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‘Sight-the-criminal’ glasses for Pb cops

‘Sight-the-criminal’ glasses for Pb cops

Jupinderjit Singh and Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 5

With specialised eyewear that will recognise a suspect and flash his or her criminal data on the glass screen — the Punjab Police are, indeed, set to go hi-tech.   The first in the country to enrol themselves with a pilot project started by a Gurgaon-based company, details of 80,000 criminals have already been fed into a server connected to the eyeglasses to be worn by the men in khaki. Gathering and feeding in data was an arduous exercise that took a year.The eyewear, that looks like Google Glass (an optical head-mounted display designed in the shape of a pair of eyeglasses), can help spot a suspect in a crowd. Not just the criminal’s name, but his entire criminal history can be accessed in a few seconds.“This technology is a quantum jump for prevention of crime,” said a senior police official, pointing out that it was not uncommon for criminals to walk past a police check-post without raising suspicion. “Smart glasses will solve the problem, recognising the iris and face contours, even if the criminal is disguised.” As of now, the police have to put up posters of proclaimed offenders to get a clue on their whereabouts and track them down. “Punjab has more than 6,000 proclaimed offenders who have been evading arrest for many years. A number of gangsters too are at large,” the police officer said. Explaining the ‘wonder glasses’, co-founder and CEO of the company Atul Rai says each of these have an in-built camera that “captures input” to trigger facial recognition. “Identifying the suspect from the digitised criminal database, it projects the results on the glass screen. The ‘smart glass’ fuses speech and image recognition to identify potential threats to society — criminals, intruders and terrorists. “We are taking the personal security feature to the next level, giving users a unique opportunity to stay alert and actively resist crime,” explains Rai, whose company has developed PAIS (Punjab AI System), an advanced artificial intelligence technology that can register,  identify and anticipate criminal activity.


Veterans at service of forces:::*Middle rung Army Officers taking the bull by the horns*

There is a strange and interesting churning taking place in the Army wherein middle rung officers are slowly but relentlessly taking up causes which impact the rank and file in the Indian Army. Unlike the yesteryears when the ‘senior lot’ use to fight for the rights of the rank and file under their command, today the middle rung officers are taking up cudgels on behalf of their brothers in arms. These silent warriors have steped out of their comfort zones with making any noise and have taken bull by the horns.  Three most prominent and recent examples are of Col Mukul Dev (Judge & Advocate General branch) who has been fighting for getting ‘Non Functional Up gradation’ for Armed forces officers, Lt Col P K Choudhary (Army Supply Corps) who has been fighting for an alleged discriminatory ‘Command Exit Model’ which is tilted in favour of Infantry and Artillery officers and Lt Col Sandeep Ahlawat (Armoured Corps) who took up the case and filed an RTI for seeking information on non provisioning of mint issue medals which led to the apathy/lack of accountability of MoD coming to public domain.
 Col Mukul Dev has been instrumental in taking up the legal battle to Supreme court for Grant of Non Functional Upgradation to the Armed forces officers. All group ‘A’ officers of the Government of India are given non functional upgradation however only Armed forces officers were unceremoniously left out of its ambit due to some bizzare reason which is bereft of logic.
Lt Col P K Choudhary of ASC had  challenged the faulty system of ‘Command Exit Model’ which had divided the Indian Army on the lines of arms and services. It was Lt Col P K  Choudhary who took it upon himself to get justice for the officers who stood to loose from this  model as it was partisan to say the least. It was due to his protracted battle in the Supreme Court that the Indian Army was forced to release 141 vacancies of Col. His dogged efforts resulted in 141 officers picking up Colonel’s rank who otherwise were passed over  ( this issue ideally should have been taken up by their respective Colonels of the Regiments who are Lt Gen rank officers and it is an absolute irony that all of them had retired from their last ranks with PVSMs/AVSMS or both).
In a recent case an Armoured Corps officer named Lt Col Sandeep Ahlawat  relentlessly persued the case of non provisioning of mint issued medals by the Directorate of Military Regulation and Forms in MoD. DMR&F immediately closed its flank and in order to appease the officer released his medal immediately. The officer refused to take the medal out of turn and asked DMR&F to first issue medals to all wait listed Officers, JCOS and OR of Indian Army in fact the officer filed and RTI through his counsel which led to uneartning of a startling truth that since last nine years MoD has not issued medals to Armed Forces personal and our soldiers are buying fake medals from local markets located next to military cantonments. Our sources in the MoD have confirmed that the officer is planning to file a PIL in Delhi High Court.
It is nobody’s case to mention that even the Generals have not received their mint issued services medals from MoD.
These three officers epitomise raw and selfless courage as not only are they taking on system head on  through a pain full and arduous judicial recourse to correct a wrong but are also in the bargain getting justice for fellow brother in arms. These officers have raised the hopes of scores of fellow officers and soldiers that all is not lost. These three officers have taken up issues which impact  all other officers and jawans and even got partial succes in all the missions they had set out to achieve. Each of these three officers have left no stone unturned to restore the honour of the rank and file of our mighty Army. The so called ‘senior lot’ here in Army Hqs who are otherwise have a sacred task to fight for the dues of the soldiers keep garnering various medals ( the exercise of disbursements of medals in 2015 had become a laughing stock ) and keep embarrassing the Army by getting involved in issue which are not above board. How can we expect that the General will do the bidding of the soldiers that they are commanding if all they do in Army HQ is to garner all  ‘Sewa’ medals .  It augers well for the Army that we still have officers who stand for the right of their fellow soldiers but the moot point remains unanswered as who should get a “Sewa Medal” ‘Vishist’ or ‘Param Vishist’ can be decided later. It is about time the the the Army recognises the true meaning of “Sewa”.

