There is a danger of the spread of potential ambushes expanding to adjoining areas.

Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain

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New Delhi: Central government employees have been demanding a better monthly pay package under the 7th Pay Commission, and demanding reinstatement of all the allowances abolished or subsumed by the pay panel

The government, even set up a committee in July under Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa to look into the Allowances related grievances of central government employees. Though the committee was to submit its report within 4 months, it is yet to come out with its report.

Now, the committee has received extension up to February 22 to submit its report.

Even, considering the statements made by the RBI governor Urjit Patel in the last bimonthly monetary policy announced on December 7, it seems that higher allowances, if at all, will not come before March 2017 i.e. the next financial year.

As the RBI Governor said that disbursement of salaries and arrears under 7th Pay Commission award has not been disruptive to inflation outcomes, he added that the extension of two months given to the Ministry of Finance to receive the notification on higher allowances under the Pay Commission’s award, could push it’s fuller effect into the next financial year, rather than this financial year.

The war-ravaged Syrian cities Aleppo, Raqqa and Mosul are caught in the vortex of the West Asian drama.

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THERE is a tragedy of unimaginable proportions unfolding in the Syria- Iraq conflict zone and big powers which once contributed to the stabilisation of potential conflict situations during the Cold War are now perpetrators of the worst human rights violations. Each time it appears that the human race would learn from its mistakes and that world institutions existent to prevent such carnages would become stronger. Exactly the opposite happens. The current round in the five-year-old Syrian conflict and the 30-month-old Iraqi conflict situation essentially goes back to the 2003 US intervention in Iraq for regime change.It is a first-ever situation of media blackouts from a conflict zone. Ever since the ISIS (Daesh), other surrogates and lesser elements unleashed their concept of extreme cruelty and depraved behaviour with prisoners it has been impossible to get genuine media men to report from inside the conflict zone. Information, therefore, is one sided and second or third hand, based upon who is providing it. The groups involved place much of the news on social media wherever internet connectivity is intact. The humanitarian situation is one of the worst witnessed in any conflict zone for long, with an estimated 2.2 million people evicted and homeless. This adds to nearly half the pre-civil war population of Syria now in a state of displacement and there is more around Mosul, the northern Iraqi stronghold of Daesh. Water and food supplies are stretched to the limit and UN and other humanitarian agencies are at risk with premature entry without ceasefire due to the sheer nature of the fighters. Ceasefire is a word which has little meaning in this environment. There have been numerous attempts to hammer out the agreement but the February to September 2016 ceasefire held in patches.It failed once the Russian and Iran-backed Assad regime pushed for strategic advantage to wrest Aleppo. Aleppo’s location will give any military mind an instant deduction; it is strategic, located closer to the Turkish border and is sufficiently nestled to the East to cover Latakia, the only port that the Russians have the facility of in the Mediterranean with the nearby air base. The recent surge of Russian military activity and backing to the Assad forces appears to be partially due to the urgency to complete operations before the transition in Washington. US support to the rebels forces during the Obama administration has been hesitant and for good reason. There are just too many rebel groups in loose coalitions with little command and control. The US does not have an effective policy in place nor the right controls to allow its support developing into stronger resistance. It has to chart a careful path as those aligned with the Syrian rebel groups include the Jabhat al Nusra and even the Al-Qaida. Empowerment of the rebel groups indirectly strengthens these anti-US elements also. The control over Syria is in patches, without intact frontlines making support to an anti-government coalition challenging. Conversely, the forces of Assad and his allies, Hezbollah, Russian and Iranian special forces and Russian airpower have greater intact territory to operate from. The role of Turkey in this conflict has been significant with Recep Erdogan joining the Saudi-Qatar effort to arm the Syrian Sunni rebels. A contentious issue was always the small 30-man sub-unit Turkey maintained inside Syrian territory for the upkeep of the tomb of Suleiman Shah, grandfather of Osman the founder of the Ottoman Empire; it has since been vacated along with the mortal remains. Although Russia-Turkey relations have improved marginally after the low after the Turkish shooting of a Russian fighter jet in 2015. NATO’s military presence at the Turkey-Syria border is viewed suspiciously as was its awkward stance in the facilitation of leakage of ISIS fighters into Syria till late in 2015. On the eastern flank is Raqqa, the virtual capital of Daesh. However, it is not a weakened Daesh which holds the city but the Syrian Democratic Force (SDF) funded, armed and sponsored by the US to which 200 more US Special Forces personnel are being added. Raqqa in SDF hands means advantage US. With Mosul under siege and the dominant role being that of the Iraqi Army and US Air Force plus the Kurdish Peshmerga and the Turks also joining in, there is a mish- mash of forces minus the Russians. Iran does not appear to have a frontline role although it is a Shia-dominated Iraqi Army which is the dominant element. Sooner than later, Mosul will fall and the rump Daesh elements would make a beeline for Raqqa and for Aleppo. Hence the necessity to have at least Aleppo in Syrian and Russian hands; the urgency is high and hence ceasefires are being broken before they are even agreed upon. All the urgencies involved in the battles for Mosul and Aleppo are creating humanitarian crises in which the ICRC and the UN aid agencies are struggling.Many are pointing to the inability of the UN doing anything to put an end to violence. There is not much the UN can do.  “Syria has become an experiment lab for geopolitics between US and Russia and failure of UN and the international community”. It is this situation which Donald Trump is going to inherit on Inauguration Day and for all his contacts with Vladmir Putin it is unlikely Russian interests are going to be compromised by the Russian leader. Once Aleppo is in the hands of the Assad forces a degree of consolidation can commence.The future looks as complex and confused as the present. Iraq’s Prime Minister Abadi is now closer to Assad. For Shia power to proliferate Iran’s outreach to the Hizbollah is equally important and for that Iraq’s cooperation is necessary. In a post-Daesh configuration (whenever it emerges), it is the Iran-Saudi proxy conflict which will continue. To set the stage for that the populations of all the important cities of Northern Iraq and Syria continue to pay a huge price. The writer, a former General Officer Commanding of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, is now a Fellow with the Delhi Policy Group.

