The GUARDIANS OF GOVERNANCE (GOG) training for 3 Distt commenced today at Nawasahar.
The ESM were briefed by Brig Prahalad Singh .Few Pictures as under
The GUARDIANS OF GOVERNANCE (GOG) training for 3 Distt commenced today at Nawasahar.
The ESM were briefed by Brig Prahalad Singh .Few Pictures as under
Suhail A Shah
Anantnag, January 27
Two boys were killed and another critically injured after Army personnel opened fire at local youths who pelted an Army convoy with stones here in Shopian district, around 50 km south of Srinagar city, today.The slain youngsters have been identified as Suhail Javaid Lone, a class XII student and resident of Narpora, Shopian; and Javaid Ahmad Bhat, a BA-I student and resident of Ganawpora, Shopian. The injured civilian with a bullet injury to his head has been identified as 22-year-old Rayees Ahmad Ganaie, also a resident of Shopian district.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)As per sources, an Army convoy that was passing through Ganawpora village came under stone pelting from some youths. The Army men retaliated by firing live ammunition. The area was observing a shutdown against the killing of two local militants and a civilian on January 24.The Army maintained that its personnel fired in self-defence after a mob of more than 250 stone-throwing people attacked an isolated section of the convoy. The police have registered an FIR against the Army party that was patrolling the area.A magisterial inquiry has been ordered.
The first coordinating meeting was held among the core members of Sanjha Morcha at DSOI , Chandigarh on 25 Jan 2018 for conducting a Marathon Run from JAMMU to PATHANKOT in the third week of February 2018.
The initiative has been taken by Mrs Sonika Sharma ,President women wing of Sanjha Morcha.
The AIM is to utilize the amount collected from Sponsorship and contributions by individuals towards the the welfare of Martyrs Widows,their Children or handicap children of Martyrs including assistance in resolve their claims/pensions/ECHS cards and any other correspondence.
Veterans can contribute either by getting Sponsors ,personal contribution financially OR by participating in the RUN for the Noble Cause.
L TO R (Standing)
THE LEADING LADY FOR MARATHON :::SONIKA SHARMA,PRESDENT SANJHA MORCHA::WOMEN WING
FEW GLIMPSES OF PREVIOUS MARATHON PARTICIPATION BY IRON LADY.
Your views will be highly appreciated along with encouragement
send it on email ID of Sanjha Morcha
sanjhamorcha303@gmail.com
more details later
SANJHA MORCHA ACCOUNT DETAILS
Bank Details:
Name Of Account:
Ex-Servicemen Joint Action Front(Sanjha Morcha)
Account No: 7386000100000193
Name of Bank: PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK
RTGS/IFSC Code(for e transfer): PUNB 0738600
Postal Address of Bank: SCO145,SECTOR 40C CHANDIGARH(U.T)160036
Pay to...
Ex-Servicemen Joint Action Front ( Sanjha Morcha)
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune news service
New Delhi, January 24
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s financial dexterity will be tested on what could be the ‘right’ allocation for the Ministry of Defence and the modernisation of each of the three armed forces. Balancing expenses on account of salaries and pensions with modernisation needs poses a huge challenge. In the budget ending March 31, 2018, salaries and pensions of the three services and civilian employees constitute 53.81 per cent, that is Rs 1,93, 670 crore of the allocated Rs 3,59,854 crore. This means of the Rs 2,74,114 crore budget, Rs 85,740 crore goes towards pensions. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)A sum of Rs 3,126 crore goes into salaries of research scientists, the establishment cost of smaller wings within the MoD is Rs 8,040 crore and Rs 6,582 crore goes towards salary of ordnance factories. The budget has a capital outlay of Rs 86,488 crore. This money spent on weapons, aircraft, naval warships and Army vehicles works out to be 24 per cent of the overall spending. This would need greater allocation.
Equipment needs
Jaitley, who has been Defence Minister for some 11 months, knows the MoD has to meet committed liabilities, or payments, for ongoing purchases of equipment/weapons. In the coming fiscal (ending March 31, 2019) he has to factor in part-payments for existing equipment like the 36 Rafale fighter jets, the under-construction aircraft carrier at Kochi, the 145 ultra-light Howitzers, the Scorpene class of submarines, Dhruv helicopters and also Boeing’s AH64-E Apache attack copters, among other big-tickets items.New projects, such as the 200 of the Kamov-226T helicopters, are slated to commence production in the next 12-18 months. Besides, decisions taken on future projects will test the resolve of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as also India’s budgetary depth.The long list includes the 111 naval utility helicopters, the next lot of six submarines, S-400 air defence missiles, 83 Tejas fighter jets and artillery guns.A Rs 3,500-crore plan for new rifles has been approved, bulletproof jackets are in the pipeline and the Army is looking for anti-tank guided missiles.
