A country that is immensely proud of its culture, tradition and faith, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia values the significant role that women play in society. The robust inclusion of women in active worklife is a core component of the Saudi government’s Vision 2030.

ON THE ROLL: A Saudi woman films using her mobile in the first-ever Comic-Con event in Jeddah, last month. AFP

RECENTLY, under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and earlier under the late Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdallah bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia has rolled out a series of women-friendly initiatives. These have established an enabling environment for women and helped to expand their participation in public life.Women in Saudi Arabia are drivers of the change we see today: participating in our workforce; leading multi-national corporations and becoming the champion of education, health, financial and other sectors. According to recent reports, there is a sound economic argument around the collaboration between women and men that can benefit our GDP by over $50 billion by 2025. The Kingdom’s aim is to have women account for 30 per cent of the workforce in the coming years, an increase from the current 22 per cent. In fact, according to the latest figures from Saudi Arabia’s Central Department of Statistics and Information, since 2010 the number of women employed in Saudi Arabia has increased by 48 per cent.The financial sector, in particular,  is experiencing noteworthy developments. Sarah Al-Suhaimi was appointed the first-ever woman to chair the Saudi stock exchange in February. She has established herself as a force to reckon with, Al-Suhaimi held various key positions in investment firms, finally taking charge of the stock exchange. Rania Nashar, was named the Chief Executive of the Samba Financial Group, becoming the first CEO of a listed commercial bank in Saudi Arabia.Education has been at the core of Saudi Arabia’s national policy agenda. The Kingdom has always offered an encouraging environment for women to explore careers in the  academic fields. Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University at Riyadh is the largest women’s university in the world. It bears testimony to Saudi Arabia’s committement towards women’s education and   excellence. We take pride in women achievers from our nation who have made great strides towards realising their professional ambitions by creating a niche for themselves globally. Dalal Moheealdin Namnaqani, an educator in medicine, has become the first Saudi woman to be appointed the dean of a university in which she supervises both male and female faculties. Mona Al Munajjed, another significant name in academics, is Saudi Arabia’s foremost sociologist. She has been instrumental in formulating several social development field projects. For these, she received the UN-21 Award for Excellence, outstanding coordination and individual productivity in 2005.  There are  many other women who have earned international accolades for their pivotal contribution to education, research, healthcare and science.We are proud of Hayat bint Sulaiman bin Hassan Sindi, a Saudi Arabian scientist. She was appointed Emerging Explorer by National Geographic in 2011. In 2012, she became a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for science education. She has served at the UN Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board. Among the innovations Sindi has developed are a diagnostic tool used for the early detection of breast cancer and the Magnetic Acoustic Resonance Sensor (MARS).Khawla S. Al-Khuraya, another distinguished name in the field of medical research, is a Saudi Onco specialist and professor of pathology. Al-Khuraya is well known for identifying the FOSM1 gene, which prompts the human body to form cancer cells. She was the first Saudi woman to receive the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud in 2010 for her cancer research. It is a matter of pride for us to see our country making incredible progress to further education and expand opportunities for women. According to data from “The Global Gender Gap Report 2014,” released by the World Economic Forum, Saudi Arabia now has an astonishing female literacy rate of 91per cent — an unheard of feat in many nations across the world. Essentially, almost 52 per cent of the graduates in Saudi Arabia are women. The government’s focus on women’s education has had various positive effects. It has led to a noteworthy reduction in fertility and mortality rates, improved health and nutrition tables. As metioned earlier, it has led to an increase and involved participation in public life. Tens of thousands of scholarships to study abroad are provided to the women of Saudi Arabia every year. A recent achievement that gave me great  pleasure was that of Somayya Jabarti,  who took over the role of the first woman Editor-in-Chief of the English daily Saudi Gazette.For Saudi Arabia, it was an important, defining moment in 2013, when — for first time in the kingdom’s history — 30 women became a part of the Shura Council, a 150-member advisory body. In a landmark municipal election in 2015, four women were elected from Makkah, Jawf and Tabuk.Recently, Women’s Day was celebrated in Saudi Arabia with a gathering held at the King Fahd Cultural Centre. During the same time, the kingdom also celebrated the national cultural festival, Al Janadriyah — showcasing tradition, culture and the blend with modernity through creativity and ingenuity of the people. This year’s Al Janadriyah festival devoted some programmes to focus on women’s role and value in nation building.The government is leading a host of successful initiatives in gender empowerment and cultural development. Participation of women in the socio-economic structure remains the focus of the government today. A number of initiatives above are being undertaken for the promotion of participation and involvement of women in all walks of life in our country.The writer is Ambassador, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to India

File photo for representational purpose only.

