Raipur, April 9

Naxals targeted a bus ferrying nearly 30 jawans with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur, leaving two of them dead and five injured, the second attack on Monday ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the district on Saturday.Earlier this morning, Naxals had triggered twin IED blasts and opened fire on a patrolling team of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Bijapur-Bhopalpatnam road in the district that led to a gun-battle. However, no casualty was reported on either side in that incident.The explosion targeting the bus occurred near Godma village, around 450 km from the state capital, when the jawans were out on an anti-Maoist operation, police said.“Two jawans belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) were killed and five others sustained injuries in the explosion,” a senior police official told PTI.The IED blast damaged the front portion of the bus, which was carrying a squad of at least 30 jawans.The personnel sitting in the front side bore the brunt of the explosion, he said.Additional personnel were rushed to the spot soon after the incident and the injured jawans were taken to a hospital in Bijapur, he said.

Further details are awaited.

Notably, the security forces have intensified search operations in the forest in view of the prime minister’s visit to Bijapur scheduled on April 14. — PTI

The PLA has deployed a new patrol boat to the Pangong Lake in Ladakh, which has a top speed of 40 km per hour and can resist ice collisions. File photo

Beijing, April 9

China’s military is bolstering the management of its border defence by developing new types of equipment, including a satellite early-warning system that can be used to monitor border areas in all environments, according to official media reports.

A satellite early-warning monitoring system is planned in some border areas that are in dispute or are difficult to enter and patrol, state-run Beijing Evening News reported on Sunday.

A surveillance camera network has also been built in border zones and the density of coverage is set to increase to cover blind spots, the report said but did not mention which, or if all, of China’s border regions are covered.

The Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China covers 3,488 km, which includes Arunachal Pradesh, claimed by China as part of southern Tibet.

The informatisation and mechanisation of equipment, vehicles and monitoring methods of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) border defence will give an early-warning of any risks to security as well as overcoming previous blind spots, Song Zhongping, a military expert was quoted as saying by the Global Times.

The PLA has to increase the level of automation of its equipment, Song noted. This will include using drones and tracking vehicles to conduct patrols and setting up unmanned monitoring systems, which means border regions will come under continuous monitoring and control.

To cater to various geographic environments along China’s long borders, the PLA has developed equipment that can be used in water, in the air or on land, Song said.

While reporting about the new border monitoring system, the Global Times mentioned the Pangong Lake in Ladakh, where skirmishes took place between Indian and Chinese troops after border guards foiled an attempt by Chinese soldiers to enter the Indian territory in August last year.

The PLA has deployed a new patrol boat there, which is made of non-metallic materials, the report said. The craft has a top speed of 40 km per hour and can resist ice collisions.

A type of heavy scout vehicle, called the “wild ox,” capable of accommodating 17 full-armed soldiers, has been deployed to a border defence regiment in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, which shares a border with three countries.

Besides a BeiDou satellite navigation system, akin to that of US Global Position System (GPS), the vehicle also has a real-time communication system installed.

The scout vehicle also has water filters, a kitchen and a toilet so it can conduct patrols in tropical environments.

The report also implied that in the jungles of Yunnan, the sparsely populated deserts of Xinjiang and the high plateaus in Tibet, PLA troops began using drones to patrol more areas than 10 years ago, which has resulted in a 25-fold increase in efficiency.

Border defence troops in Koktokay, in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, have recently tested more than 20 types of new equipment.

Koktokay in northern Xinjiang and bordering Mongolia has an average temperature of -20 degree Celsius in winter.

A new type of bottle that can keep water hot for 24 hours has been issued to soldiers in Koktokay.

The troops garrisoned at Koktokay have also tested other new equipment such as cold-proof blankets, tents and snow camouflage suits.

“Logistics support is the main guarantee to generate combat capability,” Song said.

“These changes all benefit from China’s increasing military technology ability and innovation,” Song noted.

Previous reports said guard rails have been set up along the border to prevent terrorists sneaking into China through Xinjiang’s Kashgar, a prefecture that shares a border with Afghanistan, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Kyrgyzstan.

China has ramped up security along the Xinjiang border to prevent the crossings of militants of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) active in the province. PTI

Chandigarh, April 3

The Western Command has taken an initiative of imparting self-defence training to families of serving armed forces personnel. The step has been taken in view of the recent attacks on Army camps at Sunjuwan and Nagrota where families of serving defence personnel became a soft target for the militants.The Electronics and Mechanical Engineers’ unit at Chandimandir organised a special session where trained professionals from a martial art academy demonstrated self-defence skills to women and children residing in the station.Families of Army personnel are permitted to stay in some military stations and camps in Jammu and Kashmir and they are accommodated in quarters located in a separate enclosure.In the Sunjuwan terror attack in February, the terrorists were cornered in one of the family quarters and about 150 residential houses within the complex were reportedly evacuated. In addition to the killing of two Army personnel, nine people, including five women and children were injured.A “hostage-like” situation was created when terrorists attacked an Army unit in Nagrota in 2016 and moved towards the mess complex. Two women, two children and 12 personnel were later rescued. Even during the terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force station in 2016, a large number of IAF personnel’s families were present inside.

