The projects comprised 22 bridges including the Siyom Bridge, three roads and three other projects

PTI

New Delhi, January 3

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday dedicated to the nation 28 infrastructure projects including bridges and roads in strategically-key areas of Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Jammu and Kashmir among others to boost military preparedness and spur socio-economic growth.

The defence minister unveiled the projects, built at a cost of Rs 724 crore, at a function held at the Siyom bridge on the Along-Yinkiong road in Arunachal Pradesh, in his first visit to the border state that came three-and-a-half weeks after an attempt of transgression by the Chinese troops in the Tawang sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The projects comprised 22 bridges including the Siyom Bridge, three roads and three other projects. Eight of these projects are in Ladakh, five in Arunachal Pradesh, four in Jammu and Kashmir, three each in Sikkim, Punjab and Uttarakhand and two in Rajasthan, according to the defence ministry.

In his address, Singh also made an indirect reference to the Chinese PLA’s attempts of transgressions along the LAC.

“Recently, our forces effectively countered the adversary in the Northern sector and dealt with the situation with bravery and promptness. This was made possible due to adequate infrastructural development in the region,” he said.

“This motivates us even more for the progress of far-flung areas,” he said.

There has been a fresh spike in tensions between India and China after troops from the two sides were engaged in a clash along the LAC at Yangtse in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh on December 9..

On December 13, Singh told Parliament that the Chinese troops tried to “unilaterally” change the status quo in the Yangtse area but the Indian Army compelled them to retreat by its firm and resolute response.

He described the projects as a testament to the concerted efforts of the government and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) towards the development of border areas in order to enhance the operational preparedness of the armed forces and ensure socio-economic development of the far-flung regions.

Apart from the infrastructure projects, Singh also inaugurated three telemedicine nodes, two in Ladakh and one in Mizoram.

“The world is witnessing a number of conflicts today. India has always been against war. It is our policy. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew the world’s attention to that resolve when he said ‘this is not the era of war’,” Singh said.

“We do not believe in war, but if it is forced upon us, we will fight. We are ensuring that the nation is protected from all threats. Our Armed Forces are ready and it is heartening to see that the BRO is walking shoulder-to-shoulder with them,” he said.

In a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand on September 16, Modi nudged him to end the Ukraine conflict and said “today’s era is not of war”.

In his remarks, the defence minister asserted that it is the top priority of the Modi government to connect the border areas and ensure the development of its residents.

The event at Along-Yinkiong Road witnessed the physical inauguration of the strategically-important Siyom Bridge, while the other projects were dedicated virtually.

The bridge is a state-of-the-art 100-meter long steel arch superstructure.

Singh also highlighted the crucial role played by the BRO in bolstering India’s security through infrastructure development in border areas.

Terming infrastructure development as a game changer for the people residing in border areas, Singh lauded the BRO for ensuring socio-economic development in far-flung regions.

He stressed that the government is paying special attention to the development of the Northeastern region, which has strengthened the country’s security system.

For the BRO’s relentless efforts to support the armed forces and the local people, he also coined a new phrase “BRO is the nation’s bro (brother)”.

Quoting a famous phrase ‘It’s not the destination, it’s the journey’, he said the construction of road infrastructure in border areas is a journey for BRO and a strong and prosperous India should be its destination.

With the inauguration of these 28 projects, which were completed in 2022, a total of 103 infrastructure projects of BRO were dedicated to the nation in the year at a total cost of Rs 2,897 crore.

In October last year, 75 projects, worth Rs 2,173 crore, were inaugurated by Singh from Shyok village in Ladakh.

In 2021, 102 such projects built by the BRO at a cost of Rs 2,229 crore were dedicated to the nation by Singh.

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PTI

New Delhi, January 3

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has now allowed residents to update addresses in Aadhaar online with the consent of their head of family, an official statement said on Tuesday.

The new process can be initiated after submitting proof of relationship documents like a ration card, mark sheet, marriage certificate, passport, etc, mentioning the name of both the applicant and head of family (HOF) and the relationship between them. The process requires OTP-based authentication by the HOF.