New Delhi, March 17There were 15 terror attacks on the Army last year in which the force lost 68 soldiers, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.2016 also recorded 449 instances of ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the Jammu and Kashmir border.In a written response to a question in Lok Sabha, Subhash Bhamre, Minister of State for Defence, said 10 cases of terror attacks were recorded in 2014, followed by 11 in 2015, 15 in 2016 and three until March 15 this year.2015 and 2016 also saw a spike in the number of deaths of Army personnel, recording 67 and 68 casualties respectively in terror attacks and along the border.In 2014, 38 army personnel died in terror acts while 13 have lost their lives this year.Bhamre said, in 2016 the area along the Line of Control, which is under operational control of the Army, saw 228 instances of ceasefire violations while the area along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir, under the control of the Border Security Force (BSF), recorded 221 instances of ceasefire violations.This accounts for more than one instance of ceasefire violation everyday.In 2017, 30 instances of ceasefire violations were recorded along the LoC while six such instances along the international border were recorded until February 6 by the BSF. — PTI

Manohar Parrikar. ANI

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 15

As Manohar Parrikar took oath as Chief Minister of Goa on Tuesday, his 28-month stint in the Ministry of Defence leaves behind unfinished business.Two of these stand out–the new policy called the ‘strategic partnership’ policy of inviting foreign defence equipment producers to ‘make in India’ and the implementation of the long-delayed pay hike for armed forces.

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It will need a time-bound push by the next Defence Minister to take these over the last hurdle or else it could have a severe impact on military readiness and morale, respectively.Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been tasked with the additional charge of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). It looks like a stop-gap arrangement as Jaitley is surely not expected to handle two large and critical ministries simultaneously—MoD spends some 12 per cent of all union budget—the biggest by any ministry.The 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) for the Armed forces–pending since September last year when the rest of the Central employees were given salary hikes–needs to be sorted. The forces had pointed to six key anomalies which had been discussed and put on a file for a final resolution before the poll results were announced on March 11.Parrikar can be credited for initiating things like identifying some 50 projects which are of critical importance.The ‘strategic partnership’ will form the core of ‘make in India’ in defence. On this hinges the production of new submarines, helicopters and fighter jets–all three listed as products to be made under the new policy. The navy is running short on subs and the selection process to make the next generation ones is pending. The three forces need some 800 helicopters which also hinge on the strategic partnership and so does the production of fighter jets–some 300 are needed to be produced in the next 10 years.The strategic partnership is a unique policy which will allow the foreign investors to tie-up with Indian partners to produce defence equipment in India. Parrikar before resigning had tied up the loose ends on February 25 to lay down the path of selecting an Indian partner.Sources said it would have a model by which the MoD would nominate a group of Indian companies for a particular type of equipment. The credentials, financial standing, capital assets and capacity to produce of the Indian companies will be all available to the foreign partner, meaning thereby that the MoD will give the foreign partner the choice of selecting the Indian partner.The strategic partnership will form an important part of the Defence of Procurement Policy (DPP)-2016, which was the first step towards making fundamental changes in the way weapons platforms are acquired in India. This included the Buy IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category; this has the clause to have 40 per cent of stuff made locally.The MoD is a slow-moving behemoth, which the next defence minister will have to keep pushing at ramping up production of the locally made fighter jet Tejas, buying new rifles, bulletproof jackets, modernising tanks and inducting artillery guns, to name a few.

