New Delhi, Nov. 9 (ANI): Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar inaugurated the Central Data Centre, Army Cloud and Digi-Locker for the Indian Army here today.

Complimenting the Army for initiating such steps as a part of the Digital Army programme he said this can be of great use for faster documentation, information and speedy delivery of services. He emphasised the need to educate and sensitise every person in the force on the advantages of such services and technological upgradation. However, he also said that maintaining, checking and securing the system was equally important.

The facility under the Army Cloud includes a Central Data Centre, a Near Line Data Centre, both in the capital and a Disaster Recovery site for replication of its critical data along with virtualised servers and storage in an environmentally controlled complex.

This is similar to the Meghraj; the Cloud of National Informatics Centre (NIC) and will provide all Information Technology Infrastructure including servers for computing, storage, network and network security equipment centrally, for automation of Indian Army. The latest technologies in the field have been incorporated in the implementation of the first ever Software Defined Data Centre, wherein all the resources could be provisioned to different applications on the Cloud, on click of a button. It has already started providing Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) to the pan Army users as the first Cloud service and will soon provide Software as a Service (SaaS).

With the launching of Digi-Locker, it will provide a secure and exclusive data storage space to all the units and formation headquarters of the Army over its dedicated data network. The Digi-Locker of Indian Army is similar to e-Locker of Digital India program and has all the advanced features like digital signatures and watermarking.

This is an important step towards implementation of cyber security as it precludes carriage of soft copies of data on CDs/DVDs and removable media. Users can store, share and access the data from anywhere any time on the Army Data Network. The infrastructure and platforms being made available for automation and digitisation will catalyse the pace of digitisation in all branches of Army and is a landmark towards transforming Indian Army from platform centric to a Network Centric Force, which would leverage the technology as a force multiplier.

In keeping with the national vision of Digital India, the Indian Army has launched a program for Digital Army with nine pillars for digitisation. Three of the nine pillars of this umbrella program, namely Broadband highways, Universal access to telephones and Army Data Network stress upon Information Technology Infrastructure development. Another three, namely e-governance, electronic delivery of services and online information for all, focus on delivery of services to all units and formation headquarters. For any modern army, the Network Centric Operations are essential for meeting enhanced challenges of asymmetry, lethality, fluidity and non-linearity in the present day battlefield. The Indian Army is addressing this key area comprehensively. (ANI)

Pension to be revised every five years (ex-servicemen wanted revision every two years)
Past pensioners to get benefits on the basis of the ones being given to 2013 retirees
Scheme will be effective from July 1, 2014
Those taking premature retirement in future will not be entitled for OROP benefits
Arrears will be paid in four equal half-yearly installments

Paramilitary solider stands guard near Ganta Ghar at Kashmir. File photo

Sandeep Dikshit
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 15

The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission has decided to ask the US Congress and State Department to pressurise the Indian Government into permitting international journalists and independent human rights organisations to assess the situation in Jammu & Kashmir for themselves.

In a hearing on the situation in Kashmir by the Congressional committee, the decks were loaded against the Indian Government’s stand on J&K — that Internet clampdown was meant to curb terrorism and the abrogation of Article 370 had ushered long-denied social justice norms.

Many of them dwelt on the deniable of religious freedom in J&K after the August 5 clampdown and Congressmen were particularly keen on grilling the witnesses on religious freedom violations. This issue is expected to find greater resonance at the December 4 hearing.The hearing was broken into two sections.

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The apex court dismissed pleas seeking review of its clean chit to the government in the deal.

New Delhi, November 14

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the review petitions against its verdict in the Rafale deal on grounds that they lacked merit, reiterating its clean chit to the Modi government in the fighter jet agreement with French firm Dassault Aviation.

The apex court also rejected the contention that there was need to register an FIR in connection with the Rs 58,000 crore deal.

The pleas had sought re-examination of the apex court’s December 14, 2018 verdict that there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets.

“We find the review petitions are without any merit,” a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices SK Kaul and KM Joseph said.

The rejection of review petitions is tantamount to the apex court giving a second clean chit to the Modi government.

Reading out the judgment, Justice Kaul said the judges had reached the conclusion that it is not appropriate to order a roving inquiry into the allegations.

Maintaining that the review petitions had sought the registration of an FIR in connection with Rafale fighter jets deal, the bench said, “We do not consider it to be a fair submission.”

“We do not find it appropriate to consider passing order for registration of FIR,” the bench said.

