Monthly Archives: August 2018

File photo of AN-32 transport plane. Reuters

Itanagar, June 7

There was no breakthrough in the search of the AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force that went missing with 13 persons on board with operations continuing for the fifth day on Friday amid inclement weather, officials said.

IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh said despite inclement weather, the joint search operations by IAF, Army and local administrations were continued.

“Search operations by helicopters, P-8I of the Indian Navy, besides C130J and ground parties of the Indian Army and locals were conducted but there was no sight of the aircraft,” Singh said.

He added that the search operations by helicopters were called off due to low lights and would resume on Saturday morning.

Ground teams of Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police along with locals and district administration officials are searching areas around Siang district, official sources said.

A senior IAF official said P-8I of the Navy undertook a search mission from Arakonnam base on Friday morning.

“The helicopters, transport aircraft, UAVs and other sensors are involved in extensive search and rescue whenever weather is permitting. The search area continues to expand to look at all possibilities. All electronic, radar, optical and infrared sensors, including satellites, are being employed to scan the area for any probable clues,” he said.

The IAF said Army, police, state government, paramilitary forces and local people are lending crucial support in the search operation.

“Army search parties have been in the area for over two days, going through thick forest trying to locate the aircraft. Senior Air Staff Officer of Eastern Air Command is coordinating and supervising search operations at Along.

“IAF is not sparing any effort in locating the missing air warriors. We stand in support of the families in these difficult times,” the officer said.

The search operation encompasses an area of about 2,500 square km which falls under Kaying and Payum circle of Siang district.

“The IAF is in regular touch with the families of missing air warriors. All possible assistance is being provided to the families. Some family members met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on June 6 and they were briefed about the search efforts. AOC-in-C, Eastern Air Command, Air Marshal R D Mathur had earlier met the families of missing air warriors at Jorhat,” the official said.

The Russian-origin transport aircraft took off from Assam’s Jorhat at 12.27 pm on Monday for the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground in Shi-Yomi district of Arunachal Pradesh. Its last contact with the ground control was at 1 pm.

Eight crew members and five passengers were on board the aircraft. —

Pervin Malhotra

Q.I will be taking the NDA exam this year, but would like to keep my options open. Could you tell me something about the prospects in the paramilitary services? — Sarvesh Datta

A.The CAPF comprises the following seven forces functioning under the Union Home Ministry:

1. Border Security Force (BSF) for manning the land borders of the country, except in the mountains. (186 Battalions) Headed by Indian Police Service Officer

2. Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) for manning the border with China on the Himalayan portion of the Tibetan plateau. (55 Battalions) Headed by Indian Police Service Officer

3. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF): The largest of the Central Armed Police Forces (200+ battalions). The CRPF includes the Rapid Action Force (RAF), a 10 battalion anti-riot force trained to respond to sectarian violence, and the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) which is an anti-Naxalite force.

4. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF): 130+ Battalions

5. Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) guards the Indo-Nepal & Indo-Bhutan Borders. 8.

6. Railway Protection Force (RPF) protects the railways of India and ensuring safety of citizens in trains.

7. National Security Guard (NSG) which is Headed by Indian Police Service officer), also includes the Special Protection Group (SPG), whose personnel provide protection to India’s political leadership.

8. The Assam Rifles (AR) (led by Indian Army officers reporting to the M/o Home Affairs)

Now, Paramilitary Forces refers to three organisations that closely assist the Indian armed forces:

The Special Frontier Force (SFF) is led by Indian Army officers reporting to Indian Intelligence.

The Indian Coast Guard (29 stations) is led by Indian Navy officers and reporting to the M/o Defence.

Maoist-affected states remain the main battleground for our paramilitary forces. About 38 per cent of the total strength of the 3,000-odd companies is deployed in these areas, followed by 26 per cent in insurgency-affected Northeast and 21 per cent in J&K. Only 15 per cent are deployed in other states.

While retaining their individuality, the forces come under one unified command and function homogeneously to combat insurgency and border security. This also helps upgrade and share their operations, weaponry, training and intelligence to improve the country’s internal security management.

The UPSC conducts a Joint Entrance Exam for recruiting Assistant Commandants for the Central Police Forces and the Services Selection Board (SSB) for  the BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP and Special Services Bureau (on the lines of the NDA exam) to ensure uniformity in the selection process.

