Governor Acharya Devvrat honours a senior journalist during the inauguration of a campaign against drug addiction organised by the Press Club in Shimla on Wednesday. Photo: Amit Kanwar

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 15

Governor Acharya Devvrat today stressed the need for launching a mass movement to combat the drug menace which, he said, was the biggest threat to any society as drugs had gripped the younger generation.The Governor was speaking at the launch of a campaign organised by the Shimla Press Club against drug addiction. “The easiest way to destroy any nation is to get its youth addicted to drugs, which is so visible in states like Mizoram and Punjab,” he said.He said every section of society would have to join hands to save the youth from drugs as all forms of narcotics were being pumped into the country.He said he had seen many families being devastated with their children becoming drug victims. “Each one of us needs to make a resolve to ensure that the menace does not grip the youth of Himachal,” he said. The energy of the youth need to be channelised towards healthy living, including yoga and physical activity.He regretted the situation in Punjab was so alarming that it was getting difficult to find the youth who were physically fit to join the Army. “Punjab, which sent the most well-built and valiant soldiers to fight the enemies on the borders, is grappling with drug menace with many youth having lost their lives after getting addicted to drugs,” he said.There were some social evils like foeticide which also need to be eradicated. “A society, which does not respect its women and worst of all resorts to female foeticide, can never progress. So we need to change the mindset of the people,” he stressed.The Governor also emphasised the need for promoting organic farming which would help save people from the ill-effects of harmful chemicals found in pesticides and insecticides. The Governor honoured senior journalists on the occasion.

Devvrat on drug menace

• The easiest way to destroy any nation is to get its youth addicted to drugs, which is so visible in states like Mizoram and Punjab
• The situation in Punjab is so alarming that it is getting difficult to find the youth who are physically fit to join the Army
• Punjab, which sent the most well-built and valiant soldiers to fight the enemies on the borders, is grappling with drug menace with many youth having lost their lives after getting addicted to drugs

The Army pays tributes to the two slain soldiers in Srinagar on Monday. Tribune Photo: Amin War

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 13

The Army today paid rich tributes to the two jawans who were killed in an encounter with militants in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Sunday.A defence spokesman said the Army paid homage to gallant soldiers Lance Naik Bhandoriya Gopal Sinh Munimsinh and Sepoy Raghubeer Singh at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar.“Major General KK Pant, Chief of Staff, Chinar Corps, laid wreaths on behalf of the Commander and all ranks of the Corps,” he said, adding that tributes were also paid by officials from the civil administration and other security agencies.The spokesman said the two jawans showed raw courage during the operation. “It called for raw courage to approach the house when it had been confirmed that terrorists were hiding there —- even more so when the response had to be very guarded given the fact that the terrorists had held a hostage in that house. Lance Naik B Gopal and Sepoy Raghubeer Singh epitomised just that form of selfless courage as they were leading the team that launched the operation in Frisal, Kulgam, yesterday in which four terrorists were eliminated. The duo embraced martyrdom while fighting the terrorists who opened indiscriminate fire as the security forces closed in on the suspect house,” the spokesman said.The 33-year-old Lance Naik B Gopal from Gokulchand Chali Chamanpura village in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, is survived by his wife B Hemavati. Sepoy Raghubeer Singh (31) belonged to Makholi village in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, and is survived by his wife Rekha and a six-year-old son.“The Army salutes the sacrifice of the martyrs and stands in solidarity with the bereaved families and it will forever remain the Army’s responsibility to ensure that they lead a life of dignity and pride,” the spokesman said.The mortal remains of the jawans are being taken to their native places for the last rites, he said.

Displayed raw courage

• It called for raw courage to approach the house when it had been confirmed that terrorists were hiding there — even more so when the response had to be very guarded given the fact that the terrorists had held a hostage in that house. Lance Naik B Gopal and Sepoy Raghubeer Singh epitomised just that form of selfless courage as they were leading the team that launched the operation in Frisal, Kulgam, on Sunday in which four terrorists were eliminated. —Army spokesman

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar showing his indelible ink marked finger after casting his vote at a polling booth in Goa on Saturday. PTI