Justice Joseph, who wrote a separate judgment, said he agreed with the main verdict written by Justice Kaul subject to certain aspects on which he had given his own reasons.

In December last year, the apex court had dismissed the petitions seeking an investigation into the alleged irregularities in the deal.

On May 10, the apex court reserved its decision on the pleas, including one filed by former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan, seeking a re-examination of its findings.

The review petitions were filed by the trio, lawyer Vineet Dhandha and Aam Aadmi Party lawmaker Sanjay Singh.

While reserving the judgment on the review petitions, the apex court asked the Centre searching questions on its deal with France to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets on issues like “waiver of sovereign guarantee” and the absence of technology transfer clause in the inter-governmental agreement (IGA).

The bench referred to an earlier judgment, which said an FIR is a must when information revealed commission of cognizable offence.

Attorney General KK Venugopal had told the bench that “there has to be a prima facie case, otherwise they (agencies) cannot proceed. The information must disclose commission of cognizable offence”.

Justice Joseph had referred to the earlier deal and asked the Centre why the IGA on Rafale with the French administration did not have the clause of transfer of technology.

“The court cannot decide such technical aspects,” Venugopal said in response. PTI

Rahul Gandhi calls for probe by JPC after SC verdict on Rafale

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 14

The Congress on Thursday rejected BJP’s criticism on the Supreme Court verdict on Rafale and sought a probe into the jet purchase from France.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted after the verdict and sought a joint parliamentary committee probe into the deal.

Justice Joseph of the Supreme Court has opened a huge door into investigation of the RAFALE scam.

An investigation must now begin in full earnest. A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) must also be set up to probe this scam. #

The Congress said the Supreme Court expressed limitations in probing the deal and also observed that nothing stops the police to investigate a cognisable offense.

Rahul Gandhi tweeted today, “Justice Joseph of the Supreme Court has opened a huge door into investigation of the RAFALE scam. An investigation must now begin in full earnest. A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) must also be set up to probe this scam. #BJPLiesOnRafale.”

The Congress made it clear that it would raise the matter in the upcoming winter session of Parliament. Congress media head Randeep Surjewala meanwhile said the party stood vindicated on its stand in the matter and the court had left a room open for a probe.

“It is now up to the government to take this investigation into Rafale forward,” Surjewala said

No probe in Rafale deal: SC dismisses review plea

The Indian Army effectively retaliated. File photo

Jammu, November 13

Pakistani troops on Wednesday shelled forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, an official said.

The Indian Army effectively retaliated.

“At about 0700 hours, the Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing of small arms and intense shelling with mortars in Keri sector,” the defence PRO said.

The cross-border firing was going on from both sides when the reports last came in.

Pakistani troops had earlier violated the ceasefire on Tuesday by shelling forward posts and villages in Poonch district. In the retaliatory firing by Indian troops, a Pakistani Army soldier was killed, sources said. PTI

On the occasion of Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary, the British High Commissioner to India pens a note of gratitude to the community, while recognising its positive influence on UK history, politics, culture and economy

Dominic Asquith

A lot has changed since the 1950s, when Sikh settlers from Punjab earned London’s Southall its moniker of “Chota Punjab”. Southall can no longer claim to have the biggest Sikh population in the UK (although it does still boast of one of the largest gurdwaras outside of India). That’s no sign of decline — merely a reflection of the fact that the UK’s nearly half-a-million British Sikhs now live across the country, from Hounslow to Glasgow. Sikh communities are embedded into the fabric of British society. There are now direct flights to Amritsar from Birmingham and — more recently — from London. This April, the UK celebrated its first National Sikh Heritage Month.

What has remained unchanged since the 1950s, however, is the community’s positive influence on UK history, politics, culture and economy. Much as they are here in India, British Sikhs are known at home for their enterprising spirit. Lord Raminder Singh Ranger, appointed last month to the House of Lords (where he joins fellow Lords Indarjit Singh and Ranbir Singh Suri) is a telling example of that spirit. As the story goes, Lord Ranger arrived in the UK in 1971, earning minimum wage at a fast food chain. He launched his first company in 1987 out of a shed with a starting capital of just £2. Today, his business is worth over £200 million and has been awarded five consecutive Queen’s Awards.

