Monthly Archives: August 2018

Deploys spoofers to jam flights

 cash prize of Rs 1 lakh to its “hit” team, an assortment of jammers and spoofers, and multi-layered patrols by security personnel are some of the measures taken by the Border Security Force (BSF) to check infiltration of drones carrying drugs and arms from Pakistan into India.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 30

A cash prize of Rs 1 lakh to its “hit” team, an assortment of jammers and spoofers, and multi-layered patrols by security personnel are some of the measures taken by the Border Security Force (BSF) to check infiltration of drones carrying drugs and arms from Pakistan into India.

According to the official data, 2022 witnessed a massive increase in the number of drone “onslaughts”; majority of them were sighted in Punjab. Such sightings have gone up three times the previous year.

Officials said each of the BSF “hit” team at the border that brings down a drone through rifle firing or using jamming technology is being rewarded with a cash incentive of Rs one lakh. This has been decided with an aim to motivate the troopers battling drone menace, they said.

Similar reward was announced by the Jalandhar-based Punjab frontier of the force in April for civilians living in the border areas who inform the BSF about those involved in using drones to get drugs and arms from Pakistan.

Till December 25, the BSF downed 22 drones and reward of Rs 1 lakh each has been given to more than 10 “hit” or shooting teams deployed at the front. The awardee could be a single trooper or more than one on a case-by-case basis, said officials.

According to the official data, drone sightings along the 2,289-km-long India-Pakistan International Border (IB), running along Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat, has gone up from 77 in 2020 to 104 last year and 311 this year (till December 25). Almost 75 per cent of sightings have been recorded in Punjab, where drones have been majorly used by the other side to drop drugs and weapons.

The force has deployed an assortment of electronic jammers and spoofers to block the frequencies and navigation path of these narcotics and weapon-carrying drones, leading to their immobilisation.

10 teams awarded

• Till Dec 25, the BSF downed 22 drones
• A reward of Rs 1 lakh each has been given to more than 10 ‘hit’ or shooting teams deployed at the front
• An awardee could be a single trooper or more than one on a case-by-case basis

Spl outfit for women’s unit

The BSF has said its women contingent atop camels, who will take part for the first time in the next year’s Republic Day parade, will be wearing military regalia designed by fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore

71,000 dwelling units to be built at 13 locations; Rs 23,279 crore estimated cost

Tribune News Service

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, December 30

The construction of 71,000 dwelling units for troops and their families is running behind schedule, a parliamentary standing committee on defence has said. Of the 71,000 units to be built under a housing project — “married accommodation project” (MAP) — 70,432 will be for the Army.

The committee led by BJP MP Jual Oram presented its “six-month statement regarding the status of implementation of recommendations” during the winter session of Parliament that ended on December 23.

The committee has backed a plan to bring the MAP under the existing “annual works programme” of the Army rather than having a separate budgetary allocation for it.

The MAP, planned in four phases, envisages the construction of 1.98 lakh dwelling units at various locations for troops and their families. The third and fourth phases, under which 71,102 units will be constructed, have been clubbed together. Phase-II is slated for completion by 2023.

The committee pointed out “reduced budget reallocation” and cited a delay in the commencement of Phase-III, besides a delay in executing Phase-II.

The estimated cost of building 71,702 units at 13 locations across the country is Rs 23,279 crore.

“Budgetary constraints have caused delays in the construction. Therefore, the Department of Military Affairs has decided that the maximum number of dwelling units will be constructed under the annual works major programme,” said the committee.

To kick off Phase-III, it has been decided to start with 24,592 dwelling units.

