Sanjha Morcha Team Col RS Boparai,President

Col BalbirSingh President Punjab unit, Brig Prahalad singh Chairman and Col CJS Khera gen secy

At the behest of bureaucracy, Parrikar started interfering in the internal affairs of the armed forces, instead of leaving them to the chiefs. It was also during his helmsman-ship that the defence budget touched a nadir, at less than 1.6% of the GDP.

Speculation about the change of the current Defence Minister had been going on even before the recently held elections in many states were announced. With the Goa Governor inviting Manohar Parrikar to form the government, it is no longer speculation.Parrikar remained Defence Minister for less than two and a half years, which, of course, is just a statistic. More important is how his tenure has been as the political head of the Indian military. Before one carries out an analysis, it may be pertinent to have a look at the task a Minister of Defence is required to perform and how his predecessors have fared.Since Independence, the country has had a total of 25 defence ministers, of which six were also prime ministers. Like other ministers, there is no fixed tenure for the defence minister, who is appointed or removed by the prime minster. The minister is often assisted by a minister of state for defence and, less commonly, the lower-ranked deputy minister of defence. The first defence minister of independent India was Baldev Singh, who was appointed even in the Interim Government, from September 2, 1946, and then continued after Independence till 1952.If one were to make a broad statement, it appears to a military person like me that the Indian armed forces have not been singularly lucky in having wise, efficient and professionally knowledgeable defence ministers most of the time. This is despite the fact that the minister has an extremely important role to play in the council of ministers. The reason is that a Defence Minister is a member of the powerful Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) — the earlier avatar was the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs — and which is the highest policy making body in the country on all aspects of national security.If one were to ask the officials of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) the same question, they will either refuse to commit themselves or express happiness at each one of them, because they continued to rule the roost irrespective of who defence minister was! That, in brief and without any further explanation, is the difference between the outlooks of military and civil officials.Returning to who has been the most effective defence minister, I will without any hesitation take the name of Arun Singh, who was only a minister of state as Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had kept the portfolio of defence with himself. The reason was that he appreciated the nuances of security issues; was aware of the requirements of the military and what made it tick; and did not pander to the foibles and intrigues of the generalist bureaucracy.‘Kicking upstairs’ is a well-known phrase; I wonder if there an expression such as ‘kicking downstairs’! Be that as it may, there is also no clarity relating to the inter se importance between a Cabinet minister at the Centre and a chief minister of a state. Even in the past, there have been cases of movements to and from the Centre to the states, and vice versa. Sharad Pawar was appointed Defence Minister on June 26, 1991, but in March 1993 he was moved to Maharashtra as chief minister.When Parrikar took over as defence minister from Arun Jaitley on November 9, 2014, there was a sense of relief as well as optimism. Jaitley, then wearing two hats, had his eyes only on the North Block. The country in general and the military in particular could not understand why these two important ministries had been placed under one incumbent, especially one who had been rejected by the people in the elections and had come by the Rajya Sabha route.The military welcomed Parrikar for being more professional and technically sound than a politician. They reposed their faith in him and expected that he would ensure a better deal for them; would assist them in regaining their pride and élan that had been severely eroded over the past two decades; and were looking forward to moves towards modernisation that had virtually stopped. However, they were disappointed to see that his party colleagues saw him as a provincial politician and he was unable to change the dispensation or the system.Parrikar’s tenure as defence minister had its ups and downs; perhaps more of the latter as far as the military is concerned. At the behest of the bureaucracy, he started interfering in the internal affairs of the armed forces, instead of leaving them to the chiefs of the Services, which is rightly their domain. He made somewhat of a mess of the long-pending and highly emotive issue of granting OROP as it was meant to be, because of succumbing to the balderdash of inadequacy of funds — the excuse given by the Finance Ministry as well as bureaucrats of the MoD. In the bargain, he not only alienated the armed forces but also affected the morale of the forces. Ultimately, while the military continued to struggle to get their dues in financial terms, the bureaucrats, police and other civil administrative services walked away smugly with all kinds of enhancements, perks and the like. Even the so-called NFU is being denied, despite a judicial ruling on the issue!Besides financial matters, it was during the helmsman-ship of Parrikar that the plummeting of the defence budget reached a nadir, with less than 1.6 per cent of the GDP being allotted in this year’s budget. That brings down the military to the same level as it existed in 1962, the outcome of which is well-known to the nation. Even in percentage terms, the year-on-year growth of 5.6 per cent is ridiculously low. In the previous year too, it was equally bad. Other parameters on which the defence budget could be assessed are also dismal, e.g., it is only 12.77 per cent of the Central government expenditure (CGE). The Army, Navy and Air Force have received only 60, 67 and 54 per cent, respectively, of the funds they had sought for modernisation. In addition, out of the total outlay of Rs 2.74 lakh crore, only Rs 86,488 crore has been earmarked for modernisation. What makes it worse is that the bulk of this capital outlay will be used to pay “committed liabilities” of earlier arms contracts, instead of new projects.When a Defence Minister joins the committee culture of the bureaucracy, as Parrikar has done, with recommendations of the committees either pending or extended or lying in cupboards without any action, then all is obviously at a standstill on the security of the nation.Perhaps the worst action that Parrikar took was joining his party colleagues in grossly taking credit for the professionally competent actions of the army in its much publicised surgical strike and virtually politicising the Indian military, which takes pride in its apolitical ethos.Parrikar is a well-meaning, intelligent and highly educated person, but he was perhaps too much of a gentleman to squarely face his well-entrenched colleagues in the party and the government. This resulted in his doing very little to assist the armed forces in many aspects, some of which have been highlighted above.—The writer is a former vice chief of army staff.

