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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 9

On the eve of Parkash Utsav of the Guru Granth Sahib, the sanctum sanctorum, Darshani Deorhi and Akal Takht at the Golden temple have been decked up with flowers.

Illuminated with colourful lights and flowers, the holiest Sikh shrine has tastefully been decorated.

SGPC chief secretary Roop Singh said 100 quintals of flowers were brought from different countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Australia. A majority of these flowers has longer shelf life.A ‘nagar kirtan’ will be taken out from historic Gurdwara Ramsar, where the Guru Granth Sahib was edited, to the Golden Temple.

A fireworks display will be carried out and ‘Jalau’ (show of splendour) will be displayed at the Golden Temple.

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has already declared a gazetted public holiday on September 10.

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 29

The Supreme Court has refrained the Centre from making any appointment to the post of the Director General Medical Services (Air Force) after it fell vacant earlier this month on the incumbent being posted as the DGMS(Army).

In its orders passed on August 1, 2018, the SC had quashed the appointment of the DGMS(Army). In doing so, it upheld the AFT judgment that allowed a petition filed by Maj Gen (now Lt Gen) Manomoy Ganguly, who challenged the appointment on grounds of seniority and merit.

The AFT, while quashing the government’s choice for the post of DGMS (Army), had also ruled that Ganguly be given the post. On August 10, the government posted Air Marshal Rajvir Singh, then DGMS (IAF), as DGMS (Army) in the rank of Lt Gen. Medical officers are rotated amongst three services and don the uniform and ranks of the service they are posted to.

Ganguly, whose promotion to Lt Gen had been notified by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet in January, is still heading the medical branch at Southern Command, a post tenable by a Maj Gen. Following Rajvir’s posting, he again moved the SC, staking his claim for the Army’s top medical post.

In its August 1 order, the SC disagreed with AFT’s conclusion that the appointment to the post of DGMS (Army) is not based on seniority alone and ruled the AFT’s direction that Ganguly be straightaway appointed as DGMS (Army) may not be proper.

New Delhi, August 20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent a letter to his newly elected Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan, conveying that India was looking for constructive and meaningful engagement with his country.

Modi noted that India was committed to peaceful neighbourly ties with Pakistan, official sources said, quoting from the letter.

The prime minister also stressed the need to work for a terror-free South Asia, they said.

The prime minister conveyed to Khan that India was looking for constructive and meaningful engagement with Pakistan, the sources said.

Khan was sworn in as Pakistan’s 22nd prime minister on Friday. PTI

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Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 18Indian cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday met and hugged Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the oath-taking ceremony of Imran Khan in Islamabad.Sidhu, who was wearing a dark blue suit and a pink turban, was seen seated next to President of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) Masood Khan at the swearing-in ceremony.The Pakistan government instead of seating Sidhu with other foreign dignitaries, positioned him next to Masood Khan in Aiwan-e-Sadr Hall of President’s House.Read: Haryana minister Vij attacks Sidhu for attending Imran Khan’s swearing-in

“A new morning is here in Pakistan with a new government which can change the destiny of the country,” said Sidhu, a minister in the Congress government in Punjab.He hoped that Khan’s victory will be good for the Pakistan-India peace process.Earlier, Sidhu and Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa were spotted hugging each other at the President House prior to the ceremony.Before entering the President House, Sidhu said: “People like Khan sahab (Imran Khan) create history. With this invitation, they have honoured me. People who build relationships are respected, people who break them are disrespected and I am one of those who respect relationships. It’s a new dawn. This government has come to change this country’s perception, picture and destiny, with high hopes and expectations”.

The storm back home

Sidhu’s hug has earned him sharp rebuke from his former party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which called it a “heinous crime”.“Navjot Sidhu and Congress party have committed a serious crime. He hugged Pakistan Army Chief Bajwa, a man responsible for terrorism in India, killing hundreds of innocent Indian civilians and Army men and then sat next to so-called PoK president Masood Khan. The kind of vote of thanks he gave later, does it justify his position as an Indian minister and send the right message to the people across the country he represents,” questioned BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra.“Sidhu is not an individual but a representative of the government. What he has done today is no simple crime. He should’ve refused to sit next to Masood Khan, who was deliberately brought in front where Sidhu was sitting. Sidhu should have refused to sit with him. He should have said I will not sit next to him,” Patra said.

Jammu, August 17

General Bipin Rawat bats for creation of integrated brigades, wants a leaner headquarter, considers calling up reservists.

