New Delhi, February 14
An all-woman car expedition of the Indian Navy set off from the National War Memorial here on Tuesday. It will traverse 2,300 km over 12 days and motivate women to join the naval force.
Soaring high
The rally with the slogan ‘She’s Unstoppable’ and tagline ‘Soar High’ commenced from New Delhi and will travel to the Longewala War Memorial and back
Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar flagged off the rally, virtually over a video link, as naval officers and other participants, wheeled out of the India Gate complex on way to the famed Longewala War Memorial in Rajasthan.
The all-woman car rally with the slogan ‘She’s Unstoppable’ and tagline ‘Soar High’ commenced from the National War Memorial in New Delhi and will travel to the Longewala War Memorial and back over 12 days, spanning February 14-25, the Defence Ministry had said on Monday.
The rally would traverse through Jaipur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Longewala, Jodhpur, Udaipur, prior to returning to Delhi, and will cover a distance of 2,300 km, it had said.
Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Indian Navy’s Chief of Personnel, who was present on the occasion, said, “Today is NWWA Day and this expedition will inspire youth, mark the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, but most importantly demonstrate the ‘Nari Shakti’”.
The Indian Navy in association with Navy Wellness and Welfare Association (NWWA) has collaborated with motoring company Jeep India for this expedition as a “tribute to brave women of the country and of the Navy”, officials said.
Asked when will all-women warships be seen in the Indian Navy, Vice Admiral Tripathi, said, “All-women warship in the near future, yes”.
“But, it will take some time, because we have just opened the Agniveer, for women. We have also decided that women can join all branches as officers. It will take its own time, because training etc has to happen,” he said.
New Delhi, February 14
Six canines of the NDRF deployed in earthquake-hit Turkey have proved to be “very very effective” in rescuing survivors from under the debris even as teams from other countries have also utilised their services, officials said on Tuesday.
The federal contingency force of India is also in the process of shifting its two teams from Gaziantep to Hatay on the Mediterranean coast of the country as the possibility of finding survivors in the former city is “almost negligible now”. The third NDRF team is already in Hatay.
The force has rescued two young girls – six years and eight years old, apart from 63 bodies since they began their search and rescue (SAR) operation in that country on February 7 after the Union government sent three of its teams to assist international rescue operations in Turkey.
The massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and neighbouring Syria on February 6 has claimed more than 35,000 lives and rescuers fear the toll may climb further even as hope for lives is fading rapidly, notwithstanding miracles.
“Our canine rescuers have proved to be very very effective during the Turkey operation. There are three ways to rescue someone from a collapsed structure—physical or through human means, technical search through equipment and canines.” “We found that technical equipment, heavy machinery, life detectors and seismic sensors have not been that good in finding life during this situation where multiple buildings have been flattened due to the quake and there is chaos all around,” NDRF commanding officer Gurminder Singh told PTI over phone from Nurdagi in Gaziantep province of Turkey.
Our dogs are quite easy to handle and they are not aggressive. They have proven their training during this operation and helped our rescue teams in looking for specific areas where lives can be found, he said.
Another senior officer said the NDRF dogs and their handlers were also provided to the Turkey fire department rescue team who, they are told, retrieved “one or two live victims” with the help of NDRF dogs.
The force has taken six Labradors Romeo, Julie, Rambo, Honey, Bob and Roxy for assisting the rescuers while they search for lives.
Officials said while Romeo and Julie were instrumental in sensing and alerting the NDRF men in rescuing the six-year-old girl in Gaziantep last week, the other dogs have been “very vital” during the crucial hours just after the quake when rescuers were frantically looking for people who were alive under debris.
Commandant Singh said the five women personnel of the force, who are on their first international rescue operation, are working shoulder-to-shoulder with their male counterparts and have assisted affected women in few places.
An NDRF officer said the teams of all countries are getting good support from the local authorities and people of Turkey.
“Many local volunteer groups are providing us cakes, juices, coffee and biscuits that helps to survive in the biting cold if minus 4 or 5 degrees,” the officer said.
