Current Events :
NEW DELHI – Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat threatens to take over Azad Kashmir with full force in a big warning to Pakistan.
Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Thursday said that the Centre has to take a decision as regards what to do in Pakistani Kashmir, stressing that Army is ready for any scenario, Zee News has reported.
Armymen pay tribute to Gorkha Rifles soldier Rajib Thapa, who was killed in a ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir, at Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi on Saturday
New Delhi: The Army Training Command (ARTRAC) in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, is set to undergo several structural changes, including creation of two different training wings and a separate validation wing for approving training standards, besides a possible location change, ThePrint has learnt.
Set up on the lines of the US Army Training and Doctrine Command, the ARTRAC is one of the seven commands of the Indian Army tasked with formulating training modules, disseminating doctrines of warfare in the “fields of strategy, operational art, tactics, logistics, training and human resource development”.
According to top Army sources, while a final call is yet to be taken on the new location of the ARTRAC, which is likely to be in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, the proposed structural changes in the training command are currently being finalised.
The proposed changes also feature merging the Directorate General of Military Training (DGMT) into the ARTRAC — as both have similar functions.
The DGMT, currently, is responsible for the execution of training plans for operations as well as for joint training.
The changes also involve creation of two separate training wings in ARTRAC, as against one that currently exists, a well-placed source told ThePrint.
The first training wing would be tasked with training officers after being commissioned into the Army such as joint training-related courses with foreign Armies or the ones with the Indian Air Force or the Navy. The second training wing, meanwhile, would be focused on pre-commission training and training of recruits in regimental centres and professional military education.
A new validation wing is also likely to be set up, which will advise General Officer Commanding in Chief of ARTRAC on validation of field formations, and Category A and Category B training institutions.
Category A training includes training conducted in Indian Military Academy, while Category B refers to those conducted in regimental centres, among others.
Two separate wings on coordination and administration also feature in the proposed restructuring plan of ARTRAC.
Other existing wings in ARTRAC such as the ones for studying and preparing various warfare doctrines, and for studies and research on foreign militaries and their training modules will continue to exist.
Also read: The 3 major reforms for Indian Army restructuring and what they will mean for the force
A separate vertical under ARTRAC will be located at Army headquarters for planning and approval of major proposals, while sports activities will be separated from training and put under under the deputy chief IS&T (Information Systems and Training).
Over 100 officers will be posted at the ARTRAC, a second source said, adding that the idea is to bring more synergy into the functioning of ARTRAC. Each vertical will be headed by a Major General-rank officer, including the new ones that are likely to come up.
Last month, confusion about the shifting of ARTRAC from Shimla had cropped up after Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik responded with a categorical “No, Sir” in the Rajya Sabha to a question on whether the government had decided on relocating ARTRAC from Shimla to Meerut.
The first senior Army official quoted above, however, said that the general consensus about ARTRAC’s new location is Meerut, even though the formal proposal is yet to be finalised.
ThePrint had earlier reported that the plan to shift ARTRAC out of Shimla was being opposed vehemently by politicians and retired army officers in Himachal Pradesh, who questioned the rationale of shifting ARTRAC out of Shimla.
In an opinion piece written for ThePrint earlier this month, retired Army officer Lt General HS Panag had even listed out the various problems that ATRAC is grappling with, including lack of research scholars, a need to place the Recruitment Directorate under the ARTRAC and a lack of validation of training standards and professional military education, among others.
The defence ministry had this week approved three major reforms for the Army headquarters.
However, sources say that unless the restructuring is approved in totality, it won’t be possible to implement the restructuring plan at all. The proposed restructuring of Army headquarters came on the recommendations of the Army itself.
The Indian Army recently – and after a considerable period of time – made use of Bofors artillery guns to unhinge the nefarious designs of Pakistan’s Border Action Team (BAT).
The guns were brought into use on July 31 and August 1 when the Indian forces hit back against BAT squads trying to infiltrate Indian territory. The attempts had been made in the Keran Sector of Jammu and Kashmir. It is reported that while at least five Pakistani soldiers were killed, the Bofors guns were also used to target BAT posts giving their personnel covering fire. As many as five attempts made by BAT teams to enter Indian territory were foiled.
