Monthly Archives: October 2022

Army Chief Dalbir Suhag presents a momento to Chief Minister Manohar Lal during an ex-servicemen rally at Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar district on Friday. Tribune Photo

Tribune News Service

Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar), June 3

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today announced to fill 3,000 posts in the Police Department under the ex-servicemen’s category, besides setting up the state’s third Sainik School in Jhajjar’s Matanhel village.Khattar was addressing an ex-servicemen’s rally after the foundation stone-laying and bhoomi pujan ceremony of a residential colony over five acres for serving and retired army personnel at HUDA Sector 7 in Bahadurgarh. Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu, Army Chief Dalbir Suhag and Lt-Gen KJ Singh were also present.“The welfare of serving soldiers and ex-servicemen is among the highest priorities of the state government. As many as 3,000 ex-servicemen will be given jobs in the police while the process to fill 1,000 posts under the ex-servicemen category is already going on,” said the CM, adding that classes in Matanhel’s Sainik School would begin next year.Khattar maintained the state government was planning to associate ex-servicemen with government schools with the twin aim of bringing about a qualitative improvement in the education standard and enhancing the strength of students in schools.“There are about 2.82 lakh ex-servicemen in the state and we want to use their experience for the betterment of the educational system,” said the CM.He also announced to give some relaxation in the norms to construct flats in the residential colony “As per rules, 400 flats can be built over the land but we have accorded special relaxation to construct 500 flats ,” Khattar added.The residential colony would be named after Major Rajiv Joon, a recipient of Ashok Chakra and Shaurya Chakra, who laid down his life fighting terrorists in Anantnag in 1994. The CM also honoured Rajiv’s brother, Paramjeet Joon, during the rally.Army plans educational complex in Sonepat Jhajjar: The Army has decided to set up an educational complex in Sonepat district to provide quality education to wards of serving and retired defence personnel. The complex would have law, management, IT and technical institutes along with hostels and these institutes would be affiliated to Delhi University. Army Chief Dalbir Suhag disclosed this while interacting with ex-servicemen in Bahadurgarh here on Friday. General Suhag informed he had talked to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar about the plan who not only approved it in principal but also assured to provide adequate land for the purpose. A degree college would also opened in the centre, said the Army Chief. About the one rank, one pension scheme, the Army Chief said war widows would now be able to get their full arrears under the scheme in one instalment while the proposal to pay the arrears to ex-servicemen over 80 years of age in one or two instalments was also being considered. Other ex-servicemen would be paid their arrears in four equal instalments.— TNS

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 1

While 16 Army men lost their lives in an inferno in country’s biggest ammunition depot at Pulgaon in Maharashtra on Tuesday, similar depots in Jammu and Kashmir, by and large, lack sufficient safety measures.“One-third of the 1.3-million Army is in J&K and we share our borders with Pakistan and China. Therefore, we have ammunition depots with every Army formation in the state. There are five main ammunition depots — at Jandrah (that replenished supplies during Kargil War), Srinagar, Leh, Udhampur and Nagrota,” said defence sources.However, it also remains a fact that 80 per cent of ammunition is kept in open under sheds and at times rising mercury can lead to ammunition bursting on its own, they added.The sources added that lack of sufficient safety measures does pose a serious threat to all including people living in villages close to such depots.Fire incidents in ammunition stores have been reported in the state earlier. Khundroo’s 21 Field Ordnance Depot fire in 2007 still remains fresh in the minds of many. An Army officer was among 15 persons killed in the incident.“While every kind of ammunition including anti-personnel mine, anti-tank mine, mortar, missile has a shelf-life and a temperature limit, dedicated teams of ammunition technicians, security officers, administrative officials and a good number of civilian employees remain at work in various field ammunition depots but we still lack sufficient safety measures,” they added.They said that though refrigeration facilities exist in some of the ammunition depots in the state, majority of the ammunition is kept under sheds in the open.“In some depots we do have refrigeration facilities but they are not up to the mark,” they added.The sources said that by compromising on safety measures, civilians in vicinity of such depots were being put to risk.In March, this year people of six villages in the Nagrota Assembly seat resorted to protest demanding relocation of the 15 Field Ammunition Depot at Jandrah.They had claimed that not only the depot posed a risk to them but the Army was also not allowing them to either go for renovation of their houses or construction of new ones.The villagers from Kanyala, Kahpota, Madeen, Jandrah, Nagola, Ponthel had met Jammu Deputy Commissioner  Simrandeep Singh and apprised him of  the problems being faced by the arbitrary orders which prohibited them from undertaking any repair, construction, modification etc within a radius of one kilometre of the 15 Ammunition Depot.On November 20, 2013, civilian employee Sanjiv Kumar Baru of Kour Jagir area, who had been working as painter in the same ammunition depot died and a trooper was injured, after an 81 mm mortar shell had exploded.