Perhaps just as remarkable is the fact that such success is not by any means unique. Entrepreneur Reuben Singh was recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s youngest self-made millionaire in 1998 and as a Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 2003. Sikh names feature prominently on UK business awards every year. It is estimated that roughly one in three British Sikh families own a business and the community contributes over £8 billion annually to the UK economy.

It’s not just business. In addition to the House of Lords, there are also now two Sikhs in the House of Commons. In the legal field, Lord Justice Rabinder Singh became, in 2003, both the youngest judge to sit in the UK High Court and the first to wear a turban rather than a wig. In another first, he was then promoted to the Court of Appeal. In cricket, Monty Panesar was the first Sikh to represent a nation other than India when he played for England in 2006. And across the third sector, individuals such as Bhai Mohinder Singh of Guru Nanak Nishkam Seva Jatha and Surinder Kaur Ghura of Newcastle tirelessly work to promote inter-faith harmony. Bhai Mohinder was in fact honoured in 2012 with one of the highest Papal Awards for promoting better inter-faith understanding.

Embodying Guru Nanak’s teaching of service, British Sikhs have also championed a commitment to charity — dedicating nearly 65 million hours and £125 million to social causes each year. Organisations like Langar Aid, Midland Langar Seva and Niskham SWAT provide free food to the needy across the UK and internationally. Manjit Gill’s social enterprise ‘Binti’ works in 12 countries, including in the UK and India, to provide affordable sanitary pads for girls and remove the stigma surrounding menstruation. Birmingham-based Sant Baba Joginder Singh Ji Domeli Charitable Trust runs free eye surgery clinics throughout the year, including in Punjab. These are just a selection of impressive examples from the Sikh diaspora.

It would of course be remiss not to mention the long history of Sikhs in the military. More than 3,00,000 Sikh soldiers fought in the two World Wars and British Sikhs continue to serve with distinction to this day. In 2002, the names of all Sikh Victoria Cross and George Cross recipients were inscribed on the monument of the memorial gates on Constitution Hill, next to Buckingham Palace. Last year, Mandeep Kaur became the first Sikh chaplain with the Royal Air Force and Jatinderpal Singh Bhullar made headlines across the UK in 2012 when he became the first member of the Scots Guard to wear a turban instead of a traditional bearskin.

I am conscious that the UK’s complex past with India, including with Punjab, throws shadows on some parts of our history. That should not be forgotten. We must — in keeping with Guru Nanak’s teachings — remember, learn and strive to do better. And as I hope I have managed to convey, there’s much to celebrate as well. In fact, the British Sikh Report 2014 showed 95 per cent respondents were proud of their ‘Britishness’, just as the UK is proud of them.

As the world celebrates the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, I will be grateful — to his many disciples, who continue to make such a mark on British society. I hope this wealth of wonderful examples continues to define the living bridge between our communities, and our shared future.

Hall of fame

• Reuben Singh: Recognised by Guinness Book as the world’s youngest self-made millionaire in 1998
• Monty Panesar: First Sikh to represent a nation in cricket other than India when he played for England in 2006
• Lord Justice Rabinder Singh: He is both the youngest judge to sit in the UK High Court and first to wear a turban rather than a wig
• Lord Raminder Singh Ranger: Businessman, appointed last month to the House of Lords; was earlier conferred MBE, CBE
• Jatinderpal Singh Bhullar: First member of the Scots Guard to wear a turban instead of a traditional bearskin
• Mandeep Kaur: First Sikh chaplain with Royal Air Force. Born in India, she is an Amritdhari
• Bhai Mohinder Singh: Chairman of Nishkam Group of Charitable Organisations that works for social regeneration, education, health, etc.

Aiming for bull’s eye: Governor VP Singh Badnore at New Moti Bagh Gun Club in Patiala on Sunday. Rajesh Sachar

Tribune News Service

Patiala, November 3

Governor VP Singh Badnore today kick-started the third edition of the Military Literature Festival (MLF) by inaugurating the second Shotgun Shooting Championship.

The event is a joint initiative of the Punjab Government and the Chandigarh administration in collaboration with the Army.

Badnore said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh would inaugurate the main Military Literature Festival slated to be held in Chandigarh from December 13-15. He also said the event had become so popular in the past two years that it had attained the second position after the Jaipur Literature Festival.

The competitions today saw participation of young shooters from across the state, capturing the essence of military’s formidable sporting culture and ethos.