CRPF Jawan Forced to Carry Intestine in Polythene Bag After Surviving Naxal Attack in 2014

 

Morena (MP): Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan Manoj Tomar has been forced to carry his intestine in a polythene bag wrapped around his waist since he was injured in a naxal attack in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district in 2014.

Tomar, a resident of Morena in Madhya Pradesh, has been running from pillar to post for four years to get assistance for the costly treatment.

 He has served in the CRPF for 16 years. He even served as SPG commando in Prime Minister’s security detail for eight years.

Alleging apathy, Tomar said that the way he has been treated has left him devastated and shattered. How can they treat me like this, after serving the nation for 16 years? He asked.

“What is the meaning of my being alive like this? I am no different from my buddies who were killed. I am not able to do anything for my family. I am not saying that I was not provided treatment, but that is not enough,” Tomar said.

“To complete my treatment, now I am forced to make rounds — at times at AIIMS or on occasions at bungalows of various ministers pleading for help,” he added.

I have no hope of getting any help from the government, he claimed.

Tomar was part of a CRPF battalion which ambushed by naxals in Jiram valley of Sukma district in 2014. Tomar was hit by seven bullets in the belly while all 11 fellow jawans in his party died in the assault.

While he survived, Tomar could never recover completely as portion of his intestine remained outside his stomach while he lost vision in one eye. Since then, he has been forced to carry his intestine in a polythene bag tied to his waist.


India has played responsible role in Afghan development: US

India has played responsible role in Afghan development: US
US diplomat for South and Central Asia, Alice Wells, was speaking to a Washington audience. Thinkstock

Washington, March 10

India has played a responsible role in the economic development of Afghanistan, the Trump administration said noting that the trilateral India-Afghan-US cooperation is not aimed at Pakistan.“India, we’ve seen over the last several years, play a responsible role in the economic development and reconstruction of Afghanistan. And that role has been appreciated by the government of Afghanistan,” senior US diplomat for South and Central Asia, Alice Wells, told a Washington audience.Early this month, Wells was in Kabul to attend the Kabul process meeting. On the sidelines of it, she participated in the India-US-Afghanistan trilateral, which again raised eyebrows in Pakistan.The trilateral meeting, she said, was to review how the three countries could better work together on development trade and investment priorities.“But that does not imply that we would support or think that there’s any manipulation of Afghanistan so that it can be used against Pakistan,” Wells said in response to a question at the US Institute of Peace, a US-Congress supported top American think-tank.Pakistan, she said, had an important role to play in a peace process, and in stabilising Afghanistan.“We believe Pakistan can help change and shape the calculus of the Taliban. We are engaged with Pakistan on how we can work together as well as address Pakistan’s legitimate concerns through a negotiated process,” she said. PTI


Arun Jaitley to contest RS poll from UP

Tribune News Service

New Delhi March 7

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will contest Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh, Health Minister JP Nadda from Himachal Pradesh and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from Madhya Pradesh, the BJP’s central election committee announced today.Jaitley is currently a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat and Pradhan from Bihar. The list of eight senior party leaders for the coming Rajya Sabha elections from various states includes seven Union Ministers and party general secretary Bhupendra Yadav.The other, besidfes Jaitley and Pradhan, will contest from the states they have been elected from. Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot will contest from Madhya Pradesh, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Bihar and Nadda from Himachal.Union Ministers Parshottam Rupala and Manusukh Mandaviya will contest from Gujarat and Bhupendra Yadav from Rajasthan.The term of all seven leaders ends on April 2.