Ammunition kept in open sheds

• There are five main ammunition depots in the state
• 80 per cent of the ammunition is kept in open sheds
• Lack of sufficient safety measures pose a serious threat to people living in villages close to such depots

In this photograph taken early May 31, 2016, fire burns at an Indian Army ammunition facility in Pulgaon, some 100 km southwest of Nagpur. AFP photo

Pulgaon, June 1

Two more bodies were recovered on Wednesday from the site of the fire mishap at central ammunition depot at Pulgaon in Wardha district, taking the death toll to 18.Three people were missing since Tuesday. Two bodies have been recovered and one person is still missing, sources told PTI.The bodies recovered on Wednesday were yet to be identified, they said.

A massive fire broke out on Tuesday at one of Asia’s biggest ammunition depot in Maharashtra’s Pulgaon that houses the largest stockpile of weapons in the country.The fire occurred in the wee hours at one of the sheds that housed “highly sensitive ammunition” in the high-security central ammunition depot (CAD), spread over 7,000 acres.“However, in efforts to douse the fire, two officers and 14 personnel (one Army jawan and 13 civilian fire fighting staff) lost their lives and two officers and 15 personnel (nine Army jawans and six civilian firefighting staff) were injured,” Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Ranbir Singh had said.Loud explosions were heard one after the other as the raging fire lit up the night sky.The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and the Army has instituted an inquiry into the incident, Singh had said.Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said there was no sabotage involved in the fire at the ammunition depot but the exact cause would be known only after inquiry.Parrikar, along with Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, had visited CAD, Pulgaon and met the injured people in a local hospital. PTI

Islamabad, June 1

President Mamnoon Hussain today accused India of “running away” from talks despite Pakistan’s offer of joint-probe in the Pathankot terror attack, even as he raked up the Kashmir issue, calling it an “unfinished agenda of partition” and the main cause of regional tension.Addressing the joint session of the parliament, Hussain said: “Despite Pakistan’s efforts for resumption of talks (with India) and its offer of joint probe in the Pathankot attack, the Foreign Secretary-level talks are still suspended. Pakistan is concerned about it.”“We believe the main cause of tension in the region is the Kashmir issue. It is part of unfinished agenda of partition of the sub-continent. Unless Kashmir issue is settled according to the wishes of people of Kashmir and UN resolutions, the problems of this region cannot be resolved,” he said.He said Pakistan was a peaceful country and wants its foreign policy to be based on friendship and brotherhood with all nations.“We do not wish to be aggressive towards any nation and intend to participate with honesty in national and global affairs,” he said.The President said Pakistan wanted peaceful ties with all neighbours by addressing disputes through talks and accused India of “running away from talks with Pakistan”.He said democracy had been strengthened in the country and it can now resist and absorb different kinds of crises. — PTI

US calls for restraint

• Washington: Voicing concern that India-Pakistan conflict could escalate to include nuclear weapons, the US has asked the two nation to engage in a “sustained” bilateral dialogue and exercise “maximum restraint”. “We are concerned by nuclear and missile developments in S-Asia,” a State Department spokesperson said on recent statement of Dr AQ Khan, father of Pakistan’s N-programme, that Islamabad had the ability to target New Delhi in five minutes

http://dainiksaveratimes.epapr.in/827760/Chandigarh-Main/Chandigarh#page/7/1

7th Central Pay Commission – Highlights 

7th CPC Cabinet Decision – Frequently Asked Question

7th CPC Cabinet Decision – Frequently Asked Question Has the 7th CPC recommendation fully accepted? Yes, it has been approved by the cabinet on 29th June 2016. Did Cabinet approve for the employees request of changing minimum wages? No, the 7th CPC recommendation will be implemented (Rs.18000/-) What is the Fitment Factor used in Pay

7th Centra7th CPC Cabinet Decision – Frequently Asked Question

June 30, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

7th CPC Cabinet Decision – Frequently Asked Question Has the 7th CPC recommendation fully accepted? Yes, it has been approved by the cabinet on 29th June 2016. Did Cabinet approve for the employees request of changing minimum wages? No, the 7th CPC recommendation will be implemented (Rs.18000/-) What is the Fitment Factor used in Pay

