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HIRA (KALKA): Life has come full circle for Naik Sarup Singh, who turns 106 on July 15. He spent his prime fighting wars for Britain and later independent India only to realise their futility a century later.

ANIL DAYAL/HTFREEZE FRAME: Naik Sarup Singh showing his photos from another era.

“Ladaiyi barbadi hai. Kisi bhi mulk mein nahin honi chahidi (War is destruction, it should not happen in any country),” says the soldier recruited in 15 Punjab to fight the Japanese in World War II.

“I took part in the Burma campaign. Our job was to cut the Japanese soldiers’ lines of communication and halt their advance towards India. We were surrounded, but survived,” he says.

His grandson pins the medals on his white cotton shirt that sags under their weight.

“Fighting for the British was a duty but fighting Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir from 1947-48 was for honour. From Zojila Pass to the plains of Chamb Jaurian, I have fought on every morcha (front) in J&K,” he says.

The irony is not lost on him as he recounts the heroics 70 years on. LONE SURVIVOR

He came from a poor family in Kalka and was the fifth of seven brothers. The British were drafting Indian youth to fight their war and he was trained at 15 Punjab’s Ramgarh headquarters (now in Jharkhand). “Wahan toh maarna hi sikhate hain (They only taught us to kill),” says the veteran who retired in 1959.

He married Naseeb Kaur, 20 years younger, when he was on the verge of retirement. “I saw her for the first time when I went to look up her ailing father at a Patiala hospital. Her sister was married to my brother,” he says.

The couple had six children of which two are no more.

“My grandfather gets emotional when we talk of family members and friends who have passed away,” says Gurdeep Kaur, 26, a mother of two daughters.

“At his age, it’s more about the mind than the body. He prays twice a day. He helps around the house and is a vegetarian. He enjoys barfi (a sweet) at times,” she says.

नई दिल्ली: मोदी कैबिनेट की आज हुई एक अहम बैठक में 7वें वेतन आयोग की सिफारिशों को लागू करने का फैसला किया गया है।  सूत्रों के अनुसार, कैबिनेट ने सातवें वेतन आयोग की सिफारिशों से ज्यादा वेतनमान देने की मंजूरी दी है। वहीं बीजेपी प्रवक्ता शाहनवाज हुसैन की मानें तो कर्मचारियों को 23 फीसदी से अधिक की वेतन वृद्धि मिलने जा रही है।

वेतन आयोग के  अलग-अलग बिंदुओं पर चर्चा हुई है। सभी विषयों पर लिए गए निर्णयों को सम्मिलित कर नोट तैयार किया जा रहा है। आज शाम 5.30 बजे वित्तमंत्री अरुण जेटली इस बारे में औपचारिक रूप से बयान देंगे। जेटली ने एक बयान देकर सरकारी कर्मचारियों और अफसरों को बधाई दी है। उन्होंने इस बढ़ोतरी को ऐतिहासिक करार दिया है।

एक अधिकारी ने कहा कि ग्रेडेड इंक्रीज इन बेसिक सैलरी पर कैबिनेट ने चर्चा की है। ऐसा माना जा रहा है कि अधिकतर लोगों के लिए 20 प्रतिशत की बढ़ोतरी हुई है। कुछ पदों पर 25 फीसदी की बढ़ोतरी पर चर्चा हुई है।

मिली जानकारी के अनुसार, यह बढ़ा वेतनमान 1 जनवरी 2016 से लागू होगा। अब करीब 15-25 दिनों में सभी विभाग अपने अपने कर्मचारियों के वेतनमान तय कर लेंगे और कहा जा रहा है कि जुलाई में मिलने वाले वेतन में पूरा एरियर और बढ़ा वेतन दे दिया जाएगा।

बीजेपी प्रवक्ता शाहनवाज हुसैन ने एक ट्वीट कर जानकारी दी है कि सरकारी कर्मचारी को 23 प्रतिशत से अधिक सैलरी की वृद्धि मिलेगी।

वेतन वृद्धि के ऐलान के बाद 50 लाख सरकारी कर्मचारी और 58 लाख पेंशनधारियों के हाथों में ज्यादा पैसा आएगा। कहा जा रहा है कि इस वेतन वृद्धि से रीयल एस्टेट सेक्टर और ऑटोमोबाइल सेक्टर में उछाल आएगा। ( सातवें पे कमिशन को लेकर 5 मिथ, जिन्हें जानना आपके लिए बेहद जरूरी है…)

