A captured Pakistani tank displayed at the war memorial at the battle site to commemorate the valour of Indian troops. The memorial’s main path has been named after Brigadier Chandpuri.

Chandigarh: Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday deplored the alleged attempts to politicise the defence forces. The armed forces were meant to report only to their regimental heads and not work at the behest of the political dispensation, he told a gathering at the Remembrance Day ceremony here. TNS

Amarinder deplores attempts to politicise defence forces

Chandigarh, November 14

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday deplored attempts to “politicise” the defence forces, asserting that the personnel were meant to report only to their regimental heads and not work at the behest of the political dispensation.

He said there was an immediate end to the “current cult of political interference” in the functioning of defence services, to enable the officers and soldiers to discharge their duties efficaciously.

The Congress leader said it was necessary in the larger interest of the nation to secure its unity, integrity and security.

Singh condemned the attempts to “politicise” the defence forces, asserting the personnel were meant to report only to their regimental heads and not work at the behest of the political dispensation.

He was addressing a gathering at the Remembrance Day ceremony here which paid homage to commonwealth nations’ armed forces personnel who sacrificed their lives during World War I.

A two-minute silence was observed in memory of the martyrs, an official release said.

The chief minister said the exemplary valour and indomitable courage of all soldiers in preserving the ethos of freedom, liberty and democratic values had remained largely unrecognised.

He noted nearly 74,000 Indian soldiers attained martyrdom and 67,000 were wounded in this war.

While most Indians were aware of the sacrifices made by millions of people in the Independence struggle, the supreme contribution of the brave men who fought in the Great War was largely forgotten, the chief minister said.

He called for aggressively propagating the nation’s rich military history among the youths to make them more aware about the glorious legacy of the armed forces.

Underscoring the need to acclimatise the younger generation with the past events, Singh advocated for inclusion of detailed chapters on India’s contribution both in World War 1 and 2 in school curriculum.

Referring to his recent visit to Turkey’s Gallipoli’s Helles and Turkish memorials, where he paid his respects to the martyred Commonwealth soldiers, including Indians, he said there was a marked difference in the awareness levels of youth about the military exploits compared to India.

Earlier, British Deputy High Commissioner in Chandigarh, Andrew Ayre lauded the role played by Indian soldiers in the war.

Canadian Consulate General Mia Yen also paid glowing tributes to the soldiers in securing peace, prosperity and democratic freedom for their future generations. — PTI

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, November 13

Rescue posts have been set up at Koksar and Marhi on the Manali-Leh highway for villagers if they get trapped while trying to cross Rohtang on foot even as the pass was officially closed for vehicular traffic today.

The traffic movement between Manali and Lahaul was stopped on Monday due to fresh snowfall at Rohtang.

Generally, Rohtang Pass is officially closed every year for traffic on November 15 for winter but due to early snowfall this year, the BRO has pulled back its machinery and workforce from the area.

According to a BRO official, the pass received more than 60 cm snow in two days. The road had turned slippery and frost started to deposit on the ground, which could be risky for those travelling on the route.

DC, Lahaul Spiti, Ashwani Kumar Chaudhari said the district administration had set up two rescue posts at Koksar and Marhi, where 10 persons have been deployed for rescue.

The DC said the villagers had been advised to ensure their registration at each post while coming from Manali and heading towards Lahaul.

This has been done to enable the district administration to provide immediate help if anybody who gets trapped while crossing in the area on foot. The rescue posts will be removed on December 31 or earlier depending over the weather condition.

During winter these days, residents of Lahaul Spiti shuttle between Manali and Lahaul via Rohtang Pass on foot, when the Pass is closed for vehicular traffic.

The world, for now, has come together, turning away from belligerence to solemnity, in gratitude, and perhaps some guilt, for the millions who perished in the bitter Great War; one that was waged ‘to end all wars’. The world changed, but not for the better; and not enough to prevent another ruinous war two decades later. The year 2018 marks the centenary of the end of World War I. There are lessons — some learnt, some forgotten — and countries remember their dead. And so, November 11, the day the Armistice was signed, is commemorated as Remembrance Day for the fallen soldier.