The force has carried along 11 vehicles, 20,000 litres of diesel, ready to eat food like ‘ladoos’, ‘pinni’, ‘matthi’, sleeping bags, wood, tents and other logistical items so that they can survive on their own for almost a fortnight.
Makeshift toilets have been dug by the NDRF rescuers. So far, no personnel has reported sick, an officer based in Delhi said.
All the three teams of the NDRF may return by February 16-17 as the task of finding live victims is almost completed. However, a final decision will be taken by Turkish authorities and informed to the Indian government through diplomatic channels, the officer said.
he Koh-i-noor, or ‘mountain of light’ diamond, set in the Maltese Cross at the front of the crown made for Britain’s late Queen Mother Elizabeth, is seen on her coffin. AP/PTI file
London, February 14
Camilla, wife of Britain’s King Charles, will wear the crown of Queen Mary for her coronation in May, Buckingham Palace said, avoiding the use of a crown featuring the disputed 105-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond which India has demanded be returned.
The Koh-i-Noor, one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, was taken from India by the East India Company during the colonial era and presented to Queen Victoria. It is set in a crown last worn by Charles’s grandmother during her coronation.
Pakistan, part of British-ruled India, and Afghanistan have also claimed ownership of it since Indian independence in 1947.
Camilla will wear the Queen Mary crown, commissioned and worn by the consort of King George V for the 1911 coronation.
Some changes will be made to it, the palace said, to inset jewels unique to the occasion and to reflect her own style.
“The choice of Queen Mary’s Crown by Her Majesty is the first time in recent history that an existing crown will be used for the Coronation of a Consort instead of a new commission being made, in the interests of sustainability and efficiency,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
Charles automatically became king of 15 realms, including Canada, New Zealand and Australia, on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth in September, but his and queen consort Camilla’s official coronation will take place on May 6 at London’s Westminster Abbey.
The Queen Mary crown will be reset with the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds, in tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth, the palace said. The diamonds were part of her personal collection and were often worn by her as broaches.
Four of the crown’s eight detachable arches will also be removed, the palace said. The crown was taken off display at the Tower of London for the modification work to be carried out.
The last time a queen consort’s crown was re-used was in the 18th century. Reute
Satya Prakash
New Delhi, February 14
Asserting that Parliament has the power to convert an existing state into a union territory, the Supreme Court has said that such law can’t be considered as an amendment to the Constitution.
“By the same law, a provision can be made as to the representation in Parliament and in the legislature of the Union Territory created by such law,” said a Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul – which on Monday dismissed a petition challenging notifications for delimitation of assembly constituencies in the newly created Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for being bereft of any merit.
On August 5, 2019, the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 was done away with and on October 31, 2019, Parliament enacted the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act which provided for reorganisation of the State of Jammu and Kashmir by dividing it into two union territories—Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
“On a conjoint reading of Articles 3, 4 and 239A, the Court found that “Parliament by making a law can convert an existing State into one or more Union territories,” the top court said.
Explaining the constitutional scheme, the Bench said, “Article 3 provides that Parliament may by law form new States and alter the areas, boundaries or names of the existing States. The explanation I provides that in clauses (a) to (e) of Article 3, a “State” includes “Union Territory”.
“Thus, Explanation I makes it amply clear that the power of Parliament under Clause (a) of Article 3, to make a law to form a new State or to alter a boundary of a State includes a power to make a law to form a new Union Territory.
“Explanation II clarifies that the power conferred by clause (a) on Parliament to enact the law to form a new State includes a power to form a Union Territory by uniting parts of any State or Union Territory to any other State or Union Territory.
“Clause (1) of Article 4 provides that any law made by Parliament as provided in Article 3 shall contain such provisions for the amendment of the First Schedule (containing the list of States and Union Territories) and Fourth Schedule (containing allocation of seats in the Council of States) as may be necessary for the purposes of giving effect to the provisions of the law.
“Such a law may also contain such supplemental, incidental and consequential provisions including provisions as to representation in Parliament and in the Legislature or Legislatures of the State or States affected by such law as Parliament may deem necessary,” it said, adding “Clause (2) of Article 4 clarifies that no such law made by Article 3 shall be deemed to be an amendment of the Constitution for the purposes of Article 368.”
