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New army complex to help save resources, says Rajnath Singh

February 22, 2020 webadmin Leave a comment

MUCH AWAITED : Lays foundation stone of Thal Sena Bhawan that will house 6,014 offices

Defence minister Rajnath Singh during the foundation ceremony of the Thal Sena Bhawan, in New Delhi, on Friday Vipin Kumar/HT photo

HT Correspondent

letters@hindustantimes.co,

New Delhi : Defence minister Rajnath Singh, who laid the foundation of the Thal Sena Bhawan on Friday, said that the new complex would play a significant role in saving valuable resources and contribute to administrative efficiency, such as bringing army offices, scattered across eight pockets in the national capital, under one roof.

The Thal Sena Bhawan will come up near the army’s sprawling Manekshaw Centre in Delhi Cantonment. Spread over 39 acres, the multi-storeyed complex, which will have a constructed area of 7.5 lakh square metre, will house 6,014 offices and is expected to be built by 2024-25.

The army, which is the biggest among the three services, has been demanding a new complex for several years to accommodate its several wings scattered across the city such as the South Block, Sena Bhawan, RK Puram, the Hutments Area around Central Vista and Shankar Vihar.

The prominent offices that will shift to the new complex include the Engineer-in-Chief’s office, Territorial Army, recruitment branch, some offices of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, Army Welfare Housing Organisation, medical branch, National Cadet Corps, Remount and Veterinary Corps and the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme, two army officials said.

A defence ministry release quoted Singh as saying that the complex will serve as a “source of inspiration that will remind the people of the country about the sacrifices made by our soldiers”.

Addressing the soldiers, he underlined the importance of greater integration among the three services, adding that the appointment of Chief of Defence Staff and creation of Department of Military Affairs were important steps in that direction.

The release cited that the complex has been conceptualised as a multi-storeyed green building, adopting Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment norms. It will be an oval shaped complex, with eight wings. Each of the eight wings — to be separated by green spaces — will have seven floors.

“This new headquarters will be dedicated to the courage and valour of those unsung heroes of the armed forces who have sacrificed their lives for the nation,” Singh tweeted

To be sure, the Sena Bhawan, which is located near South Block, and houses key offices of the army, will continue to function from its current premises.

The new complex will help decongest the crowded Sena Bhawan. The army chief and several other senior officers, who have their offices in the South Block, will continue to work from there until the defence ministry moves out to a new location under the Central Vista redevelopment plan. In that sense, the new complex isn’t really the army’s headquarters.

Tewari seeks CM’s intervention to address army’s concerns over land

February 22, 2020 webadmin Leave a comment

HT Correspondent

letterschd@hindustantimes.com

RUPNAGAR : Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tewari has sought chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s intervention to address concerns of the army regarding the land allotted for construction of its proposed selection centre (north) in Rupnagar.

Tewari had earlier written a letter to defence minister Rajnath Singh regarding non-construction of the selection centre on the 203-acre land allotted in April 2012 by the previous SAD-BJP government near the campus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar.

In his reply to Tewari recently, Rajnath stated that the construction could not be carried out as the land allotted for the centre is in a low-lying area, affected by disposal of effluents from a nearby sewage treatment plant (STP).

The minister also stated that the location of the land is “administratively challenging both for candidates and the selection centre due to issues of connectivity and non-availability of a military hospital (in the area)”.

The army’s selection centre (north) is currently being run from an interim location in Kapurthala.

Talking to HT, Tewari said he has written a letter to the CM urging him to address the concerns of the army as the selection centre would be an important “economic multiplier” for the region.

He has also suggested that if the army is no longer interested in setting up the selection centre in Rupnagar, the land should be offered for setting up a second All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the state.

Come April, liquor for armed forces in Hry to become dearerEXCISE POLICY

February 22, 2020 webadmin Leave a comment

Comparatively cheap liquor in Chandigarh may divert defence clientele from neighbouring areas

Hitender Rao

hrao@hindustantimes.com

Chandigarh : Armed forces personnel in Haryana will have to shell out more for their drink with the state government deciding to hike the excise duty for liquor sold through the canteen stores department (CSD) from April 1.

As per the 2020-21 excise policy approved by the council of ministers on Thursday, the excise levies for liquor sold to armed forces personnel will increase in the range of 5% to 36% for different kinds of alcoholic drinks.