This year also prominent national and international personalities would be attending the festival, added Badnore. Lauding Captain Amarinder Singh’s visionary approach to promote sports culture in the state, he exhorted athletes to inculcate qualities of both the head and heart to succeed as true sportspersons. “These events are a perfect way to connect today’s youth with the rich history of our forces,” he said, assuring the participants of all possible assistance from the state government.

Along with other shooters, Badnore also participated in an exhibition match of trapshooting. A total of 60 shooters, including international sportspersons, are vying for honours in the skeet and trap categories at New Moti Bagh Gun Club.

Lt Gen TS Shergill, Maj Gen Sanjiv Verma, Capt Amarjeet Singh Jeji, SSP Mandeep Singh Sidhu, Bhupinder Sidhu along with students of Punjab Public School, Nabha, and Yadavindra Public School, Patiala, witnessed the event.

An art learned in two World Wars.

by Charlie Gao

Key point: The Navy has a wide variety of modern weapons to find and destroy enemy submarines.

With things heating up in the South China Sea (SCS), much attention has been paid to the ships and submarines that could potentially square off against each other in the region. This ignores a key asset of most navies that is already on the “front lines” and shaping military interactions—Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA). Skillful use of these aircraft may determine how an engagement plays out, or it could prevent one from happening in the first place.

MPA have been around almost as long as combat aircraft. Navies quickly realized the potential of aircraft when it came to patrolling the sea, as they could move far more quickly than boats and had the significant advantage of altitude.

But modern MPA use advanced sensors to detect to see far more than what can be seen with the naked eye—Magnetic Anomaly Detectors (MADs) can detect underwater submarines, and radar systems are used to detect ships that might just be specks on the horizon. Infrared/thermographic cameras allow MPA to identify vessels even at night.

MPA can also deploy sonobuoys, floating sensors that either detect noises or send out pings to find submarines. ELINT sensors can detect the radar emissions of enemy MPA or ships. All of these sensors means that MPA are incredibly useful in peacetime as well as wartime.

Michael Zehaf-Bibeau attacks the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, killing a soldier and injuring three other people.

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One way they could deter potential escalation is through detecting potential violations of EEZ or civilian ships in contested waters ahead of time through the use of radar and infrared. Since modern MPA have all-weather detection capability, they can watch for fishing vessels day and night, and give a navy an advanced warning of such violations so they can be headed off before a more violent encounter up close.

MPA also can provide critical information in tracking enemy submarine posture. While this is a more intensive and not “guaranteed” way to track submarines—as the battle between submarine stealth and submarine detection is ongoing—determining the patrol routes and positions of enemy submarines is critical information. Such intelligence may allow nations to avoid potential losses to convoy raiding (if it occurs) and set up anti-submarine warfare plans before the event of war.

In their traditional role in the detection of surface ships, MPA are critically important in the SCS region. Due to the relatively short distances between islands, MPA flying out of Japan or Taiwan could potentially track the movement of ships from base to base in China.

Basic MPA surveillance radars like the Seaspray 5000 have publicized ranges of around 200 nm. The more advanced AN/APS-115 and AN/APS-137D(V)5s mounted on Japan, and Taiwan’s P-3C MPA undoubtedly have better performance. Even with a 200 nm range, an MPA flying over the East China Sea could easily track ships moving south along China’s coast.

This could yield significant strategic intelligence on the development and deployment of Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). In addition, the ELINT suite onboard these aircraft could provide insight into the capabilities of Chinese radars.

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When Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria took over the Indian Air Force (IAF), we were wondering how time passes so quickly. As part of the family of a Pakistani army officer deputed for the Staff Course at the Defence Services Staff College Mirpur (in now Bangladesh), we had the opportunity to interact with the Bhadauria family as Rakesh Kumar was a Wing Commander doing a staff course at Mirpur, Dhaka. Our experience with Indian officers was that they were sharp, wily and hardworking, but had a complex about Pakistan which became more visible as time passed.

Coming back into present times, we have found the same complex about Pakistan, but more pronounced due to the Sanghi rule in India. RSS Bhakts and neo-Nazis have turned every ministry and department into the Sangh Parivar (family). Professionalism is taking a back seat and the Modi cult is the ultimate recipe to fix everything bad in India, whether it’s the downturn in economy, crash of Indian rupee, loss of millions of jobs or the Balakot tree strike; “Modi Hai to Mumkin Hai” (with Modi it is possible).

