Beijing, December 16

On a key visit to China after his predecessor was denied visa, the head of Indian Army’s Northern Command has held talks with top defence officials here, focussing on fighting terror and maintaining peace on the Ladakh border, where many PLA incursions have occurred.Lt General DS Hooda, who is heading a six-member military delegation of top officials of his Command, arrived here on December 14 on a six-day visit to interact with his counterparts and to visit some of the military command centres which look after the India-China border.He held talks with General Qi Jianguo, Deputy Chief of General Staff, at the People’s Liberation Army Headquarters yesterday during which the two sides stressed on the need to ensure peace and tranquility along the border, an Indian Embassy statement said. Both sides hoped to further strengthen the bilateral defence exchanges by enhancing the frequency of interactions.“Both sides agreed that in the recent past, the political and military interaction between the two countries has increased which has been instrumental in achieving the aim of the leaders,” it said. — PTI

On 6-day visit to China

• Lt Gen DS Hooda, head of Army’s Northern Command, is heading a six-member delegation on a six-day visit to China
• He met Gen Qi Jianguo, Deputy Chief of General Staff, and both sides focused on strengthening defence exchanges by enhancing interaction between the two armies

NEW DELHI:  Ex-servicemen agitating over ‘One Rank, One Pension’ (OROP) issue today threatened to intensify the protest if their demands were not met by the Centre within three weeks.

The United Front of Ex-servicemen (UFES), an umbrella body of associations of ex-servicemen which is leading the protest, demanded that the Centre appoints “formally” former Army Chief and Union Minister VK Singh as the mediator between them and the government to resolve the issue “immediately”.

The veterans “gave” 15 days’ time to the government to “correct” its OROP scheme in line with the protesters’ expectations — failing which a seven-day notice period will be given to the government before the protest is intensified.

“We are giving the government 15 days’ time, requesting the government for mediation and after that we will give them seven days’ notice.

“Issue an order today itself empowering VK Singh to mediate with us and discuss the issue with us and resolve it within three-four days by removing seven discrepancies in the government OROP,” major general (retd) Satbir Singh, who is leading the protest, said.

Mr Singh made the demand during ‘Sainik Aakrosh’ rally organised by UFES at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

Aiming to mount pressure on the NDA government, the UFES urged its members to not vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming assembly elections in several including Assam.

The veterans claimed it were the votes of ex-servicemen which helped BJP improve its tally in the 2014 Lok Sabha – more than what the NDA major itself had expected, they claimed.

However, the government has “cheated” veterans by not giving the OROP they wanted and BJP had promised to give, Mr Singh said.

“You saw what happened to the party in Delhi and recently Bihar. We urge the members to not vote for it in upcoming polls now if our demands are ignored,” he added.

The UFES also called upon ex-servicemen present at the rally to boycott Republic Day celebrations this year.

Major general (retd) Singh also hit out at Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for stating that the government’s OROP formula was accepted by most of the ex-servicemen’s organisations and that only a small section had some issues with it.

“He (Jaitley) should come here and see the number of people who have turned up here,” Mr Singh said, pointing towards the gathering.

“The number would be even bigger had our other colleagues reached here in time. Jaitley claims their OROP is acceptable to most of us, it is a lie. More than 99.99 per cent of us are against it,” he claimed.

Mr Singh also challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Jaitley and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to face a debate with UFES on the issue and added that the ex-servicemen will call of the movement if proved wrong.

Mr Singh also announced the UFES rejected 7th pay commission report, saying it is over and above OROP.

The rally was also addressed by Colonel Inderjit Singh, who is considered to have begun the fight for OROP. He urged the ex-servicemen to stay “united” for their rights.

The government came out with a notification on OROP on November 7 but the veterans are still unsatisfied. They have demanded that OROP should be implemented from April 1, 2014 and not July 1, 2015 as in the government notification.
OROP principle is in perpetuity and cannot be fiddled with, they maintain.

Himanshu Kumar Lall,Tribune News Service,Dehradun, December 12

As many as 519 gentlemen cadets, including 50 from abroad, passed out from the portals of the Indian Military Academy amid a colourful ceremony here today.Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh, who reviewed the passing out parade, asked the cadets to utilise the lessons of determination and courage learnt at the prestigious institute for the service of their country.The cadets displayed their marching skills to the tunes of ‘Col Bogey’ and ‘Saare Jahan Se Achcha’ in front of the historic Chetwode Hall. Gen Dalbir Singh said the bond of camaraderie that was established among the cadets during their training would get strengthened in the future. He said the pre-commission training had prepared them to face the toughest of the challenges. He asked them to remain updated on tactics, warfare, arms and equipment.The Army Chief gave away prizes. The coveted Sword of Honour award was bagged by Lalit Thapaliyal for best all-round performance. The Gold Medal went to Abhishek Kumar Singh while Somanagouda Mulimani was awarded the Silver Medal. Among foreign cadets, Nabin Shrestha from Nepal was given the Silver Medal. The Chief of Army Staff Banner was presented to Hajipir Company.Uttar Pradesh accounted for the highest number of 74 cadets, followed by Haryana with 67 and Bihar, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan with 29 each. Of the cadets, 382 were from 137 Regular Course and 87 from 120 Technical Graduate Course and 50 from five friendly nations: Afghanistan (31), Tajikistan (10), Maldives (6), Nepal (2) and Sri Lanka (1).

