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ammu, October 22

The Army has defused three live mortar shells fired by Pakistan troops along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials said on Tuesday.

With the safe defusal of the mortar shells by Army engineers, a tragedy had been averted in Karmara village of Poonch district, they said.

Pakistan has been resorting to heavy mortar shelling along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir for the past over one month. PTI

Govt seeks three months to finalise revised Information Technology Rules to regulate social media

Satya Prakash
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 21

Noting that Internet has emerged as a “potent tool to cause unimaginable disruption to the democratic polity”, the Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that the rules governing social media needed to be revised for effective regulation of intermediaries in view of ever growing threats to individual rights and national security.

In an affidavit filed in the top court, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said it needed three months to frame guidelines for social media in order to check misuse of technology for criminal activities.

The draft ‘Information Technology Intermediaries Guidelines (Amendment) Rules, 2018’ was published on its website on December 24 last year and 171 responses were received. Once notified, the new Rules would replace the present Rules related to the intermediaries, i.e. ‘The Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules, 2011’ which are in place since April 13, 2011.

The affidavit has been filed in response to the top court’s September 24 direction asking the Centre to submit a status report within three weeks on framing of guidelines for social media. The top court is seized of petitions seeking transfer of cases on linking of social media accounts with Aadhaar pending in various high courts to the top court.

The top court is likely to take up the matter on Tuesday.

The free-for-all that existed on social media where anyone can say anything anonymously and get away should come to an end, it had said. “There is no fear…. Suppose somebody says something which is defamatory. Why can’t the affected person ask who originated such a message?” It had wondered while taking a serious note of the “dangerous way technology is developing”.

The Ministry said in view of the complexity involved and the significant impact it entails on the functioning of all stakeholders including netizens, government departments/ministries, social media platforms, messaging platforms, websites and mobile apps etc., it took a “conscious and bonafide decision” to call for further inter-ministerial consultation for framing “effective, robust and comprehensive rules, covering all aspects of matter”.

“The deponent (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) has bonafide belief that a further period of three months would be required for finalising and notifying the final revised rules in accordance with law,” the affidavit read.

The Ministry said, “In the last few years there has been an enormous increase in the use of social media and with lower Internet tariffs, availability of smart devices and last-mile connectivity, more and more people in India are becoming part of the Internet/social media platforms.

“If on one hand technology has led to economic growth and societal development, on the other hand there has been an exponential rise in hate speech, fake news, public order, anti-national activities, defamatory postings, and other unlawful activities using Internet/Social media platforms,” it said.

Ivninder Pal Singh

Are you inspired by the men in uniform? Do you love the idea of fearlessly defending your country across conflict-ridden zones? Are you ready to act as a shield for the internal security of India? If your answer is ‘yes’, then here is a great option for you. No, I am not talking about making a career in armed forces (Army, Air Force and Navy) or the Indian Police Services, but a career in the paramilitary forces.

With growing concern for internal security, a lot more opportunities are emerging for those aspiring to be in the paramilitary forces. These forces act as the second line of defence in securing the Indian borders and are mainly responsible for internal security. If the Border Security Force (BSF) is charged with guarding India’s land border during peacetime and preventing transnational crime, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) looks after the internal security of every part of India with countering Naxal operations as one of its major responsibilities.

Apart from maintaining India’s internal security by patrolling the land borders, from the northeast to the Thar desert, the paramilitary is also being deployed in diverse roles such as ensuring fair and peaceful conduct of elections, guarding against terrorists and Maoists, VIP protection and providing help in a natural calamity.

All paramilitary forces function under the purview of Ministry of Home Affairs (on the other hand, the Indian Army, Navy & Air Force come under the Defence Ministry)  and have different components and roles.

