Three Param Vir Chakra awardees at Chandigarh Military Literature Festival

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh will chair inaugural session; Darlymple, Vir Sanghvi among authors taking part at two-day fest from Friday.

The Indian Army was retaliating in a befitting manner.

Jammu, December 10

Pakistani troops continued to target civilian hamlets and forward posts along the LoC in the twin sectors of Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir with intense shelling overnight, resulting in injuries to a civilian, officials said on Tuesday.

The Pakistani troops resorted to intense shelling and firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Shahpur Kirni and Balakote sectors overnight, triggering panic among civilians, they said.

“Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing from small arms and intense shelling with mortars along the LoC in the Balakote sector,” a defence spokesperson said.

The Indian Army was retaliating in a befitting manner, he added.

In the Shahpur sector, the Pakistan Army targeted villages with 120-mm mortar shells, triggering panic among the villagers, officials said.

Mohammad Showkat (30), a villager, was injured in the shelling and hospitalised late on Monday night, they added.

The Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Poonch thrice on Monday. — PTI 

PunjabUpdate.Com

Chandigarh, December 14:

The lessons learnt from the use of armours in Burma Campaign are still relevant to the present day as it was one of the toughest wars fought by the armies.

 Besides, discussing the other strategic points in ‘Tanks Setting the Jungle Ablaze – Employment of Armour in the Burma Campaign’ panelists highlighted these points during the discussion.

 Stuart Wheeler, from Tank Museum, also showed a detailed presentation about the use of armours and strategy of British alliance armies against the Japanese army.

 Meanwhile, Moderator Major General AP Singh shared interesting tales of Burma war and another panelist Lt General PS Mehta emphasize the necessity of history preservation and learning experiences of war. Panelist Richard Smith said that even after more than 70 years, the practical learning outcomes of the Burma are still useful for the armies

                         Moderator Major General AP Singh, while opening the session, said that it was not possible to fight with the Japanese without using tanks and other armoured vehicles. He added that the techniques of Japanese soldiers like attacking the tanks with Samurai swords, anti tank rifles and sniper guns were also the major challenges for the cmbined armies.

 While narrating the tales of courage of soldiers, Major General AP Singh said that during the war there was an instance when there were very narrow lanes in the mountains and the commanders had to navigate the tanks by walking in front of them or looking out of the tanks even in the heavy shelling by the enemy. He added that despite of numerous causalities, the combined armies succeeded to reach their target.

 Telling another tale, Major General Singh said that the commanding officer of ‘A’ Squadron, 7th Hussars (Major Llewellen Palmer) persuaded a ferry-boat captain to tow a Stuart tank, bizarrely named ‘The Curse of Scotland’, across the river on a raft, which he did, but the ferry-boat crews refused to tow another. He added that as they had to destroy the abandoned 70 tanks fearing the use by the enemy. He added that later, stripped of its turret, this tank became the command vehicle of the Indian 7th Light Cavalry.

 Panelist Lt General PS Mehta said that Japanese army was comfortable to fight in the jungles without using tanks as they were fully aware of the region. He added that the Japanese used only one regiment of tanks including 14 tanks only.

uwahati, December 13

Goods flew off shelves as locals rushed to stock up essential items after shops and markets in Guwahati opened Friday morning amid reports that curfew has been relaxed, which were later dismissed by the authorities.

Long queues were seen outside shops at the Uzan Bazar, Chandmari, Silpukhuri and Zoo Road areas with people coming out in their cars and two-wheelers after some local channels reported that the prohibitory orders have been relaxed from 6 am to 1 pm.

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An Assam Police spokesman later clarified that there was no order about the curfew being relaxed and restrictions will be in force.

The restrictions were imposed at 6.15 pm on Thursday after violent protests against the amended Citizenship Act.

Security forces personnel who are manning each and every corner of the city, however, did not enforce closure of the markets and restrict movement of vehicles.

Long queues were seen outside grocery stores, shops selling poultry items and fish. Many said they were stocking items for at least three-four days in wake of the uncertainties amid the protests.

Flag marches by the Army and personnel of the security forces are being conducted across the city.

Also, civic workers were seen clearing barricades, bricks and stones, burnt tyres and other things that dotted the city roads after the pitched battle between protestors and police on Thursday that left two persons dead.

Public transport, including buses, was off roads.

A large number of people, including artists, singers and filmstars, are observing a 10-hour fast called by the influential students’ organisation against the Citizenship Act from 6 am.

AASU chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya said that the protests will continue.

“We will not succumb to any pressure and our agitation will continue,” he said.

Assam has been on the boil for the past several days as thousands of people have come out on the streets to protest against the amendment of the Citizenship Act. Two persons were killed in police firing in the state on Thursday.

Indigenous people of the Northeastern states are scared that the entry of these people will endanger their identity and livelihood.