Between Doklam, Dangal, an uneasy truce

CHINA In foreign secretary’s quiet visit to Beijing, experts see some thaw in frosty Sino­Indian ties, but it doesn’t signal end to layered game of diplomacy between the world’s two most populated nations and neighbours

BEIJING: A day ahead of China’s biggest holiday on February 16, the first day of the Lunar New Year, Beijing came out bristling with anger against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh or “south Tibet” as it is claimed here to be.

PIB■ Prime Minister Narendra Modi with chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu, at the inauguration of Dorjee Khandu State Convention Centre in Itanagar on February 15.Instead of sitting down for the traditional family dinner on New Year’s Eve, a group of Chinese diplomats had to rustle up an angry response to the visit: “The Chinese government has never recognised the so-called AP and is firmly opposed to the Indian leader’s visit to the disputed area”.

The Chinese Year of the Earth Dog, it seemed, had begun on a sour note for Sino-Indian ties; Nothing new, of course, after the low of the Doklam (Donglang in Chinese) military standoff near Sikkim that started in June and ended in August.

Eight days later, on Feb 23, foreign secretary, Vijay Gokhale landed in Beijing on an unannounced visit, which had been decided mutually soon after he had taken over as foreign secretary in January.

Gokhale held talks with the vice-foreign minister Kong Xuanyou, foreign minister Wang Yi and state councillor Yang Jiechi.

As it turns out, for one, Gokhale is likely to have assured the Chinese side that the Modi government had instructed government functionaries to avoid events arranged by the Tibetan government in exile to mark 60 years in exile of the Dalai Lama.

Dalai Lama is China’s all-weather “separatist” and “splittist” and it was his visit to AP in April that, many say, partly set the dark tone for Sino-Indian ties in the year 2017.

The statements subsequently released by both sides were expectedly civil, talking about “addressing differences and being sensitive to each other’s concerns”.

Around the same time, in Paris China withdrew its opposition against a US-led move to place Pakistan on the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) watch list.

It was a reminder of the declaration issued at the end of the BRICS summit held in China in September when the group had bracketed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed with global terror groups Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

So, the layered game of diplomacy between the world’s two most populated nations and neighbours continues: India and China balance decades-old strategic mistrust with diplomacy; balance the disputed border — the unmarked root of all troubles — with the promise of bilateral economic potential and balance domestic political compulsions with regional and global obligations.

India watchers here were not willing to comment why Beijing decided to withdraw support for Pakistan, its “allweather strategic ally” at FATF even if they knew it was for economic and strategic interests in the region crucial to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project under President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.

They, however, had words of both optimism and caution for Sino-Indian ties.

“Managing the relationship between India and China is like rowing a boat against the current – if you don’t strive to move forward, you will naturally drift backwards. Cooperation benefits both parties, while confrontation will only hurt both,” said Lan Jianxue, associate research fellow of China Institute of International Studies (CIIS).

“However, the relationship now seems stuck in a “strategic drift”, and is running the risk of free falling down. It is, however, still possible for both parties to avoid hostility. A basic consensus on the relationship of the two countries still exists; all we need to do is to refocus on it,” Lan Jianxue added.

“The Indian foreign secretary’s quiet visit to Beijing last week was of great significance as his visit may mark the turning point in bringing bilateral tries back on track,” said Wang Dehua, south Asia expert at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies.

Much more, however, needs to be done to improve ties especially between the two armed forces, keeping in mind that soldiers from both countries are the ones who to have to deal with each other on hostile terrain through the year.

The “hand-to-hand” anti-terror exercise, which was to be held in China last year, for example, was cancelled because of the military standoff.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has held exercises on the high plateaus of the Tibet Autonomous Region and strengthened its forces, especially the air force, by deploying fighter jets along the disputed border.

“Since the Donglang standoff, hostility between the militaries of China and India is obviously greater than cooperation. China is very dissatisfied with India’s foxy action, taking advantage of its ties with the US and Japan to contain China’s posture in the east,” said Ni Lexiong a Shanghai-based military expert.