The excise duty for rum, arguably the most popular drink among defence personnel, has been hiked by around 36%. The levy on rum in 2019-20 excise policy was reduced by around 48%.

The tax in form of assessment fee on imported foreign liquor (IFL, bottled in origin) has been increased by around 15%.

Low alcohol content beverages such as beer and wine will also get costlier for armed forces personnel from the next fiscal as the excise levy on them has been increased by 11-12.5%. Similarly, ready to drink beverages will also get expensive due to a 10% hike in excise duty.The excise duty for Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) has been increased by around 5%.

Since the excise duty levied by the Chandigarh administration for CSD liquor is way low, the comparatively cheap liquor may attract a lot of defence clientele from neighbouring Haryana. The CSD liquor in Punjab, however, is costlier than Haryana.

New retail license introduced

The state government has introduced a new retail license for the sale of imported foreign liquor (bottled in origin) called L-2BF. The new license, available for retail outlets of IMFL and bar licensees, will be granted on a fixed fee.

The license, in the form of L-2BF, shall be granted mandatorily to certain earmarked retail outlets of IMFL at a fixed price, which will be determined in accordance with the potential of the vends. The license fee of such retail outlets of IMFL shall be displayed in the excise arrangement separately and will be over and above the tender amount of a vend. Each such L-2BF shall be granted a minimum quota of IFL (bottled in origin) in terms of cases of whisky, beer and wine.

FATF warns Pak to act soon or get blacklisted

February 22, 2020 webadmin Leave a comment

ANTI-TERROR WATCHDOG: Islamabad given four months to deliver on 8 counts

FATF warns Pak to act soon or get blacklistedFATF warns Pak to act soon or get blacklistedANTI-TERROR WATCHDOG: Islamabad given four months to deliver on 8 counts

Rezaul H Laskar

letters@hindustantimes.com

New Delhi : The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Friday warned Pakistan that it faced the possibility of being added to the watchdog’s “black list” and face greater scrutiny of all transactions in its financial system if it fails to fully implement an action plan to counter terror financing by June.

A statement issued by the multilateral watchdog’s president, Xiangmin Liu of China, at the conclusion of the FATF’s plenary meeting in Paris noted that all deadlines for the 27-point action plan had expired and expressed concerns at Pakistan’s failure to implement the plan according to agreed timelines.

The FATF, which has been repeatedly assessing Pakistan’s efforts to implement the action plan since the country was placed on the watchdog’s “grey list” in June 2018, said Islamabad has “largely addressed” only 14 of the 27 action items, with “varying levels of progress” on the rest of the plan.

“All deadlines in the action plan have expired. While noting recent and notable improvements, the FATF again expresses concerns given Pakistan’s failure to complete its action plan in line with the agreed timelines and in light of the [terror financing] risks emanating from the jurisdiction,” the statement said.

It added: “The FATF strongly urges Pakistan to swiftly complete its full action plan by June 2020.”

“Otherwise, should significant and sustainable progress especially in prosecuting and penalising [terror financing] not be made by the next Plenary, the FATF will take action, which could include the FATF calling on its members and urging all jurisdiction to advise their [financial institutions] to give special attention to business relations and transactions with Pakistan.”

The reference to a “call to action” for countries to apply counter measures to protect the global financial system from money laundering and terror financing risks is the equivalent of being placed in the “black list”, which now has only Iran and North Korea. The FATF listed eight specific areas that Pakistan should focus on while implementing its action plan to address “strategic deficiencies”, including “effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions (supported by a comprehensive legal obligation) against all [UN Security Council Resolution] 1267 and 1373 designated terrorists and those acting for or on their behalf, including preventing the raising and moving of funds, identifying and freezing assets (movable and immovable), and prohibiting access to funds and financial services”.

Among the UN-designated terrorists active on Pakistani soil are Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, who was given a five-and-a-half year prison term in two terror financing cases four days before the FATF meetings began in Paris, Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, and mob boss and terrorist Dawood Ibrahim.