British India contributed a fair bulk of men and material to the war. A majority of the over 14 lakh men drafted were despatched to places as diverse and distant as Egypt, France, Palestine and Sinai. As per records, 74,187 soldiers from India were killed; 70,000 were maimed or wounded. Many were drawn from the undivided Punjab. PM Modi announced on November 11 that India remembers its brave soldiers who fought in WWI. Does it really? Turkey is home to the Helles Memorial, a Commonwealth war graves memorial; France has its Neuve-Chapelle Memorial, Israel the Haifa Memorial — to remember Indian soldiers, too. And India? What remains of their memory is the 13,000-odd names inscribed on India Gate Memorial (completed in 1933), and the odd ceremony at Patiala State Forces Memorial, for soldiers from military units of the erstwhile princely state. Since 1949, Armed Forces Flag Day (December 7) is the only official annual event related to our soldier.

India has always thought of it as someone else’s war, and there is a valid school of thought: how far back in time do we go to own up our soldiers, and which all wars. But it can’t be denied that thousands of our valiant men died fighting that war. Like there was a will, and a way — funds were not an encumbrance — for the imposing Sardar Patel statue, India should establish a long-awaited war memorial; a badge of honour. A hero must live on in the imagination of coming generations. That’s how he never dies.

n a post shared by Ahmedabad resident Esha Shah on Facebook, one gets to read a firsthand account of a ‘Soldier never being Off-Duty’.

As much as men and women in uniform generate huge admiration and respect, little do most people know how overwhelmingly hectic and unpredictable life can get for them. Holidays and vacations are forsaken when duty calls, and spending quality family time is a luxury that these folks experience very sporadically.

I can personally vouch for this, as my father served in the defence for about three decades. Several vacations and plans have gone for a toss because my father was duty-bound to serve the nation above everything else, and there have been times when he was away from home for a prolonged period of time. Truth be told, I secretly envied my friends from ‘civilian’ backgrounds who would be surrounded by all their family members during holidays and festivals.

For Ahmedabad resident Esha Shah, however, overhearing the conversations of a young man on the phone, as they stood in a queue at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport a few days before Diwali, was an eye-opening moment.

As the conversation progressed, it became apparent to Esha that the gentleman was a Naval officer who was heading home for holidays, but found out that his leave had been cancelled moments before he was ready to board the flight.

Not only was she impressed by the officer’s gracious acceptance of the orders passed down from the top echelons, but was also rather overwhelmed by the fact that many things that we take for granted in our daily lives are actually a luxury for the folks in uniform.

As a gesture of gratitude, Esha and her companion offered the officer their place in the queue. Furthermore, she took to social media to share this touching episode as an ode to not just this young officer but also countless other defence personnel who risk their lives on a day-to-day basis so that we get to sleep peacefully at night.

For him serving our country against the odds, a 5min (sic) jump-the-queue was ridiculously insignificant, but that was the only thing we could offer in order to convey our THANK YOU, which I also told him in as many words,” she wrote in her post.

You can read the entire post here:

Addressing the ‘Defence attaches conclave’ in Delhi, the Army Chief said, “Our Defence force is in the phase of transformation.

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday underlined that either the armed forces transform itself as per modern necessities or else they perish.

Addressing the ‘Defence attaches conclave’ in Delhi, the Army Chief said, “Our Defence force is in the phase of transformation. We are imbibing modern technology to be integrated with a weapon system and equipment to enable our armed forces to be prepared for the future. We also do appreciate that in these modern days, either you transform or you perish. And, transformation can only happen through co-operation”.

General Rawat continued to say that India is currently engaged in wide-ranging collaborations with countries like Brazil and Chile on the western edge and Vietnam on the eastern edge, adding that the countries have shown a keen interest in sharing technology with the Indian Defence forces.

“Large number of weapon system needs to be upgraded. We put all this out in the open domain. India has been the largest importer of weapons systems and equipment. Time has come for us to enhance in-house manufacturing capabilities. India is currently engaged in wide-ranging collaborations with countries like Brazil and Chile on the western edge and Vietnam on the eastern edge, adding that the countries have shown a keen interest in sharing technology with us. We are proud to announce about the Defence Corridor that will soon begin to take shape,” he added.

