Monthly Archives: August 2018

BALINDER SINGH PUNJAB EXPRESS BUREAU Patiala, January 28 It was houseful at the auditorium of Khalsa college, the venue for the Patiala heritage festival opening ceremony. Dur[1]ing his opening address, Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh, the chief guest for the ceremony strongly told the youth to shun drugs and contribute to nation-building by join[1]ing the coveted profession of the armed forces. Dr Balbir Singh said that the Punjab govern[1]ment, under the leader[1]ship of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is fully committed to eradicate the drug men[1]ace and gangsterism in Punjab.

Lt Gen T S Shergill, the Chairman of the Military Literature Festival (MLF) was effusive in his appreciation for the unique initiative and cooperation of the Deputy Commissioner, Sakshi Sawhney who has set the bench[1]mark for all the Deputy Commissioners of the state to follow.

Lt Gen Shergill also expressed his grateful[1]ness to the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his approval to take the festival forward by allowing the districts and universities to carry the baton forward to further extend the outreach of the armed forces to the last rural segment.

Lt Gen Chetinder, the Vice Chairman of MLF and Lt Gen Cheema have been the major guiding force for MLF with Col PS Grewal outstandingly doing all the spade work

Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 28

It was a packed house at Khalsa College’s auditorium, the venue for the Military Literature Festival, as part of the Patiala Heritage Festival.

Cabinet Minister Dr Balbir Singh, who was the chief guest, urged the youth to shun drugs and contribute to nation-building by joining the armed forces.

The minister said, “The government is fully committed to eradicate drug menace and put an end to gangster culture in Punjab.”

Lieutenant General TS Shergill, chairman of the Military Literature Festival, expressed gratitude to CM Bhagwant Mann for extending outreach of the armed forces to the rural segment

Panel discussions were held on three topics — Shaheed Bhagat Singh; Pakistan, China and Ukraine with implications for India and the Contribution and Role of Patiala State Forces in the 1947 war.

The gallant history of ‘Rajindra Sikhs’, now known as 15 Punjab, received a standing ovation from youngsters as they learnt about the bravery of Patiala Sikhs, who had participated in the World War I, World War II and the 1947 war immediately after Independence.

Other events like ‘Clarion Call’ theatre, war drums, martial dance and archery arena were showstoppers. Scores of youngsters could be seen at the recruitment counselling centre and experiencing main battle tanks put on the display.

Ten ‘Veer naris’ were also honoured on the occasion.

Tomorrow, a bike rally ‘Brave Hearts Bikers Rally’ will start from Polo Ground. The ‘Kavi Darbar’ has been scheduled at Languages Department on January 30. On February 3, an aero modelling show has been planned at the Civil Aviation Club.

Major General Puneet Ahuja, commander of the Patiala-based Black Elephant Division of the Army, said the presence of veterans and youngsters in the Military Literature Festival had made the event successful.

He said, “As Patiala holds a special place in the context of military history, the Army will provide all possible support to the civil administration for such events in future as well.”

Speakers included Dr Manpreet Mehnaz, RK Kaushik, Dr Harjeshwar Singh, Jaswant Jaffar, Lt Gen K Davar, Lt Gen KJ Singh, Lt Gen Anil Ahuja, Maj Gen AP Singh, Maj Gen Harvijay Singh, Dr Kamal Kinger, Lt Gen HS Panag and Dr AS Sekhon.

Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney thanked the Army for their support.

Ceremony to end with ‘Saare Jahan Se Achha’

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 28

Indian tunes based on classical ragas will be the flavour of ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony to be conducted tomorrow at Vijay Chowk facing Rashtrapati Bhavan.

President Droupadi Murmu will be the chief guest. As many as 29 Indian tunes will be played by music bands of the Army, Navy, Air Force and the state police and CAPFs.

The ceremony, which will have the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, will be capped by a drone show comprising 3,500 indigenous drones. The show will light up the evening sky over the Raisina Hills, weaving myriad forms of national figures and events through smooth synchronisation.