“The suspension of the military exercise is a direct consequence of the Donglang incident. It shows that the relations between the two countries and relations between the two armies are abnormal and trustless,” Ni added.

Zhang Jiadong, director of the Centre for South Asian Studies at Shanghai’s Fudan University, cited the recent visit of Gokhale, army chief general Bipin Rawat, and NSA Ajit Doval to Bhutan as part of India’s attempts to prepare Thimpu in case of another military standoff in the region.

At the same time, Zhang was optimistic that a similar incident will not recur and bilateral ties are set to improve this year.

“Traditionally, after a bad period, we will have a good period. Both governments are trying their best to have a better relationship this year. So, a state visit between China and India is very likely to happen this year,” Zhang said indicating a visit by a top Chinese leader, possible Premier Li Keqiang, to India in 2018.

Modi, meanwhile, is likely to visit the coastal city of Qingdao in China in June for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit where both India and Pakistan will participate for the first time as full members of the group.

A number of high-level visits from India are expected in the run-up to the summit of the SCO, a security organisation led by China.

Interestingly, if the amazing success of Aamir Khan’s Dangal preceded the Doklam standoff, Khan’s Secret Superstar – which made some $120 million in China – was a hit here five months after the militaries disengaged.

It has to be remembered that Secret Superstar succeeded despite the Chinese government’s concerted anti-India rhetoric through official and online media during and after the Himalayan face-off.

“The recent success of Indian films in China shows us that we do share common values and these commonalities could be the basis that we build a healthier and more sustainable relation,” Guo Suiyan, who focusses on south Asia at the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences said.

Easier said than done. But for the 2.5 billion people in India and China, bonding over Dangal would likely be more desirable than the dangerous uncertainty that another military standoff like in Doklam could trigger.


With LoC on edge, hope dims on normalising India-Pakistan ties

05 MARCH 2018

UNCERTAIN Even after secret meeting between two National Security Advisers in Thailand and moves to free elderly prisoners, experts rule out chances of any sustained contacts till 2019

The prospects of a breakthrough in efforts to put India-Pakistan relations on an even keel have rarely appeared bleaker in recent decades than they do now – the Line of Control (LoC; effectively the border between the two countries) on fire with near daily clashes, political leaders snipping at each other and peopleto-people contacts virtually snapped.

APOfficial data shows there were more than 400 ceasefire violations on the Line of Control this year, and January alone recorded the highest number of violations since the two countries agreed to a truce on the 742­km LoC in 2003.There have been a few tantalising glimmers of hope – such as the secret meeting between the two National Security Advisers in Thailand last December and a move to free elderly and women prisoners – but experts and officials from both sides are ruling out the possibility of any sustained contacts till 2019, by when both countries will have held general elections.

Official data shows there were more than 400 ceasefire violations on the Line of Control this year, and January alone, recorded the highest number of violations since the two countries agreed to a truce on the 742-km LoC in 2003. Troops from both sides have clashed almost every day and Indian Army officers say Pakistan is taking advantage of the lack of snow on mountains to push more terrorists across the LoC to keep the pot boiling in Kashmir.

Worried by the violence, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said last month that there was no alternative to talks with Pakistan even though India has won all the wars fought by the two sides. Mufti, whose People’s Democratic Party rules the state in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, acknowledged the perils of the stance she was taking when she said she would be labelled “anti-national” but added that she couldn’t stand by as “people die every day”.

Days later, home minister Rajnath Singh made it clear there could be no talks as long as Pakistan backed terrorism. “Talks and terrorism cannot go on concurrently,” he said. With Pakistan set to hold a crucial general election within the next three months and polls scheduled in India next year, experts and diplomats in both countries believe there will be no movement in the stalled peace process till late 2019 – largely because the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) in Pakistan and the Bharatiya Janata Party in India cannot upset their core domestic constituencies with any overture to the other side.

“Talks and domestic political processes cannot and should not be linked. No matter how bad the situation is, the two should be kept separate. But I don’t see anything moving till next year,” said a top Pakistani diplomat involved in contacts between the two sides.

TCA Raghavan, a former Indian envoy to Pakistan, said the last long impasse in bilateral ties was in 2001-03, after the terror attack on Parliament, blamed on Pakistan-based groups. “The current impasse has gone on quite long, though it’s not because of any conscious policy but for tactical reasons,” Raghavan said.