NFIR – Highly disappointing minimum wages and multiplication factor

June 30, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

NFIR – Highly disappointing minimum wages and multiplication factor NFIR Nation Federation of Indian Railwaymen 3, Chelmsford road, New Delhi – 110 055 Affiliated to: Indian National Trade Union congress (INTUC) International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) PRESS NOTE The National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR)’s General Secretary expressed serious disappointment and unhappiness over the Government’s […]

Cabinet approves Implementation of the recommendations of 7th Central Pay Commission

June 29, 2016 By admin 2 Comments

Cabinet approves Implementation of the recommendations of 7th Central Pay Commission Press Information Bureau Government Of India Cabinet 29-June-2016 Cabinet approves Implementation of the recommendations of 7th Central Pay Commission The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the implementation of the recommendations of 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) on […]

7th Pay Commission Key highlights from Arun Jaitley’s press Conference

June 29, 2016 By admin 3 Comments

7th Pay Commission Key highlights from Arun Jaitley’s press Conference 7th Pay Commission highlights: Minimum pay of Rs.18,000 has been recommended against the existing Rs.7,000 per month, and more The Union cabinet on Wednesday accepted the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, giving a substantial raise to the salaries and pensions of central government employees. […]

NFIR 7th CPC Recommendation – reg

June 29, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

NFIR 7th CPC Recommendation – reg NFIR NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDIAN RAILWAYMEN 3,Chelmsford Road, New Delhi – 110 055 Affiliated to: Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) No.IV/NJCA(N)/2014/Part II Dated: 29-06-2016 The General Secretaries of Affiliated Unions of NFIR Brother, Sub: 7th CPC Recommendations – reg. Cabinet’s decision on minimum […]

Reuters file photo

New Delhi, June 27

The government is likely to soon announce the implementation of 7^th Pay Commission that would hike the salaries and allowances for over 1 crore government employees and pensioners by at least 23.5 per cent.

A Committee of Secretaries headed by Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha has submitted its report on the recommendations of the 7^th Pay Commission, which may be accepted, a Financial Ministry official said.

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Based on the panel’s report, the Finance Ministry is preparing a Cabinet note and the issue may come up for approval by the Cabinet as early as June 29.

“The Committee of Secretaries (CoS) has finalised its report on Pay Commission recommendations… We will soon (file) draft Cabinet note based on the report,” Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa said here today.

The government had in January set up a high-powered panel headed by Cabinet Secretary to process the recommendations of the 7^th Pay Commission which will have bearing on the remuneration of nearly 50 lakh Central government employees and 58 lakh pensioners.

The Pay Commission had recommended 23.55 per cent overall hike in salaries, allowances and pension involving an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore or nearly 0.7 per cent of the GDP.

The panel recommended a 14.27 per cent increase in basic pay, the lowest in 70 years. The previous 6^th Pay Commission had recommended a 20 per cent hike which the government doubled while implementing it in 2008.

The 23.55 per cent increase includes hike in allowances.

The entry level pay has been recommended to be raised to Rs 18,000 per month from current Rs 7,000, while the maximum pay, drawn by the Cabinet Secretary, has been fixed at Rs 2.5 lakh per month from current Rs 90,000.

Sources said the Secretaries’ panel may have recommended higher pay increase, with minimum entry level pay at Rs 23,500 a month and maximum salary of Rs 3.25 lakh.

While the Budget for 2016-17 fiscal did not provide an explicit provision for implementation of the 7^th Pay Commission, the government had said the once-in-a-decade pay hike for government employees has been built in as interim allocation for different ministries.

Around Rs 70,000 crore has been provisioned for it, officials said.

Lavasa said the 7^th Pay Commission report will be effective from January 1. — PTI

KV Prasad & Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 26

New Zealand today said it would be wrong to say that it opposed India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Rather, it wanted a criterion to be fixed for the entry of non-NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) states into the NSG.  In an email response exclusively to The Tribune, a spokesperson of New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Murray McCully sought to set the record straight.India’s entry into the NSG was rejected by the plenary session of the NSG in Seoul. While India has blamed “one country”, meaning China, for blocking its bid to the NSG, it remains a fact that there were other countries (besides China) that had reservations on letting in a country that has not signed the NPT. Turkey, Brazil, Austria, Switzerland, along with New Zealand, had their reservations on the Indian application to become a member of the NSG.“It is quite wrong to describe New Zealand as opposed to India’s membership of the NSG. New Zealand has a long history of taking a principled stand against nuclear weapons and their proliferation. New Zealand believes that it is very important for NSG members to consider carefully what criteria should be used in assessing applications from non-NPT states. “This was New Zealand’s position at the NSG plenary meeting which just ended in Seoul. India is the first applicant for membership of the NSG which is not a member of the cornerstone Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). All members of the NPT make legally binding commitments on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. We believe constructive discussions should lead to a pathway against which India’s application can be properly considered,” said a spokesperson in the office of McCully.President Pranab Mukherjee had recently visited New Zealand and it was reliably learnt that the President had raised the NSG issue with the New Zealand leadership. However, it seems India was not able to deal with the reservations expressed by New Zealand.