New Delhi, February 7Overruling claims of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar that his election speech in Goa made in Konkani was incorrectly translated, the Election Commission on Tuesday served him with a fresh notice on his reported bribery remarks and asked him to respond by Thursday.In its latest notice to the senior BJP leader, the Commission said the “CD (of his speech made on January 29 in Chimbel) has not been tampered with in any manner whatsoever”.The Commission also said the entire speech has been again written and translated by a three-member committee.The fresh transcript quotes Parrikar as saying that “…you vote him by taking Rs 2000 from someone. It is okay, somebody will hold a rally, there is no objection, someone roams there with Rs 500. But vote shall be for lotus…”   A senior Commission official had on February 4 said following Parrikar’s claim that the interpretation of his speech was not correct, the poll panel had asked the Chief Electoral Officer of Goa for his comments.The EC had earlier sent a notice to the former Goa Chief Minister and had sought his reply by February 3. While seeking more time, the Defence Minister had said that what he had actually said was lost in translation.Now, he has to send his final reply by 3 pm on February 9. — PTI

After showing solidarity with Congress in Punjab, an organisation of retired armed personnel on Saturday extended its support to the Harish Rawat-led ruling party in Uttarakhand.

Disappointed with discrepancies in ‘One Rank, One Pension’ (OROP), the United Front of Ex-Servicemen of India, which also has widows of defence personnel among its members, extended its support to the Harish Rawat government in Uttarakhand too.

In the presence of Congress chief and party candidate from Sahaspur Kishore Upadhyay, the front declared to support the party which has promised better pensions for retired personnel and their families.

At a conference here, Maj Gen (retd) Satbeer Singh claimed how ex-servicemen were protesting at Jantar Mantar for last 601 days for their demand. “There are four main points showing discrepancies in the OROP notification issued by the Centre. The pensions aren’t provided as per recommendations of the Koshyari Committee. Revision of pensions will be done in five years and not after every two years. Low pensions to widows, no extension of the facility to reservists, discrepancies in disability pension and others,” Singh said.

In Uttarakhand, Congress has promised various sops, including a separate ministry and a minister for the retired defence personnel, hike in pensions to widows, filling up vacant posts and to effectively work for the welfare of personnel and their families.

Nayak Uday Singh Rawat, who hails from Chamoli, claimed BJP got 100 additional seats and formed the government in 2014 in Delhi after it garnered support of defence fraternity. “But, the OROP ‘lollipop’ given to us will prove disastrous for BJP in the poll-bound states. The front has already extended support to Congress in Punjab. It will be supporting Congress in all five poll-bound states,” Rawat said.

 

 

BADHA TERA BADHA ::::KEJRIWAL

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 2

Weighed down by rising establishment costs as well as salaries and pensions, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has decided to seek formal comments of the Army, Air Force and the Navy on “right-sizing” the services and also explore cutting costs from within. Right-sizing has been suggested by the high-powered Lt Gen DB Shekatkar Committee and its report was submitted to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on December 21 last year.The cost of just salaries and pensions of the three services and civilian employees under them is Rs 1,93,670 crore, which is about 53.81 per cent of the entire spend of Rs 3,59,854 crore. This includes Rs 2,74,114 crore as budget and Rs 85,740 crore as pensions. The cost of running the establishment is further enhanced when some other components are added namely salaries of research scientists (Rs 3,126 crore), establishment costs of smaller wings within the MoD (Rs 8,040 crore) and salaries of ordnance factories (Rs 6,582 crore).The Budget includes a capital outlay of Rs 86,488, which works out to be 24 per cent of the overall spend. This money is meant for new equipment, weapons, aircraft, naval warships and Army vehicles.Amit Cowshish, who retired from defence finance wing, says “reduction in manpower is directly proportional to infusion of new technology”.The Shekatkar committee was appointed by the government to enhance the combat potential of the armed forces and re-balance defence expenditure. It has recommended a series of measures to trim, redeploy and integrate manpower under the MoD to have an effective military.The committee has laid down a path to reduce expenses by Rs 25,000 crore over the next five-years. It has suggested redeployment of manpower from the organisations under the MoD and said it should be across the board.The Seventh Pay Commission, which is yet to be implemented in totality in the forces, will subsume the hike of 5.8 per cent in defence budget announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday.

