Fiile photo of a Guardian drone. AFP

Washington, October 22

The Trump Administration is “considering” India’s request for armed drones for its air force, weeks after approving the sale of high-tech unarmed Guardian drones to India.“Yes, yes,” a senior administration official told PTI when asked about India’s pending request about the purchase of armed drones as part of its armed forces’ modernisation drive.

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The armed drones, the Indian Air Force (IAF) believes, would help it strengthen its defence capabilities.Early this year, the IAF had requested the US Government for General Atomics Predator C Avenger aircraft. It is understood that the IAF would need 80 to 100 units making it approximately a whopping USD 8 billion deal.The Trump Administration’s consideration in this regard comes months after a successful meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump at the White House on June 26, during which the US announced to sell 22 unarmed Guardian drones to India, which would add to the Indian Navy’s surveillance capabilities in the strategic Indian Ocean region.“We are at ways to, in terms of foreign military sales, but really also in defence cooperation broadly how to strengthen our relationship and cooperation,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.The official was responding to questions on defence relationship and India’s quest for high-tech defence equipments and technologies from the US as part of its long overdue armed forces’ modernisation drive running into several hundred billions of dollars over the next decade.Previous Obama Administration had designated India as major defence partner and the Trump Administration has accelerated the process of considering Indian requests.“The US Navy and the Indian Navy have been cooperating for many years on counter-piracy efforts, on ensuring freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf,” the official said.“I think that (defence) cooperation is only going to increase based on the need for it to increase and the kind of trust that we are building through personal relationships and through a fundamental understanding that our interests aligned so clearly,” the official said.Last week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had said that in keeping with India’s status as a major defence partner and their mutual interest in expanding maritime cooperation, the Trump administration has offered a menu of defence options for India’s consideration, including the Guardian UAV.“We value the role India can play in global security and stability and are prepared to ensure they have even greater capabilities,” Tillerson had said ahead of his visit to India.He did not mention about armed drones. He, however, said “the proposals the US has put forward, including for Guardian UAVs, aircraft carrier technologies, the Future Vertical Lift program, and F-18 and F-16 fighter aircraft, are all potential game changers for our commercial and defence cooperation.” PTI

Lucknow: The Lucknow-Agra Expressway will be closed for commuters from 10 am on Monday till 2 pm on Tuesday as the Indian Air Force plans to conduct a major touchdown exercise involving 20 planes on the highway. This is for the first time that transport aircraft AN-32 will “land and then take off” from this highway. PTI

Lucknow-Agra Expressway to be closed for IAF touchdown

File photo of the Sukhoi-30 MKI jet.

Lucknow, October 22

The Lucknow-Agra Expressway will be closed for commuters from 10 am on Monday till 2 pm on Tuesday as the Indian Air Force plans to conduct a major touchdown exercise involving 20 planes, including the AN-32, Mirage 2000 and Sukhoi-30 MKI, on the highway.

This is for the “first time” that transport aircraft (AN-32) will “land and then take off” from this highway, an official said.

According to PRO, Defence (Central Command), Gargi Malik Sinha, the IAF will conduct the aircraft touchdown exercise on the Agra Expressway near Bangarmau in Unnao district.

“It is for the first time that any transport aircraft will land and then take off (on the highway). The AN-32 are meant for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The aircraft can bring a large amount of relief material and can also help in evacuating people,” Sinha said.

In all, 20 aircraft including AN-32 transport and fighter planes like Mirage 2000, Jaguar, Sukhoi 30 MKI will take part in the exercise, she said.

“Two AN-32 planes will participate in the October 24 Expressway touchdown,” the PRO said.

To ensure a smooth conduct of the touchdown by IAF aircraft, traffic restrictions will be placed on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway for general public from October 23 to October 24.

In a letter sent to district magistrate Unnao, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) Awanish Awasthi said that Indian Air Force was planning to conduct highways flying operations on October 24 on the airstrip of Agra- Lucknow Expressway in Unnao district.

The letter further said, “It is to bring to your notice that due to Diwali vacation, a lot of traffic is moving on the expressway. Hence, keeping in view the convenience of the expressway users, it is proposed to stop the use of expressway for general public from 10 am on October 23 to 2 pm on October 24”.

The CEO asked the Unnao district magistrate to ensure that sufficient police force is deployed to control the public and movement of authorised vehicles on expressway and also take measures to ensure safe flying operations on the scheduled day from 8 am till 1 pm. PTI

File photo of a Bofors gun. AFP

New Delhi, October 18

The CBI on Wednesday said it would look into the “facts and circumstances” of the Bofors scam mentioned by private detective Michael Hershmam, who alleged that the Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress government had sabotaged his investigation.