Matching China
China is spending $155 billion during its own fiscal year that ends almost the same time as India’s. Though the expense of the MoD, including pensions, is $55 billion, or 16.8 per cent of all government spending, it leaves India ‘gasping for breath’ to catch up with its neighbour China. The US has okayed a budget of $618 for this year while Japan has passed a budget of $43.6 billion for the year.
Right-sizing
Literally weighed down by bulging ‘establishment’ costs, euphuism for salaries and pensions, the MoD is looking at ‘right-sizing’ the forces and also cutting costs from within. Right-sizing had been suggested by the high-powered Lt Gen DB Shekatkar Committee and its report was submitted to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on December 21, 2016. The committee was appointed to enhance the combat potential of the armed forces and to re-balance defence expenditure. It has recommended a series of measures to trim, redeploy and integrate manpower under the MoD for an effective military. The committee has laid a path to reduce expenses by Rs 25,000 crore over the next five years. It has suggested redeploying manpower from organisations under the MoD.
New Delhi, January 18
Indigenously-developed weapon system integrated helicopter Rudra will make its maiden appearance in the Republic Day parade on Rajpath here on January 26, Indian Air Force officials said.The flypast by the Indian Air Force on the Republic Day parade will involve 38 aircraft, including 21 fighters, 12 helicopters and five transporters, Group Captain Rahul Bhasin told reporters.The Ensign formation of the flypast will include a Mi-17 V5 helicopter carrying the ASEAN flag to commemorate the summit meeting of India and the block of South East Asian countries to be held here on January 19-30.“The flypast will be divided into two blocks. The second block will start with Rudra formation comprising Advanced Light Helicopter MK-IV WSI. This is the first time this aircraft is being showcased in the Republic Day parade,” Bhasin said.Other formations will involve C-130 J, AEW&C aircraft escorted by two Sukhoi-30 MKI, Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, Jaguar, MiG 29 Upgrade aircraft.The IAF tableau will be themed on “Indian Air Force encouraging indigenisation”, while the tri-service tableau will be themed on “veterans are asset to the nation”.The IAF march past contingent will include 75 musicians and three band majors led by junior warrant officer Ashok Kumar Nagar.“We will pay 15 patriotic and martial tunes on the occasion,” Nagar said.The IAF band will also mesmerise the audience at “Beating the Retreat” ceremony following the Republic Day, by its compositions and use of African drums.A special tribute will be paid to the Marshal of Indian Air Force Arjan Singh who passed away in September last year with a tune “Great Marshal” employing African drums, Nagar said. — PTI
The proposed move is aimed at reducing tensions along the LoC and the Working Boundary. — Photo for representation.
Islamabad, January 16
Pakistan is examining a proposal for a DGMO-level meeting with India after a gap of four years to reduce tensions along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary through fresh confidence-building measures, a media report said on Tuesday.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)The report comes a day after Pakistan said four of its soldiers died and five others injured in cross-border firing by Indian troops across the LoC. The Indian Army, however, said seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in its retaliatory firing.A Pakistan defence ministry official in a meeting yesterday told the Senate defence committee that a “fresh proposal of DGMOs’ (Director Generals of Military Operations) meeting is being considered,” the Dawn reported.The official also briefed the senators about the latest trends in Indian ceasefire violations, it said.In November, a telephonic conversation between the two DGMOs took place following a request by the Pakistani side.According to the report, one of the confidence-building measures being considered for the planned meeting of DGMOs is “calibre reduction” of the arms being used at the LoC.Pakistan-India DGMOs have a frequent hotline contact, but they last met face-to-face four years ago at Wagah, a village which serves as a transit terminal between Lahore and Amritsar.The December 24, 2013 Wagah meeting had taken place after a break of 14 years. That meeting too was held to discuss ways to ensure peace along the LoC and the Working Boundary.Meanwhile, a resolution adopted by the Senate committee through consensus condemned Indian Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat’s statement about “calling nuclear bluff of Pakistan” as “stupidity and provocative”.They termed it a “war-like” proclamation, the report said. — PTI
Our Correspondent
Doda, January 15
As the nation celebrates the 70th Army Day, the Army in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district celebrated the day with its ex-servicemen. The basic objective behind organising the event was to resolve the problems of veterans, which they usually face after retirement.The Commanding Officer, 10 Rashtriya Rifles, was chief guest at the event who welcomed and addressed the guests after paying homage to the martyrs. He highlighted various schemes launched by the Army for ex-servicemen and asked veterans to avail the benefits.“More than 50 veterans from different parts of Doda participated in the event, where guidance was given to them about the new schemes launched for ex-servicemen so that they can avail the benefits. Apart from this, their other issues of pension and documentation were also heard,” a senior Army officer said.
