Monthly Archives: August 2018

Army wants higher intake of Short Service Commission officers to reduce salary burden

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 20

Faced with a growing salary budget, the Indian Army has moved a proposal to the Ministry of Defence to increase the intake of officers under Short Service Commission (SSC) and correspondingly reduce the number of permanent commission or regular commissioned officers.The MoD is okay with implementing the plan in phases to increase the SSC officer intake by “sweetening” the terms of employment for those who serve for either 10 years or 14 years in the Army. Sources have confirmed to The Tribune that a phased plan is in the works.At present, the ratio between permanent commission and SSC is 4:1. The Ajai Vikram Singh Committee (AVSC) envisaged a ratio of 1:1.1 between full-time regular officers and the support cadre, largely from the SSC. The move comes almost 10 years after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in October 2008 approved a reduction in regular cadre.The MoD is likely to agree to pay a lumpsum grant to SSC officers. The proposal is to allow two-month salary for each year of service for those completing 10 years and four-month salary for each year of service for completing 14 years.Then there is professional training to equip these youth for jobs once they leave service. The Army has suggested a year’s study course for those completing 10 years and two-year study course for those working for 14 years. This will include professional courses.The second phase of the plan includes giving ex-servicemen status and medical treatment facility as admissible to regular officers.An SSC officer ideally retires between 30 and 34 years of age, while a regular commissioned officer, even if he does not go beyond the Colonel rank, serves till 54 years of age.With these officers going out of the Army in the prime of their youth, the Army has asked the MoD to work out a plan with other ministries to allow them to take competitive civil services examinations in respective states or at the Centre. In the budget this fiscal ending March 31, 2019, salaries of the three services and civilians work out to Rs 1,18,966 crore — almost 40 per cent of the budget — and another 1.08 lakh crore is the pension bill. In other words, salaries and pensions take up more money than what is allocated for modernisation. Having SSC officers will reduce this burden.The Ministry of Defence had set up the AVSC in 2001. The report was implemented in two phases — in 2004 and 2008. Another set of recommendations on faster promotions and increase in posts at Colonel rank and above has been implemented. Ajai Vikram Singh was a former Defence Secretary.

Tribune News Service

Mandi, May 17

A veterans’ rally followed by a defence pension adalat was inaugurated by Lt Gen YVK Mohan, General Officer Commanding of the Rising Star Corps. He was accompanied by Upendra Sah, Additional Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) from New Delhi, and Parveen Kumar, PCDA (P) Allahabad, at the venue.The adalat is being organised under the aegis of the Rising Star Corps, is aimed at ‘On the Spot’ redressal of grievances of defence pensioners, including defence civilians. Speaking on the occasion, Lt Gen YVK Mohan said welfare of Gaurav Senanis had been on the priority of the Indian Army, which was working to ensure that veterans were looked after well and the Rising Star Corps would remain committed towards this. He also felicitated various Veer Naris, gallantry awardees and veterans of the Mandi district.Upender Sah elaborated on various initiatives taken by the defence pension adalat in the sanction and disbursement of defence pensions. He also highlighted various steps being taken to improve the pension disbursement system. He appealed the pensioners to make full use of toll free helpline 1800-180-5321 at the Pension Cell, Allahabad, and also link their PPO (pension payment order) with Aadhar.On this occasion, various stalls were also set up to assist the veterans and facilitate general awareness on existing Central and State Government welfare schemes.