आरबीआई ने एक आकलन में अप्रैल में कहा था कि अगर आयोग की रिपोर्ट को ऐसे ही लागू किया गया तो 1.5 फीसदी महंगाई बढ़ जाएगी। वैसे कैबिनेट बैठक में शॉप एंड एस्टैब्लिसमैंट बिल पर चर्चा हुई है। (सातवें वेतन आयोग पर रवीश कुमार का ब्लॉग : सैलरी बढ़ने को तर्कबुद्धि और तथ्यबुद्धि से देखिए… )

इस बढ़े वेतनमान का फायदा 1 करोड़ से ज्यादा सरकारी कर्मचारियों और पेंशनधारियों को मिलेगा। इससे पहले सातवें वेतन आयोग ने अपनी रिपोर्ट में सरकारी कर्मचारियों की बेसिक सैलरी में 14.27 फीसदी बढ़ोत्तरी की सिफारिश की थी। (7वें वेतन आयोग की रिपोर्ट का वह सुझाव जिस पर कई कर्मचारियों को होगी आपत्ति!)

साथ ही आयोग ने एंट्री लेवल सैलरी 7,000 रुपये प्रति महीने से बढ़ाकर 18,000 रुपये प्रति महीने करने का प्रस्ताव सरकार के सामने रखा। (केंद्रीय कर्मचारियों को 7वें वेतन आयोग का लाभ होगा, पढ़ें – क्या हैं आयोग की सिफारिशें)

इनकी बढ़ेगी सैलरी
-सातवें वेतन आयोग ने अपनी रिपोर्ट में सरकारी कर्मचारियों की बेसिक सैलरी में 14.27 फीसदी बढ़ोत्तरी की सिफारिश की थी।
-माना जा रहा है कि कैबिनेट बैसिक सैलरी में 18 से 20 फीसदी तक की बढ़ोत्तरी के प्रस्ताव को मंजूरी दे सकती है।
-इसका फायदा 50 लाख सरकारी कर्मचारियों और 58 लाख पेंशनधारियों को मिलेगा।
-नई सैलरी 1 जनवरी 2016 से लागू होगी, यानी सरकारी कर्मचारियों को छह महीने का एरियर मिलेगा।
-कैबिनेट तय करेगी कि एरियर एक मुश्त दिया जाए या किश्तों में दिया जाए।
-सातवें वेतन आयोग ने इंट्री लेवल सैलरी 7,000 रू प्रति महीने से बढ़ाकर 18,000 रुपये प्रति महीने करने के प्रस्ताव सरकार के सामने रखा।
-कैबिनेट सचिव की मौजूदा सैलरी 90,000 से बढ़ाकर 2.50 लाख रुपये करने की सिफारिश की है।

1 जनवरी 2016 से लागू होंगी सिफारिशें
छठा वेतन आयोग 1 जनवरी, 2006 से लागू हुआ था और उम्मीद है कि सातवें वेतन आयोग की सिफारिशें 1 जनवरी, 2016 से लागू होंगी और कर्मचारियों को एरियर दिया जाएगा। आमतौर पर राज्यों द्वारा भी कुछ संशोधनों के साथ इन्हें अपनाया जाता है। कहा जा रहा है कि नए वेतन ढांचे में सातवें वेतन आयोग ने छठे वेतन आयोग द्वारा शुरू की गई ‘पे ग्रेड’ व्यवस्था खत्म कर इसे वेतन के मैट्रिक्स (ढांचे) में शामिल कर दिया है और कर्मचारी का ओहदा अब ग्रेड पे की जगह नए ढांचे के वेतन से तय होगा।

सलाना 3% वेतन बढ़ाने की सिफारिश
वित्त मंत्री अरुण जेटली को सौंपी गई वेतन आयोग की रिपोर्ट में मौजूदा कर्मचारियों के मूल वेतन में 16%, भत्तों में 63% और पेंशन में 24% इजाफे की सिफारिश की गई है। न्यायमूर्ति एके माथुर की अगुवाई वाले इस सातवें वेतन आयोग ने सरकारी कर्मचारियों का न्यूनतम वेतन 18 हजार और अधिकतम 2.50 लाख रुपये तय करने की सिफारिश की है। इसके अलावा आयोग ने केंद्रीय कर्मचारियों के वेतन में सालाना तीन फीसदी वृद्धि की भी सिफारिश की है।

