Monthly Archives: August 2018

Put up on GNDU campus & a large number of students, scholars came to see the exhibition

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 9

Student organisation ‘Sath’ organised a photo exhibition based on documents, photographs and literature on 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The exhibition was put up at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) campus and a large number of students, scholars came to see the exhibition at the Arts Cafe.

At the opening ceremony, a booklet published by the organisation was also distributed. The organisation, Sath, has been organising various programmes to mark the 1984 Sikh riots through awareness programmes. A spokesperson from the organisation said efforts were made to create awareness among students through lectures, marches and photo exhibitions.

The exhibition, through these pictures, depicted the historical events leading to the events in 1984 and also included literary works by prominent Punjabi writers related to the subject.

Delhi prioritising national interests amid US pressure

mid the geopolitical tussle triggered by the Ukraine war, India and Russia have recorded significant growth in bilateral trade, underlining the strength and endurance of their time-tested ties. During his first visit to Moscow after Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine in late February, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made it clear that India would continue to import crude oil from Russia despite western pressure. Russia became India’s top oil supplier in October, overtaking traditional vendors Saudi Arabia and Iraq, even as Jaishankar said at a joint media briefing with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on Tuesday that it was New Delhi’s ‘fundamental obligation’ to ensure that Indian consumers had the best possible access to the ‘most advantageous’ terms in international crude markets.

India has rightly gone all out to safeguard its interests rather than toeing the line of western powers during the ongoing energy crisis. No wonder India-Russia bonhomie has not gone down well with the US. The White House has said that the Biden administration is committed to working with India on its transition away from Russia, adding that a number of countries have learned the hard way that Moscow is not ‘a reliable source of energy or security’. India, however, is in no mood to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and fertilisers. Instead, the two countries are looking to expand economic cooperation, especially in the energy sector. The US is welcome to cement its partnership with India in various sectors, but it is well advised not to dictate terms to the latter with regard to Russia.

While setting its sights on an annual trade volume of $30 billion with Russia, India has indicated that it is not oblivious to the global headwinds. New Delhi has stated that it would be supportive of any initiative that ‘de-risks’ global economy and stabilises the world order. Being an old ally, India is justified in nudging Russia to make efforts for ending the Ukraine conflict in view of global concerns over energy and food security. Another challenge is to make Russia more receptive to exports from India so as to reduce the burgeoning trade deficit.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 9

The Malabar series of naval exercises involving India, Japan, Australia and the US began off the coast of Japan today in the backdrop of China’s increasing military muscle-flexing in the region.

The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF), the host, said the aim of the wargame was to “realise a free and open Indo-Pacific and improve the inter-operability of the JMSDF with the US, Indian and the Australian Navies”.

“Free and open Indo-Pacific” is a euphuism for opposing Chinese hegemony and attempts to impede traffic at sea and air. China is the past has been objecting to warships in the South China Sea.

The opening ceremony was hosted by the JMSDF onboard JS Hyuga, a flat-deck helicopter carrier, at Yokosuka, Japan. Rear Admiral Sanjay Bhalla is leading the Indian delegation.

The Malabar series of maritime exercises commenced in 1992 and have grown in complexity over the years. It includes four prominent navies in the Indo-Pacific region; incidentally, all four are partners in the Quad. Indian ships INS Shivalik and INS Kamorta and surveillance plane P8-I are participating. From the US, the super carrier USS Ronald Reagan is part of the exercise.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 9

The senior-most leadership of the Army today briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on how the force was transforming itself to meet future challenges.

The Defence Minister was participating in the Army Commanders’ Conference, an apex biannual event, in New Delhi. He was briefed on the “transformational imperatives for a future-ready force”.

Rajnath complimented the Army for the high standard of operational preparedness and capabilities. He commended its efforts in developing niche technologies in collaboration with industry and premier educational institutions.

“I have full faith and confidence in the Army and its leadership,” he said, asking the Army to be ready for operational contingencies.