The other day when the winter rain lashed Chandigarh, Capt Amarinder Singh was delayed for his campaign trips. In the next couple of days the sun came out; some warmth returned. And so did smiles at Captain’s room — a big hall, a royal redoubt — where his close aides heard Rahul Gandhi announce the Captain being made the chief ministerial candidate of the Congress. Everybody knew the party was pretty late in formalizing something due for long. It is said to be his last election. In the party’s backyard lie two successive defeats under his watch. Yet he has gained in many ways over the years, so much so that many say he has dwarfed the party in Punjab. He is gutsy. “That’s why,” says a supporter, “he is contesting from two places”. One, against former Army Chief JJ Singh in Patiala and, two, Chief Minister Badal in Lambi. Is the Captain fighting on too many fronts? This time the contest is essentially triangular. “There were triangular contests in the past, but not of the existing scale,” he says.“I can say for sure that there is a strong anti-incumbency wave across the state against the ruling SAD-BJP. It won’t be a surprise if the alliance ends up with the lowest-ever figure in the Assembly on March 11, the day the result is out”, says Amarinder. So, how many seats for the Congress? “I am confident of winning 70 seats, AAP would get 30 and the SAD-BJP combine may get 15-17 seats. We will do well in Majha, Doaba and in parts of Malwa. We do not face any big challenge in these areas. But there will be tough fights with AAP in some parts of core Malwa area, especially the Sangrur-Barnala-Mansa region,” he says.What are the issues dominating the election? “The sacrilege of the holy books weighs heavy on the minds of the people. We will go all out to find the culprits. These incidents are akin to the ones that took place in the early 1980s. I squarely blame Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who has failed to resolve even a single such case.”The other issues, he says, are drugs, failure of the rural economy and crisis in farm sector, unemployment, migration of the industry, poor law and order and highly politicized governance. “I promise to sort these out on a priority,” says Amarinder.The party is facing the rebels in some constituencies. “We know campaign of some rebels is being funded by a senior Akali leader. We have been able to convince some rebels to withdraw. But there are certain habitual party hoppers; we don’t think we’d approach them,” says Amarinder.The Captain is banking heavily on AAP’s ‘outsider’ tag. “AAp is being directly run by Kejriwal’s team from Delhi. It has not recovered from the telling blow following Sucha Singh Chhotepur’s removal. This will hugely affect AAP prospects in parts of Majha-Doaba”.The other factor that the Captain counts on is his performance as Chief Minister for full five years (2002-07). “The people know I do not make false promises. They will prefer experience over inexperience (of AAP),” he says.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 27In a joint exercise, the three armed forces and the coast guard will test their readiness at sea.The month-long exercise, called the Theatre Readiness Operational Exercise, is conducted by the Navy, Indian Air Force and the Army to carry out various joint tasks. It started on January 24.It will involve some 50 Navy warships, including the seaborne aircraft carrier, the INS Vikramditya, and the nuclear-powered submarine, the INS Chakra.The exercise is being conducted off the Western coast and will test the abilities in conventional war, anti-submarine warfare, securing sea lanes of communication, the busiest one passes close to India. The last edition of the Tropex was conducted in January 2015.The Landing Platform Dock INS Jalashwa will be deployed to conduct amphibious operations – to land Army’s mechanised forces on land by using a warship.

Figurehead: A President should guide, and offer a ‘counter helm’.