Hershman, who is the president of the US-based private detective firm Fairfax, claimed in television interviews recently that Rajiv Gandhi was “furious” when he had found a Swiss bank account “Mont Blanc”.

Hershman, who was here last week to address a conference of private detectives, also alleged that the bribe money of the Bofors gun scandal had been parked in the Swiss account.

“The agency has learnt of the matter pertaining to the Bofors aired on certain TV channels containing interview of Michael Hershman,” CBI informationa officer and spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said in a statement.

“Facts and circumstances as mentioned in the interview will be looked into as per due process by the CBI,” he said.

Hershman was quoted as telling television channels that Rajiv Gandhi got very upset when “our work was uncovered”. He then established a Supreme Court commission to look into the circumstances surrounding then finance minister V P Singh’s hiring of Fairfax.

In his interviews, Hershman has expressed his willingness to testify and help Indian agencies on the Rs 64 crore Bofors gun pay-off scandal but the effort has to be a credible one. PTI

THE absence of a dialogue can hurt, especially if the only Indian strategy to rein in Pakistan is an endless supply of verbal fusillade. Pakistan seized its moment as soon as US President Donald Trump telegraphed his appreciation for its army rescuing five Western hostages from the clutches of the Haqqani network. A day later, the Punjab government (Pakistan) told the Supreme Court that it will not press ahead with militant leader Hafiz Saeed’s incarceration for the fifth time under the anti-terrorism legislation. The Pakistan administration did not feel the need to continue with the façade of pretending to rein in one of its strategic assets once it successfully pulled off the caper of “rescuing” Western hostages from a militant organisation mentored by the spy agency, ISI. Sections of the media will make much of this let off but the fact is that Saeed and his cohorts will remain under house arrest under another law.Pakistan is currently divided over the usefulness of its resident militant leaders. The ISI wants to de-radicalise militant-linked organisations by bringing them into political processes. Saeed duly formed a political party and contested the byelections featuring former PM Nawaz Sharif’s wife. But a section of the Pakistani establishment was not pleased with this rather blatant attempt to whitewash a militant organisation. Its election commission has refused to register his political party because it has links with militants and accused by the US and India of involvement in the Mumbai attacks. This is Pakistan at its quintessential enigmatic best: If a door is shut, a window remains open.However, India under PM Modi has gone through one of the longest estrangements with Pakistan in recent times. The various dialogue formats in the past always helped resurrect the relationship after a period of bitterness. The US seemed to be siding with the Indian approach soon after Trump became President. It may not bother with India’s woes if the Pakistani army appears to be playing ball in Afghanistan. India needs to find its mojo to deal with Pakistan. Raining down verbal fire is neither helpful nor sustainable.

”Lack of response” from Chinese railways has been stated has the reason behind the delay. — Representative photo

New Delhi, October 15

An ambitious high-speed train project in south India has been delayed after Chinese railways, that completed a feasibility study a year ago, did not respond, railway officials have said, suggesting that the “lack of response” may be due to the Dokalam standoff.An internal brief of the Mobility Directorate on the status of nine high-speed projects of the railways, accessed by PTI, shows that the Chennai-Bangalore-Mysore corridor, a 492-km stretch, lies in limbo because the Chinese railways has failed to respond to the ministry’s communiqués.”The Chinese company submitted the final report in November 2016 and after that the Chinese team has suggested for a face to face interaction. No date has been fixed from their side,” said the note prepared by the Mobility Directorate.On the reason for the delay, the brief states — “lack of response” from Chinese railways.The brief also states that the feasibility study by the China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co Ltd (CREEC) was submitted to the Railway Board in November 2016 and after that the Chinese company had sought meetings with officials of the Board.However, officials say the Board has been unable to get in touch with officials of CREEC despite repeated communications sent to them via mails in the last six months.”We have even tried to get in touch with them through their Embassy here, but we are yet to hear from them,” said an official.The ministry officials said it was the standoff between the two countries in Bhutan’s Dokalam area between June 16 and August 28 this year that seems to have derailed the project.”The study began in 2014 and they submitted the report in 2016. The entire cost was borne by them. In fact they have shown so much interest in collaborating with us for other projects as well, so we think that it was the standoff that must have raised doubts,” said a senior rail official.An email to the Chinese Embassy by the PTI on the issue did not elicit any response.Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Dokalam since June 16 after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army. Bhutan and China have a dispute over Dokalam.The brief, prepared by the department in charge of all the high speed corridors, also states that except the Chinese roadblock, work on the eight other projects was on track.China had in fact not only pitched for the Mumbai- Ahemdabad high speed network, which was finally bagged by Japan, but also for the bullet project in the Mumbai-Delhi sector, which is yet to be finalised.China is also training railway engineers in heavy hauling and it is with Chinese collaboration that India is setting up its first railway university.The Chennai-Bangalore-Mysore corridor is one of nine such high speed corridors being developed by the ministry. The aim was to increase the speed from the present 80 kmph to 160 kmph.While the Delhi-Agra route was made operational in 2016 with the country’s fastest train Gatimaan Express running between the two cities, the work on rest seven of eight of 8 is going at a fast pace, the brief indicated. — PTI