In case proof of relationship document is not available, UIDAI provides the resident to submit a self-declaration by the HOF in the UIDAI-prescribed format, as per the statement.

“The HoF-based online address update in Aadhaar will be of great help to the relative(s) of a resident like children, spouse, parents, etc., who don’t have supporting documents in their own name to update the address in their Aadhaar. With people moving cities and towns due to various reasons within the country, such a facility will be beneficial for millions of people,” the statement said.

The new option to update address is in addition to the existing address update facility using any valid proof of address document prescribed by UIDAI.

“Any resident above the age of 18 can be a HOF for this purpose and can share his or her address with his or her relatives through this process,” the statement said.

Residents can visit the ‘My Aadhaar’ portal for updating addresses online

Following this, the resident will be allowed to enter the Aadhaar number of the HOF, which will only be validated. No other information of the HOF’s Aadhaar will be displayed on the screen to maintain adequate privacy of HOF.

Post successful validation of the Aadhaar number of HOF, the resident will be required to upload the proof of relationship document.

“Residents have to pay a fee of Rs 50 for the service. On successful payment, a service request number (SRN) would be shared with the resident, and an SMS would be sent to the HOF about the address request.

“The HOF is to approve the request and give his or her consent by logging into the My Aadhaar portal within 30 days from the date of receiving the notification and the request will be processed,” the statement said.

If the HOF rejects to share her or his address or does not accept or decline within the stipulated 30 days of SRN creation, the request would be closed.

The resident, seeking an address update through this option, will be informed about the closure of the request via an SMS. In case the request is closed or rejected due to non-acceptance of the HOF or rejected during the process, the amount shall not be refunded to the applicant, the statement said.

PTI

Chandigarh, January 3

The Army’s bomb disposal experts on Tuesday removed the live explosive, which was found a day earlier close to the helipad used by Punjab and Haryana chief ministers here, an official said.

Earlier in the day, the experts of the Army reached the spot where the live explosive was found.

After examining the object, the experts decided to take the shell with them, Sanjeev Kohli, nodal officer, disaster management, Chandigarh, told reporters here.

“The Army’s expert team took the decision. They are taking it to the (Army’s Western) Command (near here),” he said.

When asked if the bomb would not be defused here, Kohli said, “They will take it to the command. They have to analyse it — it is a technical part of their process after which they will (defuse it)”.

The shell was seen being carried in an Army vehicle with police escort vehicles accompanying it.

Another official present at the site said, “In view of public safety, it (the bomb) will be handled at some isolated place.

The experts used a robotic device to remove the explosive from the spot where it had been secured in a ‘bomb basket’ (drum).

They examined the live shell in protective gear inside a police cordon. A fire tender and an ambulance were stationed at the spot in the morning. They were also seen engaging in discussions with the police and administration officials before the bomb was removed.

The area where the bomb was discovered lies in Chandigarh, close to the Chandigarh-Punjab border.https://45cdea5d19047fb4700389866458855e.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

The bomb was found in a mango garden on the Nayagaon-Kansal T-point, which is about a kilometre away from the helipad and about two kilometres from the official residences of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar.

The police questioned several people, including many scrap dealers in nearby areas, for clues on how the bomb could have reached the mango garden where it was found on Monday, sources said.

As soon as the police received information that a bomb-like object had been found in the high-security area, they reached the spot and cordoned off the area.

The local administration later informed the Army. 