Chief Minister Harish Rawat pays tribute to war heroes on the occasion of Vijay Diwas at Gandhi Park on Friday. Photo: Abhyudaya Kotnala

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 16

Chief Minister Harish Rawat said soldiers had proved their worth in the 1971 war with Pakistan.He said people could not forget the sacrifice made by the soldiers of the Indian Defence forces. He paid tribute to martyrs at a function to commemorate Vijay Diwas held here today.He said the role played by soldiers during the 1971 war was commendable.The Chief Minister said it was a matter of pride for everyone that a large number of youths from Uttarakhand were serving in the defence forces. The state government would take all steps to address the grievances of next of kin of the martyrs.Rawat urged youths to come forward in a large number to join the Indian defence forces. He said brave soldiers from the state had laid down their lives in wars fought since India got Independence.Forest Minister Dinesh Agarwal, MLAs Rajkumar and Ganesh Joshi were present.In another function, Brig Paritosh Pant, Deputy General Officer Commanding, Golden Key division, laid a wreath on behalf of all ranks of the division in a wreath-laying function held at Prernasthal, Clement Town.The gathering was told that Vijay Diwas is celebrated on December 16 every year to celebrate the glorious victory of the Indian Army over Pakistan in 1971. India emerged victorious after 14 days of the war with Pakistan that also led to the creation of Bangladesh.Golden Key Division celebrated Vijay Diwas by honouring the brave and courageous men who had sacrificed their lives fighting for the country.

Islamabad, December 13

India was developing nuclear submarines and was building up its nuclear stockpiles by the day, a top Pakistani official claimed on Tuesday.

“India is developing atomic submarines and also resorting to unprovoked firing on the line of control and the working boundary. In these circumstances, Pakistan has no option but to keep itself ready for defense,” Additional Secretary (UN and Economic Cooperation) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tasnim Aslam said at a seminar here.

“In these circumstances Pakistan has no option but to keep itself ready for defense.”

She claimed Pakistan was maintaining minimum deterrence, but was willing to work for regional peace and stability.

“We are prepared to hold negotiations with India for resolution of outstanding disputes,” she said, also accusing India of “unprovoked firing” on the Line of Control and simultaneously making “irresponsible” statements.

She claimed that India being granted a place in the Nuclear Suppliers Group would disturb regional stability.