SPARSH PENSION SCHEME NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

Brig CS Vidiyasagar (Retd)
its beyond comprehension why Govt is forcing ESM pension to be paid from non tested sparsh application . Its a total harrasment to ESM staying in villages or far away in hill areas , how will they coupe up with internet technology .

the Bank system of payment was tested and tried but govt has listed out mant advanges which have not been accepted by ESM. No detailed lectures or literatures available resulting in dead end of sparsh . Now Defence Secretary Assures NO More Migration till All
Mistakes in Software of SPARSH are removed
Govt of India, Ministry of Defence embarked on Central
Pension disbursal system for Ex-Servicemen and widows as per
the vision of Hon’ble PM of digitization. The new system of
Central Pension disbursal is called System for Pension
Administration for Rakshak (SPARSH). There is no difference
in receipt of pension in that the banks will continue to remit the
pension to the Ex-Servicemen. The only difference is SPARSH
will act as Central Pension Processing Centres of 28 PSU banks
and 4 private banks from nowonwards. They say all
improvements in pension in future will be done centrally.
Motto : Correct Pension at Right Time. They assured all
the services rendered now by banks such as (a) issue of pension
slips every month (b) deduction of income tax (c) annual life
certificate generation will all be done by SPARSH. Every
pensioner shall be issued with a smart card where his PPO and
other details shall be embedded.
SPARSH was initially tried in 2020 on few pensioners by
taking their data from their pension paying banks. Then they
embarked on mass migration of pensioners to SPARSH. As on
27 Dec 2022, 22,51,371 have been migrated with the promise
that right pension at right time. Has this motto been achieved is
the moot question? There are unending problems the
pensioners are facing on migration to SPARSH. The major four
problems are : (a) stoppage of pension by banks the moment
the data of pensioner has been sent to SPARSH though the
pensioner is yet to be migrated. Pension of such Ex-Servicemen
and widows has been stopped since Sep 2022.The banks say the
pension is no more their responsibility and SPARSH says they
cannot give pension of previous months as the Ex-Servicemen
or widow is not yet migrated. (b) widows are unable to upload
death certificate and (c) Many Ex-Servicemen and widows have
not got E-PPOs introduced since Jan 2016 and (d) till date not even one PPO or pension slip has been correctly generated.
There are plenty of mistakes in PPO.
CGDA has entered into contract with TCS, the software
developer to provide hardware support and software support at
a cost of Rs 250 crores for a period of five years. The software
for SPARSH is to be made by TCS after SPARSH team gives
them their user requirements. As on today not even one correct
PPO or pension slip has been issued. The married Ex-
serviceman is shown as un-married and wife is shown as dead
since 01 Jan 1970 though it appears to be a dummy data. It is
very clear from the way the SPARSH has been functional since
Apr 2021 that it is a disaster. If choice is given to migratercd
pensioners, they all will migrate back to old system i.e. legacy
system.
It is not clear TCS a world class software developer cannot
make a simple software? Sri Giridahr Aramamane, IAS,
Defence Secretary, during seminar on SPASH on 14 Dec 2022
near Army Base Hospital in Delhi Cantt during his address has
advised TCS and SPARSH team to sit together and sort out all
problems in SPARSH and make it user friendly. He informed
that in the Ministry of Agriculture of Union Govt, details of two
crore farmers from 30 states and all Union Territories were
collected in just six months by asking just three simple data (a)
Mobile no (b) Aadhaar No and (c) Bank account no. He
wondered why SPARSH is taking so much time to collect data
from just 33 lakh pensioners? He also told that he, Secretary,
Min of Def (ESW) and FADS of Min of Def will sit together
periodically and review the progress of SPARH. Def Secy
assured the pensioners that till all the glitches in SPARSH are
removed, SPARSH will not be thrust on them.

Military Engineering Services does the construction in collaboration with a private company

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 29

Embracing new technology, the Indian Army inaugurated its first ‘3D’ printing technology-based house for soldiers at Ahmedabad. The unit has a ground floor and first floor configuration.

The Military Engineering Services (MES) has done the construction in collaboration with a private company MiCoB Private Limited using the latest ‘3D rapid construction technology’.

The construction work of the dwelling unit measuring 71 square metre (some 710 square yards) with garage space was completed in just 12 weeks by utilising the 3D printed foundation, walls and slabs. The disaster-resilient structures comply with Zone-3 earthquake specifications and green building norms.

The 3D printed houses are symbolic of the modern-day rapid construction efforts to cater to growing accommodation requirements of the Armed Forces personnel.

The technique uses a concrete 3D printer that accepts a computerised three-dimensional design and fabricates a 3D structure in a layer-by-layer manner by extruding a specialised type of concrete specifically designed for the purpose.

