Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 30

The Northern Command chief, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, on Tuesday visited the forward areas of the Kashmir region to review the prevailing security situation on the Line of Control.

Lieutenant General Singh visited the forward posts in the frontier districts of Kupwara and Baramulla and was accompanied by the Chinar Corps General Officer Commanding Lt Gen A K Bhatt.

A defence spokesman said the Northern Command chief, on the second day of his visit to the Kashmir valley, was briefed on the counter-infiltration grid and the operational preparedness of the formations.

“The Northern Command chief was appreciative of the measures and the standard operating procedures instituted by the units and formations to meet the challenges posed by the inimical elements,” the spokesman added.

General Singh also visited High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg and interacted with the troops undergoing specialised training in snowcraft and winter warfare.

He commended the high standards of training provided by school, the spokesman said.

Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 29

India will finally exorcise the ‘Bofors ghost’ and formally induct its first artillery guns in three decades.

Two types of guns are to be inducted at a ceremony at Deolali, Maharasthra, on November 9. Deolali is the location of Indian Army’s artillery training school. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to be present.

India had not inducted any new 155 MM artillery guns since March 1986 when 410 pieces of the Swedish company Bofors’ FH-77B 155mm/39 calibre howitzer were purchased for Rs 1,437 crore.

The first gun to be inducted is the 155 MM (same as Bofors) M777 ultra-light howitzer (145 guns) produced by the BAE systems for $737 million. This is through the foreign military sales (FMS) route from the US. Five of these guns have arrived. From June next year starts the next batch arrives and then on in phases. The induction rate is expected to be five guns per month till complete consignment is received by mid 2021.

Made of titanium, each gun weighs 4,000 kg making its transportable by CH-47 Chinook helicopters, C-17 Globemaster and the C-130 Hercules aircraft or on trucks with ease to provide increased mobility in the mountains.

The second is the self-propelled tracked gun Vajra K-9-T costing nearly Rs 4,500 crore. Ten pieces of the 155 MM guns are available now. It will have up to 50 percent local content under a joint venture between Larsen and Tourbo and South Korea’s Hanwha Techwin.

Firepower 

• The first gun to be inducted is the 155 MM (same as Bofors) M777 ultra-light howitzer (145 guns) produced by the BAE systems for $737 million
• Five of these guns have arrived. The next batch comes in June. The induction rate is expected to be five guns per month till complete consignment is received by mid-2021

Lt Gen Surinder Singh, GOC-in-C, Western command  will interact with veteran offrs

(.)update on current issues related to Indian Army especially veterans

(.)01 Nov 18 at 1100h

at (.)Manekshaw auditorium

(.) Chandimandir cantt

(.)desirous veteran offrs please confirm attendance at whatsapp on 9456182042.

The saga of oil price rise goes back to October 6, 1973 when Egyptian President Anwar Sadat decided to restore the self-esteem of his armed forces and the nation by launching the Yom Kippur war. Today is the 45th anniversary of that event.

Forty five years ago, most of us never thought twice about filling the fuel tanks of our vehicles. A full tank of my Vespa scooter cost me Rs 6. My parents’ Ambassador car needed Rs 50 to be brimful.  Fuel was the last of our worries and we consumed it as if the good times would never end. They did, on October 6, 1973, the day of Yom Kippur, the holy day of atonement of sins by the Jews. President Anwar Sadat of Egypt launched one of the best ever conceived, planned and coordinated military offensives in history, into his own territory. That territory was then held by Israelis along the Suez Canal front with the entire Sinai under them, having captured it in the lightning offensive of the Six Day War of June 1967. That Sadat’s offensive floundered at the altar of execution, the bane of the planner, is a different story. Importantly, it upset the breeze of a life we lived in those times. Prices of fuel shot up and very soon my scooter’s full tank was costing me  Rs17; that’s an increase of three and a half times almost overnight. Imagine if petrol were to suddenly cost you Rs 275 a litre! A heart-stopping development for most of us.

What’s the connection between Sadat’s Yom Kippur war of October, 1973 and oil prices? That’s what I will endeavour to explain in brief.