She claimed Pakistan had proof to India’s involvement in supporting militancy in the country.

“India has accused Pakistan of supporting non-state elements for terrorism but the Indian state has been involved in terrorist activities,” she said.

Aslam said Pakistan’s participation in the Heart of Asia Conference showed its seriousness towards peace and stability in Afghanistan.

“Our decision to attend the conference also foiled the Indian attempt to hijack the Heart of Asia process,” she claimed. — PTI

Pakistan wary of NSG ‘exemption’ for India

Islamabad, December 14

Pakistan is encouraged by growing support in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) for establishing criteria for membership of non-NPT countries, but are wary of “big powers” pressurising smaller countries into granting exemptions for India in the admission process, media reported on Wednesday.

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“There are a lot of countries that now recognise the need for a criteria-based approach rather than granting exemptions, but pressures are still being exerted on smaller countries,” Dawn quoted Kamran Akhtar, Director General of Disarmament at the Foreign Office, as saying.

“We are pretty confident that NSG countries would not go down the exemption way, but if they ultimately do so and give exemption to India, there would be serious repercussions not just for Pakistan, but also for other non-nuclear weapon states that may feel being unjustly denied their right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy,” Akhtar said.

He said it was now up to NSG countries to decide if they wanted the group to be seen as being driven by political and commercial interests or else they would want non-proliferation goals to be strengthened.

The official warned that strategic stability in South Asia would be undermined if Pakistani application was not treated equally with the Indian case.

“Pakistan wants to deny India space for war and create a space for peace. Its (Pakistan’s) weapons are for maintaining peace in the region and for deterrence,” said Khalid Banuri, Director General of Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs.

Additional Secretary to Foreign Office Tasneem Aslam said the issue of membership of non-NPT countries was deeply linked to strategic stability in South Asia.

“… the NSG stands at crossroads, once again, as it considers membership for non-NPT states. An even-handed and non-discriminatory approach by the NSG at this juncture would be of far-reaching significance for strategic stability in South Asia and global non-proliferation efforts,” she said and recalled, the NSG had missed in 2008 the opportunity to promote adherence to non-proliferation regime by granting waiver to India.

—IANS

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised political temperature considerably when she accused the army of “clear violation of the Constitution” by attempting to “create a civil war-like situation in the country”. Mamata Didi has a penchant for dramatics and victimhood, sometimes justifiably so, during the three-decade rule of the Left Front in West Bengal. The Chief Minister decided to spend the night at the state secretariat. Perhaps she was readying herself to do a Boris Yeltsin in front of army tanks in the morning.What made it worse was other organs of the state like the West Bengal Police reduced themselves to parroting Ms. Banerjee’s hysterical social media postings. The air cleared after the army uploaded acknowledged copies of letters sent to senior police officers informing them about their exercise. Skeptics will want to know why the army didn’t approach the National Highways Authority for the information. In a digital world, this information, updated to the last second, could have been instantly emailed. For one, it is always beneficial to conduct a field exercise rather than framing strategies based on number crunching. Second, toll gates are a recent innovation. The army perhaps did not think it fit to adjust its procedures to the digitalisation of toll booths.But Mamata Banerjee has rarely lent herself to cogitative contemplation in public life. A day earlier she had alleged an attempt to kill her when her flight was kept on hold for landing due to congestion. The next day her colleagues were raising Cain in Parliament. Rational explanations from the airlines cut no ice with Mamata and her party colleagues. To be fair, Mamata is matching the ruling coalition at the Centre and even her new-found crusader, Arvind Kejriwal, in appealing to emotion while ignoring the facts. The Centre’s Love Jehad, surgical strikes and demonetisation are of the same piece. In this era of post-truth, perhaps we should reconcile ourselves to a kind of public posturing where truth is of secondary importance. But the downside of such affectations is their collateral damage on apolitical institutions like the army.