The BSF is the country’s largest border guarding force with a strength of about 2.5 lakh. PTI file
New Delhi, January 14
The government is planning to raise 15 new battalions in the country’s two important border guarding forces — the BSF and the ITBP — to fortify defence along the strategic frontiers with Pakistan, Bangladesh and China.
(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)
A senior official in the Union Home Ministry said that it is “actively considering” raising six fresh battalions in the Border Security Force (BSF) and nine in the Indo- Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force.
Each battalion of these forces comprises about 1,000 operational jawans and officers.
Sources in the BSF said the force has projected enhancing manpower by sanctioning of new units so that they can be deployed in the Assam and West Bengal flanks of the Indo- Bangladesh border even as a similar addition in numbers is required to effectively guard the Indo-Pak International Border (IB), especially in Punjab and Jammu regions, in the near future.
“The exact locations for the new battalions could be gauged as and when they are raised but a few areas along Bangladesh and Pakistan will remain a priority owing to their vulnerability profile such as infiltration, drugs smuggling, human trafficking and illegal migration,” a senior BSF officer said.
Similarly, the ITBP has been trying to reduce the inter-BoP (border out post) distance at the 3,488-km-long icy frontier that it is tasked with guarding.
“The original projection was to have 12 fresh battalions for the ITBP but the force requires nine such units in the near future,” a senior ITBP officer said.
The frequent instances of transgressions and confrontations with the Chinese army at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are being seen as the major reason for the ITBP to enhance its numbers.
The mountain-trained force has recently got sanctions to set up at least 47 new BoPs along the border for effective control of the Himalayan border area.
The home ministry official said the new battalions would also help the two border guarding forces better rotate troops from forward locations to units in the mainland.
While most of the BoPs of the ITBP are in highly arduous terrain and it is difficult and time-taking to reach them, many of the BSF locations at the two borders are also in high-altitude and harsh climate regions.
While the BSF is the country’s largest border guarding force with a strength of about 2.5 lakh, the ITBP is about 90,000-personnel strong.
The home ministry has three such forces under its command, the third being the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) that is tasked with guarding Indian borders with Nepal and Bhutan. PTI
For too long, we have kept our focus on the western front.. Time has come to focus on the northern border… Infrastructure development has to be speeded up.
BIPIN RAWAT, Army chief
NEW DELHI: Army chief General Bipin Rawat said on Friday that India needs to shift its military focus from its western border with Pakistan to its northern border with China, and called for partnerships with neighbouring countries to check China’s growing assertiveness in the region.
Naming Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bhutan and Afghanistan, Rawat asserted that India must not let these nations “drift away from us”. China is a “powerful country”, he said, but stressed that India isn’t a “weak nation”.
Talking to reporters at his customary briefing before Army Day on January 15, the general said that Chinese troops were still present in reduced numbers in north Doklam — a plateau at the strategic IndiaBhutan-China tri-junction where India and China were locked in a 73-day border standoff last year.
“This de-escalation may have happened due to winter. They may return here or somewhere else after the winter months. If they come again, we will see what to do,” Rawat said, responding to a question on the situation in Doklam.
He said the Indian Army had intensified patrolling along the Line of Actual Control and that had led to an increase in contacts with the Chinese army.
“We are seeking support of other nations to see we are not isolated in a situation in Asia against an assertive China. Thatis the next step that is being taken and therefore you will find that a quadrilateral is formed,” Rawat said, referring to the grouping of the US, India, Japan and Australia in the IndoPacific.