During the conference (November 7-11), Army’s senior leadership is comprehensively deliberating upon all aspects of existing security scenarios and challenges for the present security apparatus. In addition, the conference is also focusing on issues pertaining to organisational restructuring, logistics, administration, human resource management, modernisation through indigenisation and induction of niche technologies.

PTI

New Delhi, November 10

India does not believe in a world order where a few countries are considered superior to others, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday and noted that the possibility of a global framework could be envisaged if security becomes a truly collective enterprise.

In an address at the National Defence College, he also called for concerted efforts of the international community to counter “grave” emerging security threats such as cyber-attacks and information warfare.

According to Singh, information warfare has the potential to threaten political stability.

“There is no account of how much fake news and hate material is likely to be brought in society through social media platforms. The organised use of social media and other online content generation platforms is being used for engineering the opinion or perspective of the masses,” he said.

“The deployment of information war was most evident in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Throughout the conflict, social media has served as a battleground for both sides to spread competing narratives about the war and portray the conflict on their own terms.” The defence minister described national security as the prime focus of the Modi government, stressing that the full potential of the country can be tapped only when its interests are protected.

“Security is sine-qua-non for civilization to flourish and prosper.” Singh also sounded a note of caution about cyber warfare and said it has increased the vulnerability of critical infrastructure.

“I would like to tell you that the conduct of our strategic policy should be moral. India does not believe in a world order where few are considered superior to others,” he added.

“India’s actions are guided by the very essence of human equality and dignity, which is a part of our ancient ethos and its strong moral foundations, give us our political strength. Even our freedom struggle was based on the bedrock of high moral values.” Singh’s comments came amid increasing concerns over China’s aggressive military posturing along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as well as in the Indo-Pacific.

The defence minister said a strong and prosperous India would not be built at the cost of others. “Rather, India is here to help other nations realise their full potential.” Singh said if security becomes a truly collective enterprise, “we can think of creating a global order which is beneficial to all of us”.

The defence minister also said realpolitik cannot be the fig leaf for being immoral.

“Rather, enlightened self-interest of nations can be promoted within the framework of strategic morality, which is predicated on the understanding and respect for the legitimate strategic imperative of all the civilised nations.” “It is for this reason that when we partner any nation, it is on the basis of sovereign equality and mutual respect. Forging relations comes naturally to India, as we work towards mutual economic development,” Singh said.

Quoting Martin Luther King Jr, he stated that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.

“The recent Ukrainian conflict showed how its ripple effects could adversely impact the whole world. Together, Russia and Ukraine export nearly a third of the world’s wheat and barley, but this conflict had prevented grain from leaving the ‘breadbasket of the world’ and led to food crisis in various African and Asian countries,” he said.

Key infrastructure like power generation and distribution is increasingly becoming more complex and there is a need for dealing with such challenges effectively, Singh said.

The energy sector, he added, is one of the main targets of cyber-attacks but it is not the only one; transport, public sector services, telecommunications and critical manufacturing industries are also vulnerable.

Singh emphasised that national security should not be considered a “zero-sum game” and that there is a need to create a win-win situation for all.

“We should not be guided by narrow self-interest which is not beneficial in the long run, but by enlightened self-interest which is sustainable and resilient to shocks,” he said.

The minister said the world’s increasingly interconnected financial systems are also at great risk.

“You all must be aware that in February 2016, hackers targeted the central bank of Bangladesh and tried to steal 1 billion dollars. While most transactions were blocked, 101 million dollars still disappeared.

“This was a wake-up call for the finance world that cyber risks in the financial system had been severely underestimated. Today, the assessment that a major cyber-attack poses a threat to financial stability is not a question of if, but when,” he said.

The defence minister also threw light on the narrowing gap between internal and external security and said that new dimensions of threats are being added with changing times, that are difficult to classify.

He asserted that terrorism, which generally falls in the category of internal security, is now classified in the category of external security as training, funding and arms support of such organisations are being carried out from outside the country.