Civilian officers say Ministry of Defence orders on reforms not being obeyed

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 14

Controversy and cadre rift is dogging the Military Engineer Service (MES) with a large number of the civilian cadre Indian Defence Service of Engineers (IDSE) officers writing to the Defence Ministry expressing “loss of confidence” in the administration of the organisation.One of the largest construction and maintenance agencies in India, MES is headed by a Lieutenant General at Army Headquarters.Alleging non-implementation of reforms and reorganisation that were recommended by a high-level committee and subsequently ordered by the Ministry of Defence, IDSE officers have sought a separate head of the MES, who is accountable only to the MoD.A senior member of the Delhi-based IDSE Association confirmed that individual letters written by officers, including those at the level of Chief Engineer, were sent to the Defence Minister, Defence Secretary, Army Chief, Army Commanders and Director General (Personnel) a few days ago.The MES, part of the Corps of Engineers, has an annual budget of about Rs 13,000 crore and is responsible for creating the strategic and the operational civil infrastructure and accommodation. Its officer cadre consists of about 1,200 Sapper officers drawn from the Army, 1,100 IDSE officers holding engineering degrees and another civilian cadre of surveyors and architects.Averring that the widening rift between the military and civilian personnel had now “reached a point of no return,” one such letter stated that non-implementation of the VS Jafa Committee report, on which orders were issued by the MoD last year, and not raising three Additional Director General formations created under the orders of the Defence Minister were examples of defiance of the ministry’s orders.Some serving sapper officers have, on the other hand, contended that some of the recommendations of the JAFA panel have been implemented over a period of time while some are either no longer relevant or are not warranted for operational reasons.

On warpath

• Civilian cadre officers have alleged loss of confidence in the administration of the organisation
• They have alleged non-implementation of reforms suggested by a high-level panel as well as MoD
• They have also sought a separate head of the MES, who is accountable only to the Defence Ministry

The apex court has agreed to an urgent hearing.

New Delhi, March 13

The Congress on Monday moved the Supreme Court to stop Manohar Parrikar from taking over as Goa Chief Minister tomorrow.The apex court has agreed to urgently hear the Congress petition, as per ANI.

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The Congress will also raise the issue of government formation in Goa and Manipur in Parliament tomorrow.Read: Jaitley gets charge of Defence Ministry after Parrikar heads to GoaThe party moved the apex court against Goa Governor’s decision to invite Parrikar to form government in the state, despite the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerging as the second largest party.The Congress claimed that the Governor should have invited them to form government, as they are the single largest party with 17 seats.The petition for urgent hearing was mentioned before Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar.Incidentally, Parrikar is slated to take oath as Goa Chief Minister tomorrow.President Pranab Mukherjee, as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has accepted Parrikar’s resignation from the Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution.  The BJP, which failed to cross the half-way mark in the assembly polls with its tally dipping to 13 from 21, pulled off a coup yesterday by enlisting the support of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), Maharastrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and two Independents, to reach the magic figure of 21 in the 40-member house. — Agencies

• 
• Preneet Kaur flashes the victory sign at Moti Bagh palace in Patiala. 
• 

Capt Amarinder Singh. Tribune file

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 11

Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday thanked the people of the state for their overwhelming support, terming the victory in the Assembly election as a gift by the people on his 75th birthday.  Thanking Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for reposing faith in him, Amarinder said he hoped the Centre would recognise Punjab’s demands and help them meet those.

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He said the Punjab Congress Legislature Party would meet at 2 pm on Sunday to decide the future course of action.  Talking about the AAP, he said Kejriwal is like a summer storm which came and went.He told the media, “It is a gift by the people of Punjab on my 75th birthday. The sensible voters of Punjab have voted f‎or a definite change. My priority would be to first take up the governance issues that do not have monetary implications.”Without commenting on the future of Navjot Sidhu, Amarinder said the issue of deputy CM would be decided by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.Commenting on the party’s performance, he said he was expecting around 65 seats, but the tally showed that people had reposed faith in the Congress.He reiterated his resolve to act against those selling drugs, within four weeks and implement the nine points in the agenda mentioned in the manifesto.“I am thankful to Prashant Kishor and his team for devising a winning strategy. Our rank and file have worked hard on the IPAC strategy,” he said.He said he was going to New Delhi to meet Rahul Gandhi to discuss the formation of government.