The Yom Kippur war: The conflict itself is one of the most studied and analysed conflicts of the Cold War period. It stood out for three things in terms of military technology. One, the first serious use of anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) in the mechanised battlefield, the SS 11B1 and the shoulder fired Malutka of the Soviet family and the American TOW (developed in 1970) which worsted the Israeli, Egyptian and Syrian armoured assaults in the war. Two, was the use  of Surface to Air Guided missiles (SAM6 and shoulder fired SAM7, again of the Soviet family). The third was the first demonstrated employment of the T-72 tank and the BMP-1, both iconic combat vehicles of the Soviet era.

Anwar Sadat put together a beguiling plan to deceive the ever-prepared Israeli armed forces and achieved almost total surprise. A young Egyptian military engineer developed a method of hosing down the high banks of the Suez Canal to provide access to Egyptian bridging and mechanised war fighting material even as hordes of Egyptian infantrymen with ATGMs went rushing across the canal and fanned into the desert to take on the Israeli armoured counter-attacks. SAM launchers were also rushed over the bridges to their pre-designated sites and kept at bay the attacking Israeli air force, thus creating a 10-km air defence umbrella. Despite the early success, the Egyptians floundered as the plan desisted from further ingress, diluting into a defensive holding action with the canal behind the Egyptians. In the end, the Egyptians were roundly defeated due to the massive airlift of state-of-the-art military equipment by the US to support Israel; TOW missiles were deployed from the airfields directly into action.

The connection with the oil crisis: Arab oil producers seething at the western support to Israel imposed an embargo on any nation seen to be with Israel. The decision to boycott and punish the US and the West led to the price of crude to rise from $3 per barrel to $12. The price of petrol all over the world shot up drastically, making transport more expensive. The demonstrated power of energy and its crunching effect on international economics first came to be realised in the wake of this embargo.

It sent the international political stock of countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran much higher. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded in 1960 by Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Venezuela with the principal objective of raising the price of oil. Others soon joined them. For the first decade, OPEC had little impact on the price of oil, but by the early 70s, the demand for oil was increasing. Japanese and US car production was exponentially increasing and although the world was in the Cold War mode, a period of peace in the troubled 20th century was ensuring better quality of life for people. That meant an increasing dependency on travel as cities expanded along with motorised transportation and international travel. OPEC did not succeed in increasing the price of oil even till the early 70s. The Yom Kippur War came as a trigger and OPEC suddenly acquired a larger political clout. It threatened to also cut back production to create an oil crisis, sensing an opportune moment.

Spur to alternative energies:  Although US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger did manage to negotiate with the Arabs on the availability of oil for the US, this crisis effectively spurred the world towards greater development of alternative energies and localisation of energy resources. The UK, for instance, developed its North Sea facility to eventually become an oil exporter. The US research led to the discovery and development of shale gas, making it self-sufficient and no longer dependent on Middle Eastern oil. However, there can be no denying that the oil boom, which later tapered, led to the rise of the Gulf countries, some of them very appropriately as trading and business development hubs. The flocking of the 7.5 million Indian diaspora to these countries began just after these developments. The Persian Gulf received a strategic boost out of proportion to its geostrategic location, which multiplied further during the disastrous Iran-Iraq war of the 80s and the two Gulf Wars.

India’s struggle: China and India’s economic boost through the 90s and the early millennium was courtesy the dependence on Middle Eastern oil. That situation has hardly changed as both struggle with alternative energies; renewable resources such as solar and wind have not sufficiently made a dent, although steps are afoot. Electric surface transport resources are developing; electric air transportation seems yet afar.

Unless a comprehensive shift to alternate sources takes place, it is unlikely that the geopolitical and geostrategic importance of the Middle East can wane, the US independence in energy notwithstanding. Already, India is reeling under the weight of rising fuel prices with social, economic and political ramifications.

It all goes back to October 6, 1973 when Anwar Sadat decided to restore the self-esteem of the Egyptian armed forces and the nation. Today is the 45th anniversary of that event.

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 3

Following in the footsteps of Haryana, the state today substantially increased prize money for sportspersons bringing laurels to the state in the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and other sports tournaments.