सरकारी खजाने पर सलाना 1.02 लाख करोड़ का बोझ
आयोग की सिफारिशें जस की तस लागू करने पर सरकारी खजाने पर 1.02 लाख करोड़ रुपये का सालाना बोझ आएगा, जिसमें 28,450 करोड़ रुपये से अधिक का बोझ रेलवे बजट और बाकी 73,650 करोड़ रुपये आम बजट पर जाएगा।

नई दिल्ली: सातवें वेतन आयोग की सिफारिशों से नाराज 32 लाख कर्मचारी 11 जुलाई से हड़ताल पर हैं। सिफारिशों को बुधवार को ही सरकार ने मंज़ूरी ही है। वहीं सातवें वेतन आयोग की रिपोर्ट को लेकर विरोध शुरू हो गया है। सरकारी कर्मचारियों के महासंघ ने 11 जुलाई को हड़ताल पर जाने का ऐलान किया है।

सरकारी कर्मचारियों के महासंघ ने हड़ताल पर जाने का ऐलान किया है। इनमें रेलवे, पोस्ट और सेना की ऑर्डिनेंस फैक्टरी के कर्मचारी शामिल हैं। अगर रेलवे कर्मचारी भी इस हड़ताल में शामिल होते हैं तो ये 42 साल बाद पहला मौका होगा जब रेलवे कर्मचारी हड़ताल करेंगे। एनडीटीवी इंडिया से बात करते हुए ऑल इंडिया रेलवे मेंस फ़ेडरेशन के महामंत्री शिवगोपाल शर्मा ने कहा कि यह अब तक की सबसे ख़राब वेतन बढ़ोतरी है।

चेन्नई में सरकारी कर्मचारी बुधवार को ही वेतन आयोग की सिफारिशों के खिलाफ सड़क पर उतर आए। यह शुरुआत भर है। 32 लाख सरकारी कर्मचारियों के महासंघ ने 11 जुलाई से हड़ताल पर जाने का ऐलान किया है। इनमें रेलवे, पोस्ट और सेना की ऑर्डिनेंस फैक्टरी के कर्मचारी शामिल हैं।

वेतन आयोग ने निचले स्तर पर मूल वेतन में 14.27 फीसदी बढ़ोतरी की सिफ़ारिश की है, जो सत्तर साल में सबसे कम बताई जा रही है। औसतन बढ़ोतरी 23.55 फ़ीसदी तक मानी जा रही है। कर्मचारी संघ 18,000 रुपये के न्यूनतम वेतन को बढ़ाने की मांग कर रहा है। उसे मौजूदा पेंशन व्यवस्था भी नामंजूर है। हालांकि वित्त मंत्री का दावा है कि अगर कोई विसंगति है तो दूर की जाएगी।

(7वें वेतन आयोग की सिफारिशें कैबिनेट ने मंजूर की, 23 प्रतिशत से अधिक होगी कर्मचारियों की वेतन वृद्धि)

CHANDIGARH: The army will hold recruitment rallies in Hisar and Sirsa districts to fill vacancies of soldier general duty and soldier clerk/store keeper (technical) from July 27 to August 8. In Hisar, the recruitment will be held at Mahavir stadium. Interested candidates may get themselves registered online by July at website www.joinindianarmy.nic.in. The candidates would be required to select Haryana as the state.

They would also have to furnish details such as names of father and mother, date of birth, serial number of matric certificate, e-mail ID and mobile number and names of tehsil, district and state. They would also have to upload scanned passport size photograph between 10 and 20 KB and scanned signature sized between 5 and 10 KB, he said.

He said that candidates would also be required to indicate marks scored by them in Class10 and other higher education courses according to the post being applied for.