Also among the eights areas listed by the FATF are “enforcement against TFS violations including administrative and criminal penalties and provincial and federal authorities cooperating on enforcement cases”; ensuring that facilities and services owned by designated person are deprived of resources; application of remedial actions and sanctions in terror financing and money laundering violations; demonstrating that competent authorities are cooperating and taking action against illegal money or value transfer services; and demonstrating the implementation of cross-border currency and BNI controls at all ports of entry.

Wife of Major killed in Pulwama encounter set to join Army

February 20, 2020 webadmin Leave a comment

Pulwama encounter, wife of army officer set to join army, Major Dhoundiyal, Indian army major dead, army personnel killed in pulwama encounter, jammu and kashmir, indian express

Nitika Dhoundiyal, wife of Major V S Dhoundiyal, along with other family members in Dehradun on Monday. (Express Photo by Virender Singh Negi)

Wife of Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal, who was killed in an encounter in Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Monday, is set to join the Indian Army as an officer.

Nitika Dhoundiyal has already cleared the Service Selection Board (SSB) examination — a test to recruit candidates into the Armed forces as officers. She has also made it through the medical examination and is waiting for the merit waiting list. “I am hopeful that I will get through it too and will join the Army thereafter,” she said in a video shared by a journalist on Twitter. As a tribute to her husband, 28-year-old Nitika will wear the stars from her husband’s uniform on her first day of service.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1230488956325617665

Wife of Pulwama martyr Major Vibhuti Dhaundiyal,#Nikita Kaul Dhaundiyal, to join #IndianArmy as an officer http://soon.As her tribute, on her first day, she will wear the stars that were on her husband’s uniform. @indiatvnews @ChinarcorpsIA @adgpi @Tiny_Dhillon

Major Dhoundiyal (34), along with three other Army personnel, was killed in the encounter in Pulwama district of South Kashmir on Monday morning. His body was brought to his residence in Dehradun’s Nashville Road area on Monday night. A policeman, a civilian and three Jaish-e-Mohammad militants — including its “operations chief” whose role in the attack on the CRPF convoy last week is being investigated — were killed in the operation.

Read | Pulwama encounter: Dehradun remembers Major Dhoundiyal; Simple, no arrogance, very respectful

Standing in front of his coffin on a rainy Monday night, a teary-eyed Nitika had said, “You lied to me that you loved me. In fact, you loved the nation way more. I’m quite jealous and I can’t help it.” She said she was honoured to have him as her husband. “Till my last breath I’ll always love you, Vibhu. It’s hurting that you are leaving but I know you’ll always be around… I request everyone not to sympathise, rather be very strong. Let’s salute this man,” she said as she paid last respects to her husband.

The body was taken to Haridwar where the last rites were performed with full military honours. BJP MLAs Madan Kaushik, Ganesh Joshi, Khajan Dass, Arvind Pandey, Congress MLA Manoj Rawat, and Congress leader and former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat were among those who paid their last respects to the Major. All party leaders condemned Dhoundiyal’s killing.

From Wife to Soldier: Year After His Martyrdom, Maj Vibhuti Dhoundiyal’s Wife Dons Army Uniform

February 20, 2020 webadmin Leave a comment

Nikita Kaul Dhoundiyal, the widow of Major Vibhuti Dhoundial, has cleared her Short Service Commission (SSC) exam and interview, and is now waiting for the merit list.

Shreya Dhoundial | CNN-News18

From Wife to Soldier: Year After His Martyrdom, Maj Vibhuti Dhoundiyal's Wife Dons Army Uniform

File photo of Major Vibhuti Dhoundial with Nikita.

A year ago, she had bent towards his coffin and whispered ‘ I love you’ in his ears. Today, she is ready to don the same uniform that her husband sacrificed his life for.

Nikita Kaul Dhoundiyal, the widow of Major Vibhuti Dhoundial, has cleared her Short Service Commission (SSC) exam and interview, and is now waiting for the merit list.

Sitting at her in-laws’ house in Dehradun, she says, “I filled the SSC form six months after Vibhu’s martyrdom. It was my way to heal. When I wrote the exam and gave the interview, I could feel what he would have felt when he wrote his SSC. I connected with him, his fears and his anxiety. Somehow that gave me strength.”

Major Vibhuti Dhoundial, posted with 55 RR, was martyred on February 17, 2019 in an encounter with terrorists in Pulwama. He was 35. The 20-hour gun battle had claimed the life of three other soldiers.