he din over Cabinet approval of OROP arrears to be paid from July 2019 to June 2022 is deafening. The Prime Minister is being depicted as Santa Claus and the Union Home Minister is praising farmers and soldiers. Apparently the leaders are concerned about the revival of the farmer agitation and soldiers’ votes on account of OROP, SPARSH and degradation below police forces, even as the understanding of soldiers does not pertain to the military per se. The defence minister remains a nonentity, more worried about his fate beyond 2024. Also Read – A Relook at 2022: Was It Good For The Indian Military? The government announcement has come after the order from the Supreme Court , and defeat in Himachal Pradesh which contributes a large, if not the maximum, manpower for the Armed Forces. But how and when the arrears will be paid remains ambiguous, because the government dances to the tune of the bureaucracy – the expansion of Defence Estates and PCDA being proof enough. Rajnath Singh and the Nightingale (a.k.a Bulbul) Sitharaman may yet declare that the government has no money and these payments would seriously jeopardise national security though we did not lose even one inch territory to the Chinese in Ladakh during 2020. Also Read – Can A Proxy War Defeat Russia? Veterans and Veer Naris should remember: Hanooz Dilli Door Ast, considering the following. The OROP warranted yearly revision but this was nor done on pretext of difficulties in calculations, despite blowing the trumpet of digitisation and more significantly doing yearly revision of OROP for civil services and civilian-defence employees. To ward off yearly OROP revision, the BJP announced five-yearly revision (first one in 2019) but has been dragging its feet since then. Also Read – Hombre Heroes and Ukrainian Peace The SC has directed to pay the arrears within a specific time frame in one installment. The Cabinet approval to pay arrears in four installments is in violation of the SC directive and amounts to Contempt of Court. Approval of the SC will also be required to cover the delay beyond Dec 15, 2022 and the case is likely to be heard by the SC on January 2, 2023. Maximum delay will be tried by the government because NO interest would be paid for delayed payments, as should be admissible. Also Read – Sania Mirza – Shattering Glass Ceilings The government possibly intends time bound payment of the four installments with the state elections over the next few months, the last installment perhaps just before the general elections, even though the next five-yearly OROP revision would be due in 2024. There is no dearth of money in India if it is not wrongly utilised. The government has no hesitation in giving yearly OROP revision to all IAS, IPS and Group ‘A’ services who also retire in the HAG/above pay scale, simply by tweaking the definition of pension and the cacophony of NPS. Money is in abundance for them despite their cumulative strength being far in excess than that of the Armed Forces. Same goes for the governmental-defence institutions and pays, perks and pensions for civil employees. Over 80 percent of military personnel compulsorily retire at 35-40 years of age. Military batch-mates of all civilian employees including CAPF retiring this year, were retired 20-25 yrs back. Thus the pay of civilians is upgraded in 20-25 additional years – implying civilians retire with 10-15 times higher pay or average 12 times higher. Besides, every civilian is going to retire with a pension till about 2036. Bonded by the bureaucracy, the government would be hard pressed to explain that if a veteran can be promoted and appointed the Chief of Defence Staff, why is the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW), which is the bane of veterans and veer naris, not headed by or primarily manned by veterans? The second question is how are veer naris and old veterans who are not computer savvy expected to get their pensions from the wretched SPARSH system, leave aside the arrears on account of OROP revision which may not be paid to them, when even officers are not able to use it? Acknowledging the glitches in SPARSH and describing some problems in migration to SPARSH, Defence Secretary Giridhar Armane has urged the PCDA on December 14, 2022 to make it more user friendly. But what about the accountability and culpability of his predecessor, and the PCDA, for introducing this system without thorough assessment of ground realities? Did Ajay Kumar on extended tenure deliberately rush this through as a parting blow to cripple military pensions? Was it enough for Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to pose for photo-ops while launching SPARSH without bothering about the demon he is releasing? A scholar-veteran wrote, “pension is for old veterans and their families to live a smoother life and needs to be paid regularly without unwarranted hassles. Pension is primarily the deferred wages and no charity imposing various restrictions at sweet will. To expect old veterans to be well versed in modern digital know-how is nothing but a mirage – a hallucination like Alice in Wonderland which is unwarranted. When officers themselves cannot load their data in the desired manner, how can one expect aged illiterate veer naris living in remote areas to do the same?” Another veteran-scholar says Defence Accounts failed to give TCS (the software developer) requisite user requirements. If SPARSH is to disburse pensions like the 32 CPPCs of banks in the legacy system, then Defence Accounts should have given detailed thought how to disburse pensions to 33 lakh pensioners plus 60,000 to 70,000 pensioners added every year. The CGDA and PCDA (Pensions) Prayagraj should have jointly worked out a workable flow chart to cater for various categories of pensioners – in veteran pensioners and veer naris. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Details of those not getting pension and all the contingencies SPARSH does NOT cater for would need a few pages. To read the full impact of the damages SPARSH is wreaking on veterans and vie naris readers need to read Page 13 of the Fauji Magazine. Following complaints of ESM not getting medicines at ECHS polyclinics, a DG ECHS wrote on Facebook three years ago that veterans and widows can ring him up in such cases; an impractical suggestion to say the least. Now some Doctor Know Alls are suggesting on social media that those veterans and veer naris on SPARSH who are not getting pensions should write to the PMO, even through a postcard – talk of frogs in the well! The mighty bureaucrats sitting in plush offices have no idea of what remote areas are. Take the case of an ESM from my unit who hails from Village Jaganpura in Madhya Pradesh. He needed a certificate of his own dependency from the ECHS clinic which is 60 km away through rough roads. He had to make three trips just to get that certificate signed from the OIC of the ECHS. Imagine the misery if a disabled veteran or a Veer Nari were to undergo this exercise. The so-called savings through SPARSH would be far less than what is being expended on expansion of Defence Accounts and setting up of SPARSH-related centres. The OROP and its revision is not any largesse, charity or a christmas gift but a right sanctified by the Indian Parliament. Chanakya had once warned: “the day the soldier has to demand his dues will be a sad day for Magadha for then, on that day, you will have lost all moral sanction to be King!” Ironically, those drunk with power care two hoots about what Chanakya said and consider veterans and veer naris loathsome; unaware that their curses may come back to bite some day, especially by way of elections in states that contribute manpower for the Armed Forces. Finally, politicians are ready to sell their souls and roughshod even the wily bureaucrats who hold them to ransom. The Armed Forces need to make voting “compulsory” for soldiers, which is their fundamental right and every soldier is authorised to vote in state and general elections at the place of his posting. How politicians react to soldiers’ voting can be read here. No doubt there have been ‘sporadic’ occasions of soldiers voting, but woefully no Service Chief has shown the guts to ensure that every soldier votes. Politicians are worried their vote-bank calculations would go awry if all soldiers vote; and this not change even if all possible means are used to alter soldiers’ allegiance from the Constitution to a political party, China-style. However, with “deep selection” now even down to Corps Commander/Equivalent level, Service Chiefs making voting compulsory for soldiers would be rarity. Lt General Prakash Katoch (Retd) is an Indian Army veteran. Views expressed are the writer’s own.