Approving the enhanced cash awards under the new Sports Policy-2018 in the Cabinet meeting, the government also decided to extend the cash awards of Rs 13 crore to the Punjab players who have brought laurels in this year’s Asian and Commonwealth Games. The new policy would replace the 2010 policy.

Under the new Sports Policy, the cash award in case of Olympics/Paralympics Games has been increased from existing Rs 1.01 crore to Rs 1.5 crore for silver medallists and Rs 51 lakh to Rs 1 crore for bronze medallists, whereas the cash award of Rs 2.25 crore for gold medallists remains unchanged.

In the Asian/Para Asian Games, the existing cash award of Rs 26 lakh has been enhanced to Rs 1 crore for gold medal, Rs 16 lakh to Rs 75 lakh for silver and Rs 11 lakh to Rs 50 lakh for bronze medal.

In Official World Cup/Championship, the existing cash prize has been increased from Rs 21 lakh to Rs 80 lakh for gold medal, Rs 11 lakh to Rs 55 lakh for silver and Rs 7 lakh to Rs 45 lakh for bronze medal.

In Commonwealth Games/Para Commonwealth Games, the sportsperson who clinches gold medal would now get enhanced cash award of Rs 75 lakh from the earlier Rs 16 lakh, Rs 50 lakh for silver from existing Rs 11 lakh and Rs 40 lakh for bronze from Rs 6 lakh.

However, the amount remains much less than Rs 6 crore for gold medal, Rs 4 crore for silver and Rs 2.50 crore for bronze given by Haryana to sportsperson bringing laurels in the Olympics. On the similar lines, Haryana offers two to three times more cash award for Asian Games, World Cup championships and Common Wealth Games.

Dues to be cleared

The government has decided to clear the dues of 815 sportsperson who brought laurels in the international and national events in the last six years. This would be an addition to clearing dues of near Rs 3 crore of 100 sportspersons, whose dues under the Maharaja Ranjit Singh award scheme have been pending since 2010.

Pension for veterans

To honour veteran sportspersons attaining the age of 40, the state government would also give pension of Rs 15,000 per month to a medal winner in Olympics, Rs 7,500 per month to a medal winner in Asian/Commonwealth games and World Games, Rs 5,000 per month for the National Games medal winners, who have won at least two medals in the last five National Games.

ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਖਿਡਾਰੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਨੌਕਰੀ ’ਚ 3 ਫ਼ੀਸਦੀ ਰਾਖਵਾਂਕਰਨ