Tensions along the Line of Control has increased in recent days with Pakistan violating the ceasefire repeatedly. Sources have revealed that while BAT commandos were attempting to cross into the Keran Sector in their attempts at possibly targeting Indian positions here, the return fire was unforgiving and such that the personnel from across the LoC had to beat a hasty retreat. It is suspected that among the Pakistani security personnel were also several terrorists. “Security forces will continue to respond to all nefarious activities along the LoC,” the Northern Command had said in a statement.
Pakistan’s most-recent attempts at disrupting peace and order in Jammu and Kashmir comes in the backdrop of the firm and affirmative action taken by Indian agencies to check terror as well as terror funding. Separatists in Jammu and Kashmir too have had it tough over the past several months and continue to remain under radar.
With such prevailing situations, Pakistan has resorted to violating ceasefire by indulging in unprovoked firing. Indian forces have retaliated severely and the use of Bofors artillery guns in the recent past points to the fact that the disruptive messages from across the LoC would only be met with an even more scorching response.
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 30
Two days after a short video clip to mark 20 years of the Kargil war was released, the Army is facing “pained” veterans, who have pointed out that the Eighth Battalion of the Sikh regiment was not given its “due” in the 8.55-minute video while describing the famous battle of Tiger Hill.
Lt Gen GS Shergill (retd), who was the Colonel Commandant of the Sikh regiment, in a Facebook post said, “A major issue overlooked by everyone (the filmmakers) was the contribution of the Eighth Battalion of the Sikh regiment in the capture of Tiger Hill. Only two battalions got battle honour for Tiger Hill and Eighth Sikh was one of those.” The other one is the 18 Grenadiers and is mentioned in the film.
Lt Gen Shergill, who retired in October 2015, told The Tribune, “We (the battalion) were the first to battle at Tiger Hill. You cannot refer to the battle without mentioning Eighth Sikh. I am pained that’s why I raised the matter and this is not against the organisation (Army).”
The Tribune sent a query to the Indian Army asking why Eight Sikh is not mentioned in the movie. The Army has responded saying, “The audio visual clip is a motivational documentary representative of the national effort, including that of all services.
The contribution of all units and formations, including that of Eighth Sikh, is well documented with theatre and battle honours. The valour and gallant actions of units, including Eighth Sikh, have been highlighted on the official Army social media platform during the Kargil’s Operation Vijay narration.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the Army headquarters contacted Lt Gen Shergill and spoke to him. The retired General, whose earlier Facebook post saw several veterans backing his cause, posted another message on his page saying, “They (Army headquarters) rang up and assured necessary amendments will be made and we will be informed immediately after the action.”
Meanwhile, the Army has corrected an error in the initial print of the movie. The mention of 1 Bihar was missing in capture of “Jubar top”, the same has been added, after a retired brigadier sent off a protest letter, saying the capture of the peak had been wrongly credited to 1/11 Gorkha Rifles.
Army assures amendment
The Army headquarters rang up Lt Gen GS Shergill (retd) and assured him that necessary amendments would be made in the movie and he would be informed immediately after action
Jul 9, 2016,
Tribune News Service
Udhampur, July 8
There were two turning points in the Kargil war —capture of Tololing and Tiger Hill — the physical and psychological blow to the adversary after the latter was captured by 8 Sikh Regiment, which brought the war to an end in Kargil.
The regiment, colloquially referred to as “Chardhikala” regiment, celebrates its victory against all odds in a very solemn and pious manner to commemorate the contribution of those who made the supreme sacrifice on 6 July 1999. There were attacks, deception, blocks and beating back of number of repeated fierce counterattacks. The “Chardhikala” Battalion did all this with unparalleled determination till the feature had the Indian Tricolour flying proudly atop it. Success came with its own price. The battalion lost one officer, four junior commissioned officers and 30 jawans in the battle of Tiger Hill.
MUMBAI: If you are a salaried individual, you may assume that you only have a salary as your income. However, income can come to you in the form of interest from your bank account. Also, even if you don’t have to pay tax on the income, you still need to report it. There are multiple reasons why you might miss out on mentioning your income or wrongly report the income. Here are some provisions that you need to be careful with.