For the first time, a 3-D anamorphic projection will be organised on the façade of North Block and South Block, the seat of the government. The event will come to a close with iconic tune ‘Sare Jahan Se Achha’. The ceremony marks culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations. It traces its origin to early-1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army developed the unique ceremony of display by massed bands. It marks a centuries old military tradition when the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield and returned to the camps at sunset at the sounding of the Retreat.

he Sukhoi-30 and Mirage 2000 aircraft had taken off from the Gwalior air base in Madhya Pradesh where an exercise was going on

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 28

An IAF pilot died as two fighter jets were involved in a suspected mid-air collision near Morena in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

The two other pilots who were in the other jet ejected safely.

The IAF said, “Fighter aircraft of IAF were involved in an accident near Gwalior on Saturday morning. The aircraft were on routine operational flying training mission. One of the three pilots involved sustained fatal injuries.”

The two jets, a Russian-origin Sukhoi 30 MKI and a French-origin Mirage 2000 had taken off from Gwalior in the morning and were part of an exercise.

The Sukhoi was being flown by two pilots while the Mirage had one pilot.

The IAF has ordered an inquiry.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was briefed by IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on the crash. Singh enquired about the well-being of the IAF pilots and is monitoring the developments closely. 

While giving details of the crash and debris of the two jets getting strewn across several kilometres, sources said the Mirage-2000 crashed near Morena immediately after the collision. 

The Sukhoi was in the air for sometime and the pilots ejected safely.

Portions of the jets were strewn across Morena in Madhya Pradesh and Bharatpur in the neighbouring Rajasthan.

PTI

Morena, January 28

Eyewitnesses to the crash involving two Indian Air Force fighter jets in Morena in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, which killed a pilot, recounted hearing a deafening sound and sighting balls of fire descending to the ground followed by two persons in uniform parachuting into the thicket nearby.

A Sukhoi 30MKI and a Mirage-2000 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed during a routine training mission in the morning, with the two pilots of the Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft managing to eject safely, and the pilot of the Mirage-2000 sustaining fatal injuries.

The debris of the two aircraft fell in Pahargarh area here, 75 km from the district headquarters, while some parts also fell in Bharatpur, just across the border in neighbouring Rajasthan.

Eyewitnesses said people who assembled at the site extricated the two pilots from the thicket and laid them down on the ground till an IAF chopper arrived and flew them for treatment to Gwalior, from where the two aircraft had taken off on the routine training mission.

Debris from the two aircraft were strewn over an area of 500-800 metre, 4 km from Pahargarh, and were on fire, they said.

The people in the vicinity tried to extinguish the flames engulfing the two aircraft by throwing mud, these eyewitnesses said, adding the area was soon swarming with more than 1,500 residents of 15 villages nearby.

“I was standing with some people here when we heard a massive noise from above, like a powerful bomb blast. We looked up to see balls of fire descending, some of which landed in a forested path here and some in Bharatpur on the other side,” Pahargarh sarpanch Shailendra Shakya told media outlets at the site.

“We saw two parachutes coming down and we waited for 15-20 minutes for the duo to land. However, they fell into the thicket and sustained injuries. We took them out from the bushes and laid them on the ground. While we were talking to the two pilots in uniform, an IAF helicopter arrived and flew them to Gwalior,” Shakya informed.

He claimed a dismembered body with hands cut was found near the debris, adding that local and IAF officials arrived at the site and started a search operation.

Pahargarh resident Veeru said he was close to the spot where the accident took place at around 10:30am.

“I saw an aircraft with its front portion in flames. I saw smoke billowing from a spot some five kilometres away. We tried to extinguish the flames with mud in vain as we did not have water at the time,” he said.

Sarpanch Shakya called the police and fire brigade after the incident, he claimed.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 28

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today cautioned against efforts to sow differences and create chasm among the people of the country. “Despite such efforts, there will never be differences — unity mantra being the antidote,” he said.

India’s time has come

It is evident that India’s time has arrived. The entire world is looking to India and it is all due to the youth of the country. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

He was addressing the annual NCC rally at Cariappa Parade Ground in Delhi Cantt. The NCC is celebrating 75th year of its inception. On the occasion, the PM released a special Day Cover and a commemorative coin of Rs 75 denomination. Lit at Cariappa Ground, a ‘Unity Flame’ was handed over to the PM. As many as 196 officers and cadets from 19 countries were part of the celebrations.