Modi congratulates Amarinder

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called up Capt Amarinder Singh to congratulate him on his party’s landslide victory in the state assembly elections.Modi spoke to Amarinder on phone to convey his regards and extend his government’s full support for the development of Punjab.The PM told Amarinder that the Centre would do its best to ensure that Punjab’s development agenda was on track.

Badal accepts defeat, to resign on Sunday

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will submit his resignation to the Governor on Sunday following his party’s defeat in the assembly election.The Shiromani Akali Dal, which ruled Punjab for 10 years in alliance with the BJP, trailed at the number three slot in the results as officials counted the votes polled in the 117 seats on Saturday.“I will go to Chandigarh tomorrow and submit my resignation to the Governor,” Badal told the media at his village Badal in Muktsar district.“I am grateful to the people of Punjab for giving me an opportunity to serve them. I am fully satisfied with all the things I was able to do. I will seek forgiveness from people for any mistakes,” Badal said.He said the reasons behind the Akali Dal’s defeat would be assessed. IANS

The New Moti Bagh Palace residence of PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh on the eve of the result of the Assembly elections in Patiala on Friday. Tribune photo: Rajesh Sachar

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, March 10

A guarded silence prevails outside PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh’s New Moti Bagh Palace here.A handful of supporters are waiting to greet Preneet Kaur. A day before counting, the palace is back in focus with Congress leaders hoping to bounce back after being in the political wilderness for a decade.March 11 is also Amarinder’s birthday and every Congress worker and leader hopes that it will bring good tidings as the ageing scion of the Patiala royals has declared that “this would be his last political battle”.With the PPCC chief deciding to watch the result at his Chandigarh residence, it is left to Preneet and other relatives to camp in Patiala. The family is expected to be together tomorrow evening to seek the blessings of Rajmata Mohinder Kaur, Amarinder’s mother.With everyone at the palace keeping their fingers crossed, no arrangements for a celebration are being made as of now. No tents have been pitted nor bouquets ordered if the Congress wins, as is being predicted in the exit polls.“Capt Amarinder Singh turning 75 is a big occasion for the family and we are sure of forming the government. A victory looks most likely. The family will be together and there would be double celebrations at our residence in the evening,” says an upbeat Preneet.Till then, a handful of Congress workers are keeping guard as laddoos and sweets are on hold. “This time, there would be celebrations only after the results are out officially. Though we have arranged for sweets and crackers in advance, no one will accept it on record,” says a veteran Congress leader.Capt’s son Raninder Singh says that the party cadre in Punjab has worked hard and they are all sensing a victory.“Though I am more of a sportsman, I am pretty hopeful that the Congress will pull through to form the government,” he added.Meanwhile, the mood in the royal city is upbeat with a majority of the people predicting a Congress win.“We are eager to celebrate the victory of Congress on Saturday and crackers, sweets, and dhol beats would be heard everywhere,” said party leader KK Sharma.

Spends time with familyChandigarh: A day before the results, state Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh spent the day with his family members and friends at his Sector 10 residence here today. Capt Amarinder played hosted a family get-together for his newly wedded grandson Nirvan Singh and his wife Mriganka Singh, granddaughter of senior Congress leader Karan Singh. “It was a family affair with a few Congress leaders seen around. Nirvan was actively involved in campaigning with Capt Amarinder,” said party sources. He will remain stationed at his residence here tomorrow. Unlike the “grand” arrangements made on the day of the 2012 Assembly poll results, the party leaders are treading cautiously this time. With some of the exit polls indicating a close finish between Congress and AAP, the Congress leadership is keeping its fingers crossed. Similarly, there was hardly any activity at the party headquarters in Sector 15 here. TNS

President Pranab Mukherjee. AFP file photo

New Delhi, March 9

President Pranab Mukherjee has called for “urgent collective action” in order to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from which no country is immune.

Mukherjee said this while interacting with visiting Chief of Royal Court of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Fayez Al-Tarawneh who called on him on Wednesday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The President said India attaches great value to its ties with Jordan.

