Tribune News Service
Jammu, November 18
The Chushul Brigade of the Trishul Division ofthe Army today commemorated the 53rd anniversary of the battle of Rezang La in Ladakh.
Chushul is synonymous with the battle ofRezang La.
It was fought during the 1962 war, where the personnel of 13 Kumaonled by Maj ShaitanSingh, Param Vir Chakra awardee, fought theChinese troops, said a defence spokesperson.
Continuing with the tradition of honouring the war heroes, the Chushul Brigade commemorated the 53rd anniversary of the battle of Rezang La in Ladakh today, he said.
War veterans, ex-servicemen and war widows from adjoining areas were invited and honoured during the function.
The celebrations commenced with archery and drawing competitions among the villages of Chushul, Tsaka, Tangtse, Durbuk, Mann, Merak, Phobrang and Parma.
The event culminated with a wreath-laying ceremony at the war memorial, where war veterans, senior Army officers, war widows, civil dignitaries and local residents paid their homage to the fallen heroes, he said.

BEING IN THE EARLY 20S, WE WERE UNDERAGE FOR MATRIMONY BUT RIPE FOR FUN
One late November evening in the early 1970s, our military special chugged into the Chandigarh railway station after traversing better part of the subcontinent. Starting from Missamari, a remote township in Assam, we made it to our destination on the fifth day. It marked the beginning of our well-earned peace tenure after four years of demanding operational service in the dense jungles of Mizoram and Nagaland, besides the Bangladesh War.
Our battalion was located in a temporary accommodation at Chandimandir, but the city was a big attraction. While married officers joined by their families settled down in the cantonment, we four single officers were nestled in the unit mess on the Shimla highway, astride the Chandimandir police station. Being in the early 20s, we were underage for matrimony (25 is the cut-off, as per army regulations) but ripe for fun.
To make the best of the facilities around, we were members of the Chandigarh and Lake Clubs within in few days, the most happening places then. Making inroads into the university, we joined part-time programmes to scale up our academic credentials. Excellent sports facilities came as a boon. Courtesy then Asian champion Ajmer Singh, I was able clock under 51 seconds in the 400 metres race during the annual athletics meet.
A good number of army officers’ children studied in the university. Their parents often requested our commanding officer to have goodies delivered to them on special occasions. Courier duty to Sarojni and Mata Gujri Halls was one errand we always looked forward to. As working days were rather packed, the weekends were awaited eagerly. On Saturday afternoons during summers, the foursome was at the City Club invariably for a game of tennis. After cooling off in the pool, the evening tombola was a great occasion for socialising. Come Sunday, we rarely missed the midday movie at KC Theatre, followed by sailing at the Lake Club. Dinner would be at Sector 17. The desolate drive back to the unit through Manimajra and Panchkula hamlets, with a long week ahead, was a real dampener.Captain Shamsher Singh was the iconic secretary of the Chandigarh Club, where social events were always a great draw. Even on the New Year’s Eve, when the city lads were in high spirits, the captain was effective in maintaining institutional decorum. Grand reception hosted for the Indian hockey team that had lifted the 1975 World Cup remains etched in memory. We all had motorcycles but we had a crazy idea to buy a 1958 vintage Fiat to boost our stature. Detailed document was prepared, defining the terms and conditions for sharing the property. The venture turned out to be a fiasco, as the little beauty had to be towed frequently by the unit recovery vehicle, we sitting inside blushing with embarrassment.
The higher headquarters were in Kasauli and Shimla. Snappy ride uphill to spend evening with course mates and getting back in time for the physical training at the crack of dawn added spice to life. Two-years-and-a-half flew by and we headed to Jammu and Kashmir for deployment on the Line of Control (LoC). Many friends we had made came to bid us adieu, the overwhelming sentiment of the moment was: ‘It will never be the same again.”
Even four decades on, the fond memories of the Chandimandir tenure come alive whenever I happen to be around the town. Overpowered by nostalgia, I search frantically for the missing vibes; alas, in vain!

ये थीं पूर्व सैनिकों की मांग
1. वीआरएस लेने वालों को भी मिले फायदा
2. हर साल नहीं तो हर दो साल में हो पेंशन की समीक्षा
3. वर्ष 2013 की अधिकतम पेंशन को आधार माना जाए
4. पांच सदस्यीय न्यायिक आयोग बने और इसमें तीन पूर्व सैनिक हों तथा एक माह में अपनी रिपोर्ट दे
5. पूर्व सैनिक एक अप्रैल 2014 से ओआरओपी को लागू करवाना चाहते थे

सरकार से ये मिला
1. अब से वीआरएस लेने वालों को ओआरओपी का फायदा नहीं
2. हर पांच साल में होगी समीक्षा
3. वर्ष 2013 की औसत पेंशन को आधार माना जाएगा
4. एक सदस्यीय न्यायिक आयोग का गठन और छह महीने में आएगी रिपोर्ट
5. सरकार ने एक जुलाई 2014 से लागू किया

एंड्रॉएड ऐप पर अमर उजाला पढ़ने के लिए क्लिक करें. अपने फ़ेसबुक पर अमर उजाला की ख़बरें पढ़ना हो तो यहाँ क्लिक करें.