THREE days from today, India will celebrate yet another Republic Day. The anniversary of the day when India became a Republic is, above all else, the President’s day. He unfurls the national flag, takes the salute at a parade where the armed forces of India march past him, places medals on the chests of gallant soldiers, awards eminent civilians with Padma awards. And on the eve of all the festivities, speaks to the nation.  In brief, the President occupies centre-stage on Republic Day. He is, indeed, the very symbol of the Republic of India. Figurehead he may be, but the figurehead glows that day. More interestingly though, less explicitly, Republic Day is also the day when the PM of the day takes a backseat. Literally and metaphorically.  A look at the first Republic Day is revealing. President Prasad’s swearing-in on our first Republic Day in 1950, was a moment of great magnetism and great meaning. For one thing, he commanded huge respect. For another, he was inaugurating the office. He was the first first citizen, his was the inaugural inauguration. As the new Constitution came into force, we had two forceful personalities at India’s helm — a sagacious head of state, Prasad, and a charismatic head of government, Nehru.But beneath these great causes of jubilation lay an interesting and highly meaningful political circumstance:  Prasad was not Nehru’s first preference for the post.  But the Congress was clear: It had to be him. Sardar Patel, in particular, was for Prasad. And so the first President came upon his office on a power engine of his own. One which, at that point, outdid the power engine of the PM and PM Nehru at that.Did that lead to two power centres? No, it did not. The innate civility of both the President and the PM would not allow that, nor their understanding of their respective roles. The President’s was a symbolic office, the PM’s the substantive one. And yet there were occasions when the two power engines rumbled differently. President Prasad raised the question of presidential prerogatives, presidential discretion. Article 74 of the Constitution spoke of the President acting on the advice of the council of ministers headed by the PM. How binding, Prasad wondered aloud, was the advice of the Cabinet? Attorney-General MC Setalvad’s view was sought and came ringingly clear: The President is like the British monarch, a constitutional, not an executive head, and has to be guided by Cabinet advice. The point of presidential prerogatives was not pressed by the President. But it was enough that it had been made.Setalvad’s position was reiterated forcibly and conclusively in 1975 when, in a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court confirmed this position. Setalvad and Shamsher Singh and Another vs the State of Punjab have settled the point.No President has flouted Setalvad’s opinion, but no President has forgotten Prasad’s doubt. We have had, counting from President Prasad, 13 Presidents in 14 presidencies, Prasad having had two consecutive terms. Eleven of them men, and one, woman. Ask any regular Indian to name any one: From the historically inclined, certainly, you will hear ‘Rajendra Prasad’. In scholarly circles, ‘Radhakrishnan’. But by and large, in the towns and even villages, only one name of a President will be recalled ‘like that’: APJ Abdul Kalam. Power is one thing, impact another. Kalam imprinted himself on the minds of the people by being different. His cut of hair, his open collar, crinkled pants only sharpened his original, easy nature. There have been far greater Presidents than he, but Kalam brought his office out of the cage of protocol. More than anything else, he offered a counter helm. Not a combative counter, not a competitive counter, but a counter. Counter to who or what? Not to the PM or to the Cabinet but to the political narrative. A PM has to be, and is, about politics. A President has to be, and is, about nationhood. A PM has to be, and is, about our democracy. A President has to be, and is, about our Republic. Irrespective of where they have come from, what their religion is, or language, their politics or their sociology, our Presidents have gone by  the Setalvad opinion. Some of them have been so very, very constitutional as to have become dust in the book’s innermost lining. No one misses anything by forgetting them. But some have provided the counter helm, not as dramatically as Kalam, but nonetheless, effectively. Exercising what Walter Bagehot described as the right to be consulted, to warn and to encourage, they have obliged the PM of the day to come to them, explain proposals, defend and justify them and then return to either change the proposal or to reiterate it with modifications. Our second President, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, saw India through three Prime Ministers — Nehru, Shastri and Indira Gandhi. The PM was the mind of the nation as a state, the President was the soul of the state as a nation. The PM led, the President guided. The PM took decisions, the President influenced thought. The PM advised the President, the President shaped that advice by virtue of his personality. The PM commanded the majority in the Lok Sabha, the President commanded the respect of the Lokasangraha. And he warned. Not just as a right, but as a duty. In his last Republic Day address, in 1967, he warned the country and the government that: ‘We cannot forgive widespread incompetence and the gross mismanagement of our resources’. Indira Gandhi was not pleased. But the nation was sobered.  President KR Narayanan crafted his addresses with great deliberation, speaking directly and with tremendous impact. In his address on the eve of the Republic Day, 2000, he said to his government: ‘Beware of the fury of the patient and long-suffering people’. Speeches are speeches are speeches, one might say. What do they change? We may be surprised. They grind, like justice, subtly, but they grind exceeding small. A President’s speech, if it comes not from some calculating intelligence, some crafty agenda, but from a clean soul, can grind political egos down and lift the nation’s spirits. Politically, the President is weightless;  inspirationally, he can weigh a ton. The PM is the ink on a Cabinet note which expires; the President is the carving on our nationhood which inspires. The President gives to what is strong, stature; to what is powerful, sanctity. On Republic Day, this year, the last of his five, may we receive from President Pranab Mukherjee, no cliché, nothing that is trite, but that of which President Rajendra Prasad, President Radhakrishnan and President Narayanan will be proud.The writer is a former Governor of West Bengal

Northern Command chief Lt Gen Devraj Anbu in Siachen on Wednesday. Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 12

Northern Command chief Lt Gen Devraj Anbu visited forward posts of Siachen, the highest battlefield in the world, on Wednesday.He was accompanied by 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen PJS Pannu.Interacting with the troops at the forward posts in high altitude, he appreciated the good work by them in challenging conditions and inhospitable terrain. He was briefed on the operational preparedness and security situation in the region by the Corps Commander and other Commanders on ground.While at the Siachen Base Camp, the Northern Command chief operationalised Avalanche Panthers, Mountain Rescuers, a highly skilled force with in-depth knowledge, adaptability with local terrain and weather conditions and capability to respond in the shortest possible time for rescue operations, especially in glaciated terrain.The team was raised on December 6, 2016, at the Siachen Base Camp comprising mainly of the troops from the Ladakh Scouts, who being the “sons of the soil” are well adapted to terrain and weather conditions prevalent in this high altitude region.