Don’t defame Army, says Bengal Guv; Didi hits back

Kolkata, December 3

West Bengal Governor KN Tripathi today cautioned against “defaming” and “letting down” the Army in the wake of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleging that soldiers extorted money from truck drivers during their deployment at toll plazas.Tripathi said: “Every person should take care in making allegation against a responsible organisation like the Army. Don’t let down the Army. Don’t defame the Army.” Responding to Tripathi’s caution, Mamata accused him of speaking in the “tone of central government” on the issue.“The Governor is speaking in the voice of the Central Government! He was not in the city for about eight days,” she tweeted.Terming the Governor’s comments as “unfortunate”, Mamata, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said Tripathi should have checked details of recent developments in the state before commenting.“Before making statements, all details should have been checked. It is very unfortunate,” said Banerjee, who spent Thursday night at the state secretariat and stayed put there for 36 hours protesting deployment of the Army at toll plazas in the state allegedly without informing her government—an issue that snowballed into a major row causing disruptions in Parliament. The Centre and the Army rubbished the allegations, saying too much was being read into a routine exercise.Meanwhile, a Trinamool Congress delegation, on Saturday afternoon met the state governor and submitted a memorandum protesting against the deployment of Army at toll plazas.“We have informed him in detail about how the Army was deployed at 18 places in West Bengal without the permission of the state government,” said State Education and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee after meeting the Governor.Echoing party supremo Mamata Banerjee, the Trinamool leader criticised the Governor for his comments on the issue. — IANS

he Chief of Army Staff is arguably the most powerful post in Pakistan, with the military ruling the country for more than half its 69-year history. Here’s a brief timeline of the men who have commanded its soldiers and shaped history.

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Villagers beat to death a leopard that ran amok in Mandawar village, near Gurgaon.

THE image of a leopard beleaguered by lathi-wielding assailants in Gurgaon district published in newspapers captured my attention instantly. I wondered whether the idea was (a) to bring to the fore the consequences of the ongoing, flawed strategies for “development,” which have expanded the human footprint all around and even through the heartland of animal habitats, (b) that wildlife refuges have in the process been fragmented into disjointed, meagre patches which hold inadequate prey-populations, in the instant case for the leopards’ survival, and (c) the inevitable transgression of predators into human habitation in search of food and resultant horrors of the avoidable man-animal, tragic conflict situations. Sadly, the inadequate related reportage is more likely to have demonised the leopard as a wanton killer because nine persons were injured. It unwittingly drummed up fear psychosis, furthering the prevalent antipathy towards our wildlife in general, beleaguered as it is. In almost all such conflict situations, my  mind always reaches out to wise but unheeded utterance of Mahatma Gandhi: “The worth of a civilisation is judged by the manner it treats its animals.” Even some 80 years later today, there is little evidence to suggest that we Indians have developed more empathy with the animal world.  The misconceived notion of a leopard surfeit in India and therefore frequent encounters in rural habitations and occasionally in urban India is patently borne out of ignorance.  Of the three larger surviving cats — namely the lion, the tiger and the leopard, the former two, fortunately, have reasonable habitat to support their current, diminished numbers. However, the leopard being reclusive had created niches for itself throughout the country in landscapes similar to the Aravalli range as in the instant case. The leopard alone is able to live and thrive almost anywhere except for the Thar Desert and beyond the tree-line in the Himalayas which is the exclusive domain of its more elusive sibling, the snow leopard.The leopard, as indeed the lion and the tiger, all had immigrated from the North, entering India from the two flanks of the Himalayas, ages ago.  And the leopard is believed to have preceded the other two cats, a theory supported by the fact that leopards had colonised up to the southern-most tip of our land, which ultimately got detached and became the island state of Sri Lanka, complete with leopards! The lion and the tiger evidently arrived in India after that geological event, which also explains their absence from that island nation.  Over time, while the lion got almost wiped out and the tiger too came under severe hunting pressures, the cunning leopard managed to fare better.   In the light of this historical backdrop it becomes easier to understand why today the leopard exceeds the lion population manifold and that of the tiger by a factor of perhaps 10. No matter how numerous the leopard may be but man has little to fear from them. Lieut Col AHE Mosse (1864-1929, the Indian Army), considered an authority on the leopard in India, had summed up his lifetime’s experience thus: “Generally speaking it may be laid down as an axiom that neither tiger nor panther will ever, unprovoked, attack mankind.  It is the Jungle Law, by virtue of the respect for and dread of man in which all the jungle creatures are brought up.”Lieut Col R G Burton (1868-1963), also of the Indian Army, who was a dedicated wildlife conservationist and is credited with the movement which resulted in the creation of the Indian Board for Wildlife in 1954, had opined that: “Leopard are timid and retiring, and no doubt conceal themselves on the approach of a human being…….I have known of a man who was lying asleep in the open in daylight, wrapped up in a black blanket.  It (Leopard) perhaps mistook him for a goat but dropped him as soon as he (man) cried out…I have myself nearly trodden on a panther.  I was going down a hill covered with sparse jungle when I smelt the animal and looking down, saw it lying under a bush at my feet.  It rose and walked over the slope into denser thicket…” Nevertheless, just as today it would be suicidal for a man to walk across a six-lane express-way so it would be unwise to invite a leopard’s wrath either through wanton provocation or by interfering when he is closing upon his prey.  Now why did that leopard stray into rural habitation in Gurgaon district? Well, just as a North Indian is drawn hopelessly to the aroma of saag garnished with a dollop of fresh butter and topped with a makki roti or a South Indian by the idli and rasam, similarly a leopard cannot resist the dog (domesticated or stray, one among its gourmet delights), goats or bovines. As the feline preys mostly nocturnally and on occasional misty winter’s nights when the scent of prey does not arise above the ground surface, the predator keeps his nose to the ground in search of prey and in the process tends to lose direction and discretion. Once inside any human habitation, the combination of high-voltage light beams with the constant thrumming of  vehicular traffic noise, engulfs the strayed leopard in a sense of panic and he seeks out a secluded, dark spot to take shelter.In the instant case, the leopard had been prowling in the area of encounter for about two weeks and the State Forest Department was in the process of trapping or perhaps tranquilising it to prevent any fatalities. But then who can prevail when an irate, hysteria-seized crowd of some1500 decides to pulverise one hapless and voiceless creature, unmindful that extinction of a species is irreversible?  It is ironic that four days prior to the above incident we had another gut-churning image of a cow elephant who was on a pathway genetically imprinted in her system since eons and so fell into a newly dug pit. She fractured a rear leg and her infant calf snuggled by her trunk, putting his head consolingly, on her  inert body. But to no avail as she died and the calf may or may not survive the shock. It is time that we learn to live and let live in the true symbiotic spirit.  And never forget the sage advice offered by the Red Indian Chief Seattle, to President Franklin Pearse of the USA in the 1850s: “What is man without the beasts? Once the beasts are gone, man will surely die from a great loneliness of the spirit.”