NSG may meet again

New Delhi, June 26

The Nuclear Suppliers Group, whose membership India failed to get two days back, is likely to meet again before the end of the year to specially discuss the process for allowing non-NPT signatories into the 48-nation grouping, thus providing another chance to India to press its claim.Sources said  that at the suggestion of Mexico, it has been decided that another meeting of NSG should be held before the end of the year to consider the criteria for allowing non-NPT signatories like India into the group. Normally, the next meeting of NSG would have been held sometime next year.Sources added that Mexico’s suggestion was opposed by China but found support from a large number of countries, including the US. A panel for informal consultations on India’s membership has also been set up by the NSG and it will be headed by Argentine Ambassador Rafael Grossi.Grossi’s appointment came even as a top US official said that the NSG session in Seoul had ended with a “path forward” for India’s acceptance as a member. — PTI

Of late, there have been enough bilateral parleys. PTI

Washington, June 25

A top American diplomat would visit India next week to discuss bilateral and global issues in support of the joint US-India efforts to sustain the rules-based global order, the State Department has said.Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon will visit New Delhi and Kolkata from June 28 to July 1, the State Department said on Friday.In addition to meeting his Indian counterparts, he will also meet with members of civil society, including representatives of various religious communities, it said.“While in New Delhi, the Under Secretary will meet with government leaders to discuss a range of bilateral and global issues in support of joint US-India efforts to sustain the rules-based global order,” the State Department said.He will visit the Indian Foreign Service Institute to deliver remarks and meet with Indian diplomats.In Kolkata, Shannon will meet with government officials and members of the US Consulate General.He will also chair a roundtable discussion with journalists at the American Center and visit several local cultural sites. PTI

BEIJING, June 12

China said on Sunday that more talks were needed to build a consensus on which countries can join the main group controlling access to sensitive nuclear technology, after a push by the United States to include India.China is seen as leading opposition to the US move to include India in the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), but even New Zealand, Turkey, South Africa and Austria oppose Indian membership, according to diplomats.The NSG aims to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons by restricting the sale of items that can be used to make those arms.India already enjoys most of the benefits of membership under a 2008 exemption to NSG rules granted to support its nuclear cooperation deal with Washington, even though India has developed atomic weapons and never signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the main global arms control pact.“Large differences” remain over the issue of non-NPT countries joining the NSG, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in an online statement.“With regard to what to do on the issue of non-NPT signatories joining (NSG), China consistently supports having ample discussion on this to seek consensus and agreement and come to a unanimous decision,” Hong said.“The NPT is the political and legal basis for the entire international non-proliferation system,” Hong said, adding that China would support the group in further talks to come to a consensus at an early date.Opponents argue that granting India membership would undermine efforts to prevent proliferation and also infuriate Pakistan.A decision on Indian membership is not expected before an NSG plenary meeting in Seoul on June 20, but diplomats have said Washington has been pressuring hold-outs. Most of the hold-outs oppose  admitting a non-NPT state such as India and argue that if it is to be admitted, it should be under criteria that apply equally to all states rather than under a “tailor-made” solution for a US ally. — Reuters‘Issue not taken up in Vienna’Beijing: China insisted that there “was no deliberation” on the bid by India and other nations at the Vienna meeting that took place last week. “There was no deliberation on any items related to the accession to the NSG by India or any other countries that are not signatories to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT),” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei said.      He added that NSG Chair Argentine Ambassador Rafael Mariano Grossi convened an unofficial meeting of the 48-member group on June 9. However, diplomatic sources said earlier that India’s membership was discussed at the meeting and talks had remained inconclusive. PTIRelevance of Nuclear Suppliers GroupThe Nuclear Suppliers Group looks after critical issues relating to the nuclear sector and its members are allowed to trade in and export nuclear technology. The NSG works under the principle of unanimity and even one country’s vote against India will scuttle its bid.