The Indian Army is facing further financial issues in creating its new 17 Mountain Strike Corps (MSC), after the service’s fiscal year (FY) 2016-17 budget plans allocated few resources for the project.

In total the creation of the 90,270-strong 17 MSC is set to cost INR646.78 billion (USD214.33 million). Yet the Indian Army’s INR1.1 trillion operating outlay for fiscal year (FY) 2016-17 included just INR265.08 billion of capital allocation for new equipment and modernisation, of which 75% is committed to previous acquisitions.

The 17 MSC is being created for deployment by 2021 along the 4,057 km Line of Actual Control (LoAC) with China.

http://www.janes.com/article/58685/indian-army-faces-further-financial-issues-in-creating-new-mountain-strike-corps

OROP veteran held for ‘cheating’

Gurgaon, March 11

The Gurgaon police arrested 75-year-old Wing Commander CK Sharma (retd) late last night for alleged misappropriation of funds of the organisation formed to spearhead the protest for ‘one rank,one pension’.An FIR was registered against Sharma, Maj-Gen Satbir Singh (retd) and Capt VK Gandhi (retd) on a magistrate’s orders after Lt-Gen Raj Kadiyan (retd) , chairman of the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement, accused them of siphoning off Rs 14 lakh from the organisation between January and July 2013. All three were office-bearers of the organisation that was founded in 2008. The society’s account was maintained in a private bank. The arrest was made after his anticipatory bail application was rejected by the ADJ, Gurgaon. Sharma was the organisation’s treasurer. —TNS

Brig KG Behl (retd)

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 10

The Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission (UERC) should not approve the proposed hike in power tariff for domestic and commercial consumers for 2016-17 in the state, stated Brig KG Behl (retd), president of the All India Consumers Council, Uttarakhand, in a press note issued here today. He said Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) should chalk out effective plans to strengthen the electricity distribution system.Brig Behl said the present domestic tariff was already too high. Consumers were paying Rs 3.80 per unit after consuming 200 units in a billing cycle.“When the consumption of electricity goes beyond 400 units, the rate charged from domestic consumers is Rs 4 per unit, which is quite high considering that it is for domestic purposes,” he said.Brig Behl added domestic consumers were thus being charged high for their normal consumption which should not be more than Rs 3 per unit. He lamented that domestic consumers pay Rs 120 per month as a fixed charge.He said since electricity was generated in the state, domestic consumers should be charged at the rates at which it was produced and not at the rates at which electricity was being procured from other sources for industrial purposes.

https://youtu.be/L4SkD0LTDQc

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Kanhaiya labels Indian army as rapists of Kashmiri women

https://youtu.be/1nUbvxMNH84

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Indian Army rapes women in Kashmir: JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar

https://youtu.be/KN7c6KXEj2s

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) smiles as he guides a test fire of a new multiple launch rocket system in Pyongyang. Reuters

Seoul, March 4

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his country to be ready to use its nuclear weapons at any time and the military to be in ‘pre-emptive attack’ mode in the face of growing threats from its enemies, state media said on Friday.The comments, carried by the North’s official KCNA news agency, marked a further escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula after the UN Security Council imposed harsh new sanctions on the isolated state for its nuclear programme.North Korea, known for belligerent rhetoric, has previously threatened pre-emptive attacks on its enemies, including South Korea and the United States. Military experts doubt it has yet developed the capability to fire a long-range missile with a miniaturised warhead to deliver a nuclear weapon as far as the US.Kim made the comments as he supervised military exercises involving newly developed rocket launchers, KCNA reported. It did not mention the date of the drills but said the new weapons had South Korea within range. South Korea’s defence ministry said the North launched several projectiles off its coast into the sea, an apparent response to the UN sanctions.Kim said North Korea should “bolster up (its) nuclear force both in quality and quantity” and stressed “the need to get the nuclear warheads deployed for national defence always on standby so as to be fired any moment,” KCNA quoted him as saying. “Now is the time for us to convert our mode of military counteraction toward the enemies into a pre-emptive attack one in every aspect.”Kim criticised South Korean President Park Geun-hye in his first direct published mention of her by name for acting “in league with the US scoundrels,” adding, “her hysteria will precipitate only her ruin in the long run,” KCNA said.A spokesman for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles relations with the North, said Kim’s comments were not helpful and may have been intended for the domestic audience, to boost morale in the face of the new UN sanctions. — Reuters

Park vows ‘stern’ response

If North Korea launches a provocation, we must respond with stern punishment to clearly show the price North Korea has to pay and our determi-nation to protect our nation. — Park Geun-Hye, South Korean President