Three steps to selection

1 The selection procedure begins with a written test which includes two papers. Paper I has multiple choice questions testing the general ability and intelligence of the candidates and is of 250 marks (125 questions). Paper II (General Studies, essay and comprehension) is subjective in nature and is of 200 marks. Here candidate has the option of writing the essay component in English or Hindi, but the medium of précis writing, comprehension components and other communications/language skills are in English only. One needs to score minimum qualifying marks separately in each paper as may be fixed by the UPSC. Paper I is evaluated first and evaluation of Paper II is done only of those aspirants who get minimum qualifying marks in Paper I. And be careful while answering in Paper 1 as you will invite penalty for every wrong answer.

2 Those who clear the written test are summoned for Physical Standards/Physical Efficiency Tests and Medical Standards Tests.

The physical standards include height (165 cm for men and 157 cm for women), chest (81 cm with 5 cm of minimum expansion for men and not applicable on women) and weight (50 kg for men and 46 for women).

The Physical Efficiency Tests (PET) includes four events — 100 metre race; 800 metre race; long jump ; and shot put (7.26 kg).

All four events are for men while only first three are for women (see box for details).

Medical Standards Tests — to check vision, colour blindness, hearing disability etc — are conducted only on those candidates who  qualify in PET.

3 After clearing the first two hurdles, the candidates appear for an interview/personality test, which is conducted by the UPSC and carry 150 marks.

After shortlisting candidates for the interview, they are given Detailed Application Form (DAF) in which, among other things, they are required to indicate their preference of Forces.

The final merit list is prepared on the basis of marks scored in both written examination (250+200) and interview/personality test (150).

Success mantra

It is often said that there is no shortcut to success, you have to take the stairs of hard work. But here we need smart work to accomplish our goal. We need different skills for both the written papers. To score big in Paper I, you need to be well read, very conscious about your surroundings, well armed with NCERT concepts and of course, the newspaper is your best friend because methodical reading of newspapers on a regular basis will help you at every stage of the recruitment process.

It keeps you aware about the events happening around and also aids in maintaining focus over a long span, which is good practice for reading comprehension.

The vocabulary and grammar usage in newspaper articles is top-notch and will help you in Paper II, which tests your comprehension and language skills. Your reading menu should also include a monthly current affairs magazine along with question papers of previous years and practice tests. One needs to be very careful while attempting a question in Paper I as wrong answers invite penalty here. No guess work please. For every wrong question, one third of the marks assigned to that question are deducted.

For scoring big in Paper II, one must be good at language and expression. This can be easily achieved by active reading. The latter means when while reading you ask yourself: “Can a question be framed on this?”

One must focus on current social, political and economic issue/problems and must think in an analytical manner while look ing for solutions to the prevailing economic and social problems along with suggestions for the betterment of society. This will surely help you while attempting essays and writing a report.

An aspirant must develop skill of counter-argument as this is an important part of Paper II. A counter-argument is an argument opposed to your thesis, or part of your thesis. It expresses the view of a person who disagrees with your position.

Make sure you express the counter-argument fairly and objectively. Ask yourself if the person who actually holds this position would accept your way of stating it. Put yourself in their shoes and give them the benefit of doubt. In the 2019 exam, the UPSC wanted candidates to write arguments for and against (a) Digital technology may replace books with computers and (b) Homework should be banned at primary-level education. So, if you want to don the uniform and are ready to help your motherland 24X7, wake up from your slumber. Pick up your books and newspaper, broaden your horizon, widen your vision and take on the UPSC challenge. All the best!