Indian Army units have already started using 3D printing technology in construction of pre-casted permanent defences and overhead protection meant for operations. These structures are currently being validated over a period of one year and are incorporated in all terrains, the recent one being in Ladakh.

PTI

Islamabad, December 29

Pakistan on Thursday said that it wants good ties with India, but New Delhi should show seriousness in having a dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including Kashmir.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at the weekly briefing that Pakistan continues to pursue a policy of peaceful neighbourhood, based on mutual respect and sovereign equality, with all countries of South Asia.

“Pakistan is interested in peace and dialogue and it is up to the Indian authorities to take a responsible position to improve relations,” she said.

“Pakistan consistently maintained that bilateral relations cannot fully normalise until the resolution of the outstanding disputes, especially the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir,” she said, adding that Islamabad would make efforts for the settlement of the Kashmir dispute as per the UN resolutions.

Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

The ties between the two countries nosedived after 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.

India’s decision evoked a strong reaction from Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian envoy.https://cf8860a761ed018d06558196297de71b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Trade ties between Pakistan and India have largely been frozen since then. India has told Pakistan that the entire Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh were and will always be an integral and inalienable part of the country.

Baloch said Pakistan wants good ties with other South Asian countries, including Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

She said that Islamabad enjoys good ties with the leading nations around the world and would further deepen the relations in days to come.

She added Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited several countries to demonstrate an interest in expanding and strengthening friendships around the world.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 29

The anti-graft central probe agency CBI has arrested an officer of the Indian Defence Accounts Service in connection with a case of alleged bribery of Rs 10 lakh, officials said on Thursday.

The officials said that it was alleged that a company based in Jind in Haryana had transferred the money to a middleman seeking favours from the 1988-batch officer.

The officer, who worked as Integrated Finance Adviser at the South Western Command in Jaipur, was allegedly favouring several companies in giving clearances for contracts and clearing their bills, the officials said, adding that the action against the officer has been taken on the basis of source information about the alleged activities.

The agency got to know that a payment of Rs 10 lakh was made to a suspected middleman for allegedly seeking favours from the officer after which the agency nabbed him, they said, adding that he was later arrested after completion of formalities.

Gurdaspur : The counter-intelligence wing of Punjab Police has arrested two drug smugglers and recovered 10kg of heroin along with arms and ammunition from their possession, state’s director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Wednesday.

The accused, both residents of Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, were in contact with a Pakistan-based operative who pushed the consignment through the fences into India, the DGP said.

The accused have been identified as Harshdeep Singh and Sarwan Singh, police said, adding that two .30 bore foreign-made pistols were also recovered from them.

“Arrested persons were in contact with Pakistan based operative who pushed the consignment through the fences into India. FIR has been registered and investigation ongoing,” Yadav said in a tweet.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Arms Act at the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) police station in Amritsar, said police.

Air raid sirens ring out in many regions of the country early on Thursday

Kyiv, December 29

Multiple regions of Ukraine, including its capital, faced a massive Russian missile attack on Thursday, the biggest wave of strikes in weeks targeting power stations and other critical infrastructure during freezing weather.

Air raid sirens rang out across the country. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Russia launched over 120 missiles. There were no immediate reports of any deaths.

Russia dispatched explosive drones to selected regions overnight before broadening the barrage with “air and sea-based cruise missiles launched from strategic aircraft and ships” in the morning, the Ukrainian air force reported.

The widespread attack was the latest in a series of Russian strikes on power and water supplies that have increased the Ukrainian population’s suffering.

Moscow has launched such attacks on a weekly basis since October, while its ground forces struggle to advance.

On Thursday, air defence systems were activated in the capital Kyiv to fend off strikes, according to the regional administration. Sounds of explosions were heard in the city.

At least three people were wounded and hospitalised, including a 14-year-old girl, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. He warned of power outages in the capital, asking people to stockpile water and to charge their electronic devices.

After more than 10 months of fighting, Russia and Ukraine are locked in a grinding battle of attrition. The Ukrainian military has reclaimed swaths of Russian-occupied territory in the country’s northeast and south, and continues to resist persistent Russian attempts to seize all of the industrial Donbas region.