When his coffin, wrapped in the tricolour, came home to Dehradun, people lined up on the streets to pay homage to the young soldier. But little had anyone known that his widow, who had that day saluted her husband and asked people take inspiration from him, would walk the talk.

“I took time. I first needed to accept what had happened. Vibhu was very progressive. He wanted me to do better than him. So whenever I had any anxiety or doubt about my decision to join the Indian Army, I would close my eyes and think about what Vibhu would do. He was instrumental in my decision to join the army,” Nikita said.

The army relaxes the age limit for war widows if they want to join the service, but the selection process remains as tough as it is for others.

“I worked very hard to qualify. Now I want to excel in the one year of training. I want to be an officer who everyone can be proud of, Vibhu can be proud of.”

Nikita currently works with a Noida-based MNC but will be quitting soon to join the Officers Training Academy in Chennai. What she will miss there the most is her husband’s cupboard which still has his uniform, his lip balm, his lighter and even his tooth brush.

“The interview board asked me how long I was married. I said, ‘two years’. They said, ‘But we heard you both were married for nine months…’. I said, ‘Vibhu is not here physically but that doesn’t mean our marriage has ended’.”

Nikita had met Major Vibhuti Dhoundial while she was doing her MBA. This is all she is willing to say about her love story.

NCC joins hands with NGO

February 20, 2020 webadmin Leave a comment

NCC joins hands with NGO

The NCC has joined hands with a local NGO to assist in the upliftment and welfare of underprivileged persons in the tricity. Under the programme, cadets of No.1 Chandigarh Naval Unit motivated kids living in colonies to be better citizens and follow the code of unity and discipline. They helped the NGO to organise a sports day for under the privileged children. — TNS

Indo-UK joint military exercise underway

February 20, 2020 webadmin Leave a comment

Indo-UK joint military exercise underway

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 19

The Dogra Regiment of the Army is taking part in a joint military exercise with the 1st Rifles of the UK army at the Salisbury Plain Training area in the United Kingdom.

The fifth edition of AJEYA WARRIOR, an Indo-UK joint military exercise at the Salisbury Plain Training area in the UK, started on Thursday.

The opening ceremony started with the national anthem of both countries and was attended by Brigadier VMB Krishnan, Brigadier Gavin Thompson, Brigadier Tom Bewick, Commander, 7 Infantry Brigade and Colonel Amit Saini.

A series of activities pertaining to the counter-terror operations were held after the opening ceremony. Joint practices were carried out on combat conditioning, familiarisation with weapons and equipment of the UK army. The military exercise will end on February 26.

IAF saves life of critically ill woman from Kishtwar

February 20, 2020 webadmin Leave a comment

IAF saves life of critically ill woman from Kishtwar

Our Correspondent

Jammu, February 19

‘Daring Dragons’, a helicopter unit of the Indian Air Force stationed at Udhampur, saved a woman’s life by airlifting her for timely treatment in Jammu on Tuesday.

Wg-Cdr Shivam Manchanda and Sq-Ldr MK Singh of the helicopter unit airlifted the woman in a critical condition with biliary malfunction from mountainous Kishtwar district in low light conditions.

Due to low light conditions, the Air Force officers landed at Jammu wearing night vision goggles where the IAF Station was ready to attend to the woman. Daring Dragons executed the mission professionally, keeping up the highest traditions of the IAF. Immediately after the evacuation, the woman was shifted to a hospital in Jammu for treatment.

Snow-clearing ops on Manali-Leh road begin

February 20, 2020 webadmin Leave a comment

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Our Correspondent

KULLU, FEBRUARY 19

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) launched the snow-clearing operation on the 479-km Manali-Leh national highway at Darcha in Lahaul district today.

Border Road Task Force (BRTF) Commander, Colonel Uma Shankar, said the operation from Darcha to Baralacha was started today after the puja was performed by Brig MS Baghi, Chief Engineer, Project Deepak.

The BRO Commander said the operation from Gulaba to Rohtang Pass would be launched tomorrow and the snow-clearance work from Sissu to Rohtang would be commenced within a week.

The pass experiences heavy snowfall during the winter and the Lahaul valley remains cut off for about six months. The snow-clearance operation is launched by the BRO in March every year but this year, it is being done from February.