The rise of white nationalists is a boon for Islamic extremists. Both sides believe Muslims and non­Muslims cannot coexist

TRUMP BLAMES MEXICO AND CHINA FOR LOSS OF JOBS, BUT TOMORROW IT COULD BE INDIA. AND IF AMERICA PULLS BACK FROM GLOBAL TRADE AS TRUMP HAS PROMISED, INDIA WOULD ALSO SUFFER FROM THE SUBSEQUENT GLOBAL RECESSION

In a desire to embrace the enemy of their enemy, some Hindus have been making some very foolish alliances. Earlier this year, one of the biggest Hindu groups in Britain invited one of the most prominent white racists to speak at their annual conference. Obviously, I made a big stink about it. Why legitimise someone like that in the eyes of the community? Some British Hindus also started asking similar questions. The organisers eventually cancelled the event after the uproar. They weren’t happy with me.

reUTersAs neo­Nazi nationalist groups have grown in popularity across Europe and the US, some Hindu groups have started to see them as allies against Muslims

The invited speaker went by the alias of “Tommy Robinson” — founder of the English Defence League (EDL). The EDL wasn’t a debating society. They organised violent rallies, harassed non-white people and got drunk. Supporters made neo-Nazi signs, posted racist messages online and didn’t hide their hatred.

The National Council of Hindu Temples UK said they invited the EDL’s founder merely for a “respectful dialogue” with him but many, including me, suspected a different motive: They wanted him to talk about why UK Hindus should be afraid of Muslims.

In politics, people have always made odd alliances on the basis of mutual interest. But even by those standards something weird is happening. As neo-Nazi nationalist groups have grown in popularity across Europe and the United States, some Hindu groups have started to see them as allies against a common enemy: Muslims. Others think the election of nationalist leaders in the West, such as Donald Trump in the US, would be good for India.