JAITLEY GETS CHARGE OF DEFENCE MINISTRY AFTER PARRIKAR HEADS TO GOA

PARRIKAR OVERHAULED DEFENSE PROCUREMENT – DEALT WITH PAKISTAN STERNLY

CENTER TO GIVE ‘BEFITTING’ RESPONSE ON CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS: JITENDRA SINGH

MYSTERY SHROUDS ARMY MAN’S DEATH

Holi at Wagah border celeberation : vedio

WOMEN IN UNIFORM NOW  FINDS INSECURE IN UP ::FROM BJP LEGISLATORS :VEDIO

CAG HITS OUT AT CHINESE GOODS IN ARMY CANTEENS

INDIA, SAUDI ARABIA TO EXPLORE JOINT PRODUCTION IN DEFENCE

SC TO HEAR CONG PLEA CHALLENGING PARRIKAR’S APPOINTMENT AS GOA CM

CAPTAIN DECIMATED THE GENERAL BY 52,335 VOTES, THE HIGHEST EVER VICTORY MARGIN IN STATE’S HISTORY; GENERAL LOSES SECURITY DEPOSIT

PATIALA: In the electoral battle between a Captain and a General, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh showed little mercy on his ‘superior’ (going by the army ranks they held) JJ Singh of the Akali Dal . The Captain decimated the General by 52,335 votes, the highest ever victory margin in Punjab assembly polls. Worst still, JJ Singh finished a poor third and forfeited his security deposit.

Capt Amarinder bagged 72,586 votes, almost 70% of total votes polled. General JJ Singh was polled only 11,677 votes, less than Dr Balbir Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party, who bagged 20,179 votes to stand second.

The Capt juggernaut went full steam right from the first round of the counting and the margin kept increasing as the time progressed. After third round, General JJ Singh could see the writing on the wall as the lead surpassed 10,000 votes. “I accept defeat and wish good luck for Amarinder for the victory and on his birthday. I will remain available for Patiala residents for help,” said JJ Singh, as he left the counting hall.

In his four consecutive wins from the seat, Amarinder’s victory margin has been increasing. In 2012, Amarinder won by 42,318 votes and in 2007 polls, his victory margin was 32,695. Amarinder’s first win from Patiala seat was in year 2002 and he became the chief minister at that time.

As Amarinder was busy canvassing in Punjab, his wife Preneet Kaur, daughter Jayainder Kaur and granddaughter Seherinder Kaur, held the fort for him.

Capt Amarinder Singh holds a press conference in Chandigarh. Tribune photo: Pardeep Tewari

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 11

With the Congress heading towards a landslide win in Punjab, state Congress President Capt Amarinder Singh has proved a saviour for the party. Obviously, the Congress will use the Punjab platform to improve the fortunes of the party in other parts of the country. Had it not done well this time, it would probably have been finished forever in the state.While handing a crushing defeat to the ruling SAD-BJP combine and also rejecting the rookie Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the voters comprehensively trusted the leadership of the experienced Capt Amarinder Singh to give a decisive mandate to the Congress.Earlier, the same voters had rejected the Congress twice–in 2007 and 2012–in a row under his leadership. What made the voters repose faith in the Congress this time was the commitment shown by Amarinder to the party’s cause. He not only devoted full time to the campaign, but reached out to various sections of society, especially youth and farmers to secure a historic win. His unwavering stand over sensitive issues like the SYL canal besides drugs, unemployment, law and order and deteriorating fiscal situation made people give him another chance to set the things right.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