The Commander said dozens of dozers, snow cutters and excavators had been pressed into service to make the road motorable. The BRO had added new machines to their snow-cutting fleet.

As the snow-clearance operations will begin early, tourists will be able to go to the Rohtang Pass earlier this year. The BRO is expecting to throw open the Rohtang by April. The residents of Lahaul and Spiti will also be able to come to Kullu.

Core Committe

ALL INDIA EX-SERVICEMEN JOINT ACTION FRONT

SANJHA MORCHA

CHAIRMAN ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA

BRIG PRAHALAD SINGH , Dogra Regt

PRESIDENT ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA ,Director (Hony) Sr Veterans Association, Ontario, .Member Indo- Canadian Veteran Association Canada

COL CHARANJIT SINGH,BENGAL SAPPERS

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JOINT PRESIDENT ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA

COL AVTAR SINGH BHINDER, SIKH REGT

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PRESIDENT DISTT PATIALA CUM JOINT SECRETARY SANJHA MORCHA

CAPT KUSHWANT SINGH DHILLON,BOMBAY SAPPERS

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PRESIDENT CALCUTTA ZONE SANJHA MORCHA

MAJOR JOGINDER SINGH KOCHAR

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EX-SERVICEMEN COORDINATOR : MOHALI

HAV NASIB SINGH , Engineers

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File photo of Major Vibhuti Dhoundial with Nikita.

State Stalwarts

DEFENCES FORCES RANKS

ARMY, NAVY, AIRFORCE RANKS

FORMATION SIGNS

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ALL HUMANS ARE ONE CREATED BY GOD

HINDUS,MUSLIMS,SIKHS.ISAI SAB HAI BHAI BHAI

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LT GEN JASBIR SINGH DHALIWAL, DOGRA

SENIOR PATRON ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA

MAJOR GEN HARVIJAY SINGH, SENA MEDAL ,corps of signals

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PATRON ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA

MAJ GEN RAMINDER GORAYA , CORPS OF SIGNALS

PATRON (HONY), ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA

MAJ GEN MOHAN SINGH ,CORPS OF ENGINEERS

+1(647)501-8112

PRESIDENT PANCHKULA HARYANA UNIT SANJHA MORCHA

BRIG DALJIT THUKRAL (Retd) BENGAL SAPPERS

PRESIDENT CHANDIGARH ZONE

COL SHANJIT SINGH BHULLAR

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PRESIDENT TRI CITY COORDINATOR

COL B S BRAR (BHUPI BRAR)

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INDIAN DEFENCE FORCES

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15 Th PRESIDENT OF INDIASUPREME COMMANDER ARMED FORCES

Droupadi Murmu

DEFENCE MINISTER

Minister Rajnath Singh

CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF (2nd)

General Anil Chauhan PVSM UYSM AVSM SM VSM

INDIAN FORCES CHIEFS

CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF(29th)

General Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM (30 Jun 2024 to Till Date)

CHIEF OF AIR STAFF(27th)

Air Marshal AP Singh

Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)

Admiral R Hari Kumar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC

COMMANDS

GOC-in-C NORTHERN COMMAND

LT GEN MV SUCHINDRA KUMAR PVSM, AVSM, YSM**, VSM GOC-IN-C, NORTHERN COMMAND

GOC-in-C WESTERN COMMAND

LIEUTENANT GENERAL MANOJ KUMAR KATIYAR, AVSM

GOC-in-C CENTRAL COMMAND

Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, UYSM, AVSM, YSM

GOC-in-C Eastern Command

Lt Gen Ram Chander Tiwari, UYSM, AVSM, SM GOC-in-C Eastern Command & Col of the Kumaon & Naga Regts and Kumaon Scouts

GOC-in-C Southern Command

PRESIDENT ALL INDIA
SANJHA MORCHA ,
Director (Hony) Sr Veterans Association, Ontario,
.Member Indo- Canadian Veteran Association Canada

JOINT PRESIDENT ALL INDIA
SANJHA MORCHA

PRESIDENT DISTT PATIALA CUM JOINT SECRETARY
SANJHA MORCHA

PRESIDENT PANCHKULA HARYANA UNIT
SANJHA MORCHA

15 Th PRESIDENT OF INDIA
SUPREME COMMANDER ARMED FORCES