Monthly Archives: August 2018

Kataria to be chief guest at event

o mark 100 years of Indian Hockey, the Hockey Chandigarh will organise a grand Indian Hockey Centenary Celebration on November 7. On this historic occasion, Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator, Gulab Chand Kataria will be the chief guest.

Hockey Chandigarh president Karan Gilhotra, vice president Anil Vohra, and Advisor Shaleen Kapoor called on the Governor and formally invited him to attend the event. The Governor assured his full support for the celebration and said that Chandigarh would create a new chapter in the history of Indian hockey with the celebrations.

Gilhotra shared that the event was being organised with the wholehearted support of the UT Administration, Sports Department, and the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh.

He said, “Hockey is India’s glorious heritage. The journey that began in 1925 with the formation of the national hockey body now completes a hundred years. It is a proud moment for us that Hockey Chandigarh will be part of this historic celebration. Our aim is to connect the younger generation with the golden legacy of Indian hockey.”

Vohra informed that the programme would commence at 10 am, featuring three exhibition matches — junior and senior boys’ matches, along with a special girls’ match.

The event will witness the presence of hockey legends from India and abroad, including Olympians Deepak Thakur, Rajpal Singh, Baljit Singh, as well as current Indian team captain Sanjay, Maninder Singh, Vikramjit Singh, and junior team captain Rohit.

Gilhotra added that under the leadership of Hockey India, similar centenary celebrations would be held simultaneously across the country to give a new dimension and recognition to Indian hockey.

Japan and Australia also to take part: Vice Admiral

India will host the navies of both the US and Russia at the maritime exercise — Milan 2026 — at Vishakapatnam in February next year.

Vice Chief of the Navy Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan announced the week-long drills to be conducted from February 19 to February 26. “Both the US and Russia have confirmed their presence and will send ships for the exercise,” the Vice Admiral said on Friday.

On being asked if Japan and Australia, both partners in the Quad with India and the US, will be part of it, Vice Admiral Vatsayan said both countries had confirmed their participation. There would be 55 countries in the event.

Regarding the exercise, Vice Admiral Vatsayan said, “This will be one of the largest maritime exercise in the region.”

The naval exercise will have a harbour phase on February 19-20, followed by a highly complex operational sea phase from February 21 to 25 in the Bay of Bengal.

The sea phase will have anti-submarine drills and air and sea operations. The sea phase would be complex and dynamic, Navy officials explained.

When asked about Chinese ships in the Indian Ocean, the Vice Admiral said all such vessels were being tracked.

The exercise is part of the three major international maritime events at Visakhapatnam. It will be preceded by an international fleet review at the same venue on February 18. India is hosting its third international fleet review, the earlier ones being in 2001 and 2016.

The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Conclave of Chiefs is scheduled from February 15 to February 25. During the symposium, the Indian Navy would assume chairmanship from 2025 to 2027. It will bring together naval chiefs from 25 members, nine observers and specially invited nations to deliberate on maritime security and information sharing.

An International Maritime Seminar will gather maritime strategists, defence officials, academics and industry leaders to discuss contemporary issues, including maritime collaboration, technology and humanitarian support.

Rajnath says our partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region

Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service

Amid efforts to mend trade relations, India and the US on Friday signed a 10-year defence framework to provide a broader vision and policy direction to deepen bilateral cooperation.

The document, ‘Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership’, was signed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Summit in Malaysia.

“Had a fruitful meeting with my US counterpart in Kuala Lumpur. Defence will remain the major pillar of our bilateral relationship,” Rajnath posted on X.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said the two leaders “appreciated the continuing momentum in bilateral defence cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to further build upon the mutually beneficial partnership across all its pillars”.

They reviewed the ongoing defence issues and the challenges that persisted, and deliberated upon the ongoing defence industry and technology collaborations.

“Both leaders agreed to work together to address the challenges… Hegseth reiterated that India is a priority country for the US in defence cooperation and they are committed to working closely with India to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the statement said.

Rajnath said the defence framework was a signal of growing strategic convergence between the two sides and would herald a new decade of partnership. “Our partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region,” he said. India and the US first signed a 10-year defence framework in 2005 and the second in 2015.

“We are enhancing our coordination, information-sharing and tech cooperation. Our defence ties have never been stronger,” Hegseth posted on X.