PTI

New Delhi, November 10

The government has amended Aadhaar regulations, specifying that supporting documents may be updated “at least once” by Aadhaar holders on completion of 10 years from enrolment date.

The updation would ensure “continued accuracy” of Aadhaar-related information in the Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR), according to gazette notification issued by Ministry of Electronics and IT.

“Aadhaar number holders may, on completion of every 10 years from the date of enrolment for Aadhaar, update their supporting documents in Aadhaar, at least once, by submitting Proof of Identity (POI) and Proof of Address (POA) documents…so as to ensure continued accuracy of their information in the CIDR, in such manner as may be specified by the Authority from time to time,” it said.

The changes have been made by tweaking the Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations

Last month, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) — the government agency that issues Aadhaar numbers—had urged people to update identification and residence proof documents, if they were issued the unique ID more than 10 years back but had not updated their details since then.

Accordingly, to provide facility to Aadhaar holders in this regard, the UIDAI has developed a new feature of ‘update document’. This feature can be accessed online through the myAadhaar portal, and myAadhaar app or residents can visit any Aadhaar enrolment centre to avail of the facility.

The new feature permits Aadhaar number holders to revalidate details by updating the POI (containing name and photo) and POA (containing name and address) documents.

While 134 crore Aadhaar numbers have been issued till date, just how many Aadhaar holders will have to update their information after UIDAI’s latest move, is not known immediately.

Last year, about 16 crore updates of various kinds took place.

In a statement issued last month, UIDAI had said, “Any person who had got their Aadhaar made 10 years back and not updated the information in any of the subsequent years are being requested to do document updation”.

UIDAI had strongly encouraged people to come forward to update their documents, citing the benefits of doing so—more than 1,000 state and central government schemes leverage Aadhaar for identification and authentication of beneficiaries, transfer of benefits, and ensuring de-duplication.

Of these, nearly 650 schemes are of state governments and 315 of central government—all of which use the Aadhaar ecosystem and its biometric authentication.

The updation drive initiated now for Aadhaar issued 10 years back relates to the updation of demographic information and do not involve biometric update. A call on the biometric update will be considered if and when the need arises, a government source had earlier said.

PTI

Geneva, November 10

India on Thursday firmly told Pakistan that the entire Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh were and will always be its integral and inalienable part and said that after the constitutional changes in 2019, the people of the region are now able to realise their full potential as in other parts of the country.

Speaking at the 41st Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group which is being held from November 7-18 at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) here, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta also slammed Pakistan for raking up the Kashmir issue at the forum.

“The entire Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh were and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India,” Mehta said at the UNHRC, where the Universal Periodic Review of India’s human rights record is currently underway.

Mehta said that after the constitutional changes and reorganisation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, the people of the region are now able to realize their full potential as in other parts of the country.

His response came after the Pakistan delegate raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir during his remarks at the review process.

The Pakistani delegate made six recommendations, including reversal of steps taken since August 2019 and access to independent observers to the region.

“Despite the continued threat of cross border terrorism, the security situation has improved significantly in Jammu and Kashmir since August 2019,” said Mehta, who is leading the Indian delegation for the UPR.

India abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019.

Mehta said that the government of India has taken several steps for all round development of Jammu and Kashmir including restoration of democracy at the grassroot levels, good governance, unprecedented development of infrastructure, tourism and trade. He noted that this year, Jammu and Kashmir has already received over 16 million tourists, “the highest ever so far.”

He added that extension of over 800 people-friendly and progressive Central laws to the region has ensured better opportunities for all the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

“These Central laws include affirmative action for the vulnerable sections, the right to free and compulsory education, non-discriminatory inheritance laws, protection against domestic violence and empowerment of women, decriminalisation of same sex relations and conferment of rights to transgender persons,” he said.