Move aims at making properties more affordable

Canadian Housing Minister Ahmed Hussein said, “The legislation ensures that housing is owned by Canadians only. The benefits will flow to everyone who lives in Canada.”

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau had proposed a temporary two-year ban during the 2021 election campaign to make more homes available to locals who are facing high housing prices.

Home prices had risen after the start of the pandemic due to the low interest rates and Trudeau’s party, sensing a hot political potato, had said one of the reasons was that profiteers, wealthy corporations and foreign investors were exploiting the situation. After a narrow electoral win, the Canadian Government in June passed the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act.

Permanent residents can purchase property

• Refugees and permanent residents can buy homes and the ban will not apply to recreational properties such as summer cottages
• Home prices had risen after the outbreak of the Covid pandemic due to the low interest rates

US overtures emboldening Pakistan to foment trouble

THE new year has started on a tragic note for Jammu and Kashmir. Four civilians were killed when terrorists fired at three houses of members of a community at Dhangri village in the border district of Rajouri on Sunday evening. The next day, two children were killed in an IED explosion near the house of a victim of the Dhangri attack. The two incidents, clearly aimed at disturbing peace and scuttling the resumption of the electoral process in the UT, come on the heels of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s statement that terrorism cannot be used as a tool to force India to the negotiating table. In a thinly veiled attack on Pakistan, he asserted last week that India wanted good neighbourly relations with everybody, but this did not mean ‘excusing or looking away or rationalising terrorism.’ Jaishankar had done some more plain-speaking in his address at the UN a fortnight ago — he had called Pakistan the epicentre of terrorism and asked it to clean up its act, while recalling Hillary Clinton’s remark that ‘if you keep snakes in your backyard, you can’t expect them to bite only your neighbours.’