Various organisations of the region have launched a series of agitations against the Bill.

On Thursday, two persons were killed in police firing and thousands descended on streets defying curfew as Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed his government was committed to safeguarding their rights.

Several towns and cities were placed under indefinite curfew, including Guwahati, the epicentre of protests, besides Dibrugarh, Tezpur, and Dhekiajuli. Night curfew was imposed in Jorhat, Golaghat, Tinsukia and Charaideo districts, officials said.

Internet services in 10 districts were suspended for another 48 hours beginning 12 pm on Thursday to prevent “misuse” of social media to disturb peace and tranquility, and to maintain law and order, officials said.

The state government had removed the Guwahati Police commissioner Deepak Kumar and appointed Munna Prasad Gupta in his place on Thursday.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Mukesh Agarwal was also transferred and replaced by ADGP (CID) GP Singh.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday gave his assent to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, turning it into an Act.

According to the Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, and facing religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha on Wednesday and by Lok Sabha on Monday.

Trains cancelled 

At least 106 passenger trains were either cancelled or short terminated by Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) in view of disruptions in train movement following protests against the amended Citizenship Act since Wednesday, the NFR said in a statement said on Friday.

The NFR has cancelled up and down Guwahati-Dimapur BG Express, Sealdah-Agartala Kanchanjungha Express and the Howrah-Dibrugarh Kamrup Express that were supposed to operate on Friday and Saturday, the NFR statement said.

Some trains such as Guwahati-Jorhat Janshatabdi Express, up and down Tinsukia-Naharlagun Intercity Express, Rajendranagar-New Tinsukia Express, Sealdah-Silchar Kanchanjungha Express, have been cancelled on Saturday.

The Jorhat-Guwahati Janshatabdi Express, Bangalore-Agartala Humsafar Express, up and down Dibrugarh-Ekargaon Special, up and down Lumding-Tinsukia passenger, up and down Dimapur -Mariani passenger, up and down Simaluguri-Dibrugarh passenger and Jorhat-Tinsuka passenger have also been cancelled on Saturday.

The statement also said that trains from Ledo to Dibrugarh and back, Dibrugarh to Dangri and back, up and down New Tinsukia-Rangiya Intercity Express and the Rangiya-New Tinsukia Intercity Express, Tinsukia-Jorhat passenger, up and down Dibrugarh-Murkongselek passenger would not be operated on Saturday and Sunday.

The Rajdhani Express which left New Delhi on December 12 has been short terminated.

Services between Guwahati and Dibrugarh will remain partially cancelled.

The Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express of December 16 will remain partially cancelled, the release quoted NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Subhanan Chanda as saying.

In addition, the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express, which left Chandigarh on December 11 will be short terminated at Guwahati and will remain partially cancelled between Guwahati and Dibrugarh, while the Dibrugarh-Tambaram Express of December 15 will remain partially cancelled between Dibrugarh-Guwahati.

It will start from Guwahati on December 17, the CPRO said.

The Tripura Sundari Express will operate as a passenger special from Badarpur to Agartala with stranded passengers, he said.

The up and down Dharmanagar-Silchar passenger and Agartala-Dharmanagar passenger of Saturday were restored, Chanda added.

Anti-CAB protests in Arunchal

In Arunchal, students’ unions boycotted their examination to hit the streets across cities against the law.

Thousands of agitators, led by Rajiv Gandhi University Students’ Union (RGUSU) and Students’ Union of NERIST (SUN), marched from the varsity to Raj Bhavan, covering a distance of around 30 km on the hilly terrain.

Local people, along with those belonging to the Assamese community, also joined the rally here to protest against the controversial law, most of them raising slogans against the BJP-led government at the Centre.

In Arunchal, protesters claimed that Assam was the gateway to the northeast, and the region would suffer if the state gets affected.

The agitators submitted a memorandum to Governor BD Mishra, stressing that the amended Act would not be implemented in the state.

“We oppose the Citizenship Act and want its immediate revocation. The law will divide the region along religious lines and jeopardise the existence of the indigenous people,” one the protesters claimed.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday directed state officials to ensure strict checking of Inner Line Permits (ILP) in check gates across the state.

Khandu also asked Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar and Director General of Police RP Upadhyaya to instruct all the deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to be vigilant and conduct regular patrolling for ensuring safety and security of the state people, an official release said.

The chief minister has sought daily reports on the action taken in this regard, officials said.

The amended Citizenship Bill exempts tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram or Tripura as included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and areas covered under The Inner Line (ILP) regime, notified under Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.

Outsiders—including those from other parts of India—need permission to visit the ILP-regime states. The amended Citizenship Act will not apply to Arunachal Pradesh as the ILP system is in force in the state.

The administration was trying its best to provide petrol and diesel to the commuters at a prescribed limit per individual, a government official in Arunchal Pradesh said.