BSF ADG visits camp, enquires about food quality

Additional Director General Kamal Nayan Choubey interacts with BSF men at Mandi in Poonch. Tribuine photo

Poonch, January 12

Kamal Nayan Choubey, Additional Director General of BSF, today visited the BSF Camp Mandi and interacted with soldiers and officials after a jawan’s complaint of poor quality food being served to them on LOC. The inquiry was initiated after a constable posted a series of videos on social media about the poor quality of food served to the jawans.Sources said the ADG visited the BSF camp in Khet and individually interacted with the jawans deployed there, besides talking to the BSF and Army officials monitoring the area. He stayed at Mandi for over six hours.Later, Choubey visited the Unit headquarter Mandi and held a meeting with higher officials and inquired about the issue.“I talked to the jawans posted in the Khet location and enquired about the quality of food served to them and all the jawans expressed satisfaction on the quality of food. The inquiry is underway and necessary action will be taken if any officer is found guilty,” he said. Sourced said the ADG’s visit was made possible only after Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s intervention into the matter.The Home Ministry had asked the BSF to inquire into the matter and take necessary action.‘All jawans expressed satisfaction’I talked to the jawans posted in the Khet location and enquired about the quality of food served to them and all the jawans expressed satisfaction on the quality of food. The inquiry is underway and necessary action will be taken if any officer is found guilty. —Kamal Nayan Choubey, ADG, BSF

BSF jawan’s wife fear for his life

Says he is under pressure to withdraw plaint

BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav’s wife Sharmila Yadav talks to mediapersons in Rewari on Thursday. Tribune Photo

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Rewari, January 12

Sharmila Yadav, wife of BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav, said that her husband was under pressure to withdraw his statement and apologise for his act.In a video uploaded on Facebook, Yadav claimed that inferior quality food was being served to soldiers at the LoC.“My husband is under immense stress ever since he brought the plight of BSF jawans to the fore as he is being forced by senior officers not only to withdraw his words but also to apologise,” said Sharmila who talked to her husband twice over phone today.Sharmila, who works in a private company in Bawal industrial town, demanded security for her husband. She said his life was under threat following exposure of misdeeds of the senior officers.Yadav’s son Rohit said that his father had last evening told him that he was feeling insecure there due to pressure being mounted by senior officers to withdraw the complaint.Meanwhile, Yadav’s father Sher Singh said that the BSF officers had been levelling false allegations against his son to protect their skin.“My son is right on his part as everyone has the right to fight for their rights. My father was a freedom fighter and had been a soldier of the Azad Hind Fauz,” he said.Krishan Dev, elder brother of Yadav, said his brother had to move retirement application following harassment caused by his officers for raising his voice against them. However, he did not want to retire.“Yadav went back to his posting station on December 19 last year and told me that his officers harass him for raising the issue of bad quality of food,” he added.Yadav’s mother Nihal Kaur said that her son always complained of inferior quality of food whenever he came home on leave.

Captain Amarinder Singh to see election results on his birthday

CHANDIGARH: On March 11, the day when assembly election results will be declared, Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh will either have reason to hold the grandest birthday bash ever at the Moti Bagh Palace in Patiala or it will be the most forgettable day of his life. As fate would have it, March 11happens to be his 75th birthday .A grand birthday bash had been organized for Amarinder in 2012 as that was the first time in more than 150 years that a member of the Patiala royal family had crossed the ripe age of 70. At the time, most people had expected Congress to sweep the election and the birthday party was supposed to celebrate the electoral win as well.

However, in a stunning reversal, the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine shocked everyone and won a second term just a couple of days before Amarinder’s birthday . despite the sulk in the Congress, a grand party was organized at a relative’s farmhouse in Delhi.

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Navjot Singh Sidhu, not his wife, to contest from Amritsar (East)

CHANDIGARH: Putting an end to speculations, the Congress confirmed on Thursday said that cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu will contest in the upcoming Punjab assembly elections as a party nominee.”Navjot Singh Sidhu will contest from the constituency of his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu,” said Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh while talking to mediapersons in Delhi on Thursday.”Sidhu will contest from Amritsar (East) seat as a Congress nominee,” he added.

 Congress gets support of Indian ex-servicemen movement in Punjab election