A comparative study on defence expenditure of ten top military nations including US, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany besides India and Pakistan has raised concern at India’s growing expenditure on defence personnel which has adversely affected its operation and war preparedness.

The study was conducted by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) for the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) which has recently submitted its report to the government. The report has analysed strength of top militaries and their expenditure on personnel, operations and equipment procurement as proportion of total defence budget.

“In so far as expenditure on operation and maintenance is concerned, India finds itself at a low ninth place in 2007 and 10th place in 2012 (among ten top defence forces),” the pay panel has observed.

The reason, it says is because India is spending much more on personnel (salary and allowances) as a proportion of its total defence budget, directly affecting operation and maintenance expenditure. The expenditure on personnel (in India) has increased from 27% of the total defence bud get in 2007 to 41% in 2012 while that on operation and maintenance has decreased from 25% to 15% during the same period.

In comparison, the US spends only 26% of its total defence expenditure on personnel while keeping aside 37% for operations and maintenance. Its share in equipment purchase remains highest between 35% and 41%. China has earmarked almost equal share of funds towards expenditure on personnel, operations and equipment purchases and infrastructure construction.

Even Pakistan which spends 42% of its total defence expenditure on personnel has been spending 26% on operations and maintenance, a higher proportion than India.

In its comments on the findings of the IDSA, the pay panel has observed that the pattern of the defence expenditure brings to fore the need to balance the requirements of the defence forces with the availability of resources.

“The commission recognises the need to calibrate growth in expenditure on pay and allowances…so as to ensure that the composition of defence expenditure be tween capital and revenue and within revenue between pay and allowances and others is not skewed so as to adversely affect the operational and strategic objectives of the forces,” the 7th CPC has noted.

One of the arguments for the larger expenditure on personnel in India is the relative mix of the strength of the services that constitute the armed forces. The IDSA has reported that the share of the Army in the total personnel strength of the Indian armed forces is over 85% while those in the US and UK are 39% and 59% respectively , the pay panel noted, short of suggesting that policy-makers may shift focus to modernising the armed forces and spending more on operational capabilities rather than building huge contingents of boots on the ground.

Tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors is high as India is conducting massive military exercises on its western front with intensive armoured, artillery and infantry manoeuvres to practise swift, high-intensity attacks into enemy territory.

It includes more than 50000 troops of Southern Army Command as well as hundreds of T-90S and T-72 main-battle tanks, artillery guns and multiple-launch rocket systems, all backed by “real-time battlefield transparency” provided by satellites and drones, ground and airborne radars.

Indian military drills also include Bhopal based 21″strike corps” and 12 Corps of Jhodpur . The Indian military exercise will conclude on 10th December 2015.

The aim is to ensure a realistic war-like situation without actually going to war.

The exercise, which will peak towards end-November, will also include a major airdrop of paratroopers behind (simulated) enemy lines. Such a large exercise is usually held once in four years to validate, fine-tune war-fighting strategies

Pakistani government was informed of the scheduled military exercises, in accordance with the “advance notice” protocol in place between the two nations.

On the other hand , Indian and Russian armies were conducting joint military exercises ‘Indra 2015’ that starting on November 7 and concluded on November 21at the Mahajan firing range just north of the city of Bikaner in Rajasthan, which borders neighbouring Pakistan.

The city of Mahajan is not far from India’s border with neighbouring Pakistan and ties between the two countries have not been exactly good in recent months, with several ceasefire violations and civilian deaths on the Pakistan side by Indian army shelling along the Line of Control and Working Boundary.

Jammu: A top Army commander on Thursday said there was a “possibility” that global terror outfit Islamic State (IS) may join hands with Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba to launch attacks in India.

“Yes, that (IS joining hands with LeT to launch attacks in India) can be a possibility as the motive of the terrorists is to spread their propaganda.

“They want their name and for that, they can do anything. And if they get successful, they can take advantage of it by using any name. Yes it is a possibility,” General Officer Commanding of the 16 corps of the army Lt Gen RR Nimbhorkar told reporters here today.

He was replying to a question whether IS can join hands with other terrorists outfits like LeT to launch Paris-type attacks in India.

Lt Gen RR Nimbhorkar also said there are around 700 active militants in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) who.

On a question about the number of terrorist training camps active across the Line of Control in the POK, he said that from the inputs that the captured terrorist Navid has given there are around 37 active camps in that region.

“See, there are a number of launching pads and we are all aware of it as it is in the open domain. So, therefore, I will not exactly say as to how many are there,” he said.

The army commander said,”There are sufficient number of launching pads and if you calculate that way… Take the statement which is given by terrorist captured in Udhampur attack so you can easily co-relate what he said and calculate…

“So to my mind in the entire PoK there may be about 600-700 terrorists.”

