … we will produce those aircraft out of that (Greenville) facility,” he said. “As you look beyond that, the opportunity for India is to then move all of that into India and that’s what’s being proposed … to have a single production line in India that would service the new production requirements of global demand, the global market.”

India’s government is set to issue a formal request to Lockheed and Saab over the next few days to provide information about their plans to design, develop and produce combat jets in India, a government official said.

The planes will be produced under a new ‘strategic partnership’ policy under which the foreign aircraft maker will collaborate with an Indian firm to develop a world-class indigenous aeronautical base that India has struggled to build for decades.

Lockheed has picked Tata Advanced Systems as its local partner, while Saab has not yet announced its Indian collaborator to produce the Gripen E aircraft that it has offered to the air force.

Howard said the plan to relocate the F-16 plant to India enjoyed the support of the US government after initial concerns it would conflict with President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ campaign under which he has pressed for companies to invest in the United States and create jobs.

Howard said winning the Indian contract worth billions of dollars would protect thousands of jobs at Lockheed in the United States as well as at dozens of components suppliers, since the Indian facility will come up gradually.

“We will start with an assembly, you can’t go from ground zero, from a standing stop to full production in a week. You have to phase it in.”

India’s Air Force is running short of hundreds of aircraft as its indigenous Light Combat Aircraft programme is dogged by delays and quality issues.

Modi’s government last year cleared the purchase of 36 Rafale combat jets from France’s Dassault Aviation, scaling back a plan to buy 126 planes, leaving the Air Force scrambling for replacements. Reuters

Thinkstock photo for representation only.

New Delhi, August 24How does marriage affect one’s ability to become an officer in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) service, the legal arm of the Indian Army, the Delhi High Court asked on Thursday.The query was posed to the Centre after it submitted before a Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal that now even married men are barred from being recruited in the Army.The submission came after the court on August 10 had questioned the non-recruitment of married women in the JAG and observed that such acts amount to “hostile and 100 per cent discrimination”.It had made the observation while hearing a PIL by lawyer Kush Kalra claiming there was institutionalised discrimination against married women by not inducting them in JAG service.The government today contended before the Bench that since married men are also barred from being recruited in the Army, after a recent amendment in its recruitment rules, the PIL has become infructuous.The court, however, did not agree with the contention and questioned the rationale behind barring married individuals from getting recruited in the Army.“Suppose one gets married and then wants to join JAG service? One can get married at the age of 18 years. How does marriage affect someone’s ability to become a JAG officer?“Right to family is recognised as a part of right to life under Article 21. Apply your mind. There can be no other rationale here, other than somebody’s whim. Somebody has got something in their mind against marriage,” the Bench said.It said the impact of the change in recruitment rules was that a person should either be unmarried or get divorced if they want to join the Army.The court did not pass any order and adjourned the matter to November 9 to be heard by the regular Bench which was hearing the plea along with another PIL by Kalra on the issue of only gainfully employed men being recruited in the Territorial Army (TA), the second line of defence after the regular Army.The TA is an organisation of volunteers who receive military training in order to be mobilised for the country’s defence in case of an emergency. — PTI

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 21

Following a furore over the deaths of two gentlemen cadets (GCs), the Indian Military Academy authorities today admitted that seven GCs had fallen ill owing to exhaustion and dehydration while participating in a 10 km-long run during training at Badshahi Bagh near Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. They said although the GCs were provided the best medical facilties, two of them — Deepak Sharma and Nabin Kumar Chhetri — could not be saved. “The other gentleman cadets have been treated at the military hospital and they are stable,” the Army said.After first-aid, gentleman cadet Sharma was rushed to the nearest medical centre (Lehman Hospital) in Vikasnagar, Dehradun, but he succumbed to exhaustion and dehydration on August 18. Gentleman cadet Chhetri was rushed to Mahant Indresh Hospital but he too died on August 20.Sharma hailed from Bathinda in Punjab and  Chhetri was from Darjeeling in West Bengal.The IMA conducts “Pahla Kadam” at Badshahi Bagh for all gentlemen cadets in their first term of training.

Srinagar, August 19

Army personnel allegedly thrashed two policemen in Kupwara district of Kashmir today after they objected to “harassment” of a civilian by the soldiers, sources said.Two policemen were beaten up after they asked the soldiers to let go a motorist, who was held by the Army personnel, the police sources said.They said one of the policemen was taken to hospital for first aid.However, senior police officers downplayed the incident, saying there was a minor altercation between the soldiers and the policemen but no manhandling took place.“The Army had seized the vehicle of a local commuter and the Munshi of the Kupwara police station had gone there to get his vehicle released,” he said.“However, the Army personnel did not release the vehicle which resulted in a minor altercation. The matter was later resolved amicably,” a police officer said. — PTI

Shaheed Sandeep Singh Chowk at Parasram Nagar in Bathinda. Photo: Vijay Kumar

Ravi Chandel

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 14

On the eve of Independence Day, when the country is busy making preparations for celebrations and functions to mark the day, many monuments and places named after the great freedom fighters look desolate.Many such places in the city have faced neglect of the district administration on this occasion. They include Jarnail Singh Rathore Chowk near the Multania flyover, Parasram Nagar Chowk near the railway underbridge and Fauji Chowk in the heart of the city.

Jarnail Singh Rathore Chowk

Hav. Jarnail Singh Rathore, a Punjab Police commando, laid down his life while fighting with terrorists. He was deployed in Jammu and Kashmir during elections in 2002.At that time, the Captain Amarinder Singh government had built a roundabout near the Multania flyover and named it as Jarnail Singh Chowk. A welfare society was also launched after the name of the martyr.Avtar Singh Goga, president of the Jarnail Singh Rathore Welfare Society, said, “Despite repeatedly bringing it to the notice of the authorities, nobody bothers to give it a facelift and decorate it. We painted it on our own and decorated it,” he said.Sandeep Singh Chowk near Parasram NagarSoldier Sandeep Singh of the 20 Sikh Regiment laid down his life fighting with the Pakistan army in the Kargil war. The government built a statue of the brave soldier in his memory.Ratha Singh Dhillon, father of the soldier, said, “The authorities only give assurances. They haven’t decorated the statue of Sandeep Singh over the years. Municipal councillor Vijay paints and decorates the statue on his own every year.”

New Delhi, August 4

The government has made Aadhaar number mandatory for the registration of death from October 1, to prevent identity fraud.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The Home Ministry said on Friday that it would be applicable for the residents of all states except Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Meghalaya, for which a date would be notified separately.

“Aadhaar number will be required for the purpose of establishing the identity of the deceased for the purpose of death registration with effect from October 1,” according to a notification issued by the Home Ministry.

The office of the Registrar General, which functions under the home ministry, said the use of Aadhaar would result in ensuring accuracy of the details provided by the relatives or dependents or acquaintances of the deceased.

“It will provide an effective method to prevent identity fraud. It will also help in recording the identity of the deceased person. Further, it will obviate the need for producing multiple documents to prove the identity of the deceased person,” it said. PTI