On the western front, Rawat said the Indian Army was ready to call Pakistan’s nuclear bluff. “If we really have to confront the Pakistanis and the country gives us a task, we are not going to say we will not cross the border because they have nuclear weapons,” he said. NEW DELHI: Social media and government schools in Jammu and Kashmir are spreading a ‘disinformation campaign’ resulting in radicalisation of youth, Army chief General Bipin Rawat claimed on Friday, and called for ‘some control’ over mosques and madrasas in the state.
He said a “major revamp” of the education system was needed in the state to deal with the problem.
Rawat said the issue of exercising some amount of control over mosques and madrasas to check the flow of disinformation was being looked into.
ON THE MAPS
Addressing a press conference on the eve of the Army Day, Rawat said each classroom in government schools in Jammu and Kashmir has a separate map of the state besides that of India which sowed the seeds of thought of some kind of “separate identity” among the children.
“The damage done to us is through the social media. A very large amount of disinformation campaign is being spread in Jammu and Kashmir which is radicalising the youths through the social media and through the schools,” he said.
“The other issue is the madrasas and masjids — what is being informed to them (the students) or incorrectly informed to them is through the madrasas and masjids. I think some controls have to be exercised there and that is what we are looking at.” He, however, did not elaborate on what kind of control he was suggesting over such institutions.
ON STONE-PELTERS
Rawat also suggested that some stone-pelters in Kashmir were youth from government schools, and stressed on the need to reform the education system.
“If you go to any Kashmir school, you will find two maps — one is the map of India and one is the map of Jammu and Kashmir. There are always two maps in every classroom. Why should there be a map of Jammu and Kashmir?”
He added, “If you are putting a map of Jammu and Kashmir, then you may as well put map of every state,” said the Army chief.
“What does it mean to children that I am part of the country but I also have a separate identity. So, the basic, grassroots problem lies here is the way the education in Jammu and Kashmir in government school has been corrupted,” said Rawat.
He said students from schools like DPS were not found involved in activities like stone-pelting, and added that is why the ‘goodwill schools’ run by the Army are accorded higher status.
EW DELHI: The number of incursions by China’s army into Indian territory in 2017 rose to 397 from 260 in 2016, but the number was almost the same in 2015 (391) and 2013 (401), and much lower than in 2014 (507), indicating that last year isn’t what statisticians would call the outlier, but rather a normal year (in terms of Chinese incursions) when seen over a five-year period.
India and China share an uneasy relationship across a 3,488km Line of Actual Control and the two countries were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Doklam in Bhutan, near the trijunction of the three countries.
The data on incursions, accessed from security agencies, show that they are almost exclusively concentrated in Pangong Tso, Chumar, Samar Lungpa, Kongka La, Spanggur Gap and Mount Sajum in eastern Ladakh sector, Kaurik in HP.
Tibetan “Prime Minister-in-exile” Lobsang Sangay.
Dharamsala, January 11
Tibetan “Prime Minister-in-exile” Lobsang Sangay on Thursday cautioned New Delhi against China’s deceptive policies, warning that what happened to Tibet could happen to India as well.
“The Doklam stand-off and the repeated cross-border incursion of Chinese soldiers into Indian territories is a sign of China’s expansionist mindset,” he told reporters here.
He said India should be wary of China’s belligerent attitude.
Taking about developing airfields and road networks by China along the border with India, he asked India to be cautious.
“To understand the Doklam face-off, you have to look at China’s ‘right hand palm and five fingers’ strategy.
“Chinese leader Mao Zedong described Tibet as the right hand palm while Ladakh, Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal and Arunachal Pradesh as five fingers.
“Because the Chinese were not stopped when they were occupying Tibet in 1959, they have now got emboldened to move towards five fingers. Had Tibet’s capture been prevented, incidents like Doklam would never took place,” Sangay told IANS.
Sangay, who is also the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) President, said India was now progressing towards becoming “a number one country” under the leadership Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Stressing upon the need to develop a Buddhist religious tourist circuit, he said India was the land of Buddha and there were 600-700 million Buddhists in the world.
“Even if only .01 per cent Buddhists come to India to visit Buddhist monasteries and spend am average $1,000, India can earn $6 billion per year,” said Sangay.
The Central Tibetan Administration is based in this Himachal Pradesh town where the spiritual leader the Dalai Lama also resides.
Sangay highlighted the Dalai Lama’s commitment to the revival of ancient Indian values, particularly the Nalanda school of thought.
The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing China in 1959 after a failed uprising against Communist rule over Tibet. The government-in-exile is based in Dharamsala but is not recognized by any country.
IANS