He said that out of the 700 militants present in the PoK, half of them are ready and waiting for a chance to infiltrate into the Indian side.
“Out of them, half are ready to be launched so they can come in the launch pad and get launched,” he said.
PTI
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Watch: Indian Army trains for tough times!

vedia Indian Army training

Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, November 18

His colleagues describe the 38-year-old Colonel Santosh Mahadik as a tough soldier always leading from the front while Kupwara residents who knew him remember him as a humane officer.

Locals in frontier Kupwara, where the officer was posted for nearly two years before being killed in the same district during an encounter with militants, say Colonel Mahadik frequently interacted with teachers, youngsters and students, exhorting them to “always be positive in life”.
Colonel Mahadik of the elite Para Commando unit and commanding the counter-insurgency unit of 41 Rashtriya Rifles was killed in a gunfight with militants in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Tuesday.
“In the past two years, Colonel Mahadik had started a programme in collaboration with a Pune-based non-governmental organisation to counsel parents and laid stress on having a positive approach in life. He would also interact with teachers from the area and give them suggestions on keeping children happy and helping them develop a positive attitude,” said a lawyer from Kupwara who knew the officer.
Another local resident said the officer was known in the area as Colonel Santo as he had good relations with locals. “For us Colonel Santo was more of an academician than a soldier. He would proudly tell people about his life story on how he was raised by his milkman father, who still supplied milk back home in Maharashtra,” he said. A senior police officer in Kupwara said Colonel Mahadik was grounded to reality and passionate about social development in backward areas.
“He wanted to do something about changing the mindset of public towards the Army. He would often talk of bringing scenic spots of the Kupwara on the tourism map. He saw a great potential in tourism and believed the Army could take a lead in promoting tourism in border areas, particularly those near the Line of Control,” Senior Superintendent of Police, Kupwara, Aijaz Bhat said, adding that the Colonel had also made a documentary on the scenic Lolab valley.
“The Colonel had great stamina and could effortlessly walk uphill. In the operation which consumed his life, he pursued and pushed the militants. He wished to bring laurels to the Army and did so with his supreme sacrifice,” Bhat said.
A senior Army officer said Colonel Mahadik was a brilliant and extraordinary human being. “He was great guy who was always willing to fight terrorists. The Colonel led from the front against Pakistani terrorists and fell fighting,” he added.
The Colonel was supposed to complete his tenure in March. “Colonel Mahadik was awarded Sena Medal (Gallantry) for his exceptional gallantry and leadership as a young officer while fighting militants in the Lolab valley in 2003,” a Srinagar-based defence spokesman said.
Governor condoles death of Col Santosh Mahadik
Jammu: Governor NN Vohra has spoken to Northern Command chief Lt Gen DS Hooda and General Officer Commanding of the 15 Corps Lt Gen SK Dua to convey his condolences over the death of Colonel Santosh Mahadik, Commaning Officer, 41 Rashtriya Rifles. Colonel Mahadik, a decorated Special Forces’ officer, was killed in an encounter with militants in Kupwara district on Tuesday. The Governor has conveyed his heartfelt sympathy to the gallant officer’s wife and family.

NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday joined the agitating ex-servicemen at Jantar Mantar and asked the Centre to implement ‘one rank one pension (OROP) for the veterans in its “true spirit” rejecting its recent notification in this regard.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal at Jantar Mantar with ex-servicemen who are demanding One Rank One Pension.Kejriwal spoke to the media near the makeshift stage of the protesting veterans, however, he did not officially address the gathering and was asked not to make any “political statement” by Maj Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, who is spearheading the movement. “The government notification is a farce because it is not in its true spirit. Please don’t fool the veterans. Implement OROP as per its definition. They are not begging but asking for their rights. It is unfortunate that the country’s soldiers are fighting for their rights on the streets,” Kejriwal said.
The chief minister also tweeted his support for the ex-servicemen saying all their demands are “logical” and that the BJP-led Centre has been “unjust” to them. “Centre shud immediately accept their demands.” Few people, mostly in saffron robes, walked past the gathering of the veterans waving black flags and shouting slogans against Kejriwal just after the chief minister reached the spot.

Tribune News Service
Srinagar, November 13
Two Army jawans were injured in an ongoing operation in Kupwara district on Friday. Sources said the police and Army had been carrying out massive searches in the forest area of Haihama in Kupwara, 110 km from Srinagar, after a brief gunfight on Friday afternoon.
The sources suspected that two or three militants were hiding in the area. “There was a brief gunfight between militants and soldiers when the latter were carrying out searches in the forest area,” the sources said.
Unconfirmed reports said one militant was killed in the gunfight. The Army did not confirm the killing of a militant.
“So far, two of our soldiers have been injured,” said an Army spokesman. He did not disclose the identity of the twoinjured soliders.
It could not be immediately ascertained whether the group of militants trapped inside the forest had infiltrated recently or had been active in the area.Tribune News Service