New Delhi: Army chief General Bipin Rawat is set to issue orders for the slashing of manpower at the Army Headquarters (AHQ) in New Delhi, the creation of integrated brigades and the calling up of reservists for frontline duties.

An Army document, seen by ThePrint, says these measures will usher in a “revolution in Indian Military Affairs (RIIMA)”.

As per the document, there are way too many personnel at the Army headquarters who are redundant; those not required will now be sent to operational areas.

This is being viewed as a not-so-direct attack on efforts by soldiers and officers within the army to lobby for postings to New Delhi. Civilians will be asked to fill in for staff duties that do not require combatants.

The two other major elements of RIIMA are the formation of “integrated brigades” with an enhanced number of battalions and the calling up of “reservists” — soldiers are in the reserves for two years after retirement — for frontline duties to fill in gaps.

‘A revolution in the Army’

The document says these measures will usher in a “revolution in Indian military affairs” and will make the army more agile.

The measures will also mean a downsizing of the army to increase its “teeth-to-tail ratio”.

“Teeth-to-tail ratio” is the number of support personnel required to sustain the number of combat soldiers. The lesser the number of support personnel — the “tail” — the more the resources will be available to make the combat soldiers – the “teeth” – more efficient.

The order to usher in RIIMA will override a discussion that was initiated last month.

Reforms are being carried out by militaries across the world. In Asia, China, with the largest army in the world (the PLA), ushered in drastic reforms in 2007 and over the last two years has restructured its commands. The most radical of this was to bring its entire frontier with India under a single “Western Theatre Command” (WTC).

Also read: Indian Army officer fights a lonely battle with his comrades over ‘fake encounters’

Army set for ‘Integrated Brigades’

The Army chief’s proposed orders come in the wake of a note that the Army circulated on 12 July.

The note said the Army was considering measures to reorganise its cadre for the first time in 35 years. One of the proposals being considered was to eliminate the rank of brigadier. It had asked for suggestions in a churning of ideas.

The “integrated brigades” that are envisaged under RIIMA, in the latest document prepared this week, will be of enhanced strength with four to five battalions each.

A normal brigade in the current structure has three battalions, each of between 900-1,100 troops.

These “integrated brigades” will report directly to the corps headquarters. This, as the army is contemplating eliminating the formation of a division altogether, across the board.

Currently, there will be about three brigades to a division and about three divisions to a corps. (Some of the divisions and corps are reinforced in operational areas with more troops).

A normal infantry division will have between 9,000-12,000 troops. A normal corps will have about 30-36,000 troops. (Mountain divisions and those tasked as ‘pivots’ — with both operational and defensive tasks — have more troops).

One takeaway of creating integrated brigades, headed by a major general, the document notes, will be the opening up of opportunities for promotion to the rank of major general (or two-star general) to more officers than ever.

This, in turn, will enable the army to ensure equivalence comparable to civilian officers of the All India Services (civil services).

Reservists to fill the shortage

The RIIMA document foresees a possible shortage of officers on the frontlines once the reforms are implemented. To offset this, it said it will call up reservists.

All soldiers and officers are considered in the reserves for up to two years after retirement.

The RIIMA document said that a task force headed by a lieutenant general (a three-star officer) has been authorised to conduct discussions, and take feedback from officers, even as the reforms were being carried out.

The document did not specify the numbers that would be the objective of the reforms. The army is currently 1.3 million strong. About a third of its numbers retire every year.

There is little doubt that there will be a domino effect of the RIIMA reforms in the Army on the other services – the Air Force and the Navy.

Also read: Indian Army puts Mountain Strike Corps aimed at China in cold storage

They are much smaller – the Air Force has about one lakh and the Navy about 50,000 personnel. But the impact would be felt more on the comparable ranks.

For instance, it is not clear what will happen to the ranks of the air commodore and the commodore, equivalent to the army brigadier currently (one-star officers).

But there is a belief in army headquarters under General Rawat that the reforms have to be pushed through without getting bogged down in complexities.