A superb interview by an excellent Soldier and a Gentleman. Makes you feel proud. A long interview but it’s like a good book that you can’t put down. Strongly recommend you hear it through

Section 122 of the Army Act bars trial by court martial on expiry of three years from the date the offence comes to the knowledge of the disciplinary authority concerned or the person aggrieved by the offence, whichever is earlier

Vijay Mohan

Chandigarh, November 8

The Supreme Court has set aside the General Court Martial (GCM) proceedings against a colonel who was facing allegations of being involved with another officer’s wife, on the grounds that the charges have become time-barred.

Section 122 of the Army Act bars trial by court martial on expiry of three years from the date the offence comes to the knowledge of the disciplinary authority concerned or the person aggrieved by the offence, whichever is earlier.

On August 13, 2015, a colonel had sent a complaint to his brigade commander alleging improper relationship between his wife and the accused officer, following which a court of inquiry was ordered. On November 22, 2018, the Army issued orders that the accused officer be tried by GCM.

While the accused officer had contended that the day on which the complaint had been sent was the date on which the alleged offence came to the knowledge of the aggrieved party, the Army had averred that it was only after the completion of the summary of evidence at a later stage that a prima facie case was made out against the accused..

In its order on November 7, the apex court’s Bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice Bela M Trivedi observed that in the instant case, having regard to the contents of the letter on August 2015 written by the aggrieved person to the authority concerned, specifying certain details, it clearly transpires that he was aware of the alleged act of the accused officer. Therefore, the date August 13, 2015 would be the crucial date on which the aggrieved person had the knowledge about the commission of the alleged offence and the time had started running from the said date for the purpose of Section 122.

“We are, therefore, of the opinion that the trial by the General Court Martial directed vide the order dated November 2, 2018 was clearly barred under Section 122 of the Army Act. The said proceedings deserve to be quashed and set aside and are accordingly set aside,” the Bench ruled.

“The apex court’s judgement has implications for a number of disciplinary cases under way in the three services where the authorities have considered the date of the finalisation of the court of inquiry or summary of evidence as the commencement of the period of limitation,” the officer’s counsel, Col Indra Sen Singh (retd), said..

The apex court’s Bench, however, added that the power of judicial review in the matter of disciplinary proceedings is extremely limited. It is circumscribed by the limits of correcting errors of law or procedural errors leading to manifest injustice or violation of principles of natural justice.

“The power of judicial review is an evaluation of the decision-making process and not of the merits of the decision itself. It is, therefore, clarified that the disciplinary proceedings initiated against the appellant pursuant to the chargesheet issued on November 19, 2018 shall continue in accordance with law,” the Bench said.

China abstains from Int’l Fleet Review

Tribune News Service

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, November 7

India joined 10 other countries for a “search and rescue” exercise planned within the International Fleet Review (IFR) off the coast of Japan over the weekend.

The IFR was conducted on November 6 and 7.

Unusually, from the Indian perspective, the Pakistan navy was also part of the exercise at sea. Japan had invited Pakistan for the exercise.

China abstained from the IFR in spite of an invitation from Japan.

A day after skipping the IFR, China today joined the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) in Yokohama..

India has the status of an ‘observer’ at the WPNS and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar is participating. About 30 countries are part of the symposium.

This was not for the first time that the India and Pakistan militaries were together for a multi-nation forum or exercise. In 2019, armies of the two countries participated in a multi-nation exercise in Russia under the umbrella of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Indian naval warships Shivalik and Kamorta were part of the IFR and will remain there for almost two more weeks for other engagements..

The Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) said 11 countries — Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and the US — participated in search and rescue exercise.

Sources in New Delhi said the Indian naval ships were part of a group that included ships from Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia, indicating that Pakistan was in another group.

The exercise encompassed fire-fighting and medical evacuation drills, sources added..

Japanese PM Fumio Kishida inspected the fleets at the IFR on board JMSDF carrier JS Izumo. Japan hosted the IFR for the first time in 20 years to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the JMSDF this year.