ਟ੍ਰਿਬਿਊਨ ਨਿਊਜ਼ ਸਰਵਿਸ
ਚੰਡੀਗੜ੍ਹ, 3 ਅਕਤੂਬਰ

ਸੂਬੇ ਵਿਚ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਹੁਲਾਰਾ ਦੇਣ ਲਈ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮੰਡਲ ਨੇ ਅੱਜ ਨਵੀਂ ਖੇਡ ਨੀਤੀ-2018 ਨੂੰ ਸਿਧਾਂਤਕ ਪ੍ਰਵਾਨਗੀ ਦੇ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਹੈ। ਖੇਡ ਕੋਟੇ ਤਹਿਤ ਭਰਤੀ ਕਰਨ ਸਬੰਧੀ ਵੱਖਰੇ ਦਿਸ਼ਾ-ਨਿਰਦੇਸ਼ ਜਾਰੀ ਕਰਨ ਦੇ ਮਾਮਲੇ ’ਤੇ ਫ਼ੈਸਲਾ ਲੈਣ ਲਈ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਨੂੰ ਅਧਿਕਾਰਤ ਕੀਤਾ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਹੀ ਇਨਾਮੀ ਰਾਸ਼ੀ ਵਿਚ ਵੀ ਵਾਧਾ ਕੀਤਾ ਹੈ।
ਕੌਮੀ ਅਤੇ ਕੌਮਾਂਤਰੀ ਪੱਧਰ ’ਤੇ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਸੂਬੇ ਦੀ ਨੁਮਾਇੰਦੀ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲੇ ਖਿਡਾਰੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਨੌਕਰੀਆਂ ਵਿਚ ਤਿੰਨ ਫੀਸਦੀ ਰਾਖਵਾਂਕਰਨ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ। ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵਜ਼ਾਰਤ ਨੇ ਓਲੰਪਿਕ/ਪੈਰਾ ਓਲੰਪਿਕ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਚਾਂਦੀ ਦੇ ਤਗ਼ਮਾ ਜੇਤੂਆਂ ਲਈ ਮੌਜੂਦਾ ਨਗਦ ਐਵਾਰਡ ਇੱਕ ਕਰੋੜ ਰੁਪਏ ਤੋਂ ਵਧਾ ਕੇ ਡਢ ਕਰੋੜ ਰੁਪਏ, ਕਾਂਸੀ ਲਈ 51 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਤੋਂ ਇੱਕ ਕਰੋੜ ਰੁਪਏ ਕਰਨ ਦਾ ਫ਼ੈਸਲਾ ਕੀਤਾ ਹੈ। ਹਾਲਾਂਕਿ ਸੋਨ ਤਗ਼ਮਾ ਜੇਤੂਆਂ ਲਈ ਨਗਦ ਰਾਸ਼ੀ 2.25 ਕਰੋੜ ਰੁਪਏ ਹੀ ਰੱਖੀ ਗਈ ਹੈ। ਏਸ਼ੀਆਈ/ਪੈਰਾ ਏਸ਼ੀਆਈ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਸੋਨ ਤਗ਼ਮਾ ਇਨਾਮੀ ਰਾਸ਼ੀ 26 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਤੋਂ ਵਧਾ ਕੇ ਇੱਕ ਕਰੋੜ ਰੁਪਏ, ਚਾਂਦੀ ਲਈ 16 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਤੋਂ ਵਧਾ ਕੇ 75 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਅਤੇ ਕਾਂਸੀ ਲਈ 11 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਤੋਂ ਵਧਾ ਕੇ 50 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਕੀਤੀ ਹੈ।
ਵਿਸ਼ਵ ਕੱਪ ਜਾਂ ਚੈਂਪੀਅਨਸ਼ਿਪ ਦੇ ਸੋਨ ਤਗ਼ਮਾ ਜੇਤੂਆਂ ਲਈ ਨਗਦ ਰਾਸ਼ੀ 21 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਤੋਂ ਵਧਾ ਕੇ 80 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ, ਚਾਂਦੀ ਲਈ 11 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਤੋਂ ਵਧਾ ਕੇ 55 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ, ਕਾਂਸੀ ਲਈ ਸੱਤ ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਤੋਂ ਵਧਾ ਕੇ 45 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਕੀਤੀ ਗਈ ਹੈ। ਰਾਸ਼ਟਰਮੰਡਲ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਦੇ ਸੋਨ ਤਗ਼ਮੇ ਲਈ ਮੌਜੂਦਾ 16 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਦੀ ਥਾਂ 75 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ, ਚਾਂਦੀ ਲਈ 11 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਦੀ ਥਾਂ 50 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ, ਕਾਂਸੀ ਲਈ ਛੇ ਲੱਖ ਦੀ ਥਾਂ ਚਾਲੀ ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਕੀਤੇ ਗਏ ਹਨ। ਵਿਸ਼ਵ ਯੂਨੀਵਰਸਿਟੀ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਜਾਂ ਚੈਂਪੀਅਨਸ਼ਿਪਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਸੋਨਾ, ਚਾਂਦੀ ਅਤੇ ਕਾਂਸੀ ਦਾ ਤਗ਼ਮਾ ਜੇਤੂਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਕ੍ਰਮਵਾਰ ਸੱਤ ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ, ਪੰਜ ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਅਤੇ ਤਿੰਨ ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਦਾ ਨਗ਼ਦ ਇਨਾਮ ਮਿਲੇਗਾ। ਇਸੇ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਸੈਫ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਜਾਂ ਐਫਰੋ ਏਸ਼ੀਅਨ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਨੈਸ਼ਨਲ ਗੇਮਜ਼ ਵਿੱਚ ਸੋਨ ਤਗ਼ਮੇ ਲਈ ਪੰਜ ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ, ਚਾਂਦੀ ਲਈ ਤਿੰਨ ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਅਤੇ ਕਾਂਸੀ ਲਈ ਦੋ ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਨਗਦ ਇਨਾਮ ਰੱਖੇ ਗਏ ਹਨ। ਆਲ ਇੰਡੀਆ ਇੰਟਰ ਯੂਨੀਵਰਸਿਟੀ ਟੂਰਨਾਮੈਂਟ/ਚੈਂਪੀਅਨਸ਼ਿਪ, ਰਾਸ਼ਟਰੀ ਸਕੂਲ ਖੇਡਾਂ/ਖੇਲੋ ਇੰਡੀਆ ਸਕੂਲ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਰਾਸ਼ਟਰੀ ਮਹਿਲਾ ਖੇਡ ਮੇਲੇ/ ਰਾਸ਼ਟਰੀ ਪੱਧਰ ਦੇ ਖੇਲੋ ਇੰਡੀਆ ਟੂਰਨਾਮੈਂਟ ਵਿੱਚ ਸੋਨਾ, ਚਾਂਦੀ ਅਤੇ ਕਾਂਸੀ ਦਾ ਤਗ਼ਮਾ ਜੇਤੂਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਕ੍ਰਮਵਾਰ 50 ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਰੁਪਏ, 30 ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਰੁਪਏ ਅਤੇ 20 ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਰੁਪਏ ਮਿਲਣਗੇ। ਇਸੇ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਹੀ ਕੌਮੀ ਖੇਡ ਸੰਸਥਾਵਾਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਕਰਵਾਈਆਂ ਜਾਂਦੀਆਂ ਸੀਨੀਅਰ ਨੈਸ਼ਨਲ ਚੈਂਪੀਅਨਸ਼ਿਪਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਸੋਨਾ, ਚਾਂਦੀ ਅਤੇ ਕਾਂਸੀ ਲਈ ਕ੍ਰਮਵਾਰ 40 ਹਜ਼ਾਰ, 20 ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਅਤੇ 15 ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਰੁਪਏ ਰੱਖੇ ਗਏ ਹਨ।
ਖੇਡਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਰੀਅਰ ਲਈ ਇਹ ਨੀਤੀ ਮਹਾਰਾਜਾ ਰਣਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਐਵਾਰਡ ਤੇ ਵਜ਼ੀਫ਼ਾ ਅਤੇ ਪੈਨਸ਼ਨ ਸਕੀਮ ਰਾਹੀਂ ਤਗ਼ਮਾ ਜੇਤੂਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਵਿੱਤੀ ਸਹਾਇਤਾ ਅਤੇ ਖਿਡਾਰੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਰੋਜ਼ਗਾਰ ਸਹੂਲਤ ਮੁਹੱਈਆ ਕਰਵਾਏਗੀ। ਇਸ ਤਹਿਤ 20 ਖਿਡਾਰੀਆਂ ਅਤੇ ਇਕ ਅੰਗਹੀਣ ਖਿਡਾਰੀ ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੇ ਤਗ਼ਮਾ ਜਿੱਤਿਆ ਅਤੇ ਕੌਮਾਂਤਰੀ ਪੱਧਰ ’ਤੇ ਟੂਰਨਾਮੈਂਟਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਹਿੱਸਾ ਲਿਆ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਦਿਸ਼ਾ-ਨਿਰਦੇਸ਼ਾਂ ਮੁਤਾਬਕ 100 ਅੰਕ ਦਾ ਗ੍ਰੇਡ ਹੈ, ਦੀ ਚੋਣ ਹਰੇਕ ਵਰ੍ਹੇ ਕੀਤੀ ਜਾਵੇਗੀ।
ਇਸ ਨਾਲ ‘ਪਦਮ’, ‘ਅਰਜਨ’ ਅਤੇ ‘ਰਾਜੀਵ ਗਾਂਧੀ ਖੇਲ ਰਤਨ’ ਹਾਸਲ ਸਾਰੇ ਐਵਾਰਡੀ ਜੋ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਖਿਡਾਰੀ ਹਨ, ਚੁਣੇ ਗਏ 20 ਖਿਡਾਰੀਆਂ ਤੋਂ ਇਲਾਵਾ ਖੁਦ-ਬ-ਖੁਦ ਇਸ ਐਵਾਰਡ ਲਈ ਯੋਗ ਹੋ ਜਾਣਗੇ। ਮਹਾਰਾਜਾ ਰਣਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਐਵਾਰਡ ’ਚ ਇਕ ਟਰਾਫੀ, ਬਲੇਜ਼ਰ ਨਾਲ ਪੰਜ ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਦਾ ਨਗਦ ਇਨਾਮ ਮਿਲੇਗਾ। ਇਹ ਐਵਾਰਡ ਪੰਜ ਸਾਲਾਂ ਲਈ ਇਨਡੋਰ ਇਲਾਜ ਵਾਸਤੇ ਇਕ ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਪ੍ਰਤੀ ਸਾਲ ਦੇ ਸਿਹਤ ਬੀਮਾ ਕਵਰ ਦਾ ਹੱਕਦਾਰ ਵੀ ਹੋਵੇਗਾ।