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Chief of Army staff General Manoj Pande release booklets on Indian Air Force during an event on the sidelines of the second day of Aero India 2023, at Yelahanka Air base in Bengaluru, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. PTI
PTI
Bengaluru, February 14
The Army is planning to procure around 95 Prachand Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) and 110 Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) to enhance the profile of its combat aviation wing, Chief of Army Staff Gen Manoj Pande said here on Tuesday.
Gen Pande told a group of journalists on the sidelines of Aero India that the Army is looking at inducting the indigenously-built LCHs for deployment in high-altitude areas as the chopper has better maneuverability in mountainous regions.
The Army is looking at procuring the LUHs and LCHs to replace its ageing fleets of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters.
He said one of the weapons systems to be integrated into the LCH Prachand would be Helina missiles and their trials have been successful.
“We are looking for integration of the Helina missiles on the aircraft,” he said during the briefing at the Yelahanka Air Force complex on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
Developed by state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the 5.8-tonne twin-engine chopper is capable of destroying enemy tanks, bunkers, drones and other assets in high-altitude regions.
The helicopter possesses modern stealth characteristics, robust armour protection and formidable night attack capability, and it is fully capable of even operating in Siachen, the world’s highest battle-field.
The army chief said the LCH is very versatile in terms of its maneuverability.
The Defence Acquisition Council has already accorded approval for the procurement of 40 Helina launchers and missiles. “Its integration on aircraft is something we believe is important for us to maximise the potential of anti-tank guided missiles,” Gen Pande said.
The army chief said out of the initial five LCHs, the force has already received three. On the LUHs, Gen Pande said, the army is getting six limited series versions of the helicopter initially.
“Thereafter, we are looking at 110 LUHs,” he said, adding the army will take forward the procurement plan based on the performance of the initial six choppers.
“Our overall requirement in this class is about 250 helicopters,” he said.
The Chief of the Army Staff also suggested that Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the producer of the helicopter, is working on capability enhancement of the platform including the autopilot feature.
Gen Pande said that the Army is expected to receive the first lot of American Apache attack helicopters out of the total six in the early part of next year while the remaining ones are likely to be delivered by end of 2023.
The LUH is designed and developed as a replacement for Cheetah and Chetak helicopters which are being operated by the Indian Armed forces.
It is a new generation helicopter in the three-tonne class incorporating the state of the art technology features like glass cockpit with multi-function displays (MFD).
The Chief of the Army Staff also referred to Army Aviation having Advanced Light Helicopter (Weapons System Integration) versions. The force currently has four squadrons of such helicopters.
Gen Pande also highlighted the infusion of niche technologies for surveillance along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and said the focus has been to procure a range of drones.
He cited the importance of micro to mini drones to the tactical-level unmanned aerial vehicles as well as more-longer range ones for overall surveillance.
Gen Pande said the focus has also been on counter-anti-drone technologies including hand-held drone jammers.
“We are looking at more soft-kill and hard-kill options for countering drones. Even swarm drones for that matter,” he said.
Asked about China deploying new-age technologies along the LAC, the Chief of Army Staff said that the Army has electronic warfare (EW) units.
Gen Pande suggested that the Army has formed two EW battalions in the Northeast and that they are already underway.
On China’s use of surveillance balloons in the US and Canada and whether the country can use similar tactics against India, Gen Pande underlined the need for remaining alert about new technologies.
“I have been saying that we have to constantly remain current to what is happening around us. …we have to be ahead of the learning curve,” he said.
Ajay Banerjee
Bengaluru, February 14
India is planning to manufacture 470 fighter jets, with the first one — Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mark-1A — to be rolled out in February next year. The massive project in already underway.
HAL eyes export market
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chairman and Managing Director CB Ananthakrishnan said HAL was eyeing the export market and vying for orders of Tejas jets from Egypt and Argentina. “In Egypt, we have offered a kind of maintenance programme as well,” he added. TNS
Of the 470 jets, 370 will be for the Indian Air Force while 100 twin-engine jets will be for the Navy.
These 470 jets are separate from 114 jets the IAF wants to manufacture in collaboration with a foreign partner in India.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is producing 83 Tejas Mark-1A jets.
CB Ananthakrishnan, HAL Chairman and Managing Director, said: “We are on schedule to deliver the first jet in February 2024. The manufacturing capacities have been augmented and the delivery of all 83 jets will be ahead of schedule.”
“Delays are a thing of the past. We have sufficient supply chain and delivery capacity,” he added.
Apart from 83 Tejas Mark-1A jets, the project includes 108 Tejas Mark-2 jets, 126 jets of the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) and 100 twin-engine deck-based fighters for the Navy.
HAL estimates that the gap between manufacturing of Tejas Mark-1A and Tejas Mark-2 will be bridged by an additional order of the former. The numbers of additional Tejas Mark-1A jets could be about 50, said sources.
The total of all this adds up to about 470.
All jets after Tejas Mark-1A will use the General Electric’s 414 engine producing 98 kilonewton of thrust.
The indigenous programme is being helmed by the Aeronautics Development Agency (ADA), a lab of the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO).
Dr Girish S Deodhare, ADA Director General, said: “LCA Mark-2 development will be completed next year.”
The HAL expressed confidence that the LCA Mark-2 that will have more powerful engines and many upgrades over the existing Tejas, to be made as per schedule with first flight being in mid-2025. For the AMCA, the ADA DG laid out targets. “We are expecting sanction of the Cabinet Committee on Security. The design is in a critical phase,” he said.
Bengaluru, February 14
India does not believe in giving solutions to countries in need of assistance and holds that nations with superior military powers do not have the right to dictate solutions to others, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday.
In an address to his counterparts and deputy defence ministers from 27 countries at Aero India-2023 here, Singh said India had always stood for a rules-based global order in which the primordial instinct of “might being right” was replaced by fairness, respect and equality among all sovereign nations.
In a conclave named SPEED (Shared Prosperity through Enhanced Engagements in Defence), Singh also called for united efforts to counter pressing challenges such as terrorism and said collective security had become “sine qua non” for overall development and prosperity of nations.
To counter the security threats, Singh underlined the need for devising new strategies, adding India did not believe in dealing with such security issues in the “old paternalistic or the neo-colonial paradigms”.
He offered partner countries capacity-building through investments, R&D, joint ventures, co-development, co-production and provisioning of defence equipment, besides training and maritime security.
“India considers all nations as equal partners. That is why, we do not believe in imposing external or supra-national solutions to a country’s internal problems,” he said.
Singh said, “There are nations which are richer, militarily or technologically more advanced than others, but it does not give them the right to dictate their solutions to the nations in need of support.”
Rajnath Singh highlighted the need for greater cooperation in an increasingly complex global security scenario. Geopolitical and security realities are shifting at a breakneck speed. He called for real-time collaboration to respond to fast-paced changes.
Bengaluru, February 14
The Army is looking at bolstering its posture along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China with additional attack helicopters and adding surveillance systems.
B-1B bomber jets at Aero India
The Army’s growing combat aviation wing now has 50 helicopters and is looking at procuring 100 more copters.
“We are looking at 95 more Light Combat Helicopters (LCH), which will be better suited for the mountains,” Army Chief General Manoj Pande told a group of journalists here on Tuesday.
At present, the Army has five LCHs inducted last year and about 45 of the Advanced Light Combat copters in its fleet.
The Army will be getting three of the Boeing Apache 64E this year and three more next year. The IAF already operates the Apache.
On the status of integrating Helina anti-tank missiles onto the LCH, the Army Chief said, “It is still work in progress.”
Speaking about the upcoming Light Utility Helicopter (LuH), General Pande said the LuH would replace the fleet of single-engine Cheetah and Chetak copters. The Army has 250 of these copters and these will be replaced over the years. The Army has ordered six of the LuH and initially looking at 110 LuH.