Islamabad, June 13

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, has said that Islamabad’s credentials for the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership are stronger than New Delhi’s if the 48-nation cartel agrees to form a uniform criterion for non-NPT states.Aziz on Sunday said Pakistan had diplomatically engaged numerous countries over the criteria-based approach for non-NPT countries.“If the group forms such a uniform criterion, then Pakistan has stronger credentials for NSG membership than India,” he said.Our strategy was to apply after India did, after which we would have immediately followed. We have had our application in an advance state of readiness for the past three months for this purpose,” Dawn quoted Aziz as saying in an interview.The top diplomat also claimed that Pakistan has gradually gathered support for the criteria-based approach.“Last week, I telephoned the foreign ministers of Russia, New Zealand and South Korea, who will in future head the NSG, and our viewpoint was that they should support the criteria-based approach, and we have gathered support for it, China was already supporting it,” he said.Aziz said the US had formed a policy to ‘build up India’ as their entire attention is towards containing the Islamic world and China.
“We cannot question them but we repeatedly tell them that you (US) are a sovereign country and can maintain any level of relations with any country, but if you increase the strategic and conventional imbalance in South Asia, our problems will increase,” he said while referring to the US support for India’s inclusion in the NSG.Talking about the country’s relations with India, he said things had changed as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration wanted to normalise ties, but according to their ‘preferences’ did not wish to discuss the Kashmir issue.“The whole world agrees that the two countries should start dialogue for lasting peace in South Asia,” he said.Responding to a poser about Indian ‘spy’ Kulbhushan Jhadav, he said India raised the issue of Pakistan’s non-state actors and their subversive activities in its country repeatedly and pressed that the former is a RAW operative.“But what is more important is that his (Jhadav) documentation is correct and we are preparing a proper dossier about his activities and network, so we can share it with friendly countries, the UN and the P5 countries,” said Aziz. ANI

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Accra (Ghana), June 13As India extended lines of credit to Ghana for socio-economic development in the African state, both countries today also agreed to explore opportunities for cooperation in civilian use of nuclear energy during delegation-level talks as part of the state visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to the African country.Terming this a “starting point” in nuclear cooperation between the two countries, government officials said India had the technology and expertise that could be used by Ghana.While a definite roadmap on nuclear cooperation is yet to be formulated and the subject is still in the conceptual stage, Ministry of External Affairs officials say while India can offer technical expertise and assistance to Ghana for (peaceful use of nuclear energy), Ghana has uranium deposits that can be optimally exploited and is also aiming to generate electricity from nuclear plants in around 10 years.Mukherjee, who is on a state visit to Ghana, today held talks with his Ghanian counterpart John Dramani Mahama in the rain-soaked capital of Accra, calling for taking Indo-Ghanian cooperation to the next level and increasing investments. Three memoranda of understanding (MoU) between the two countries were signed today. These were exemption of visa requirement for holders of diplomatic and official passports, establishment of a joint commission to review bilateral ties and investments and academic interaction between the Foreign Service Institute of the Ministry of External Affairs in India and Ministry of Foreign Regional Integration of Ghana.A joint statement is expected to be issued by the two Presidents tomorrow. This is the first-ever visit of an Indian President to Ghana. During the past five years, India has extended approximately half a billion US dollars credit to Ghana, out of which around $200 million have already been utilised.Among the agreements are the construction of a 55-km railway line between Tema and Akasombo in Ghana, for which the EXIM Bank would be lending $400 million, is coming up. This is being considered very important as it will connect the main port of Ghana with the northern areas and the hinterland and bring out a socio-economic development in a sustainable manner.A fish processing plant has also been commissioned recently, which is expected to transform the life of fishermen by increasing their income. A sugar-processing plant has also just been commissioned that will benefit Ghana, which has a very high import bill for sugar, besides encouraging local sugar plantations.Education, low coast housing, advanced healthcare, agriculture and IT have been identified as other potential sectors for cooperation. Terming Indo-Ghanian relations warm and well entrenched in history, Indian diplomats said terror also formed a part of the talks and the two nations said the solution lied in collective action.http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/india-ghana-to-explore-cooperation-in-n-sector/251375.html

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 11

Uttar Pradesh continued with its tradition of sending a larger number of young officers to the Indian Military Academy. The latest data compiled by the IMA clearly highlights that out of 565 Indian Gentle Cadets, the maximum number (98), who joined the elite Indian Army, were from Uttar Pradesh. It is followed by Haryana and Bihar which sent 60 GCs each to the Army while Uttarakhand stood third with 52 GCs.There was no representation from Tripura, Pudducherry, and Arunachal Pradesh while a GC each was from Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Goa. A total of 36 passing-out GCs were from Maharashtra, while 35 GCs belonged to Rajasthan and and 32 to Himachal Pradesh. The state known for its bravery, Punjab, this time sent only 27 GCs to the Indian Army while Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala sent 15 GCs and 16 GCs, respectively.