“But it’s different because in 2001-03, Pakistan had a stable political set-up, but now there is political instability and churning going on in Pakistan,” he added, referring to developments such as the ouster of former premier Nawaz Sharif by the Supreme Court on grounds of dishonesty and the confrontation between the country’s civilian government, the judiciary and the military establishment.

Syed Baqir Sajjad, foreign affairs correspondent with Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, agreed that the prospects of India-Pakistan normalisation still remain poor.

“Pakistan is entering election mode. Though there is a near consensus in Pakistan about peace with India, during the election campaign India will not be a priority and neither the outgoing government nor the interim administration will be competent to start the process,” he said. “Once Pakistan completes the process, India will then enter its election phase, which is much longer. During that period it would be more unlikely for such a thing to happen, if the past is an indicator.”

Raghavan also noted that the uncertainty in Pakistan’s politics, with the PML-N under pressure from the judiciary and military, made it all the more difficult for the Indian side to launch any peace initiative. At the same time, he cautioned, India shouldn’t make the mistake of hitching its foreign policy line with that of the US, which has upped the ante on Pakistan to crack down on terrorism.

“We should not link what we’re doing to what the US is doing. The US is increasing its pressure but it isn’t sure what the result will be,” he said.

Diehard peaceniks have taken comfort in the fact that India has invited Pakistan’s commerce minister to an informal WTO ministerial meet in New Delhi on March 19 and 20 and that external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has kept issuing medical visas to Pakistanis even at the worst of times, but more cold-eyed observers say this simply isn’t enough. “The absence of bilateral engagement is costing both countries more than they are realising. It is complicating the already difficult situation and making rapprochement even more difficult. Neither India nor Pakistan seems to acknowledge that blaming each other, instead of maximising longer-term options, isn’t a viable policy,” said Sajjad.


Mohali institute selected for int’l moot court competition

Mohali institute selected for int’l moot court competition
Justice SS Sodhi (retd) presents a memento to Justice Surya Kant of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, at the Army Institute of Law in Mohali on Saturday. Tribune Photo: Manoj Mahajan

Tribune News Service

Mohali, February 10

Justice Surya Kant of the Punjab and Haryana High Court inaugurated the AIL–Sarin National Rounds of the 9th Leiden-Sarin International Air Law Moot Court Competition at the Army Institute of Law, here today.In his address, Justice Surya Kant appreciated the efforts of the Sarin Memorial Legal Aid Foundation and Leiden University in organising the moot court competition. He added that such platform helped students to have a profound understanding of law.He said the legal profession was one of the most honourable professions and participation in the moot court competition would help students become better advocates. “My advice to students would be to avoid repetition, cull out cold facts and then arrange them in a logical manner,” he said.As many as 18 teams from the top law schools of the country participated in the national finals. It was judged by 30 judges, including Justice AG Masih, Justice RN Raina, Justice GS Sandhawalia, Justice BS Walia, Justice Amit Rawal, Justice Deepak Sibal and Justice Sudhir Mittal.Former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Justice SS Sodhi (retd), who is also the president of the Sarin Memorial Legal Aid Foundation, said this moot court competition was one of its kinds in the world, and was a result of collaboration between the Sarin Foundation and Leiden University, Netherlands. “Mooting is one of the most important components of training for a law student,” he added.The three teams selected in the India round are National Law University, Jodhpur; Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala, and Army Institute of Law, Mohali.The selected teams would compete in Seoul with teams from 20 countries, including US, China, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Poland, Singapore, Greece and France.Nitin Sarin, the moot coordinator, stated that this field of law was pertinent in the Indian context because of the booming aviation market which is slated to be the largest in the world by 2030.Nitin Sarin informed that the first eight editions of this international competition were held round the world, beginning with New Delhi in 2010, Dubai 2011, Istanbul 2012, Abu Dhabi in 2013, Bucharest Romania in 2014; Beijing, China in 2015; Jakarta, Indonesia in 2016; and Malta in April 2017.Two students of the Army Institute of Law received the first Sarin Foundation Best Mooters Award during the inauguration of the 9th Leiden Sarin International Air Law Moot Court Competition.Justice Surya Kant gave away the awards comprising of Rs 25,000 each to Aafreen Choudhary and Adhiraj Bhandari.ML Sarin, secretary general of the Sarin Memorial Legal Aid Foundation, announced the formation of a corpus of Rs 5 lakh, the interest of which will be used to felicitate the best mooter from the Army Institute of Law, Mohali, annually.