Paper-I of the Written Exam comprises questions on General Ability and Intelligence (Objective Type) 250 Marks

Paper-II includes an Essay, Précis writing and Comprehension (Conventional Type) 150 Marks

Those who qualify the written exam have to clear the physical & medical standards test.

Selection Interviews (for Personality Test 200 marks) are subsequently conducted by the respective paramilitary forces.

Tradesmen in Technical Trades, Ground Duty Staff and Medical Corps staff are recruited directly by the respective battalions.

Recently, they’ve announced recruitment of Assistant Commandants through an All-India Exam on August 18, 2019. Details re: eligibility, syllabus and examination scheme are available on their website: www.upsc.gov.in)

Apply online on: https://upsconline.nic.in

Incidentally, there’s a 33 per cent quota for women in the CAPF.

Check out BDes at DU

Q. I could not make it to NID this year. Neither did I prepare for the BDes programme at the IITs. Is there any programme of similar repute offered by a govermnent college in product design? I don’t wish to drop a year and can’t afford to pay for the expensive private design schools. — Saudamini Sharma

A.Well there’s one option of a few such options that’s still open. Admission to the four-year BDes programme offered by Delhi Technological University (DTU) is  on the basis of merit in the UCEED 2019. The Entrance Exam is open to students of all subject streams (science, commerce, humanities). The online application process starts on June 8, 2019.

The total intake at DTU, which comes under the Govt of NCT of Delhi, is 60. Besides the usual reservation quota that applis to government insttutions, there is a regional quota as follows:

Delhi region: 85 per cent  seats are reserved for candidates who’ve passed their qualifying exam from a school in National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.

Outside Delhi region: 15 per cent seats are for candidates who’ve passed their qualifying exam from a school located outside the NCT of Delhi.

Eligibility: Class XII pass

Make sure you register and fill the online application on: www.dtu.ac.inwhich will be open from June 8 – 30, 2019

Can science stream students opt for BBA?

Q.I am a science student, but wish to go in for a good business studies programme at the undergraduate level. Can you recommend some good BBA or any undergraduate course for that matter, (other than BTech) that is industry-oriented?— Arnav Bhatia

A.There are quite a few such offerings, particularly those offered by some of the good private universities. But here’s one that recently caught my eye:

To bring in a transformational change in the country’s transportation sector the Indian Railways established India’s first university focused on transport and allied industries. The National Rail & Transportation Institute (NRTI), a deemed to be university offers two specialized courses: a) BSc in Transportation Technology (b) BBA in Transport Management

Started in 2018, the programmes focus on experiential learning and practice, and cutting-edge research and innovation.

Academic partnerships with top-ranked global universities offer opportunities for student and faculty exchange, joint research and learning, including Cornell University (USA), University of California Berkeley (USA), Russia University of Transport (MIIT) Moscow (Russia), St. Petersburg State Transport University (Russia).

There are 105 seats across both courses and the selection is based on merit obtained in the NRTI Undergraduate Admission Aptitude Test (NRTI-UAAT) which is common for both BBA as well as BSc programmes.

The applications close on June 7, 2019. For details, check NRTI-UAAT-BBA and NRTI-UAAT-BSc

Email your queries to careers@tribunemail.com 

Sam Manekshaw was the hero of the 1971 war, and Jagjivan Ram could do little if the General had put his foot down

Only after the 1965 and 1971 wars, with India having defeated Pakistan and the fear of China having receded a little, was the issue of army recruitment opened up a little. Jagjivan Ram, during his terms as Defence Minister (1970– 1974, 1977– 1978), made efforts to increase the number of Scheduled Castes in the Army as well as the number of new mixed units, something he had previously pressed for when a member of the cabinet.

The Defence Ministry consistently denied this, but a statement by Ram in March 1974 that recruitment was being reduced in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Haryana because of overrepresentation in these areas, though quickly retracted after protests from Sikh leaders and Punjab, suggests that he was concerned with carrying out a prudent rebalancing of the force’s composition.

Also read: Sam Manekshaw, the general who told Indira when Indian Army wasn’t ready for a war

In an interview, Lieutenant General Sinha, who as a Brigadier had been appointed Deputy Adjutant General by General Manekshaw in March 1972, recalled Defence Minister Ram’s efforts to open up the army to Scheduled Castes:

“In 1972 I was Deputy Adjutant General, and Manekshaw was Chief and Jagjivan Ram was Defence Minister. Jagjivan Ram looked over the roll of IMA cadets being commissioned and raised a query re the list sent by the commanding officer of IMA. How many SCs were on the list? I checked up and said 1%.