Protesters, however, claimed that Assam was the gateway to the northeast, and the region would suffer if the state gets affected.

Fuel goes up

Meanwhile, petrol and diesel crisis hit Arunachal Pradesh on Friday, especially in the state capital, as people queued up at fuel outlets, fearing that supply might get hit amid protests across the region.

The administration was trying its best to provide petrol and diesel to the commuters at a prescribed limit per individual, a government official said.

“All petrol depots in the state capital will be opened to the public for a few hours in the evening. The long queues at the fuel outlets have led to traffic snarls in the state capital,” the official added.

Tarlok Singh was chosen by Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India, to be his first private secretary. He guided the affairs in the Planning Commission for 17 years. He was also a great economist

P Lal

Not many would know that the TS Central State Library, Sector 17, Chandigarh, is named after a distinguished civil servant of Punjab — Tarlok Singh, ICS officer, who — as the Director-General Rehabilitation (September 1947-December 1949) — played a stellar role in re-settling about half a million families from Pakistan.

Later, he was chosen by Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India, to be his first private secretary. He guided the affairs in the Planning Commission for 17 years, rising to become its member. He was a great economist, too, and of international fame. He was the only civil servant to have been decorated with all three Padma awards.

He was born on February 26, 1913, in Gujranwala, now in Pakistan. An alumnus of the London School of Economics (1933-1936), he was the favourite student of Professor Harold Laski, a noted economist, who had groomed luminaries such as Jawaharlal Nehru, KR Narayanan, VK Krishna Menon, and Pierre Trudeau, Canada’s former prime minister who served for more than 15 years.

Tarlok Singh joined the ICS in 1937 after clearing Indian Civil Services examination held in London. There were five streams of entry to the ICS then — separate competitive examinations in London, and in India; nominations; promotion from the Provincial Civil Service; and appointments from the bar. Tarlok Singh was, however, not very bright in his educational career in the beginning. His son, Jaideep Singh, himself an MBA from Harvard University and a former Professor in the Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, mentions in an essay, ‘Tarlok Singh-Some Reflections’, that in the younger days, his father had taken to cinema and theatre to the neglect of education with the result that he plucked in the matriculation examination.

Tarlok Singh, later, became an economist of repute and played a vital role in the economic regeneration of the nascent Indian state and also in the developmental processes of other newly independent nations after the collapse of colonialism post World War II. For his pioneering work in the field of economics, he was awarded the Soderstorm Medal for Economics by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, in 1970.

He was awarded the Padma Shri (1954), Padma Bhushan (1962), and Padma Vibhushan (2000). His work as an officer in charge of resettlement finds laudatory mention in noted historian Ramachandra Guha’s ‘India After Gandhi-The History of the World’s Largest Democracy’. He notes that Tarlok Singh had the onerous task of allotting land to the refugees who had abandoned 2.7 million hectare in West Punjab, whereas only 1.9 million hectare left by Muslims were available in East Punjab. Tarlok Singh introduced the concepts of the ‘standard acre’ and the ‘graded cut’. The former meant a parcel of land yielding 10-11 maunds of rice, a maund being about 40 kilograms. In certain un-irrigated areas, four physical acres might mean one standard acre while in lush green canal colonies, they might equal the standard acre. The idea of the ‘ graded cut’ helped overcome the massive discrepancy between the land left behind by the refugees and the land now available — a gap of about a million acres. For example, for the first ten acres of a claim, a cut of 25% was imposed; for higher claims, cuts were steeper.

Pran Seth, a journalist and an erstwhile employee of the Punjab government, writes in his book, ‘Lahore to Delh-Rising from the ashes-Autobiography of an unknown Refugee from Pakistan’ that working under Tarlok Singh was a great education. He was a dignified man having an open mind and an open-door policy towards all refugees who came to see him. There were no security checks, no policemen at the door, no searching and no waiting for the already tormented refugees.

Tarlok Singh served in the Planning Commission as deputy secretary, joint secretary, and additional secretary, eventually rising to become its member (1962-1967).

He played a pivotal role in the preparation of the first three Five Year Plans. In fact, he was so pervasive in the Commission that the Commission came to be known as Tarlok Sabha. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, at one time a Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, while delivering the first Tarlok Singh Memorial Lecture on ‘ Role of Planning, A New Perspective’ associated the great names of Jawaharlal Nehru, PC Mahalanobis and Tarlok Singh with the planned development model of the Indian economy.

Tarlok Singh was intensely interested in the development of social sciences. After returning in 1974 from the UNICEF, where he worked as the Deputy Executive Director (Planning), he endeavoured to set up the Committee on Studies for Cooperation in Development in South Asia (CSCD) comprising research institutions and scholars in five counties of South Asia – Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh , Nepal and India. The CSCD provided the framework for the formation of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) which came into existence in 1985.