The PM asked the NCC cadets to visit the National War Memorial, Police Memorial, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Museum, Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya, Sardar Patel Museum and BR Ambedkar Museum for inspiration. “It is evident that India’s time has arrived. The entire world is looking to India and it is all due to the youth of India,” Modi stressed. Digital or innovation revolution, the PM underlined the youth were India’s biggest beneficiaries.

He gave credit to the youth for the strides made in the space sector. He pointed out that India now was manufacturing defence equipment and also mentioned fast-paced border infrastructural work, underlining it would open a new world of opportunities and possibilities for the youth.

Resplendent gardens will be open for public from January 31

PTI

New Delhi, January 28

Rashtrapati Bhavan’s famed Mughal Gardens will now be known as ‘Amrit Udyan’, an official statement issued on Saturday said.

The resplendent gardens are open to the public once a year and people can visit from January 31 this time.

President Droupadi Murmu will grace the opening of the gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan – Udyan Utsav 2023 – on Sunday, the statement said.

“On the occasion of the celebrations of 75 years of Independence as ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the President of India is pleased to give a common name to the Rashtrapati Bhavan gardens as ‘Amrit Udyan’,” Navika Gupta, Deputy Press Secretary to the President, said in the statement.https://7bde67913b33afd2db31822132efa80d.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

The government had last year renamed Delhi’s iconic Rajpath as “Kartavya Path”. The renaming of the stretch and other institutions is in line with the Centre’s effort to remove any trace of colonial mindset, it has maintained.

“Rashtrapati Bhavan is home to a rich variety of gardens. Originally, they included East Lawn, Central Lawn, Long Garden and Circular Garden.

“During the term of former Presidents Dr A P J Abdul Kalam and Shri Ram Nath Kovind, more gardens were developed, namely Herbal-I, Herbal-II, Tactile Garden, Bonsai Garden and Arogya Vanam,” the statement issued on Saturday said.

In this year’s Udyan Utsav, among several other attractions, visitors will be able to see specially cultivated tulips of 12 unique varieties which are expected to bloom in phases.

This time the gardens (Herbal Garden, Bonsai Garden, Central Lawn, Long Garden and Circular Garden) will be open for about two months.

The gardens will open for the general public on January 31, 2023 and will remain open till March 26, 2023, except on Mondays which are maintenance days and on March 8 on account of Holi.

The American M1 Abram tanks are amongst the most advanced battle tanks in the world, combining speed, strong armour with massive firepower. However, the quality comes at a cost: these tanks are expensive as well as requiring deep technical know-how to operate (Reuters/Ints Kalnins)

After months of mounting pressure, the United States and Germany agreed to send tanks to Ukraine on January 25. While the Americas will supply 31 M1 Abrams tanks, Germany will send 14 Leopard 2 tanks, Reuters reported.

President Joe Biden, while announcing the decision at the White House, said, “[Russia’s President Vladimir] Putin expected Europe and the United States to weaken our resolve. He expected our support for Ukraine to crumble with time. He was wrong.”

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the move by the two Western countries is an important step towards ensuring Ukraine’s victory against the Russians. “Today the free world is united as never before for a common goal — liberation of Ukraine,” he said.

Russian officials have condemned the US and German announcements as a “blatant provocation”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said sending the Abrams would be a waste of money because “These tanks burn like all the rest. They are just very expensive.”SUBSCRIBER ONLY STORIESView All

According to The New York Times, Zelensky and his senior-most military commander, General Valery Zaluzhny, believe that with an anticipated Russian springtime offensive just around the corner,  to not only defend itself but also “make a difference” in its effort to reclaim the lost territories.

Before the US and Germany, the United Kingdom agreed to send 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. France has also announced plans to give its AMX-10 RC light combat tanks to the country.

The American and German tanks

Both the M1 Abrams and Leopard 2 are considered state-of-the-art battle tanks that are more powerful than the Soviet-era tanks that Russia and Ukraine currently have.ADVERTISEMENT

The Abrams is the main battle tank of the US and was first delivered to its forces in 1980. Weighing around 67 tonnes, it can accommodate a crew of four personnel, including the driver. The tank has a sophisticated Chobham composite armour that protects it against any direct fire. It has a maximum speed of 67.5 km/h and a range of 1,005 km. The armaments include M256 120 mm smoothbore cannon, 12.7 mm machine gun and 7.62 mm M240 machine gun.