Prepare yourself

Write arguments for and against each of the following statements

n Privacy is an elitist idea

n Note-ban, effective tool against black money

n The youth in India are getting addicted to Android mobiles

n Power flows from the barrel of the gun

n The trend of nuclear families will make old age homes in India increase in number

Write reports on the following in about 200 words each

n Data leak from Facebook

n Violence on University campuses during Student elections

n The rising juvenile abuse

n Water scarcity and access to drinking water

n Corruption in politics

Write essays on any four of the following in about 300 words each

n Revamping our banking system is the need of the hour

n Cleaning and connecting the rivers in India

n Non-performing Parliament, unhealthy trend in Democracy

n Promoting innovative outlook in education

n Sustainable farming is the need of the hour than rhetorical promises

(Culled from questions papers of previous years)

Syllabi for written exam

Paper I (General ability and intelligence): The paper has multiple choice questions and cover mainly six areas — general mental ability, general science, current events of national and international importance, Indian polity and economy, history of India and Indian and world geography. The nature and standard of questions is such that a well-educated person is able to answer without any specialised study. They are framed so as to test a candidate’s general awareness on a variety of subjects and aim to judge a candidate’s awareness, understanding and analysis of contemporary events.

Paper II (General studies, essay and comprehension): It has two parts. First part has essay questions which are to be answered in a long narrative and is of 80 marks and can be attempted in English or Hindi. Part II consists of comprehension passages, precis writing, developing counter arguments, simple grammar and other aspects of language testing. This part carries 120 marks.

The journey

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) holds a written examination for Assistant Commandants (Group A) in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) — Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). In 2019, a total of 323 vacancies were advertised by the UPSC across all five paramilitary forces. Of these, 10 per cent vacancies are earmarked for ex-servicemen. In case these remain unfilled due to non-availability of eligible or qualified candidates, the same are filled by candidates from non-ex-servicemen category.

Important exam dates 2020

Notification         April 22, 2020

Last date to apply May 12, 2020

Written exam         August 9, 2020

The power test

Event Males Females

100 metre race       16 seconds 18 seconds

800 metre race      3 min 35 sec 4 min 45 sec

Long jump (3 chances) 3.5 metres 3 metres

Shot Put (7.26 kg)4.5 metresNA

New Delhi, October 14

Following “protests” by the Border Security Force (BSF) against non-inclusion of its marching contingent in the Republic Day parade event next year, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today indicated it was re-considering its order.

Sources said the MHA, in its order earlier this month, had said that only the marching and band contingents of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Delhi Police would be part of the Republic Day parade next year. It asked the BSF to send only its camel contingent and camel-mounted band team.

Sources in the MHA said after the order was issued, the BSF took up the matter with the ministry, “which was now being reviewed”. 

Sources in the BSF said despite all preparations, the force’s marching contingent was not given a slot in this year’s parade too. The Republic Day parade is an esteemed event and troops and officers of various uniformed forces take pride in showcasing their ceremonial best at the event that showcases the defence, security, development and cultural prowess of the country.

The about 2.5 lakh personnel strong BSF is tasked to guard India’s terror and infiltration-prone border with Pakistan, the crime-sensitive frontier with Bangladesh and is also deployed to render a number of tasks in the internal security domain of the country. — TNS

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 12

An erroneous policy of the Indian Army is holding back benefits to a particular category of personnel wounded in war, including those who were hit by the enemy bullet during the Kargil conflict (May-July 1999) or those injured in ongoing operations.

Such cases cropped up recently during the review of disability pension norms which the Army is in the process of tweaking following allegations of misuse of claims. Recognising the anomaly, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has ordered a correction, which is being worked out, sources said.

In 2012, the Army, while defining the norms for battle casualty and war wounded, had said the war wounded implied those who were injured in enemy action. Within this policy, it was defined who all were to be classified as ‘low medical category (LMC

In 2014, the policy was tweaked. It said those who had been wounded in war but had regained fitness to ‘shape 1 levels’, that is on a par with the highest physical fitness standards required in the Army, could be treated as ‘fit’.

Here comes the catch. The battle casualty and war wounded classified as ‘LMC’ under the 2012 policy get weightage for promotions, fee exemption of children’s education, reservation in educational institutions, income tax exemptions and preference in foreign postings and also advanced courses. Following the 2014 tweak, that allowed the war wounded who regained fitness to ‘shape-1 levels’ to get back to the battle front, all benefits accruing to the war wounded were stopped for this class of personnel.