Another institution that Tarlok Singh created was the Indian Association of Social Science Institutions (IASSI). The IASSI has been organising Tarlok Singh Memorial Lectures since 2006. Among the books authored or edited by Tarlok Singh, eight in total, the most important one was: Poverty and Social Change: A study in the Reorganisation of Indian Rural Society which came out in 1945.

The contribution of Tarlok Singh in building India and tackling seemingly intractable problems in the years after independence has been immense. The modern generation would, most probably, not be aware of this great man of unimpeachable integrity, simplicity, modesty and capacity of relentless work.

Tarlok Singh breathed his last on December 10, 2005, at the ripe old age of 92. His legacy, however, lives on.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 13

Envisaging that India would become self-reliant on manufacturing its own defence equipment in the near future, Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore today said the nation had come a long way since Independence.

Inaugurating the third edition of the Military Literature Festival, organised by the Punjab Government and the Western Command here, he said India was no longer dependent on food or aid from abroad, but continued to rely on war material from other countries.

“Slowly, we aim to become self-reliant in making our own weapon systems with cutting edge technology and already Rs 3,000 crore worth of defence equipment is being made in India. Very soon, we shall be securing our nation with indigenously designed and manufactured weapons and equipment.”

Pointing out that India had exhibited its competence in reaching targets far out in space and was evolving its own global positioning system and had the ability to watch its frontiers and beyond with satellite systems, Badnore said: “We are now in the process of making the Indian Ocean militarily safe for our country and securing our island territories as well as maritime traffic.”

Reminding the audience that the year marked the 20th anniversary of Kargil War and today was the day that terrorists had attacked Parliament in 2001, the Governor said India was capable enough of dealing with any kind of insurgency threatening peace, unity and integrity from within or across borders. “Our Armed Forces have demonstrated this with surgical strike in the mountains across the Line of Control and airstrike deep in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province,” he said.

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lt Gen RP Singh said that the festival provided an ideal opportunity for exposure to geopolitical issues and matters of national importance. Badnore also participated in a session on the Battle of Haldighati fought between Maharana Pratap of Mewar and the forces of Mughal emperor Akbar in Rajasthan.

Prominent amongst those present were former Chief of Army Staff Gen VP Malik, former Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba, British Deputy High Commissioner in Chandigarh Andrew Ayre and Canadian Consulate General Mia Yen. Apart from a delegation from the UK and Canada, a number of serving and retired defence officers, military analysts, historians, authors and students are attending the festival.

Prominent faces

Prominent amongst those present on the inaugural day of the festival were

former Chief of Army Staff Gen VP Malik, former Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba, British Deputy High Commissioner in Chandigarh Andrew Ayre and Canadian Consulate General Mia Yen.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 12

As last-minute preparations were in full swing for the three-day Military Literature Festival that is scheduled to commence here tomorrow, inclement weather has cast a shadow of the vent.

As the city experienced heavily overcast skies with intermittent showers and a dip in temperature, the weatherman has predicted rain for tomorrow and hazy skies over the next two days.

The festival will be inaugurated by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore, at the Lake Club tomorrow. In addition to sessions on contemporary strategic and military issues like China’s belt and road initiative, Taliban in Kashmir and Afghanistan and defence industry in India, historical topics, book discussions audio-video shows will mark the event’s first day.

A display of weapons and equipment by the Army, an exhibition on military artefacts and martial heritage, book launches and martial dances will also be organised.

Photo for representation.

Chandigarh, December 10

A 25-year-old sepoy serving in the Indian Army was arrested in Punjab for allegedly stealing two INSAS rifles and ammunition from army’s training institute in Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh, police said on Tuesday.

The stolen arms and ammunition have been recovered, according to Hoshiarpur Senior Superintendent of Police, Gaurav Garg.

Harpreet Singh, who was declared a “military deserter” in October by the army, was arrested from Chotala village near Tanda in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district on Monday, said Garg.

He was booked under relevant sections of 380 (theft), 399 (making preparation to commit dacoity) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the IPC and the Arms Act, the SSP said.

His three accomplices, including one Jagtar Singh alias Jagga—son of Harbhajan Singh, who is an accused in the drones arms drop case in Punjab’s Tarn Taran in September, were also arrested, Garg said. 

Posing as army officers, the accused had stolen the rifles and ammunition in the early hours of December 6, sending the police into a tizzy and forcing them to sound a high alert.

Police claimed that Harpreet Singh, who belongs to Hoshiarpur’s Miani village, along with his accomplices had allegedly planned to loot some jewellery and garments shops and also steal cars to make a quick buck as he wanted to pay-off a debt of about Rs 60 lakh owed by his family.

“He wanted to make quick money through illegal activities,” the SSP told PTI over phone.

However, the police said that foreign hand behind the theft cannot be ruled out yet and the case is being investigated from all angles. —