On being asked to react on youth being trained in Pakistan, General Rawat said that people need to pay more attention while the youth need to be more alert because they are being used as cannon fodder.

The Army Chief stated that terrorists who have attacked soldiers who were alone, unarmed and were spending time with their families are basically frustrated and they are under pressure to prove their existence.

“When you start targeting people who are alone, unarmed and spending time with their families, (it) is a sign of frustration. There is frustration setting in, the terrorists are under pressure, they have to prove that they also exist, that is why they are doing this,” he told the media after the conclusion of the event.

General Rawat said there was no evidence of sniper rifles being used in Jammu and Kashmir.

He added, “We have had some casualties to our security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir. Whether these have been done by snipers or not, we are still studying. We have not yet recovered a sniper weapon.”

Smita Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 28

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale briefed the parliamentary standing committee on external affairs last Friday on the issue of current state of relations with Pakistan.

The Tribune has learnt that the parliamentary panel held discussions for more than two hours to understand the government’s position on Pakistan and the state of ties since the Imran Khan-led government came to power in Islamabad in August this year.

Speaking to The Tribune on the condition of anonymity, a member said several questions were thrown to the top diplomat, including where do you stand vis-a-vis the new Islamabad government? Why was scheduled meeting at the level of foreign ministers called off after announcing acceptance of the Pakistani offer of talks? How long will this policy of no engagement continue? Why is there no consistency in the Modi government policy? 

On the question of the cancelled talks, sources said, Gokhale cited a spate of killings in Kashmir after meeting announcement as the prime reason for calling it off. However, members then cross questioned as to why was a meeting still held between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her then counterpart Sartaj Aziz in Nepal along SAARC sidelines in 2016, despite the Pathankot terror strikes? And why was an investigation team from across the border, including an ISI official allowed into the forward base? Was the Modi government hoodwinked or does it reflect lack of consistency with a declared policy of ‘Neighbourhood First’, asked members.

Incidentally, while three of the BJP members in the panel attending the meeting remained largely mum, one of them did ask Gokhale as to why did PM Modi and Swaraj send congratulatory messages to Imran Khan, to which the foreign secretary replied ‘it was a customary gesture’. The Opposition party members asked if the government position of ‘talks and terror cannot go together’ is tenable?                                             A member even suggested  the ping pong style of Chinese diplomacy to be practised with cricketer turned politician Imran Khan through cricket as tool.                                                              Some members underlined that cross-border terrorism continues from the Pakistani soil. Keeping in mind this hard reality, some members advocated “some form of engagement or dialogue. The panel led by Congress’ Shashi Tharoor includes 20 members from the LS and 10 from the RS. “We got the sense that a dialogue with Pakistan is now unlikely till the 2019 General Election given the domestic political compulsions,” said a member.

Posers to diplomat 

• Where do you stand vis-a-vis the new Pak government?
• Why was scheduled meeting at the level of foreign ministers called off?
• How long will this policy of no engagement continue?
• Why is there no consistency in the Modi govt policy?

The Indian Army prides itself on fighting as per the laws of conflict. Two recent incidents contradict that.

Ever since the advent of war, soldiers have desecrated the corpses of their enemies, whether to send a message or exact revenge. However, nations and their armies were also aware that it was wrong and never formally condoned the same.

India and Pakistan fought the conventional wars of 1947-48, 1965 and 1971 generally adhering to the Geneva Conventions. India’s humanitarian handling of 93,000 prisoners of war became a model for the world. However, with the advent of proxy wars and vicious fighting along the Line of Control (LoC), the primitive practice of desecration of the bodies of dead soldiers seems to have been revived.

There have been numerous instances where the bodies of our soldiers have been desecrated by the Pakistan Army and the terrorists. What began as carrying body parts as “proof” of action seems to have become a routine ritual. The proliferation of mobile phones and an overactive media have led to gory photos and videos making their way into the public domain. An incensed public egged on by a nationalistic fervour has been clamouring for “10 heads for one head”.