The February 27 counterstrike by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), which shot down two IAF intruders, including Wing Commander Abhinandan (some social media activists call him “Abhi none done”), shattered many myths regarding the Indian armed forces and the false aura they had created in the past 20 years.

With the Balakot tree strike, which killed a brave Pakistani crow and injured 10 trees, Indian politico leadership started a blitz of lies and deceits and as “Abhi none done” was “undone” by the PAF and was escorted across the Wagha border in shame, this charade of lies and deceit became a shameless cover-up. Unlike a head of any professional force, former IAF chief Dhanoa was forced to become the face of this cover-up. Despite all the twists and fake stories telling the brave intrusion of Abhinandan and shooting down of a PAF F-16, the international experts on air warfare did not buy the Indian charade of lies and Dhanoa had to do a catwalk with Abhinandan till the last day to keep up the IAF’s morale.

Bhadauria, like a true Rajput, did acknowledge part of the truth that the IAF air defence system had shot down their own helicopter right at the Srinagar Air Base and that a military court would sort out those responsible. Our advice would be to put ex-chief Dhanoa into a lie detecting test and maybe Bhadauria will have to court-martial a lot of the top brass of the IAF for covering up this blatant lie. Unfortunately, the Modi-Amit-Doval circus won’t allow that, as accountability of the military would mean accountability of the political decision makers who wanted to take advantage of the clouds to hide their radar signature.

If one looks at the PR media campaign of the Indian military after February 27, one can see a deliberate attempt on giving more space to the IAF. This campaign has four major facets.

The façade of bravado and fakery to cover up the faux pas of the Balakot incident; project IAF’s technological and numerical superiority by advertising the latest procurements on an almost daily basis; conveying to the PAF that India has taken a head lead over Pakistan in acquiring modern hardware; and lastly, showing political pooja paat as essential element of military power and use of nimboo narial and laddus (lemon, coconuts and sweets) to justify the Shastra Pooja.

Maintain the bogey of limited conventional war under nuclear overhang.

But there are sane and serious voices in India, who are cautioning the politico military leadership. Pravin Sawhney has been regularly commenting on why Pakistan is not a walkover and the fact that Chinese military has marched ahead of India in almost every field and this illusion of machismo and false bravado was of no use.

Although Balakot tree strike and the PAF counter-strike lasted for few hours, the PAF’s aggressive response sent some very strong strategic signals across the globe. Pakistan conveyed to the world that it can display a sure footed response based on political intent and was ready to climb the escalation ladder in a nuclear overhang, when it comes to territorial integrity and honour of the nation. The PAF proved that Indian technological and numerical superiority was a myth and the PAF could dominate the skies over South Asia by displaying superiority over the IAF in technical, technological, training and operational domains. The PAF also displayed unwavering faith in Allah Almighty and the cause of Pakistan.

Pakistan also re-established nuclear deterrence by a quick and bold conventional response, the mere fact that Indian politico military leadership did not venture across the LoC or the international border after 27th February proves that India chickened out in this brinkmanship.

Pakistan’s defence forces displayed that a battle-hardened force can compensate for technological or numerical asymmetry, and there is no alternative to experience.

This takes us to our last part of the paper, an advice to Air Chief Marshall Bhadauria: It’s the spirit and real force which fights in battle. The US-led coalition has the best weapon systems, smart bombs and even nuclear power, but they still failed in achieving their objectives in Afghanistan. Induction of modern weapon system is a common feature in all defence forces, but the Indian military is reminding the hapless people of India that next time they will overpower Pakistani military through numbers and technology. Is this advertisement born out of fear?

Dhanoa, the ex-IAF chief, had a peculiar habit of answering every question with the word ‘No’ and he kept lying through his teeth to convince a Bollywood Zombified audience of more than a billion people that Balakot tree strike was real and ‘Abhi Non Done’ really hit an F-16 before going down. Rakesh Bhadauria should avoid that.

The IAF has the worst air safety records in South Asia and they have lost more than a dozen aircraft in the past one year. When Modi said that he wished Rafale was there on February 27th, it was a slap on the face of the largest air force in the region. This statement by Modi points out that the IAF was unfit for war without new inductions. Should Dhanoa and his team be made accountable for this admission? While we congratulate Mrs Asha Bhadauria on becoming the Chief Parton of AFWWA (Air Force Wives Welfare Association), there is a need to control AFWAA Sazi (Fake news in Urdu) in IAF. The new IAF chief should try enroll some real pilots: Coconuts won’t work in war.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2019.

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