ਓਲੰਪਿਕ ਜੇਤੂਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਮਿਲੇਗੀ 15000 ਰੁਪਏ ਮਹੀਨਾ ਪੈਨਸ਼ਨ

ਸੂਬਾ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਤਗ਼ਮਾ ਜਿੱਤਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਵੈਟਰਨ ਖਿਡਾਰੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਪੈਨਸ਼ਨ ਵਜੋਂ ਵਿੱਤੀ ਸਹਾਇਤਾ ਦੇਵੇਗੀ। ਓਲੰਪਿਕ ਵਿੱਚ ਤਗ਼ਮਾ ਜੇਤੂ ਖਿਡਾਰੀ ਨੂੰ 15 ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਰੁਪਏ ਪ੍ਰਤੀ ਮਹੀਨਾ ਪੈਨਸ਼ਨ ਮਿਲੇਗੀ, ਜਦਕਿ ਏਸ਼ੀਆਈ/ਰਾਸ਼ਟਰਮੰਡਲ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ 7500 ਰੁਪਏ ਪ੍ਰਤੀ ਮਹੀਨਾ ਅਤੇ ਰਾਸ਼ਟਰੀ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਤਗ਼ਮਾ ਜੇਤੂਆਂ ਨੂੰ 5000 ਰੁਪਏ ਪੈਨਸ਼ਨ ਮਿਲੇਗੀ, ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੇ ਪਿਛਲੀਆਂ ਪੰਜ ਕੌਮੀ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਘੱਟੋ-ਘੱਟ ਦੋ ਤਗ਼ਮੇ ਜਿੱਤੇ ਹਨ। ਇਹ ਸਹਾਇਤਾ 40 ਸਾਲ ਦੀ ਉਮਰ ਪੂਰੀ ਕਰ ਚੁੱਕੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਖਿਡਾਰੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਮਿਲੇਗੀ, ਜੋ ਮੁਲਾਜ਼ਮ ਨਹੀ ਹੋਣਗੇ ਜਾਂ ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਸਾਲਾਨਾ ਆਮਦਨ ਛੇ ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਤੋਂ ਵੱਧ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੋਵੇਗੀ। ਕੋਚਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਪ੍ਰੇਰਿਤ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਸਤੇ ਓਲੰਪਿਕ, ਵਿਸ਼ਵ ਚੈਂਪੀਅਨਸ਼ਿਪਾਂ, ਏਸ਼ੀਅਨ ਅਤੇ ਰਾਸ਼ਟਰਮੰਡਲ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਤਗ਼ਮਾ ਜੇਤੂ ਖਿਡਾਰੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਿਖਲਾਈ ਦੇਣ ਵਾਲਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਵੀ ਨਗ਼ਦ ਇਨਾਮ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ। ਜਿਹੜੇ ਕੋਚ ਘੱਟੋ-ਘੱਟ ਇਕ ਸਾਲ ਖਿਡਾਰੀ ਨੂੰ ਸਿਖਲਾਈ ਦੇਣਗੇ ਅਤੇ ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਕੋਚਾਂ ਦੇ ਸਿਖਲਾਈ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਖਿਡਾਰੀ ਮੈਡਲ ਜਿੱਤਣਗੇ, ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਉਸ ਨਗਦ ਐਵਾਰਡ ਦੇ 40 ਫੀਸਦੀ ਦੇ ਬਰਾਬਰ ਨਗਦ ਇਨਾਮ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ, ਜਿਸ ਦੇ ਵਾਸਤੇ ਇਸ ਨੀਤੀ ਦੇ ਹੇਠ ਖਿਡਾਰੀ ਹੱਕਦਾਰ ਹੋਣਗੇ।