Also read: Why foreign policy could be the top election issue in 2019

Beliefs, norms and honour code of warriors demand that the enemy dead be treated at par with own dead. In classical literature, Homer’s Iliad described the 12th century BC Trojan War, and captured this essence of the customary laws of war and the reality of battle.

Incensed at the killing of young Patroclus, Achilles slays Hector, ropes his body to his chariot and drags it away as shocked kin and people of Troy watch. In his own camp, he drags it 12 times around the funeral pyre of Patroclus and leaves it face down to rot, to be eventually eaten by dogs. Even the Greek gods are horrified by this immoral brutality. They intervene to preserve the corpse of Hector from being corrupted and Zeus sends word that Achilles “tempts the wrath of heaven too far” with his desire to “vent his mad vengeance on the sacred dead”. Achilles relents and hands over the body to Priam who gives a befitting funeral to his son.

In actual battles, the worst instincts of men come to the fore. Laws have been, therefore, progressively codified over centuries to act as a deterrent. Article 15 of the First Geneva Convention states, “At all times, and particularly after an engagement, parties to the conflict shall,… and to search for the dead and prevent their being despoiled”.

The Indian Army prides itself on fighting as per the laws of the conflict. India is a great advocate of “rules-based international order”. We highlight this every time Pakistan Army or its proxies mutilate the bodies of our soldiers in operations along the LoC. Last year’s ‘human-shield’ incident and two recent events, however, have severely dented this image.

Also read: Our harbours may be vulnerable for 20 years, and Indian Navy can’t do much

On 15 September, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman participated in India TV show ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ (People’s Court) as a mock accused. During the programme, the anchor asked her a loaded question. “Lekin sawal hai Pakistan ko theek karne ka. Chunav ke dauran kehte hain ki woh do sir katenge toh hum das sir kat ke layenge. Lekin ab dus toh nahin kat rahe (During the election campaign, you people had said that if they cut two heads, we will cut 10 heads. But 10 heads are not really being cut now)”.

The defence minister replied, “Nahin. Main yeh bol sakti hoon, kaat to rahe hain hum, display nahin kar rahe (No. I can only say this that we are also cutting heads off, but not displaying them)”. The statement was followed by a smug smirk.

The same day, two photographs taken after an encounter in Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir on 13 September went viral on social media. In the first photo, soldiers are seen dragging the body of a terrorist from approximately two metres with a chain tied to his feet. In the second photo, a saffron-clad person is taking a selfie with the terrorist’s body. Both actions as seen in the photos violate the standard operating procedures of the Army and the Geneva Conventions. The logic of “anti-IED/booby trap drill” does not hold good because the rope has to be at least 30 metre-long and pulled from behind a safe cover to turn the body.

View image on Twitter

The media spared the minister, but the ramifications of her naive gaffe are far-reaching. The defence minister has incriminated her own Army of violating Article 15 of the First Geneva Convention and the Customary International Humanitarian Law. Not even the Pakistan Army and its proxies have ever admitted or boasted about mutilation or decapitation of dead bodies of our soldiers. Similarly, with no formal statement on the viral photos, the Army, carried away by the mood of the nation, appears to condone the incident.

Also read: The Indian soldier feels let down by Army brass, Supreme Court and politicians

The government and the Army must forthwith issue a formal clarification to dispel the notion that we have fallen to the levels of rogue armies and terrorists. A political boast and a ‘one-off’ violation of the standard operating procedure must not give the impression that the Indian Army has lost its ‘moral compass’.

The author served in the Indian Army for 40 years. He was GOC in C Northern Command and Central Command. Post retirement, he was Member of Armed Forces Tribunal.

ECHS: Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme is to provide allopathic medicare to Ex-servicemen pensioner and their dependents

ECHS Contribution Eligible For Income Tax Exemption Under Section 80D

About ECHS

Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme

1. Historical Background. Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) was launched with effect from 01 April 2003. The Scheme aims to provide allopathic medicare to Ex-servicemen pensioner and their dependents through a network of ECHS Polyclinics, Service medical facilities and civil empanelled/Govt hospitals spread across the country. The Scheme has been structured on the lines of CGHS to ensure cashless transactions, as far as possible, for the patients and is financed by the Govt of India.