S Korea, US open missile shield talks

• South Korea and the US were set to open talks on Friday on the possible deployment, vehemently opposed by China, of an advanced US missile defence system to counter the growing threat from North Korea
• South Korea’s defence ministry said initial discussions would focus on potential locations, as well as cost-sharing and a timeline for installation of the THAAD system
• The system fires anti-ballistic missiles into the sky to smash into enemy missiles either inside or outside the Earth’s atmosphere during their final flight phase
• The interceptor missiles carry no warheads, instead relying on kinetic energy to destroy their targets

A BSF man looks at the trans-border tunnel detected in RS Pura. Tribune Photos: Inderjeet Singh

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

Tribune News Service

AMK Post (RS Pura), March 4A day after detecting Pakistan’s secret trans-border tunnel here, the BSF today said Pakistan was planning a major terrorist attack in near future after pushing terrorists through the tunnel.While the BSF attributed the detection of the tunnel to its anti-tunnelling drive, a tractor pressed into service on Thursday to clear elephant grass (sarkanda) between the Zero Line and an embankment had run over a stretch that caved in, leading to the detection of the tunnel.Briefing mediapersons after escorting BSF Director General KK Sharma to the spot on his maiden visit to Jammu, BSF, Jammu Frontier, Inspector General (IG), RK Sharma said that after detailed investigations, the Pakistan Rangers were showed the spot and asked to refrain from such nefarious activities.“Evidences will be given to them and we will request them to come forward for investigations and take stern action against the culprits,” said the BSF IG.“Timely detection (of the tunnel) has defeated a big plan of Pakistan. Had they succeeded in their plan, a big infiltration could have been carried,” he added.The BSF has held two flag meetings with the Pakistan Rangers on the issue.When asked how the Pakistan Rangers could be trusted to take action against the culprits, the IG said it was a matter of concern for the BSF also.“We told them that it happened right under their nose, in front of their post (Afzal Saeed) and on their soil and that they were having knowledge of it (tunnel),” he said.We asked them to identify the culprits, take action against them, disclose their plan on the international border and other areas, where tunneling activities might have been undertaken or are being conducted and to stop them immediately, added Sharma.He said the BSF had been continuously undertaking anti-tunneling measures on the entire 198-km-long international border, leading to the detection of the tunnel, he saidThe IG did not rule out the possibility of more such tunnels on the border and said the BSF was taking adequate measures to detect them.

Professional work

• The trans-bordertunnel, which has a diameter of 2.5 feet to 3 feet, looks professionally done. Inside, rectangular teak wood planks have been placed horizontally and vertically
• Bamboo sticks were placed to prevent soil collapse
• The tunnel has enough space formilitants to crawl to the Indian side with arms, ammunition
• The BSF IG said: “It was designed to undertake bigger infiltrations, close to Jammu town.”

Jammu, March 3

A grand Air Force Sports Mela will be held on March 22 at Maulana Azad Stadium here.Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Pawan Kotwal today chaired a meeting regarding arrangements for the mela.The representatives of the Air Force informed the Divisional Commissioner that the sports mela would be a grand event with major attractions such as para-jumping by Akash Ganga Air Force skydiving team, aero-modelling display, drill display by Air Warriors, symphony orchestra, flypast by IAF helicopters, static display of special equipment by Guard Commandos, aero models, and publicity stall. They also informed that there would be free entry for the general public to the mela. The Divisional Commissioner asked the departments concerned to work in tandem with the Air Force authorities to make the event a great success. — TNS

Army cycle expedition to reach city on March 11

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 3

The cycle expedition of the 63 Cavalry Regiment will reach Amritsar on March 11 after paddling through Thar desert, Aravalis and plains of Punjab and Haryana. The aim of the expedition is to establish a connection with veterans, to rekindle the glorious past and heritage of the regiment.The expedition was flagged of from Bhuj to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of the 63 Cavalry.The second phase of the cycle expedition was flagged off by Lt Gen KJ Singh, General Officer Commanding in-Chief, Western Command, from Alwar to its final destination Amritsar, here today.Lt Colonel KG Jalnawala (retd), the senior most veteran of the regiment will flag off the expedition from Amritsar on March 11.The first phase of the cycle expedition, comprising one officer, one JCO and the 11 other ranks of five independent armoured squadron had started from Bhuj on February 13. After covering a distance of 1,200 km, the cycle expedition arrived at Alwar on February 27. The team also took out a camel safari from Sindari to Balotra (Barmer), enroute to Alwar.In its quest, the team spread the spirit of adventure amongst local youth, besides projecting the image of the Indian Army to inculcate spirit-de-corps and camaraderie for future generations.