Within the Army, it was felt that the 2014 tweaked policy was too harsh on personnel who, after being hit by the enemy bullet, had regained fitness and had the will to fight again. Sources said some kind of incentive would be restored to this category of persons.

On the other hand, those under the ‘low medical category’ continue to get benefits. Those who have lost a limb, were hit by bullets or have been maimed come under this category.

The 2014 tweak

While those under the ‘low medical category’ continue to get benefits, in 2014 the Army policy was tweaked, laying out that benefits would be stopped to war wounded who had regained fitness to ‘shape-1 levels’ and were ready to return to the battle front.

Two custom-made B-777 planes, which will be used to fly Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top Indian dignitaries from July next year, will be operated by pilots of the Indian Air Force, a senior official said on Wednesday. However, the new wide-body planes will be maintained by Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL), which is a subsidiary of Air India, he said. Currently, the Prime Minister, President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu fly on Air India’s B747 planes, which have the call sign “Air India One”. Air India pilots fly these B-747 aircraft for the dignitaries and the AIESL maintains them. When these B-747 aircraft are not flying the dignitaries, they are used by the Indian national carrier for commercial operations. “The two new B-777 planes will come to India from the US facility of Boeing by July next year. They will have the call sign “Air India One”. Only IAF pilots will be flying the two new aircraft for the PM, the President and the Vice President,” a senior official of the national carrier said. The official said 4-6 pilots of the IAF have already been trained by Air India to fly the B-777 planes. “Some other pilots of IAF will come for training soon,” he added. The B-777 planes will have state-of-the-art missile defence systems called Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS). In February, the US agreed to sell the two defence systems to India at a cost of 190 million dollars. The centre is planning to initiate the process of divestment of its stake in Air India, which has a debt of over Rs. 60,000 crore, from November this year.

idrw.org .Read more at India No 1 Defence News Website https://idrw.org/pms-new-official-aircraft-will-be-flown-by-air-force-pilots-report/ .

RESTRICTIONS on mobile telephony in the Kashmir Valley should have been lifted soon after they were removed in the Jammu region. Now, after two months, there is no apparent security reason for the administration to continue with the clampdown on communications. When the Union government is justified in congratulating itself for preventing the loss of lives in the Valley while it scrapped Article 370 of the Constitution, for the same reason, it is not justified in prolonging the mobile phone shutdown. By switching on the Valley phones earlier, the Modi government would have legitimately been able to take pride in being responsive towards its citizens. It is already late.

On Monday night, the US House foreign relations committee issued a strongly-worded statement while retweeting a New York Times story on the death of a snake-bite victim in Baramulla: ‘India’s communication blackout in Kashmir is having a devastating impact on the lives and welfare of everyday Kashmiris. It is time for India to lift these restrictions and afford Kashmiris the same rights and privileges as any other Indian citizen.’ The statement has come ahead of the Asia subcommittee hearing scheduled on October 22. The tweet is significant, for the US House committee has described Kashmiris as Indian citizens, unequivocally.

This endorsement of the Indian position on the status of J&K comes in the wake of Imran Khan’s desperate attempts to drum up support for his jihad against India. The world has had enough of Islamist expansionism and no amount of breast-beating in the name of the people of the Valley can legitimise a proxy war. Yet, it needs to be underscored that the biggest threat to the Indian state in the Valley is often itself. The Union government seems to be in a state of amnesia in its actions towards all those who had kept the flag flying in the Valley. In fact, until the phones are buzzing, nobody outside the Valley will even believe that there is no restriction on movement there. Kashmiris, too, need to be protected and connected to the rest of the world, like any other Indian citizen.

PS Randhawa

The removal of Article 370 has brought Kashmir into focus in a big way. While the official narrative is focused around ending the problems of Kashmiri people and integrating them with mainstream India, the other side is harping about the end of the special status and security clampdown along with restrictions on communication.