Will compete with teams from 20 countries The three teams selected in the India round are National Law University, Jodhpur; Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala, and Army Institute of Law, Mohali. The selected teams would compete in Seoul with teams from 20 countries, including US, China, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Poland, Singapore, Greece and France.

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Army shall give proper reply to Pak: Rajnath on ceasefire violation

Army shall give proper reply to Pak: Rajnath on ceasefire violation
Home Minister Rajnath Singh. File photo

New Delhi, February 5Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday condemned the cross-border firing by Pakistan in which four Indian soldiers, including a Captain, were killed, saying he has full faith in the valour of the Indian Army and they shall “give proper reply” to the neighbour.”Have full faith in the valour of our soldiers, and they shall give proper reply,” Rajnath Singh told reporters.

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Earlier, Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir also condemned Sunday’s ceasefire violation in Jammu and Kahsmir’s Rajouri and Poonch districts saying that it shall “cost Pakistan dearly”.”Pakistan has been violating ceasefire along the LoC. And this year the number of ceasefire violations are high,” Ahir said.”Yesterday (Sunday) also, they again violated ceasefire. We will not forgive Pakistan’s actions,” the Minister said.”The ceasefire violations would prove to be Pakistan’s foolishness and will cost them dearly,” he added.Union Minister for MSME, Giriraj Singh also slammed Pakistan for the ceasefire violations and said, “Have faith in the Indian Army. When the right time comes they shall give a proper reply to them.” Referring to the 2016 surgical strikes, the Minister said, “When the Army carried out surgical strikes it didn’t tell the media about it. Similarly, they shall act accordingly at the right time.” He said India has been following international laws.”There is a Hindi saying in Bihar ‘latkhor’ (addicted to being beaten), and similarly Pakistan is ‘latkhor’ and thus proper reply would be given to them,” he added.The Minister’s remarks came in the wake of the increased cross border firing in the Kashmir Valley.On Sunday, four Indian soldiers were killed and four others were injured in firing in Rajouri and Poonch districts.The killed soldiers included Captain Kapil Kundu, who would have celebrated his 23rd birthday on February 10. Hailing from Haryana’s Gurugram, he is survived by his mother Sunita.The others were Riflemen Ramavatar, 27, from Baraka village in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior, besides Subham Singh, 23, from Kathua and Havilder Roshan Lal, 43, from Samba in Jammu and Kashmir.

IANS


Does Modi Care? The answer lies in its implementation

Does Modi Care?

Usually the Budget is an annual financial exercise with a little tinge of political messaging. The ritual this year was different. On Thursday, in Parliament, FM Jaitley read out a whole catalogue of schemes, while also referring to revenue and expenditure details that would affect over 1.3 billion Indians. Captivating announcements were made with catchy slogans — “ease of living”, “minimum government and maximum governance”, “premium on honesty”,  “blackboard to digital board” and “the new India” — unmindful of the ground realities. Even promises have been made like fixing MSPs at a minimum “one and half times” of the farmer’s input cost and the universal health insurance that would allow the poor to avail quality healthcare.In exuberance, the government officials termed “Ayushman Bharat Programme” as “Modicare” — and touted it as the largest public healthcare programme globally. But, the people living in the world’s largest democracy must anyway get the universal healthcare facilities as a matter of their constitutional right. Good that the Modi government has made a beginning in this direction with a big announcement, but with a tiny Rs 2,000 crore budget.Political announcements remain shallow promises unless they are tied up with funds and other resources. “Modicare”, the flagship scheme to provide Rs 5 lakh per family medical cover to over 50 crore poor, needs about Rs 11,000 crore annually. The Rs 2,000 crore tokenism reduces this Budget announcement to yet another promise ahead of the general election. “Modicare” is an enormous project for a cash-strapped country that has already tripped from the path of fiscal prudence. There are other knotty issues involved with its implementation. The most difficult one is the identification of the beneficiaries belonging to the vulnerable section. Misuse of mediclaim policies, particularly by private hospitals notorious for overcharging, is another problem that needs to be addressed effectively. Shortage of hospitals and doctors are other constraints. A well-intentioned government normally prefers to tie up all loose ends before announcing an important scheme. FM Jaitley must, however, take definitive steps for unveiling a properly-planned “Modicare” with adequate funds to avoid the repeat of “Obamacare”, a noble plan that invited notoriety because of the erroneous funding mechanism.