New Delhi, August 12

Almost eight months after the Army asked private Indian firms to make specialised clothing, boots, sleeping bags etc for soldiers posted in Siachen and other extreme cold conditions, the project is on the verge of fructifying. Some of the equipment will now be made in India. This includes thermal insoles, snow goggles, ice axe, boots, avalanche victim detector, rock pitons, karabiner-related mountaineering equipment and sleeping bags. The Army has identified that all these can be produced by Indian firms, some of which are already supplying raw material to manufacturers in the US, Australia, Canada and Switzerland. A number of foreign companies have also shown interest in co-production of such clothing with Indian firms. The move could save India some Rs 300 crore — Rs 800 crore spent annually on the import of these items. — TNS

New Delhi, August 7

Dubbing the Rafale fighter jet deal as a “scam”, opposition parties in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday demanded a probe into it, with the Congress demanding the setting up of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate it.The demand for a JPC was raised in the Lok Sabha by Congress MP KC Venugopal when he initiated the debate on the Supplementary Demand for Grants for 2018-19 and the demand for excess grants for 2015-16.He said the House should know about the cost of the Rafale deal and alleged that there was “a major scam”.“We demand a JPC inquiry into this deal,” he said.Objecting to his demand, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey urged Deputy Speaker M Thambi Durai that Venugopal should place the evidence before the House before making any “wild allegation”.Later, Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy also said that the Rafale deal was “one of the biggest scandals of independent India”.“The country is going to lose Rs 2,500 crore due to Rafale deal,” Roy said, while demanding a “full-fledged enquiry” into the fighter jet deal. — PTI

Noor Inayat Khan, Abbakka Devi and Velu Nachiyar gave up their royalty for valour. Their courage deserves a place in the Indian history

Fought by choice: A postage stamp of Rani Velu Nachiyar

Banisha Kundu

History remembers brave men. There are paeans sung in honour of their valour, texts written eulogising their courage and memorials built to commorate their sacrifices. History really remembers and celebrates its brave men well! But how does it treat its brave women? They too played a part in several wars against the British and the French and the Portuguese. The past hasn’t been as considerate. Even the descendant of Tipu Sultan, who fought as valiantly as the men in the army, slipped through the cracks of history for lack of recognition.Patriarchal society drew borders to make women away from administrative roles and ranks. The royalties adhered to the same protocols as well.  Sons succeeded their fathers, as daughters were mere tools to establish political alliances between kingdoms. A woman would occupy the throne only if her husband died young and the son wasn’t old enough to rule the kingdom.Expect for Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi, Raziya Sultana and Maharani Gayatri Devi, women rulers weren’t given their due.  Here is remembering some unsung women warriors and their featsNoor Inayat Khan, who worked as a British spy during World War II, was a descendant of Tipu Sultan. Born on January 1, 1914, she opposed her father’s diktat of following Mahatma Gandhi and got herself enrolled in the British army. She infiltrated inside the enemy’s borders and channeled the secrets to London before getting caught. She was classified as extremely dangerous, shackled in chains, and was kept in solitary confinement. Noor and three other female special operations’ agents were transferred to Dachau concentration camp in September, 1944. According to other prisoners, right before the Nazis shot her; she screamed her last word, “Liberté.” She was only 30 year old then. Even though she was from a royal lineage, she chose a life replete with challenges and wished to help India gain India independence. However, she wasn’t appreciated for her achievements by the Indians. Even her existence was forgotten, unlike the English, who unveiled her statue in 2012 at Gordon Square, London.Rani Abbakka Devi was another warrior queen, who embarked on a journey never to return from. Born in the Chowta Dynasty that ruled over parts of coastal Karnataka; she was one of the first freedom fighters of India who ruined the plans of the Portuguese to reign over the country. As the rightful queen to the Ullal Empire, which followed the matrilineal tradition of female accessing the throne, she kept the Portuguese, the Dutch and the English at bay for four long decades. She was defeated ultimately by the Portuguese, but not before etching her name as the brave Indian warrior on the pages of history. It’s said that she died in the cell. While some believe that she was wounded during the battle and was hidden at an isolated place by her loyal soldiers.  Similar to the mystery of her death, Rani Abbakka Devi’s life and achievements continue remain a secret. Rani Velu Nachiyar challenged the mighty British Empire and is popular as ‘India’s Joan of Arc’. She trained an army of women, who led her to victory during her hiatus. Born in 1730 to King Chellamuthu Sethupathy and Rani Sakandhimuthal of Ramanathapuram; her husband, Muthu Vaduganathan Periya Udaya Thevar of Sivagangai Royal family, was killed by British. She escaped with her daughter and sought refuge from Hyder Ali at Virupachi, a sworn enemy of the British. Eight years later, after defeating the British, she regained her empire in 1780. On December 31, 2008, a commemorative postage stamp of her was released, paying tribute to this unsung warrior.