Having served in Kashmir on a number of occasions, starting from 1989, I can say that to date — since the beginning of insurgency — only two kinds of people (besides Kashmiri Pandits who fled) have suffered in Kashmir. One is the common man and the other is the soldier — from all uniformed forces.

There is abject poverty in remote areas of the Valley. The only job available there is of a porter, for taking rations to Army posts located at higher altitudes. That job only lasts for a limited period. The common man has very small landholdings. Those in towns are mostly dependent on tourism-related jobs that last for about six months. Insurgency has severely affected the common man. Frequent calls of shutdown have hit the small businessman, shopkeeper and daily-wage earner. He has to join protests lest he is seen as a ‘traitor’ to the cause. Studies of his children have suffered. His children, brainwashed by wily politicians, turn militants and get killed in the bargain. It is not so-called ‘azadi’ that is his biggest problem, it is to earn his living, somehow. While politicians of all hues from the Valley have prospered, he is the one who has suffered the most. His suffering continues.

Next is the soldier. There were days when posting to the Valley was much sought-after. It is no more so.  Soldiers are performing duties under severely stressful conditions. One is never sure from which direction a bullet or a stone is going to hit him. Travelling on foot or in a vehicle is equally dangerous. He doesn’t know whether he will safely return to the barracks at the end of the day. He, at times, has to skip meals, rest and sleep. He is out of communication with his kin for days. There are times he doesn’t get leave due to many compelling reasons. His folks at home live on the edge, with prayers on their lips till he returns from Kashmir. They are apprehensive to pick up the phone lest they get some bad news about him. Besides getting killed in the line of duty, a number of soldiers have lost their limbs and fallen prey to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He has sacrificed the most.

For the rest of the lot, nothing much has mattered. The business of politics has prospered. Other business continues as usual with interruptions. One can only hope and pray that peace returns to the Valley, and the common man and soldier, both enjoy a peaceful life they deserve.

For the last two months, there was relative quiet in the Middle East and the standoff between the US and Iran appeared easing although tensions never abated. Perhaps by sheer coincidence that was also the period during which President Trump and his security policy team were focusing on the possible US pullout or further drawdown from Afghanistan. The hiatus was broken on Sep 14 with the Saudi Aramco oil processing facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais being targeted by 18 drones and 7 cruise missiles.

Abqaiq refinery is the largest crude oil stabilization plant in the world producing 7 million barrels of oil every day or about 7% of the world’s production. That makes it a crucial part of the energy infrastructure of Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest exporter of oil.  Ownership of the attacks was claimed immediately by the Zaidi Shia Houthi rebels, Iran supported rebels fighting the Saudi backed government in Yemen. The Houthis control a part of western and southern Yemen with access to the sea. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition against the Houthis after they overthrew the government led by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. The war was assumed to be over in a few weeks but continues to date despite efforts at a full blockade which the coalition has attempted to establish. Iranian arms supplies apparently continue to reach the Houthis assisting them in their fight which has previously witnessed missile attacks on the Saudi territory.

The Yemen-Saudi war has all the manifestations of the Shia Sunni conflict fought by proxy in a wretchedly impoverished land. That larger ideological and sectarian confrontation may continue long and without outcome, but spurts of it fought by proxies have all the potential of lighting fires in the volatile Middle East.

Here is how it can happen. Swarming from the air with comparatively inexpensive but fitted out drones can be a nightmare for the most advanced air defence systems. The Saudi air defence was clearly not prepared for such a contingency when high profile vulnerable points (VPs) are attacked en masse. As proxies get bolder they are likely to employ more of these against Saudi oil infrastructure, water purification facilities and other installations in the Gulf countries. Shipping itself could be the target as large tankers move in and out of Saudi waters. The first impact of this will always be a cut back in oil production, increase in oil prices and enhanced cost of insurance for shipping. Already prices for Brent crude have jumped 20% to touch US$ 76 a barrel. One-off attacks may yet find a staving off of military confrontation. However, persistence will result in compulsive turbulence.