ISTOCKREPORT LONG-TERM CAPITAL GAINS IN YOUR ITR A sale of equity shares or units of equity-oriented funds that result in longterm capital gains must be reported in your income tax returns (ITR). “These are taxed at a concessional rate of 10% on the gains in excess of ₹1 lakh without providing the benefits of indexation.
If your total gains are less than ₹1 lakh, those must also be reported. Those who have reinvested their receipts from sale of mutual funds or equity shares into a similar asset or any other asset must report the sale transaction in their tax returns and pay capital gains (short-term or longterm as applicable). Long-term capital gains on debt fund are taxed at the rate of 20% after indexation. You must add short-term gains from debt funds to your overall income. They are subject to short-term capital gains tax (SCGT) as per the income tax slab you fall under,” said Archit Gupta, founder and chief executive officer, ClearTax.com
TAX DUE MAY EXIST OWING TO LOWER TDS DEDUCTION Even if tax is deducted on salary and tax deducted at source (TDS) is paid on your interest income, you may still notice that there are some taxes due. TDS normally get deducted at 10% if you provide your permanent account number (PAN). And if you are at a higher tax slab rate, then the TDS has been deducted at a lower rate. This means that you have to pay the remaining tax after calculating it. After you pay the tax due, either online or offline, it gets reflected. Hence, you should cross-check all your investment and withdrawals and the TDS details before filing your returns so that you don’t miss out on any of the tax dues.
REPORT ALL YOUR INCOMES
As a salaried individual, since your main source of income is your salary, you may assume that you just have to report income from salary.
However, at the least you may also get income in the form of interest from your savings bank account. You will get a statement of your interest income from your bank regularly. Though you may argue that the amount is low, you still need to report the income even if you don’t have to pay a tax. You may also have another source of income in the form of maturity of your fixed deposit, recurring deposit or any kind of cash gifts or bonuses you have received in the financial year. Even if your income is tax-free, you must report it in your ITR to avoid any errors.
MENTION ALL YOUR INVESTMENTS If you have invested in financial instruments and had a loss, you should mention this while filing your returns. This is to set off and carry forward your capital loss. In case you don’t mention it, it will not get adjusted and you will end up paying more tax than required. Also in case you have made investments which are eligible for tax deduction, you should mention it while filing your returns to avoid any errors.
Through reporting your income correctly, your tax outgo is unlikely to be incorrect. You can collect all the details from the source of income. If you are not clear on how to declare all your income for taxation, you can seek help of a chartered accountant or a financial advisor. You can also use online portals to fill in the details.
SECTION 154 OF THE I-T ACT
If you are filing your returns for the first time and you make an error, you don’t need to worry. The tax department gives you the option to rectify your error under section 154. You need to first log in to the e-filing portal and under the rectification tab, choose the order/intimation to be rectified and the assessment year. Then, you will be asked to select the request type. If you have a tax credit mismatch correction, you will get options such as tax deducted at source (TDS) on salary details, TDS on other than salary details, TDS on transfer of immovable property and rent and IT details. HOW TO MAKE CORRECTIONS In case you want to make changes in your return data, you can choose from options such as schedules being changed, donation and capital gain details. The gross total income and deduction amounts should be the same as in the processed return.
In case you want to correct the status, you should select the status applicable and upload the necessary attachments. In case you want to rectify exemption, you must fill in all the applicable fields and upload the necessary attachments to submit the request. Remember: The options may not be available for all the ITR forms, so check before opting for it. WHAT NEXT? After you complete the process, you will get a message with the details and a mail confirmation. The submission of rectification request will be sent to your registered email ID. You can withdraw your rectification within end of the day of request. If you want to withdraw rectification request, you can submit rectification for both paper filed and e-filed returns. However, when you are filing your returns make sure you cross check details before sending. It is better to be careful than alter it at a later stage. Remember that you can add a maximum of 10 entries for each of the selections. You don’t need to upload your ITR.