210 get commissioned from OTA in Gaya

• Chandigarh: The passing out parade of the eighth batch of trainees of the Officers Training Academy in Gaya was held on Saturday with 210 new officers getting commissioned after completing one-year training
• As many as 144 cadets were from the Technical Entry Course while 66 were Special Commission Officers

Indian Army gets 469 new officers

DEHRADUN: The historic and imposing Chetwode Building of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) was the perfect backdrop to the spellbinding passing out parade of 519 gentlemen cadets of the 137 Regular and 120th Training Graduate (TG) Courses, who were the cynosure of all eyes on Saturday morning. While 469 of the cadets were commissioned in the Indian army, fifty were foreign cadets from countries like Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri Lanka.
Over 2,000 people had gathered at the venue much before the parade began. The last night drizzle had made the air nippy and there was a distinct chill which however slowly dispersed as the sun came out.
For most people though, their eyes were riveted on the majestic Chetwode Building named after Philip Chetwode, commander-in-chief of Indian forces who delivered a stirring address at the inauguration of the academy in 1932, a part of which has now become the IMA credo. Even before the parade started, the audience could hear the loud roar of the cadets, practicing at the far end of the academy.
The parade began soon after the arrival of the reviewing officer, army chief, General Dalbir Singh, who arrived on a four-horse carriage, originally belonging to the Maharaja of Patiala, which was gifted by the erstwhile royal family to the academy.
Speaking on the occasion, Gen Singh, said that he was transported back in time to 42 years ago, when as a gentleman cadet, he had participated in a similar passing out parade while graduating from the academy. “This is a very important day in your lives as you join the Indian Army and take the pledge of serving the country,” the Army chief said, advising the cadets to “lead by example.” He also quoted from the IMA credo to emphasize the responsibility which each officer had: “The safety, honour and welfare of your country come first, always and every time. The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next. Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time.”
The majestic parade came to an end after each of the cadets had taken the ‘antim pag’, the final step inside the Chetwode Building symbolising their induction as officers in the Indian Army. A highlight of the parade was the fly past of three choppers that dropped flowers on the venue from the air which lent a festive touch to the entire atmosphere.

HE WAS THE COUNTRY’S LAST SURVIVING OFFICER TO BE DECORATED WITH MAHA VIR CHAKRA TWICE

Valletta (Malta), November 28
— PTI
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has indicated that Pakistan is ready for a dialogue with India without pre-conditions for sustainable peace, according to Pakistani TV channel Geo News. Sharif is said to have given this indication during a meeting with his British counterpart David Cameron on the sidelines of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) here yesterday.
The channel reported that Sharif said Pakistan intends to maintain friendly relations with all its neighbours including India and Afghanistan. Ties have been strained between the two neighbours over border firing and a series of ceasefire violations. Talks between National Security Advisers of the two countries were cancelled in August because of a dispute over the agenda.
India wanted to discuss terror attacks and Pakistan insisted on raising Kashmir.
The Pakistani Prime Minister told Cameron that Pakistan was deeply saddened by the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and that his country, itself being a victim of terrorism, could feel the pain of the French people.
The two leaders expressed long-term commitment to work together for greater security and prosperity of their countries.
Both Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to work in partnership for countering the shared threats of terrorism.

NEW DELHI: India’s first indigenously-developed nuclear-powered nuclear attack submarine, Arihant, has successfully test fired a dummy or unarmed missile, reliable sources said.

The vital first test in ejecting a missile from its onboard silos was conducted on Wednesday, proverbially adding a feather to the cap of the Indian Navy and scientists from DRDO and BARC, the sources said. The firing was done remotely from a far away location by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC), India’s nuclear command authority which is tasked with creating nuclear deterrence.

To mention more achievements, the submarine has also successfully completed its critical diving tests, and significantly, met nearly all its design and designated parameters just about 100 percent, including the maximum possible power option tests.

It is actually good news all over, but the final step before the submarine is formally inducted in the Indian Navy as INS Arihant, will be the firing of proper missiles – albeit with unarmed warheads. Details are unavailable but this should happen soon enough as there are indications of the submarine taking part in the International Fleet Review (IFR) being hosted by the navy in February, 2016.

The boat should be operational by then. Notably, only operational ships and submarines can take part in an IFR.

The missile fired was a dummy version of DRDO’s B 5, which approximately has a range of 800 km to 1,000 km. Later, missiles with a reach of 3,500 km to 4,000 km are likely to be inducted on-board.

India plans to build some half-a-dozen Arihant class submaries in line with its nuclear doctrine which calls for No First Use but Massive Retaliation if attacked. Arihant is built with Russian designs, but this will be the country’s first nuclear attack submarine, classified in international naval lingo as SSBN.

India has one more nuclear-powered submarine, INS Chakra, leased from Russia, but that cannot fire nuclear missiles. The classification for such boats is SSN.