The powerful jet engine of the Abrams that “can propel the tank through almost any terrain, whether heavy snow or heavy mud”, according to an AP report.

However, all these come at a cost. Abrams tanks require extensive training to operate and are difficult to repair. The AP report said that these tanks “burn through fuel at a rate of at least two gallons per mile (4.7 litres per km), whether the tank is moving or idling”.ADVERTISEMENT

“The Abrams tank is a very complicated piece of equipment. It’s expensive, it’s hard to train on…It is not the easiest system to maintain. It may or may not be the right system,” the US under secretary of defence for policy, Colin Kahl, had said recently.

The Leopard 2 is easier to operate and maintain, and requires a shorter training period. The tank has a diesel-powered MTU MB 873 engine and weighs 55 tonnes. It comes with armaments such as the 120 mm smoothbore cannon and a fully-digital fire-control system.

Implications for of Ukraine and the war

Although the US and Germany have agreed to send their tanks to Ukraine, they might not have any immediate impact on the war, experts say. While it might take “many months” for the Abrams to be operational in Ukraine, the Leopard 2s will also not reach the battlefield before at least another two months. It is still unclear if these tanks would prove to be the gamechanger that they are billed to be.

“If Ukraine is going to have any chance of going on the offensive, they need some mobility with heavy guns — it’s not just enough to have military-grade Land Rovers or armoured patrolled vehicles. They need something that can actually destroy Russian tanks at a distance,” a diplomat from a EU country that is considering donating a number of modern battle tanks to Ukraine told POLITICO.

Analysts believe that the areas where tanks can be most effective are in southern Ukraine, where the land is flat. It is also where the Russian forces have built trenches and fortified bunkers. The Western tanks can easily trample them down, giving Ukraine the much-needed advantage in the war, they believe.

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, January 28

The first hearing in a dispute between Pakistan and India over the Indus Waters Treaty began at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on Friday.

The hearing began hours after “sources” here said that India had issued notice to Pakistan for modification of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

India has boycotted the Court of Arbitration and in the notice to Pakistan it has called for meetings to resolve the long-standing dispute within 90 days.

However, Pakistan has opposed the notice with its Attorney General stating that news about New Delhi’s attempt at a unilateral modification of the IWT is misleading.

“Submission of a belated request for the resolution of disputes raised by Pakistan was a demonstration of India’s characteristic bad faith. The two countries have been arguing over hydroelectric projects (HEPs) on the shared Indus river and its tributaries for several years.

“The Treaty cannot be unilaterally modified. This is an attempt to divert attention from the ongoing proceedings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration under the Indus Waters Treaty,” said his office in a statement.

Both countries accuse each other of initiating parallel dispute redressal mechanisms. India says it was forced to issue a notice because Pakistan took unilateral action for examining its objections to India’s HEPs.

In 2015, Pakistan first requested for appointment of a Neutral Expert to examine its technical objections to India’s Kishenganga and Ratle HEPs. In 2016, it unilaterally retracted this request and proposed that a Court of Arbitration (CoA) adjudicate on its objections, said sources here.

Pakistan, on the other hand, said any risk of conflicting outcomes that India apprehends can be arrested through coordination and cooperation between the two fora. Therefore, Pakistan is engaging with both fora.

“It must be noted that the IWT presents two recourses for the settlement of any disputes that may arise regarding the distribution of water. The first is the Court of Arbitration which addresses legal, technical, and systemic issues. The second recourse is a neutral expert that addresses only technical issues. Pakistan requested the establishment of the Court of Arbitration because of systemic questions requiring legal interpretation,” said the statement by its AG.

The dispute is over the Indian plans to construct the 850 MW Ratle HEP on the Chenab and 330 MW Kishenganga hydroelectric project on the Jhelum.

Pakistan admits that it initiated the parallel proceeding by requesting the establishment of the ad hoc CoA after its efforts to hold talks with India via other forums, including government-level talks, “came to nought”. This forced Pakistan to initiate proceedings at the arbitration court.

After six years, the World Bank created the Court of Arbitration, and appointed a neutral expert. Sean Murphy was appointed the chairman of CoA and Michel Lino as the neutral expert on October 17.