Aakanksha N Bhardwaj
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, July 26
For parents of martyr BSF Deputy Commandant Mohinder Raj, his used toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving kit and his pen, which he loved, are the things that have kept them going. “Enna cheesa toh pyaara saanu hor kuch vi nai (Nothing else is more important to us than these things),” his parents shared.
Mohan Lal (75) and Kamal (70) along with several other parents of the martyrs of various wars had come to the function organised by Kashyap Naujawan Dharmik Sabha in the city on the 20th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas. They had come all the way from Kapurthala.
Mohinder Raj was 30, when he laid his life for the country on July 13, 1999.
A hollow-cheeked and subdued but proud father Mohan Lal sat quietly during the whole function. Every time any skit or documentary mentioning the martyrs was shown, he tried to hold back his tears.
“We are old and alone. He was our only son. “My son was highly qualified,” shared Lal while raising his hands feeling proud but at the same time he broke into tears.
He was not able to speak properly as he had suffered brain hemorrhage last year. “20 years have passed and it is his memories because of which we are living and are coming here, otherwise…,” the father stopped as his throat choked.
Professor who saw dreams for country
The martyr’s mother Kamal shared that her son had done MA and M Phil and was a gold medalist. “He became a professor at DAV College here. While he was in his job, he also appeared for exams to join forces but he didn’t reveal it to us,” she continued.
“The day he was to go for training, he told us. I didn’t allow him to go but he instead said, ‘Je har maa esi tarah rokegi apne ladke nu fauj vich jaan nu, taan desh di sewa kaun karega (If every mother restricts her son from joining the Army then who will serve the country),” an emotional mother said.
For the whole year, they wait for this day when they would go out and their son’s sacrifices will be remembered again.
Statue installed
The parents said they went to Jaipur to get a statue for their son, which they got installed at Kapurthala so that people there would know that someone from their region had fought for their country.
CHANDIGARH : The department of defence and national security studies, Panjab University (PU), organised a panel discussion on ‘Kargil War: Lessons Learnt’ on Wednesday.
RAVI KUMAR/HT■ (L to R) Former general officer commanding-in-chief of Western Command KJ Singh (retired); Panjab University vice-chancellor Raj Kumar, Haryana finance minister Captain Abhimanyu Singh; chief of staff, Western Command, Lieutenant General PM Bali; and Kargil martyr Captain Vikram Batra’s twin brother Vishal Batra during a function organised to commemorate Kargil Vijay Diwas at Panjab University on Wednesday.
Kargil martyr Captain Vikram Batra’s brother Vishal Batra and Lieutenant General (retired) KJ Singh were among the panellists.
Minister of finance, government of Haryana, Captain Abhimanyu Singh Sindhu, was the chief guest. Chief of staff, Western Command, Chandi Mandir, Lieutenant General PM Bali, was the guest of honour and vice-chancellor Raj Kumar was also present.
The V-C said the university will develop and name one of its gardens as the ‘Kargil Smriti Udhyan’ in memory of the Kargil martyrs.
527 SAPLINGS TO BE PLANTED
The department chairperson, Jaskaran Singh Waraich, said the university will hold a tree-plantation drive on July 25 in which one sapling each dedicated to the 527 Kargil war heroes will be planted.
Singh said the Kargil War proved to be a blunder by General Pervez Musharraf who failed to consider the implications of the operation.
Batra said watching the then popular television series ‘Param Vir Chakra’ motivated him and his late brother to join the armed forces.
“Though the Kargil War is termed as a limited war as it was fought in a limited area by a limited number of forces, but it had
an unlimited impact,” said Bali.
Talking about the Kargil war, Sindhu said Pakistan betrayed India by breaking the convention of respecting the Line of Control (LoC) and not taking advantage of the posts vacated during winters.
New Delhi: Over 1,300 commandos have been freed after the Centre removed the VIP security cover of several politicians and lawmakers, officials said on Wednesday. A comprehensive security review of about 350 VIPs and dignitaries was undertaken by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) early this week, they said. More than 1,300 security personnel drawn from forces like CRPF, CISF, NSG and Delhi Police stand to be relieved after this review, the officials said. About 3,000 personnel of these Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) will still be part of the VIP security setup of the central government, an official said. PTI