He wrote a strong note to Manekshaw. Jagjivan Ram wrote to Manekshaw saying that government had decided that there should be a SC reservation of 15% and one for the STs of 7.5%. Why is this not being observed? Manekshaw sent for me. This DM has gone mad, he said, but we have to draft a reply. He knew Jagjivan Ram and I were from Bihar. I found in the files a note that said that when reservations were introduced there was a clause that said that this would not apply to the army.

So in my reply I said that this was the case. But that as far as ranks below officers were concerned we have more than 15% Scheduled Castes already in the army. We have the Mahar regiment, and every battalion has 75– 100 depressed classes as sweepers, cobblers, dhobis etc. In terms of officers we had hardly any SCs in 1947 but we are making progress and now have 1% and it will grow further.

Also read: Jagjivan Ram, Dalit champion with world record as parliamentarian who almost became PM

Since 1947 we have had continual conflicts and preparations for conflict. Under these conditions we cannot compromise national security. I accept it if the Minister wants to take action against me.”

As Sinha told the story, “But of course [with Manekshaw] the hero of 1971, with these reasons, and as the hero of the war, there was little Jagjivan Ram could do.”

In the officer corps, the recruitment did broaden at the junior level. And as a result of the creation of several new training academies in the 1950s and 1960s and an increase in the ways officers could join up, new officers now came through many different streams, which further lessened the chances that they would coordinate on the basis of common ties and affiliations. But at the senior level, as in 1951, the force was still very much dominated by Punjabis and other members of the traditional “martial castes.”

Reproduced from Army and Nation by Steven I. Wilkinson, by permission of the publisher for South Asia, Permanent Black (copublished outside South Asia by Harvard University Press).

Pic courtesy: indianairforce.nic.in

 Upgrading Mirage 2000 and getting a 5th Generation Light Combat Aircraft will help the Indian Air Force in bridging the technological divide and ensuring a lethal arsenal, top air forces officers said on Monday. Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar, the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command, pointed out that countries like China and Russia were already developing 5th Generation fighter jets.

He said, “China and Russia are trying to reach the 5th Generation fighter and our technology is of the 4th Generation.” He further said that the Indian Air Force was in the process of making a 5th Generation Light Combat Aircraft and the prototype of the same would be ready in 10 years.

The senior IAF officials also confirmed that Mirage 2000, which were used for bombing terror camps in Pakistan’s Balakot on February 26, were undergoing an upgrade. According to Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Air Command, Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar, the upgradation would extend the life of Mirage 2000 by 20 years.

Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, Air Marshal Nambiar and Air Marshal Kumar were addressing at a press conference on 20 years of Kargil War commemoration at the Gwalior Air Force base.

Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa talked about the advancement made by the IAF since the Kargil War. He said that the role of the IAF was of “reconnaissance”, which means military observation of a region to locate an enemy.

“Even since before Kargil, the role of the air force has been that of reconnaissance, and if something abnormal is noticed, the same is reported. Earlier, the process was film-based but there’s digital technology,” said the Air Chief Marshal.

The IAF chief added that there are unmanned armed vehicles and aircraft that provide report on real time basis.

Referring to the 20 years of Kargil War, the IAF chief said that purpose of all attacks by India has always been to show “our resolve and capability”.

New Delhi, June 22

India on Saturday said it expected Pakistan to take all necessary steps to effectively implement the FATF action plan fully by September and take credible, verifiable, and irreversible measures to address global concerns related to terrorism and terrorist financing emanating from its soil.

In response to a media query regarding the FATF report, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the FATF had decided to continue to keep Pakistan on its compliance document  (ie Grey List) for the International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) monitoring for its failure to complete the action plan items due in January and May 2019.

“We expect Pakistan to take all necessary steps to effectively implement the FATF Action Plan fully within the remaining timeframe, ie by September 2019, in accordance with its political commitment to the FATF and take credible, verifiable, irreversible and sustainable measures to address global concerns related to terrorism and terrorist financing emanating from any territory under its control,” he said.

The FATF, the Paris-based global body, is working to curb terrorism financing and money laundering and has asked Pakistan to reassess the operation of banned terrorist outfits in the country.