In fact, this time Amarinder was a completely changed person. Whereas he remained a cool campaigner and did not play tough and aggressive against his rivals, he made all-out efforts to take all senior party leaders along besides infusing fresh blood in it in the larger interest of the party. He stuck to his stand of one ticket to one family. He tried hard to pacify the party rebels and to make them withdraw from contesting the elections. That also helped the party to do well. The Congress has done well across the state. But it has performed exceedingly well in Majha.The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which had created history by registering a win second time in a row in 2012, has this time touched a historic low. This is one of its worst electoral defeats in the state.The election has given not one but many lessons to the SAD; most important of these is that deras, tactics and management cannot make a party win.It is people’s perception and trust that takes a party through. The SAD-BJP combine had lost the trust of people on many fronts, including law and order, corruption, economy and governance. The open loot of state resources such as sand and gravel, excesses committed by some halqa in-charges and arrogant conduct of many ministers and party leaders made the people comprehensively reject the party and its partner, the BJP.But above all, the concentration of power in one family and outright promotion of dynastic power axis made people ditch the party.     As far as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is concerned, it failed to understand the complexity of the state politics because of its inexperience. It overplayed the Sikh card that proved its undoing. It did not address the concerns of urban constituency and banked on the rural Malwa, which made it sink.The AAP has finished a poor third in almost all constituencies of Majha and in most constituencies of Doaba. In fact, in the last Lok Sabha election, the AAP was placed at number one in 33 constituencies and at number two in eight constituencies, but in the Assembly elections it will be at number one in less number of constituencies than that.

VETERANS ANGUS RALLY AGAINST MAHARASHTRA POLITICIAN AND SHOW OF SOLIDARITY WITH MISS GURMEHAR KAUR

EX-SOLDIERS ALLEGE BETRAYAL OF TRUST, THREATEN TO COMMIT SUICIDE

*IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS FOR EX-SERVICEMEN* *FAMILY PENSION ELIGIBILITY*

FORUM APPROACHES GUV TO SAVE WAR MEMORIAL STATE GOVT DECIDED TO HAND OVER SARAGARHI GURDWARA TO SECT TRUST

EXIT POLLS: CONGRESS, AAP NECK-AND-NECK IN PUNJAB, SAD-BJP OUT

LS: CONGRESS, AAP NECK AND NECK IN PUNJAB

AMERICAN PROFESSOR’S HARD HITTING ANSWER TO PAKISTANI ON KASHMIR

SUICIDE NOTE LEFT BEHIND BY LATE ARUNACHAL CM – EXPOSES CORRUPTION AT HIGH PLACES:LINK

PARENTS WALK ON AIR AS ‘SAPNA’ TURNS INTO REALITY

ISIS IS THE NEW SPECTRE AFTER LUCKNOW, NEED FOR JUDICIOUSNESS

Won’t accept traitor’s body: Saifullah’s father

AFTER12-HOUR OP, UP TERROR SUSPECT SHOT

Dehradun Ex-Services League(DESL) celebrated reunion on 05Mar 2017 at 60 F Subash Marg with more than two dozen Zonal Presidents from far flung areas of Doon Valley under the chairmanship of Lt Gen GS Negi, Retd. Col US Thakur President DESL welcomed all guests and Zonal presidents for joining the function which was being organized first time after four decades. President DESL requested Brig RS Rawat Retd President Uttarakhand Ex-Services League for informing the veterans about the latest development issues pertaining to welfare of Ex-Servicemen.

Brig Rawat informed that a meeting was held with Raksha Mantri on 01 Mar 2017 which was attended by Lt Gen Balbir Singh, Retd President IESL, Lt Gen VK Chaturvedi, AG and many others. The issues were raised and discussed counting full service of rank as qualifying service(without any reduction for short fall in actual service) for war injury pension. OROP was also discussed and RM assured based on justice Reddy Commission, orders will be issued only after 15 Mar 2017. Matter about issue of speedy corrigendum PPOs was discussed to know entitlement in particular Veer Narees and widows. RM  assured for implementation of same on priority. RM was agreed on proposal to include weight age  towards pension of officers, Jcos and OR. RM categorily stated that in future all honorary rank of JCOs and NCOs should be conferred prior retirement to avoid present anomaly. RM  agreed for enhancement of Reservist pension which is meager presently. He also assured for improvement of disability pension, resettlement for ESM and review for granting of medical aid to EC officers.