At the same time, Moscow has methodically targeted Ukrainian power facilities and other key infrastructure in a bid to weaken the country’s resolve and force it to negotiate on Russian terms.

While the Ukrainian military reported success in shooting down incoming Russian missiles and explosive drones after earlier attacks, some still reached their targets.

Most cities have gone without heat, internet service and electricity for hours or days at a time.

Anastasia, a medic who took shelter on Thursday at a central Kyiv subway station and gave only her first name, said she was tired of the war.

“We don’t know how long the war will last. It’s hard to be afraid every day and put your life on hold,” she said.

Numerous explosions also took place in Kharkiv, which is located in eastern Ukraine and the country’s second-largest city, and in the city of Lviv near the border with Poland, according to their mayors.

About 90 per cent of Lviv was without electricity, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi wrote on Telegram. Trams and trolley buses were not working, and residents might experience water interruptions, he said.

Ukrainian authorities in several regions said some incoming Russian missiles were intercepted.

Tele 25683476
Mil: 36833 Central Organisation ECHS
Adjutant General’s Branch
Integrated Headquarters
Ministry of Defence (Army)
Thimayya Marg, Near Gopinath Circle,
Delhi Cant-110010
B/49761/AG/ECHS 34 Dec 2022
IHQ of MoD (Navy)/Dir ECHS (N) Air Ha (VB)/DPS
Ha Southern Command (A/ECHS) HQ Eastern Command (A/ECHS) Ha Western Command (A/ECHS) HQ Northern Command (A/ECHS) HO Central Command (A/ECHS) HQ South Western Command (A/ECHS) HQ Andaman & Nicobar Command (A/ECHS) (All Regional Centres)
REIMBURSEMENTOF HOSPITAL STOPPAGEROLL CHARGES
1 Pl refer too
(a) Govt of India, Ministry of Defence letter No 24(8)/03/US(WE}/D(Res) dated 19 Dec 2003.
(b) Regulations for Medical Services of The Armed Forces -2010
(Revised Version).
(c) Govt of India, Ministry of Defence letter No 22D(13)/2020-D(WE/Res-1) dated 14 Dec 2012.(Copy attached)
Existing Policy dated 2. As 19 per Dec Para 2003 2 of all the Ex-servicemen(ESM) Govt of Ihdia, MoD/DESW and their letterdependent No 24(8)/03/US(WE)/D(Res) requiring hospital admission wll in normal course be referred to Service Hospital in station. For this purpose,
DGAFMS will earmark a suitable proportion of beds in all Service Hospitals for ECHS beneficiaries. In case of non-availability of beds /facilities in service hospitals patients will be referred to an empaneled hospital for admission. As per provisions of RMSAF-2010(Revised), only the ECHS beneficiary, his/her spouse and children below the age of 25 years are entitled for treatment in service hospitals. All other dependents who are ECHS beneficiaries such as parents, brothers/sisters, disabled PWD 2016 beneficiaries above 25 years age are accorded medical attention as non-entitled cases in service hospitals. Hospital Stoppage Roll Charges and miscellaneous medical charges are required to be paid paid for
for treatment undertaken in AFMS Hospitals. Such charges treatment in AFMS Hospitals are not reimbursable as MoD /DESW letter No per Para 4 of Govt of India, 24(8)/03/US(WE}/D(Res) dated 19 Dec 2003.