Islamabad: In a first, senior Indian military officials and diplomats posted here attended the military parade to mark the Pakistan Day, a report said on Friday. This was part of Pakistan Army chief’s initiative to send across a message of peace to New Delhi. Indian deputy high commissioner JP Singh and Defence and Military Adviser Brigadier Sanjay P Vishwasrao (in pic) were among those who attended the event. PT

Cadet Preeti Choudhary from Panipat receiving the coveted Sword of Honour during the passingout parade at Officers Training Academy in Chennai on Saturday. Another cadet from Haryana, Vreeti, was awarded the silver medal. Among other Lady Cadets who came off with flying colours was Neeta Deswal, wife of Major Amit Deswal from Jhajjar who was martyred while fighting insurgents in Manipur in 2016.

Greater defence cooperation in Indian Ocean | Move aimed to check Beijing’s influence in Indo-Pacific

Joining Hands: French President Emmanuel Macron (centre), his wife Brigitte Macron, President Ram Nath Kovind, his wife Savita Kovind (left) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold hands during Macron’s ceremonial reception in New Delhi on Saturday. Tribune Photo: Mukesh Aggarwal

Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 10

Two decades since India, then facing heat from western nations in the aftermath of nuclear tests, signed its first strategic partnership with France in 1998, the partners today stepped up cooperation in the Indian Ocean significantly. French President Emmanuel Macron and PM Narendra Modi at delegation-level talks agreed on a reciprocal logistics agreement between their armed forces as well as a joint strategic vision document on the Indian Ocean region. This is along the lines of a vision document announced with the US on the Indo-Pacific in 2015. The agreement with France will facilitate authorised port visits by naval vessels and reciprocal logistics support during joint exercises, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)“I consider today’s agreement on reciprocal logistics support between our armies as a golden step in the history of our close defence cooperation. Second, both of us believe that in future the Indian Ocean region will play a very important role in the happiness, progress and prosperity of the world,” said Modi. With China expanding military bases in the Indo-Pacific from Hambantota to Djibouti, the two countries shared their concern on “respect of international laws by all states, in particular freedom of navigation and overflight.”India has a coastline of 7,500 km, more than 1,380 islands and 2 million sq km of exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the region. France has a military base in Reunion Island and 1.6 million of its citizens reside in the territory owned in the Indo-Pacific, including a 9.1 million sq km of EEZ. Indian and French space agencies will now provide end-to-end solution for detection, identification and monitoring of vessels in the region. “We do not want militarisation of the region but our partnership will add to the stability of the region,” remarked Macron. Overall, 14 agreements were exchanged between the two sides, including on exchange and reciprocal protection of classified or protected information and finding a way forward to expedite the stalled Jaitapur nuclear power plant to be built by the French state-controlled EDF. Once installed, it will be the largest nuclear power plant in the world with a total capacity of 10,000 MW. Transfer of technology, guaranteed fuel supply for the plant and liability issues have been sticking points in negotiations that began in 2009.On counter-terrorism, the joint statement names groups including Al-Qaida, ISIS, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba with an agreement to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts at multilateral fora such as the UN, Financial Action Task Force) and G20.14 agreements signed; Jaitapur N-plant, counter-terrorism on list

• In all, 14 pacts were signed between the two sides, including one on finding a way forward to expedite the stalled Jaitapur nuclear power plant contract
• To be built by the French State-controlled EDF, it will be the largest nuclear power plant in the world with a capacity of 10,000 MW
• Pact on strengthening counter-terrorism efforts at multilateral fora, such as the UN, Financial Action Task Force and G20

This provides for 100 per cent of last-paid emoluments as pension to the family of the dead soldier. File photo

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March9

Armed forces personnel getting killed or injured while being deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)  with China will now be covered under what is classified as ‘liberalised family pension’.This provides for 100 per cent of last-paid emoluments as pension to the family of the dead soldier. Normally, family pension provides for 30 per cent of the last-paid emoluments.The 3.488-km LAC runs along an east-west axis along the Himalayan ridgeline and is the de facto border with China. India has committed almost 1.7 lakh troops to the area.  Liberalised family pension has been in existence for Army personnel working on the LoC/International Border (IB) with Pakistan. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had promised to extend the liberalised family pension to LAC; a formal order was awaited and the Ministry of Defence issued it on March 7.The order amends the pension policy of February 2011. The amendment says: “Accidental death/injury sustained due to natural calamities such as flood, avalanches, landslides, cyclone, fire and lightning or drowning in river while performing operational duties/movement in action against enemy forces and armed hostilities in operational area to include deployment on international border or Line of Control or Line of Actual Control.”