ਨਵੀਂ ਖੇਡ ਨੀਤੀ ਦੇ ਕੁੱਝ ਜ਼ਰੂਰੀ ਨੁਕਤੇ

* ਓਲੰਪਿਕ ’ਚ ਚਾਂਦੀ ਦਾ ਤਗ਼ਮਾ ਜੇਤੂਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਡੇਢ ਕਰੋੜ ਰੁਪਏ ਮਿਲਣਗੇ
* ਏਸ਼ਿਆਈ ਸੋਨ ਤਗ਼ਮਾ ਜੇਤੂਆਂ ਲਈ ਰਕਮ 26 ਲੱਖ ਤੋਂ ਇੱਕ ਕਰੋੜ ਰੁਪਏ ਕੀਤੀ
* ਮਹਾਰਾਜਾ ਰਣਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਐਵਾਰਡ ਤਹਿਤ ਪੰਜ ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਦਾ ਇਨਾਮ ਮਿਲੇਗਾ

Chandigarh: Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday visited the historic World War 1 Helles Memorial at Gallipoli (Turkey) to pay homage to the Commonwealth soldiers, including Indians, who laid down their lives in the Gallipoli campaign.

On the 100th anniversary of the culmination of the World War-I, the Chief Minister also visited the Turkish Memorial in memory of Seyit Ali Váabuk, First World War gunner in the Ottoman Army. He lauded the contribution of the Indian soldiers who were killed and buried in a distant land. The Helles Memorial has the names of Indian soldiers, including Sikhs, killed in the battle. TNS

The Army will provide communication, manpower, temporary toilets and even its helicopters for rescue mission in case of an accident

Dharamsala, October 27

The Army will provide the logistic support to the Indian Open 2018 Paragliding World Cup starting tomorrow.

Dah division of the 39 Corps has decided to provide all support. It has come as a big relief for them, said  SDM, Baijnath, Vikas Shukla, who is heading the organising committee for the event.

The SDM said the Army would provide communication, manpower, temporary toilets and even its

helicopters for rescue mission in case of an accident during the World Cup.

A number of pilots would participate. The registration was open till today. However, only 150 participants would be allowed in the competition.

Four pilots, three from the Samarth group in Rajasthan and one Manu Thakur from Himachal, presented hang-gliding show in Bir Billing to mark the start of the World Cup.

Meanwhile, all hotels are packed to their capacity in Bir. The small hamlet is buzzing with activity.

Lt Col Prasad Purohit.

Mumbai, October 20

A special NIA court here on Saturday rejected 2008 Malegaon blast case accused Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit’s petition challenging the validity of the prosecution sanction for his trial under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Special NIA court judge Vinod Padalkar rejected his petition after hearing the arguments of Purohit and other accused in the case.

The court has set October 26 as the next date of hearing in the case.

The Bombay High Court had last month rejected Purohit’s plea to restrain the trial court from framing charges against him and other accused in the case.

The NIA court was set to frame the charges against him and others, but it was deferred after the accused raised objections over the validity of the prosecution sanction.

A prior sanction for Purohit’s prosecution was required since he was a serving Army officer at the time.

The sanction was issued on January 17, 2009 by additional chief secretary of the Maharashtra Home department.