2. ECHS is a flagship Scheme of the Ministry of Defence, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare. The aim of Scheme is to provide quality healthcare of Ex-servicemen pensioners and their dependents. As on 01 May 2015, a total of 15,21,563 Ex-servicemen have enlisted with the Scheme along with 32,02,610 dependents. Total beneficiaries of the Scheme, thus amount to 47,24,173.

3. Policy framework for the Scheme is laid down by the Govt and executive control is exercised by the Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare. The Scheme is managed through the existing infrastructure of the Armed Forces so as to minimize the administrative expenditure. The existing infrastructure includes command and control structure, spare capacity of Service Medical facilities (Hospitals and Medical Inspection Rooms), procurement organization for medical and non-medical equipment, Defence land and buildings etc. Station Commanders assisted by Senior Executive Medical Officers (SEMO) exercise direct control over the ECHS Polyclinics.

4. The Central Organisation ECHS is located at Delhi and functions under the Chiefs of Staff Committee through the Adjutant General in the Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army). The Central Organisation is headed by a Managing Director, a serving Major General.

5. There are 28 Regional Centres sanctioned by the Govt, all 28 Regional Centres are functional. All efforts are being made to make the remainder Regional Centres functional at the earliest possible.

6. ECHS Polyclinics are designed to provide ‘Out Patient Care’ which includes consultation, essential investigation and provision of medicines. Specialised consultations, investigations and ‘In Patient Care’ (Hospitalization) is provided through spare capacity available in Service hospitals and through civil hospitals empanelled with ECHS.

7. Polyclinics are categorized as Type A to E, based on the number of Ex-servicemen residing in that area. They are:-

a. Type A – Above 20,000

b. Type B – Above 10,000

c. Type C – Above 5,000

d. Type D – Above 2,500

e. Type E (Mobile) – Less than 2500 (Armed Forces Polyclinics or augmented Armed Forces Clinic will be provided)

Expansion of ECHS Network

8. Expansion of ECHS network was approved by the Govt in Oct 2010 by sanctioning 182 additional polyclinics and 17 mobile clinics, making a total of 426 ECHS Polyclinics Out of 426 sanction polyclinics, 355 policlinics are operational as on 25 Jun 2013. The details are as under:-

11. Staff Authorised to Polyclinics. Contractual staff authorized to various types of ECHS Polyclinics is as under:-

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, October 5

Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Kishan Kapoor on Friday chaired a meeting for evaluating progress on making the Himachal State War Museum functional. He was talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of a function in Dharamsala. he said the previous Congress government inaugurated the project without completing it and it also did not make arrangements for recruiting staff for maintaining and running the project.

“Since the sentiments of ex-servicemen of the area are linked with the war museum, we are taking care that it is opened for public at the earliest. The state government has provided budget and made provisions for hiring staff for maintaining and running the project”, he said.The war museum at Dharamsala was inaugurated by former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh before the last Assembly elections. However, even after 11 months of its inauguration, the museum is yet to be opened for public.

Brig (retd) SL Pathak said 54 arms donated by the Army, including a tank, HP-32 Aircraft and rifles were gathering rust in the Yol Cantonment area. The war memorabilia from the Army was procured with great difficulty. However, it was unfortunate that these were not being put into the museum, he said.

The war museum was first of its kind and a tribute to martyrs, servicemen and ex-servicemen from the state especially from Kangra district. The beautiful wooden outer structure designed on old Himachali architecture by the PWD stands majestically and attracts attention of visitors.

Only the first floor of the museum has been furnished with busts of war heroes from Himachal Pradesh and Kangra district, models of gallantry medals ranging from Victoria Cross that was awarded during British India to Param Vir Chakras, Vir Chakra and other gallantry awards. The first floor of the museum also has the photos of gallantry award winners from the state.

The initial budget of the project was about Rs 9 crore. The museum was constructed to serve as an inspiration for the younger generation of the state to join the Indian armed forces and keep up the tradition of serving the country.