In June last year, the FATF placed Pakistan on the grey list of countries whose domestic laws are considered weak to tackle the challenges of money laundering and terrorism financing.

In a statement issued at the conclusion of its Plenary meeting in Orlando, Florida, the FATF expressed concern “that not only did Pakistan fail to complete its action plan items with January deadlines, it also failed to complete its action plan items due May 2019”.

The FATF “strongly” urges Pakistan to swiftly complete its action plan when the last set of action plan items are set to expire.

“Otherwise, the FATF will decide the next step at that time for insufficient progress,” the international financial body said leaving a strong warning to Pakistan.

The FATF said Pakistan had taken steps towards improving its AML/CFT (anti-money laundering/combating the financial terrorism) regime, including the recent development of its terror funding risk assessment addendum.

However, it does not demonstrate a proper understanding of Pakistan’s transnational terror funding risk.

Reacting to the FATF’s warning, Pakistan on Friday said it was committed to taking measures needed to implement the action plan agreed with the FATF to come out of the grey list. PTI

The armoured vehicle of the 44 Rashtriya Rifles was attacked near the Arihal village of Pulwama.

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PULWAMA: 

An army vehicle was targeted with an improvised explosive device today in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, where a convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force was attacked by a suicide bomber in February. Six soldiers and two civilians have been injured in the attack.

The armoured vehicle of the 44 Rashtriya Rifles was attacked near the Arihal village of Pulwama.

Reports say the armoured vehicle got damaged in the attack. Soon after, heavy firing started. Police is collecting the wreckage of the vehicle used in the attack.

In a statement, the army called the attack a “failed attempt” by terrorists. The troops are safe, barring a few minor injuries, it said, adding, “The area has been cordoned and search operations are in progress”.

The attack comes days after Pakistan informed Indian High Commission in Islamabad about a possible attack in Pulwama. The information was also shared with the US as well.

Earlier today, an encounter took place between the security forces and the terrorists in Anantnag, south Kashmir, in which an Army major was killed and three soldiers were injured.

The soldiers came under fire during a cordon and search operation in Achabal.

The injured, among whom there is another Major, have been taken to the 92 base hospital of the Army in Srinagar, officials said. The encounter is still on.

A police inspector who got injured during an encounter in Anantnag last week, died at a Delhi hospital yesterday. Arshad Ahmed Khan, who sustained a bullet injury, was sent to the premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences for treatment.

Terrorists had opened fire on a CRPF patrol team in the city on Wednesday, killing five soldiers. Mr Khan reached the spot in a bullet-proof vehicle. As soon as he stepped down, he was shot at.

In February, a suicide bomber had targeted a convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force, in which 40 soldiers were killed.

Days after Jaish-e Mohammed accepted responsibility for the strike, the Indian Air Force targeted a camp of the terror group in Pakistan’s Balako

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 8

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday announced a Rs 5 lakh award for information on location of the missing AN-32 plane.

The plane is missing since 1 pm on June 3. It was on flight from Jorhat in Assam to Mechuka, an advanced landing ground, in Arunachal Pradesh.

While the search for the missing aircraft is on, Air Marshal RD Mathur, Chief of the Eastern Air Command, has announced a cash award of Rs 5 lakh for the person or group who provide credible information leading to finding of the aircraft.

The IAF has given out contact numbers.

IAF is using all its assets and taking help of the Army, Arunachal Pradesh civil authorities and other national agencies to locate the missing aircraft, said Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh, the Ministry of Defence Spokesperson at Shillong.

Earlier, a statement issued by the IAF spokesman said the search team has been trying to trace the aircraft with advanced technology and sensors sourced from different agencies, including ISRO satellites.

“The inhospitable terrain and thick vegetation is affecting the mission. Add to that, inclement weather and low visibility throughout the day posed a serious challenge to the aerial operations,” he said.

Along with local people, the Indian Army, the state police and the ITBP carried out intense search operation all Saturday to no avail, Singh rued.

“The IAF has increased the deployment of its helicopters and transport aircraft for the operation and expanded the search area significantly over the past few days.

“The data and imaging collected from airborne sensors and satellites are being analysed closely for clues,” he maintained.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, had visited Jorhat on Saturday to assess the ongoing search operations, Singh said.

Dhanoa was given a detailed briefing about the operations and apprised of the situation, following which he met the families of the officers and the airmen, who were on board the IAF plane, he added. — With agency inputs