3. There are a number of cases where dependent ECHS beneficiaries such as parents,
4. brothers/sisters, 2016 beneficiaries above 25 years age who are not entitled for Service Hospitals are treated in there. treatment in According to Para 297 may (a) these non-entitled patients be treated in AFMS hospitals with permission of Station Commander after with the CO Hospital if accommodation is consultation available on payment of the stoppages. However, prescribed hospital as per Para 4 () of the Govt of 24(8)/03/US(WE)/D(Res) dated 19 Dec 2003 Hospital India, Ministry of Defence letter No Stoppage Rolls and any other charges paid for treatment in AFMS Hospitals will be paid in full by the ECHS member and are not reimbursable.
   Amendments to Existing Policy 2 n order to facilitate Denericiaries, reimbursement of Hospital Stoppaae Roll Charges paid by Er an amendment has been issued to Para 4 of GOI, MoD 24(8)/03/US(WE)/D(Res) dated 19 Dec /DES e 2003 vide Gol/MoD vide its letter No D(WE/Res-1) 22D(1320 dt 14 Dec 2022 as under (Copy attached). attachea).
5. The amendment reads
   Hospital Stoppage Rolls (HSR) and any other charges expended for treatmentak in Militaryl Armed paid by the forces Hospital will be paid in full by the beneficiary and charges beneficiary will be reimbursed by ECHS.”
   Procedure for reimbursement
6. After admission and treatment, the AFMS hospital will levy HSR and charges on the ECHS any other beneficiaries. The hospital will provide a copy of the bill of the HSR and other charges levied from the ECHS beneficiary along with a break up of the bill, the discharge slip and discharge summary.
   The ECHS beneficiary will pay the HSR and any other charges in full to the AFMMS Hospital and take a receipt of the bill having paid.
   8. After discharge the beneficiary will either upload the bills of the HSR on the site ofthe Bill Processing Agencyhttps://www.echsbpa.utitsl.com/ECHS/Beneficiary.or submit the bills to his parent polyclinic for reimbursement.
7. The bills so submitted will be processed as Individual Reimbursement Bills as per procedure.
8. The Bill Processing Agency (BPA) will process the bill and reimburse the bill 100% as applicable to any Govt Hospital. A referral from ECHS Polyclinic will not be mandatory for treatment in Service Hospitals and reimbursement of HSR Charges paid by the ECHS Beneficiary.
   The above policy will be
   letter No applicable from the date of issue of the GO, MoD/DESW 22D(13)/2020-D(WE/Res-1) dt 14 Dec 2022.
9. 
   (SK Gupta) Col
   Offg Dir(Med) For MD ECHS
   Encls: As above
   Copy to:
   MoD/DoESW for info wrt your letter under ref.
   Olo DGAFMS
   DGMS Army
   DGMS Navy for info
   DGMS Air
   CDA
   Internal’
   Ops &Coord, P & Fc, Claim Sec, C& l
   Stats & Automation Sec
   for info.
   for uploading on ECHS Website.
   No. 22D (13)/2020-D(WE/Res-l)
   Government of India
   Ministry of Defence
   (Deptt. Of Ex-Servicemen Welfare)
   Room No. 221, B-wing, Sena Bhavan, New Delhi,
   Dated: 11 December, 2022
   To
   Fhe Chief of Army Staff The Chief of Naval Staff The Chief of Air Staff Subject Procedure for payment and reimbursement of Medical EXpenses de ECHS reg.
   Sir
   With reference to Govt of India, Ministry of Defence Letter No
   24(8)/03/Us(WE)/D(Res) dated 19 Dec 2003, I am directed to convey the sanction of the President on the partial modification in Para 4 ( of Annexure to the above referred letter dated 19 December 2003 regarding treatment at Military/Service Hospital, as under For.
   Hospital Stoppage Rolls and any Para 4 (f Treatment at Military Hospital. other charges expended for treatment in Military Hospitals will be paid in full by the member and is not reimbursable.Read
   Para 4 (f. Treatment at Military/Armed Forces Hospital. Hospital Stoppage Rolls (HSR) and any other charges expended for treatment taken in Military Armed Forces Hospital will be paid in full by the ECHS beneficiary and the charges paid by
   the ECHS beneficiary will be reimbursed by ECHS.
10. This amendment in the policy shall be effective from the date of issue of this letter. This issues with the concurrence of MoD (Fin/Pen) vide their
    32(08)/2021/FIN/PEN dated 20.07.2022.
    ID No. 3.
    Yours faithfully,
    (Dr. P P Sharma) OSD (WE & Copy to IC)
11. PPS to RM
12. PPS to RRM
13. CGDA, New Delhi
14. AG, IHQ of MoD (Army) 5. COP, IHQ of MoD (Navy