Like any submarine, both Arihant and INS Chakra are pearl shaped to accommodate the vertically launched missiles, and designed to move faster underwater than on the surface. They can stay deep in the darkness of the oceans for months, the only restrictions being the limits on human tolerance and availability of nuclear fuel.

It may be recalled that the project for nuclear submarines was sanctioned soon after the 1974 nuclear test by prime minister Indira Gandhi but it suffered when Morarji Desai and V.P. Singh occupied the office in the coming years.

In 1983, Gandhi once again pushed the project with required funds, but it was only in 1998, when India conducted the second round of nuclear tests, that prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee sanctioned the project afresh and a decision was also taken to involve the private sector. Larsen & Toubro, India’s premier engineering construction company, was involved right from then onwards.

L&T, as it is known, has done commendable work in gradually and systematically building a horizontal supply-chain base and meeting the DRDO and naval specifications. DRDO, or Defence Research and Development Organisation, has been in-charge of the India’s missile systems programmes throughout, which it has delivered with distinction.

Nuclear propulsion systems have been installed and managed by experts from BARC, or Bhabha Atomic Research Center Indications of Arihant’s journey have been coming out for some time, and recently, the Indian Navy chief, Admiral Robin Dhowan, mentioned the possibility of its inclusion in the IFR although he did not understandably commit anything.

The tests are done one-by-one and for a nuclear boat, every single check is critical.

KOLKATA: India’s first warship exporter, the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. (GRSE), has attracted interests from nearly a dozen countries for building warships, a top official here said on Thursday.

“We have received interest from at least a dozen countries, including the Philippines, Cyprus, Vietnam, Algeria and Egypt, for building warships,” GRSE chairman and managing director Rear Admiral A.K.Verma said.

“Countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America have shown a keen interest in our ship-building capabilities,” he added.

Verma said talks were on with these countries for building offshore and inshore patrol vessels and landing craft utility (LCU) meant for transporting equipment and troops on the shore. He said the success of CGS Barracuda – an offshore patrol vessel that was commissioned by the National Coast Guard of Mauritius earlier in the year – has established the GRSE’s shipbuilding credentials.

“Most of the countries realise that shipbuilding cost here is far less than European shipbuilders and once our technology is proven, then there will not be any problem in getting foreign orders,” Verma said.

“The export of CGS Barracuda has already generated quite an interest among foreign countries and has played a part in establishing our technology credentials,” he added.

GRSE has also been shortlisted for the tendering process for building two frigates for the Philippines Navy.

“GRSE is the only Indian shipbuilder which has been shortlisted along with two Korean and two European companies. The bidding process is expected to commence in December and we are very confident of being competitive,” he said on the sidelines of a ceremony for the handing over of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette ‘Kadmatt’ to the Indian Navy.

Kadmatt is the second of the four ASW corvettes being built at the GRSE.

The GRSE, which is currently building around 24 warships for the Indian navy, will also be entering into a contract in December with the Indian Coast Guard for building five inshore-patrol vessels.

ALLEGE DISCRIMINATORY PROVISIONS Premature retirees being kept out a sore point
Hundreds of ex-servicemen from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh participated in the rally in Fatehgarh Sahib on Sunday.

FATEHGARH SAHIB: The United Front of Ex-Servicemen organised a rally of ex-servicemen here on Sunday to protest against the provisions of ‘one rank, one pension’ (OROP) notification issued by government.
Hundreds of ex-servicemen from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh participated in the rally in Fatehgarh Sahib on Sunday.
Hundreds of ex-servicemen from Punjab , Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh participated in the rally.
The protesters shouted slogans against the Prime Minister and the defence minister and accused them of deceiving the ex-servicemen.
Maj Gen (retd) Satbir Singh, who has been on the forefront in the OROP agitation, led the rally.
He said the provision in the OROP notification that if someone took premature retirement, he would not be entitled to benefits under the OROP scheme, was unjustified. “This is not acceptable to ex-servicemen,” he added.
According to an earlier announcement, all the soldiers and officers, who opted for earlier retirement, were excluded from benefits, but later, the government included those, who had already taken retirement, and excluded those who would do so in future. Satbir Singh said, “All armymen served equally, so all should be included. The provision is not in the interest of a young army.”
“If someone, who wants to take premature retirement, is forced not do so in view of financial benefits and continues in service, it will ultimately lead to an army of elderly.”
“The notification says that the burden on the exchequer will amount to `8,300 crore, which if divided among all defence pensioners, will benefit each by around `950 per month in the basic pension. The notification further states that the expenditure will increase to more than `10,000 crore in the coming years, which is absolutely wrong as dearness allowance (DA) will be zero with effect from January 1, 2016 and the burden will be only of `950 to each of of 25 lakh pensioners, which amounts to `23,750 crore. This is just peanut in a likely bill of over `4 lakh crore,” said Kuldip Singh Grewal, president, SEWA.
“It will affect 60% ex-servicemen adversely if this notification is implemented. The government is trying to deceive us,” said Maj Gen (retd) Satbir Singh.