Recently, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said Indians “should feel proud” of Trump because his victory mirrored that of Modi. The Hindu Sena, an extremist group from New Delhi, celebrated when he won, saying: “India will now have the support of the US in our efforts against terrorists.”

One was Trump’s biggest backers, donating tens of lakhs of dollars. On Twitter and Facebook there have been hundreds of jubilant Indians welcoming Trump for similar reasons.

In Britain, the EDL courted Hindus and Sikhs so its leader could pretend they weren’t racist. Though they largely failed, some were willing to ignore the EDL’s racism against a common enemy.

But allow me to be a bit blunt here: These people are out of their bloody minds.

Hindus and Sikhs who think an alliance with western white-nationalist groups will help us in any way are being delusional. It isn’t just wishful thinking, it is self-sabotage.

At a glance, the white neo-Nazi groups look like nationalists who take a strong stance against Islamic terrorists and too much immigration. I can see why some Indians would regard them as harmless.

But appearances can be deceptive. Over the last decade these neo-Nazis have worked hard to look more respectable, ditching the Hitler-salutes, shaved heads, pro-Nazi chants and violent marches. Now they wear sharp suits and choose their language very carefully. They’ve realised that nationalism sounds a lot more attractive than traditional neo-Nazism.

This “cleaning-up” act coincided with a western backlash against globalisation, immigration and liberal values after the financial crash of 2008. Most of their supporters are poorly educated, poorly paid and older voters who feel their country is changing too fast and they are losing out.

So here are three big reasons why any alliance with them will hurt Indians.

First, these nationalist groups are riding a wave of populist anger not just against Muslims but against all nonwhites in the West. Scratch the surface and you can see the evidence. Last week Trump supporters at a conference in Washington DC were caught on video doing Hitler-salutes, saying he would make whites powerful again. There have been similar incidents in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary and Romania too.

With every victory, from Brexit to Trump’s election, there have been big jumps in the number of racist attacks. If they become more powerful, Indians in the West will be among the first to suffer.

Second, most of these movements are against globalisation, immigration and trade. Trump blames Mexico and China for loss of jobs, but tomorrow it could be India. And if America pulls back from global trade as Trump has promised, India would also suffer from the subsequent global recession. If Britain becomes poorer after Brexit, as is predicted, Indian jobs will also be lost.

Third, the rise of white nationalist groups is a boon for extremist Muslims, not a threat. The extremists on both sides believe Muslims and non-Muslims cannot coexist , so any conflict will just reinforce their point. Trump is the best thing that happened to Islamic State and al-Qaeda recruiters in years. They too are celebrating his election.

Let me put it simply. White nationalists only care about white power. They hate what the modern world has become, and Indians are a big part of how the world has been shaped. We are their natural enemies, not their potential friends. Sunny Hundal is a writer and lecturer on digital journalism based in London The views expressed are personal

PANCHKULA: The civil military liaison conference on welfare of veterans was held between Western Command headquarters and Himachal Pradesh government, on Wednesday.

HT PHOTOHimachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh and Lt Gen Surinder Singh during the civil military liasion conference at Chandimandir on Wednesday.

The meeting was co-chaired by Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh and general officer commandingin-chief, Western Command, Lieutenant General Surinder Singh.

Sainik welfare minister, Colonel Dhani Ram Shandil, along with civilian officers of the state government and senior military officers from Western Command graced the conference.

The army commander in his opening remarks highlighted the initiatives taken by the armed forces towards the welfare of veterans and towards civil military joint functioning in the field of security and disaster relief.

The CM addressed the gathering and assured support for welfare of ex-servicemen and serving personnel.

CENTRAL ARMY COMMANDER VISIT ENDS General officer commandingin-chief, Central Command, Lt Gen Balwant Singh Negi, was on a three-day visit to Chandimandir military station.

He interacted with his counterpart from Western Command, and discussed strategic cooperation, effective utilisation of strategic forces and higher military planning.

Lt Gen Negi also visited the specialist engineer bridge regiment of the Surya Sappers and witnessed operational training to include specialist bridging and rafting operations for rapid induction of mechanised formations. He also stressed on maintaining the highest levels of operational readiness and commended the Sappers for their specialist skills and high levels of training.