THE government’s half-hearted attempt to revamp GST will neither shield it from the ongoing criticism of economic mismanagement nor help the BJP in wooing back its estranged vote bank — the trading community. The decision to cut duties on 27 items, including khakra, on the eve of Prime Minister Modi’s two-day Gujarat visit, is more political than economic. The Friday announcement also exempted jewellers from reporting data on buyers’ purchases worth over Rs 50,000, besides slashing duty on man-made fibre to mainly placate businessmen in Gujarat. This happened despite PM Modi’s emphatic statement last week that he detested the politics of announcing sops before elections. Everyone knows that he can’t afford to lose the political battle in Gujarat, his home turf. Sporadic exemptions to small businessmen and temporary relief to exporters will certainly bring them some cheer but these are not substantial enough to reverse the current economic downturn. The new tax regime is also far away from being called “good and simple tax” because of compliance hassles, technical glitches, uncertainty over refunds and unpredictability. It is feared that multiple tax slabs, exemptions under political pressure, ad hoc institutional arrangements and absence of a clear roadmap will make GST more complex and cumbersome than the previous VAT regime. It seems that officials in the Finance Ministry and members of the GST Council are ignoring the GST concept paper that promises “ease of doing business” by simplifying the tax regime with fewer exemptions, reducing multiplicity of taxes, cutting down compliance costs and so on. The new regime has already gained experience of one quarter. Data shows that out of 54 lakh registered entities, only about 10,000 have contributed two-thirds of the total Rs 94,000 crore mopped up in July. The government must find out the reasons for such a small number of contributors and devise mechanisms for better collection sans coercion. The best way is to keep the regime uncomplicated with one or maximum two tax rates, besides levying cess only on luxury goods and hazardous items. Minimal paperwork, robust IT infrastructure and friendly taxmen would certainly make it “good and simple tax”, not politically-driven tinkering

The move will help lower the age profile of combat forces. File photo

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 7

In a policy shift, the Indian Army has changed the recruitment pattern for its officers. This will positively impact career progression and lower the age profile of Colonel-above ranks.The decision has three dimensions. The University Entry Scheme (UES) that allowed young graduates to gain entry directly has been suspended for now. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)The focus  will be on Short Service Commission (SSC) officers for it is being proposed that the service be ‘sweetened’ with perks to attract more candidates. And last, the Technical Graduate Course (TGC) is being tapered off commensurate with the enhanced intake in the SSC (Technical). Top sources said the move was aimed at meeting the recommendations of the Ajai Vikram Singh Committee (AVSC), envisaging a ratio of 1:1.1 between full-time regular officers and the support cadre, largely from the SSC.The present ratio favours the regular cadre and the Army wants to reverse it to lower the age profile of combat forces. The Cabinet, acting on the AVSC report in October 2008, had approved the proposal to reduce the regular cadre. The Army, till now, allowed SSC officers to serve for 14 years. After halting two types of entries, it has now proposed new norms for the SSC cadre. This will include allowing them to serve for 20 years, making them eligible for pension and ex-servicemen  status. This means the officer will be out of the Army by the age of 40-42 with a pension and ample time for a second career. Once the final policy on a better deal for SSC officers is cleared, it will alter the available ‘selection pool’ above the rank of Colonel, in the long run.The Ministry of Defence had set up AVSC in 2001. The  idea was to achieve “combat effectiveness” by bringing down the age profile of battalion/brigade level commanders.  The  report was implemented in two phases, in 2004 and 2008. The last part on having more SSC officers was pending since then.The move will not affect the conduct of the Combined Defence Services examination through which recruitment is made to the IMA.

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 2

The portals of Hemkund Sahib, a famous sikh shrine in the Garhwal Himalayas, will close on October 10 for six months.The officials from the Department of Tourism said that so far around 3 lakh pilgrims have managed to visit the holy shrine. Hemkund Sahib shrine is located at 16,000 ft above sea level near the famous Badrinath temple in the Chamoli district. Pilgrims travel a distance of 22 km from Govindghat to reach Hemkund Sahib.