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 13

With the new disaster threats developed since the World War II besides the traditional disasters need to be considered and dealt with as a challenge more effectively, the army medical corps held a Continuing Medical Education-cum-workshop on the disaster and trauma management recently at the military hospital here.Lieutinent General Dushyant Singh, Corps Commander, 11 Corps, inaugurated the two-day conference. Addressing the gathering, Gen Dushyant laid emphasis on the training of delegates for disaster preparedness.Also, Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Varinder Sharma spoke on the management of the district administration to deal with any natural disaster.While informing more, Col H C Sharma, Senior registrar of the Military Hospital said the contribution by armed forces is usually made under the official arrangement for aid to civil power, as laid down in the standing operating procedures. Moreover, the military forces have a history of effective disaster response.The armed forces can offer assistance to the victims with invaluable support in engineering, communications, transport, rescue, emergency medical services, field sanitation water supply and so on.“The flexible organisational structure, capability of sustained operation in all weathers and well-trained management system of the armed forces make them particularly well-suited for effective disaster relief operations,” said Col Sharma.He added that as army is the first to provide a cohesive response during a disaster, the conference will be of immense benefit to the delegates specially those directly involved in disaster related administration and trauma care.Event on medical negligence and assault on doctors at PIMSJalandhar: The department of Medicine and Forensic Medicine jointly organised a Continuous Medical Education (CME) event at the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Jalandhar under the aegis of Punjab Academy of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology.The CME was conducted under the Chairmanship of Dr HL Kazal (HOD) department of medicine and Dr Anju Gupta (HOD) department of forensic medicine and toxicology. The guest of honour for the event was commissioner of Police Parveen Kumar Sinha. The CME was inaugurated by the PIMS resident director, Amit Singh, Director Principal Dr Kulbir Kaur, principal secretary labour medical education and research Sanjay Kumar, along with PIMS society director Dr. Bimal Sekri, Dr Kapil Gupta (PMC), medical superintendent Dr. Kulbir Sharma, Dr HL Kazal and Dr Anju Gupta.Guest of honour CP Parveen Kumar Sinha highlighted that there should be a transparency between patient and doctor relationship. There should be a professional counselling for doctors in each hospital. He added that such cases should be immediately reported to the nearest police station and a special helpline can initiated for hospitals.Amit Singh (resident director PIMS) said the incidents like medical negligence and assault on doctors were key issues faced by medical professionals. He said in some of the cases, the kin of patients are so violent that they not only harm doctors but also destroy hospital properties. He added that the purpose of the CME is to throw some light on such issues and to stop violence against doctors.More than 300 delegates from various medical colleges and institutes attended the CME.

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Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 8

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the death of a tourist in an incident of stone-pelting in Kashmir was not conducive to attracting tourists to Jammu and Kashmir.“We need to be firm with terrorists and ensure safe movement of tourists, said Sitharaman while addressing a press conference after inaugurating the Naval Commanders’ conference here. The state wanted to promote tourism, the minister said.Speaking about maritime strength, she said, “India will be a force to reckon with in the Indo-Pacific. All of Navy’s demands for the year 2017-2018 have been met.”At the conference, the Navy will review its new mission-based deployments philosophy aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the region. The new deployment philosophy, in furtherance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of security and growth for all in the region (SAGAR), aims at sustained, peaceful and yet responsive presence of Indian naval ships in critical areas and choke points.The Navy’s focus over the past year has been on combat efficiency and material readiness, and upkeep of its large fleet of 131 ships and submarines.Naval commanders would deliberate upon steps to improve the teeth-to-tail ratio and explore niche fields such as artificial intelligence and big data analytics. Harnessing cutting-edge technology, specifically those ‘Made-in-India’, to improve organisational effectiveness and efficiency would be another key focus area of the commanders.Indian Navy has been the flag-bearer of the indigenisation and ‘Make in India’ initiative. As many as 27 ships and submarines are currently under construction in Indian shipyards, including the first indigenous aircraft carrier ‘Vikrant’.

File photo of Nawaz Sharif. AFP

Islamabad, May 8

In further trouble to Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan’s top anti-corruption body on Tuesday ordered a probe against the embattled former Prime Minister and others for allegedly laundering USD 4.9 billion to India, media reports said.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a press release said its Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal took notice of reports making rounds on news channels claiming that Sharif allegedly laundered USD 4.9 billion to India, the Express Tribune reported.

According to the media report, this incident is mentioned in the World Bank’s Migration and Remittance Book 2016, the release said.

However, details of the media report in question have not been mentioned in the brief statement issued in Urdu, Geo TV reported.

The statement claims that the amount was laundered to the Indian Finance Ministry after which Indian foreign exchange reserves witnessed an increase and Pakistan suffered as a result.

Sharif is facing three corruption cases at the accountability court following the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Panama Papers case. An NAB inquiry is also under way against him for alleged illegal expansion of a road leading to his estate in Lahore’s Jati Umra locality.

Once formulated, this will be the fifth case against the ousted premier by the NAB.

Earlier today, the accountability court sought more time from the top court to end the trial on references filed by the NAB against members of the Sharif family.

Accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir, who presides over the hearings, has written a letter to the top court requesting for a second extension in the trial.

Earlier in March, the Supreme Court had granted a two-month extension to the accountability court to wrap the proceedings.

However, as the two-month deadline expires, the case is nowhere near its end, with the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship Investments still untouched, the country’s top anti-graft body is running out of time.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan had disqualified Sharif last year, forcing the three-time prime minister to resign. Sharif has dismissed the corruption charges as politically motivated.

The political future of Sharif, who leads the country’s most powerful political family and his party, has been hanging in the balance since then. If convicted, he can be jailed. PTI