Six people were killed and nearly 100 injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque at Malegaon, a town in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, on September 29, 2008.

On December 27, 2017, the special NIA court dismissed the pleas filed by Purohit, his co-accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, and six others seeking discharge from the case.

The court, however, gave them partial relief by dropping all charges against them under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). PTI

Indian infantry digging trenches at Fauquissart, France. Photo 24/(299) © The British Library Boar

The Dome Hospital at Brighton. Photo 24(1).

The Sikh kitchen. Turning chappatis on the gas stoves, also at Brighton. Photo 24/(8)

Sarika Sharma

Anxious soldiers digging the trenches in Fauquissart, France
The seaside palace at Brighton turned into 689-bed hospital for Indian troops
Indians receiving electrical and galvanic treatment at the Kitchener Hospital 

For all those who have followed World War I centenary commemorations for the last four years, these images have become a part of the memory. All thanks to one man, HD Girdwood, who started photographing the Indian troops in the battlefield and off it.

Girdwood was born in the era of stereoviews. After graduation, he moved to London from his birthplace in Ontario, Canada, and started working as a salesperson with a stereoview company named Underwood. He quickly moved up the ladder. Historian Ralph Reiley says he soon became an accomplished stereo photographer and photographed the Delhi Durbar — a major event of the British government — in 1903 and 1911. In between, he formed his own company, Realistic Travels, in 1908. These travels with the British royalty meant he spent a number of years in India. When the war began, Girdwood realised it was once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and expressed his interest in covering it, especially the Indian troops. He wished for an official position, which did not come his way. Undeterred, he pursued the War Office in London in September 1914 and, in April 1915, managed to get permission, which came with riders. Girdwood could only film and photograph the hospitals in England and these should be reflective of “the great care” being given to Indian soldiers.

Interestingly, this was a time of political awakening in India. Historian Nicholas Hiley has written that the Ghadar movement had begun to show its impact around the time and the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the British Army wanted to show patriotic films showing Indian troops in the field. The War Office was worried. Around this time, Girdwood had also renewed his efforts to go further closer to the scene of action. He was finally allowed a 14-day trip to France with the Indian Corps. Reiley says he was told not to photograph distressing pictures of wounded men. In four days, he covered 70 different locations. While Girdwood had problems with the War Office, he soon persuaded the India office to help him grant permission to click the way he wanted. Rules were relaxed and Girdwood’s subsequent photos are from the second or third line trenches. As Ghadar influence intensified and Indians began to believe that Indian troops were the ones in the front lines, the War Office felt the need to propagate that British were facing the brunt as much. So battle scenes were now staged for Girdwood with British soldiers wearing German soldiers’ uniforms. By the end of the war, he had a lot of photographs and a film, With the Empire’s Fighters. Reiley says Girdwood wrote a series of articles for Windsor magazine. The war propaganda had some factual and mostly fabricated stories, which he wrote with his photographs from 1915. He died in Michigan in 1964.

Reiley says First World War stereoviews by Realistic Travels were of the highest quality. “They were the sharpest and the clearest.” He also says that as we look at the stereoviews, we also must remember that they were a medium of entertainment rather than a medium for journalistic truth.

The Indian connect

His family remembers Girdwood as “a shrewd salesman who seemed to chase money where he could find it.” John Girdwood, to whom Girdwood was paternal great-grandfather’s half-brother, says he seems to have found some military officers in England (where he lived, worked, and sold for a time). “Those officials probably provisioned some work from him, causing him to go to India. I believe that around 1900-1905, he was a young salesman, eager to make money. That must have prompted him to go to India.” According to historian Ralph Reiley, it is also believed that he served as a Bombay mayor at some point of time. If that were to be the case, his photographic exploits in the area would be worth seeing.

Geneva, October 5

The UN voiced alarm on Friday over India’s deportation of seven Rohingya men to Myanmar despite warnings they could face persecution in a country where the military is accused of genocide against the Muslim minority.

The UN refugee agency said it was “greatly concerned” for the safety and security of the men returned to Myanmar at a border crossing in Manipur.

The UN United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said India had not responded to its request that they assess the men’s claims to international refugee protection in the country. — AFP