“India appreciates Jordan’s proactive role under the leadership of King Abdullah on regional issues, especially towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and addressing the scourge of terrorism that has affected our regions and the world,” he said.

Mukherjee added no country is safe from terrorism and urgent collective action is needed to eradicate it.

The President said India lauds Jordan’s exceptional humanitarian assistance in hosting refugees from its war-torn neighbourhood despite the tremendous strain on its socio-economic resources.

He said India was happy that it could make a contribution to help mitigate the crisis adding he had warm memories of his recent visit to Jordan, the first-ever visit by an Indian head of state to Jordan.

Mukherjee said India-Jordan bilateral trade which was at USD 1.35 billion in 2015-16 is expected to touch new heights.

“India is happy that Jordan is interested in cooperation in security and defence, space, and fertilisers among others,” he said. — PTI

ANOTHER SOLDIER DENOUNCES ‘BATMAN’ SYSTEM, POOR FOOD AND THE REALITY ABOUT THE DISGRUNTLED SOLIDIER

THIS IS WHAT THE ARMY IS ALL ABOUT !::VEER NARI

SLAIN MAJOR’S WIDOW TO DON ARMY UNIFORM

‘EXPLOSIVE’ WOMEN FORCE BEHIND KEEPING SOLDIERS SAFE, PROTECTED

365 FEET HIGH TRI COLOUR FLAG FLYING AT WAGHA BORDER:  VEDIO

2 ARMY BRIGADES OUT OF KASHMIR

A NEW WEAPON FROM DRDO LABS WAS BEING TESTED AT BORDER; PAKIS WERE SO SCARED, THEY STOPPED ARTILLERY FIRING

NEW C-130J SQUADRON COMPLEX INAUGURATED AT PANAGARH

INDO-NEPAL MILITARY EXERCISE STARTS

GURMEHAR ROW ROCKS DELHI ASSEMBLY

GURMEHAR VIDEO PLAYED IN DELHI ASSEMBLY

NAVY’S FOUR-ENGINE ‘ALBATROSS’ TO RETIRE

TERROR SUSPECT HOLED UP, ATS OPERATION UNDERWAY ON LUCKNOW OUTSKIRTS

Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur. File photo

Ananya Panda

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 7The issue of violence at Ramjas College and rape threats to Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur rocked the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday.Aam Aadmi Party played a video clip featuring Gurmehar Kaur on record in the House to back its attack on RSS-linked ABVP, prompting Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta to oppose it.Interestingly, the instance (playing a video clip on record of any House) is understood to be first in the legislative history of India.Last year, AAP minister Kapil Mishra had played an audio recording over his phone of an alleged case of “snooping”.Initiating a short discussion, AAP legislator Alka Lamba today alleged Ramjas assaults and Gurmehar controversy was another example of how under a “conspiracy” students were being “targeted” for speaking their mind if they refuse to toe the line of the right wing extremists.“Gurmehar’s fault was to raise voice against RSS’ goondagardi (hooliganism),” she said.Lamba said like Hyderabad Central University where Rohith Vermula, a Dalit PhD scholar, was pushed to suicide and JNU where few Left-leaning students were “dubbed” “anti-nationals”, Ramjas College witnessed “yet another instance of hooliganism” of RSS-affiliated ABVP.Lamba also criticised Gurmehar’s detractors, including Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju.Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta opposition to the playing of the video was overruled by Speaker Ram Niwas Goel.Goel said soldiers’ morale goes down due to such remarks by traitors.In response, Water Minister Kapil Misra retorted saying soldiers morale goes down when a martyr’s daughter is threatened with rape, a soldier demanding OROP commits suicide and soldiers posting a video demanding proper meals.Launching a scathing attack on the RSS and the ABVP, he noted the politics of finding traitors within the country should come to an end.On the playing of a video during a session of the Delhi Assembly, a senior official said, “Times are changing. The Speaker examined the content and found nothing objectionable in the video.“There was nothing unparliamentary and he had watched the clip in advance that was related to something being discussed in the House.”