Col RC Joshi, Retd highlighted numerous facilities provided by different Army Training Centre for Veer Narees and their dependents,  so that their children can get best education facilities free of cost and resettle well in near future. He gave example of many but one of the example of Veer Naree Smt Bimla Devi W/O Late Inder Rana of 6 Kumoan. The brave heart was martyred during Kargil operation when Veer Naree was only 21 Years old. Veer Naree educated her children so well under the guardian ship of Kumoan Regimental Centre(KRC) that her one daughter just got commission in the Army and son is an Engineer today. So Veer Narees should not loose heart rather get inspiration and seek help from their centre for their resettlement and education of their children.

Col B M Thapa, Retd Senior Vice President DESL organized the recreational events for all ESM in which Brig KG Behl, Retd Patron DESL, Col RC Joshi, Retd, Col BM Thapa, Retd, and Hav Sunil Sharma, Retd Advocate took active part and entertained all ESM. Others who attended the function were Col LB Khatri Retd Secretary DESL, Zonal Presidents Col SC Sharma, Maj JKS Rawat, Capts Ashok Limbu, KS Mall, YS Bisht, AS Bhandari, NK Thapa, Sub Majs PS Gurung, Jeet Bahadur, Subs SS Negi, Shamsher Singh Thapa, Hav BP Sharma and many others

Input

Col B M Thapa, Retd

Senior Vice President

DESL

M-9412941194

VIDEOS WORTH WATCHING

INDIA-OMAN MILITARY DRILL IN CHAMBA FROM TODAY

PUNJAB SOLDIER ‘SHOOTS SELF’ TO DEATH IN POONCH, ARMY ORDERS INQUIRY

TRICOLOUR FLUTTERS ON COUNTRY’S TALLEST MAST AT ATTARI BORDER

LET’S GET THIS RIGHT BY MAJ GEN RAJ MEHTA (RETD)

HIZBUL MILITANT, PAK FIGHTER KILLED IN TRAL

PROTEST AGAINST TRANSACTION FEES AND DECREASING RATE OF INTEREST ON OUR DEPOSITS.APRIL 6TH,7TH,8TH AND24TH, 25TH, AND 26TH 2017 AS “NO TRANSACTION DAYS” WITH BANKS.

TERRITORIAL ARMY GETS 101 FRESH RECRUITS FROM REMOTE AREAS

CHINA’S DEFENCE BUDGET SET TO BE 3 TIMES THAT OF INDIA

DEFENCE PACT ON THE STAND GROUND ON IWT BY VIVEK KATJU

ARMY ARRESTS MOGA YOUTH IN J&K

CARDS DURING HASINA’S INDIA VISIT

There is still one month left for the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh’s border town of Tawang but Sino-Indian verbal skirmishing is already getting into high gear. China had won the last round of jostling between the two countries over the Dalai Lama. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as part of his “tough guy” diplomacy had nudged the Dalai Lama to visit Mongolia as a counterbalance to Beijing’s spreading tentacles in the neighbourhood. In the end it didn’t come off. Mongolia had to promise China it would never again pull off such a caper. Declassified Chinese documents show the driving forces for the 1962 conflict were anchored in Tibet, especially the Dalai Lama’s exile to India. Despite extreme Chinese sensitivity to the Dalai Lama’s public engagements (it has forced many world leaders to call off their engagements with the Tibetan leader), India has enjoyed the better of the exchanges.The junior minister for bytes in all seasons, Kiren Rijiju, is on home ground when he speaks about Arunachal Pradesh. But he is either unaware of recent history or is simply playing to the gallery when he said the Dalai Lama’s forthcoming visit to Tawang is part of a “behavioural change you are seeing. India is more assertive.” For the record, this is the sixth time the Dalai Lama is visiting Arunachal. Previous governments had ignored Beijing’s fulminations and held international meets where the Dalai Lama was the chief guest.This consistent Indian policy of permitting the Dalai Lama to move freely within the country has left China resigned to registering token protests. If the current Indian government is “more assertive” as suggested by Rijiju, it should try to turn the corner on the border dispute. The Chinese have thrice hinted at a swap — this entails China and India giving up their claims to Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin, respectively. As both countries are yet to achieve a level of trust to start discussing territorial swaps, they must strive to keep a lid on emotions. Beijing too ought to realise that after its hold on Masood Azhar, it is hardly well placed to raise objections on the Dalai Lama’s social engagements.