Passivity in the face of such direct intimidation may not be acceptable to the US as it is a direct challenge to its alliances and power in the Middle East. Going into election year President Trump was keen to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. Does this mean that he may not pursue US strategic interests and support its main allies in the Middle East too? The US decision to drop the potential agreement with the Taliban for the sake of pursuing its chief interests would equally apply here irrespective of the internal impact on US electoral politics.

The US as the major supporter of Saudi interests and in 40-year confrontation with Iran has accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of masterminding the drone attacks. Proof of the same is yet to be produced but in such situations that isn’t necessary; the US did, after all, invade and fight Gulf War II in 2003 on the basis of unproven allegations of nuclear ‘weaponisation’ by Saddam Hussain. It led to the eight-year deployment in Iraq.  Robert McNally a former NSA from the Bush-era stated – “This drone attack was about Iran demonstrating that it has the means and will to execute exquisitely precise attacks on the most vital oil infrastructure in the world by far; they can do this again and again”. Is this a rational surmise? Is Iran in triumphal mood seeking confrontation or is it defensive because of the effect of sanctions? Perhaps the IRGC may have wished to demonstrate the capability of executing a proxy war which could target Saudi Arabia’s critical infrastructure; an attack to cause deterrence. However, any repetition of this will discount any theory of attempting deterrence and will probably invite retaliation. Why this seems implausible strategy by the IRGC is that in due course the Saudi-Israel-US combine will find solutions to counter swarming attacks by drones which will neutralize one element of surprise which cuts across the tactical to the strategic level.

Iran is confident that the Saudis are incapable of launching war alone. The US projected its will to some extent in a buildup towards confrontation just a few months ago. Conventional all-out war is ruled out, or anything entailing ground operations for entry into Iranian mainland. A US carrier group, each south of the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean, may form the bulk of the naval and air resources while a buildup of ground troops to identified vulnerable hot spots in Iraq, Syria and Saudi Arabia will take place. But none of this will deter the thousands of proxies that the IRGC controls and can launch without international borders being an obstacle. It’s a case where conflict initiation could still be easy but termination would be in no one’s control. In the absence of a firm US commitment, Saudi Arabia has little capacity to actively resist Iran’s intent. That could be a temptation by the proxies to strike again, creating conditions for the US to step into the cauldron of what could be another of the Middle East’s interminable wars.

The start point of any measures to offset potential showdown is to terminate the war in Yemen. That will be a virtual admission of Saudi defeat and a serious threat to its stature in Middle East politics. The US has limited options and military ones are far and few. Inaction on its part will prove the failure of its strategy of pressurizing Iran through the abrogation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) of 2015 and looking for regime change to weaken it. Iran’s control over many proxies in the region is the key to its capability and ability to offset ideas of military confrontation. It’s the next violent move which will throw open even more challenges and hurtle the Middle East towards war, the impact of which will have serious implications for the world economy and the balance of power in the Middle East.

The author commanded the 15 Corps in J&K

In what is likely the Indian Army’s largest such order till date, private players have been invited to participate in the bidding process for a contract of around 1 million anti-personnel mines, reports The Economic Times. Interestingly, it is only private companies who are being asked to bid.

Such mines are used regularly along the Line-of-Control (LoC) to tackle infiltration attempts by terrorists and by their Pakistan Army backers. The LoC remains the world’s most mined area after the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing North and South Korea.

Currently, there is no Indian private firm which produces or supplies anti-personnel mines; some do however provide parts for anti-personnel mines manufactured by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), so responses to the invitation are expected from such private players.
The company which clinches the contract will be required to supply one million mines over a five year timeline. The mines which the Indian Army wants to procure are of the Non Metallic Mine (NMM) 14 type, which is especially difficult to detect as it is primarily made of plastic.