APPEAL TO ALL ESM ORGANISATIONS OF PUNJAB FOR UNITY – 

UNITED WE WIN – DIVIDED WE FALL

Tribune News Service

Jammu/Poonch, June 10

Heightened activity by nearly 15 suspected Pakistani militants on the other side of the Line of Control (LoC), opposite the Balakote sector of Poonch district, has been keeping the Army on its toes these days. “There has been increased activity in the Mathrenyni, Mora Shareef, Tarkundi Forward, Durooti, Balakote Forward and Lanjiote forward posts of Pakistan on the other side of the LoC opposite the Balakote sector. Movement of at least 14 or 15 ultras belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed in three or four groups has been observed,” said an Intelligence source.He said though there had been increased activity since May 15 this year opposite the Balakote sector, it had picked up momentum for the past nearly a week.“Commanding officers of three units deployed in the Balakote sector have been informed about possible intrusion bids by the Pakistani ultras. The Army has been closely monitoring the situation and adequate measures have been initiated,” said the source.“Backed by the Pakistan army, the ultras seem to be desperate to sneak into the Indian territory. In the past few days, three or four groups have been conducting reconnaissance of the area so as to sneak into the Indian territory,” he added.Following heightened activity on Pakistan’s side of the LoC, senior Army officers from the Rajouri-based 25 Infantry Division visited the Balakote sector recently for an on-the-spot review of the security grid, he added.“The Army is aware of the increased activity opposite Balakote and we have accordingly devised a strategy to outmaneuver them,” said an Army source.“Their job is to find ways and means to infiltrate and our job is to stop them and if they sneak in, then out job is to clear them. It is an ongoing game,” he added.In November last year, General Officer Commanding of the 16 Corps, which has the operational responsibility of the 224.5-km-long LoC, south of the Pir Panjal range, had put the figure of Pakistani militants in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to a maximum of 700 in 35 to 37  camps.“One could draw an inference from the reports that half of them (ultras) are in launching pads close to the LoC on PoK’s side,” he had said.

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 8

Contours emerging from last night’s India-US joint statement hint at a new script in the defence relationship of the two nations.The text of the logistics exchange memorandum of agreement (LEMOA) — which will allow US warships and planes to be refuelled and repaired in India — has been finalised. The US now recognises India as “major defence partner” and New Delhi’s entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) means it can now shop armed drones and other long-range missiles.The joint statement was made around 3 am IST on Wednesday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama met in the US. The LEMOA will not just help the US, it will act as a vital tool for India as it expands its Naval footprint and outreach. The US has a string of bases in East Africa, Persian Gulf, Diego Garcia (Indian Ocean), The Philippines, Japan, Australia and Japan. Indian warships and planes can seek similar refuel and repair facilities at these bases on long deployments, which are very frequent nowadays.The LEMOA will cover four aspects — training, exercises, port calls and the humanitarian assistance. Indian planes used refuelling facilities at Djibouti for evacuating Indian citizens from Yemen last year. Both countries will have to seek advance permission to seek facilities and it does not entail any permanent bases for the US in India like it has in countries like Japan.A formal signing of the LEMOA could happen soon and the pact will go through the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). The LEMOA will be facilitator as earlier such matters of refuelling and repair were considered on a case-to-case basis.The other important aspect of the statement is the US recognising India as a “Major Defence Partner”. This will be a new nomenclature for the US bureaucracy and lawmakers to apply as a priority-yardstick on dealing with India-related issues. Though this does not mean that India will get unhindered access to technology like the NATO allies of the US get, it will fix a kind of parameter and send a signal to the officialdom. The US is looking toward facilitating technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners.

New Delhi a major partner

• In the joint statement issued on Tuesday, the US recognises India as a ‘Major Defence Partner’
• The new nomenclature means the US bureaucracy will deal with India-related issues on priority
• It will facilitate technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with that of the US’ closest allies
• India’s entry into the MTCR means it can now shop armed drones and other long-range missiles
• The text of the logistics exchange memorandum of agreement has also been finalised