The killings in J&K make it evident that Pakistan continues to aid and abet terrorism in pursuance of its old policy of ‘bleeding India with a thousand cuts.’The onus has always been on the neighbour to turn off the terror tap. What’s worrying for India is the dubious role being played by the US. Ned Price, US State Department spokesperson, said recently that both India and Pakistan were indispensable to his country. The US is giving the impression that it is keen on a ‘constructive’ dialogue between the two countries; nevertheless, Washington is reluctant to tell Islamabad to mend its ways. Last year’s F16 deal with Pakistan left no room for doubt that America has no qualms about running with the hare and hunting with the hounds.

The restoration of peace in J&K is a must to create a conducive atmosphere for the conduct of the long-delayed Assembly elections. India must up the ante against Pakistan on international platforms and at the same time see through America’s designs.

New Delhi, January 2

China’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang has blamed Taiwan and Japan for triggering the ongoing crises but maintained a neutral stance on the border dispute with India and the South China Sea.

The tension across the Taiwan Strait was not created by the Chinese mainland breaking the status quo, but by “Taiwan independence’’ separatists and external forces continually challenging the status quo of “one China’’, he wrote in an article.

In the case of the East China Sea, it was Japan who attempted to “nationalise’’ Diaoyu Dao (island) ten years ago, altering the status quo between China and Japan of agreeing to put aside differences, he said.

In the South China Sea, he said the status quo is that regional countries are consulting on a code of conduct that will lead to meaningful and effective rules for the region.

On the border issues between China and India, he said “the status quo is that both sides are willing to ease the situation and jointly protect peace along their borders.’’

China, he wrote, is highly concerned about the situation in Ukraine which reveals some important lessons: conflicts and wars produce no winner; there is no simple solution to a complex issue; confrontation between major countries must be avoided.

“The most urgent task for the moment is to promote peace talks between Russia and Ukraine as well as dialogue between the US, the EU, NATO, and Russia. In the long term, people must realise that grounding one’s own security on other countries’ insecurity won’t work; it is necessary to establish a balanced, effective, and sustainable European security framework. There is no choice other than this,’’ he observed.

Incidents targeting Shiite minority up | Explosion days after 4 killed in Taluqan city

Kabul, January 1

At least 10 persons were killed and eight others seriously injured in an explosion that rocked the Kabul military airport on Sunday, a Taliban interior ministry spokesperson confirmed.

Spokesperson Abdul Nafee Takkur reported that an explosion caused injuries close to the military airport’s main gate in Kabul. No one has taken responsibility for the attack as of yet.

This explosion comes three days after four people were injured in a blast that rocked Taluqan city, the capital of northern Takhar province on Wednesday.

The military airport is around 200 metres (219 yards) from the civilian airport and close to the Interior Ministry, itself the site of a suicide bombing last October that killed at least four people.

Taliban security commander Abdul Mubin Safi in Takhar confirmed the explosion and stated that a bomb was placed under a local administrative staff’s desk, as per official reports.

Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor said the blast left several people dead and wounded. He gave no exact figures or further information about the bombing, saying details of an investigation will be shared later.

Local residents said a loud explosion was heard before 8 am in the vicinity of the military side of the heavily fortified airport. They said the area had been sealed off by security forces, and all roads had been closed. The Taliban-run administration has been faced with a bloody insurgency waged by the Islamic State militant group, which has in recent weeks targeted a number of key installations in Kabul, including the Russian and Pakistani embassies as well as the office of the country’s former prime minister

In the past few months, the war-torn county has witnessed increasing security incidents including explosions.

The regional affiliate of the Islamic State group — known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province — has increased its attacks since the Taliban takeover in 2021.

Targets have included Taliban patrols and members of Afghanistan’s Shiite minority. Although Taliban security forces prevented photography and filming directly at the blast site, the checkpoint appeared damaged but intact. — Agencies

The solution to end foreign dependency in the aviation sector is not simple, but there are options available. All that is required is a clutch of professionals who are empowered, an aviation ‘national flight plan’ and political will to bring about the required changes. The conversation should not be limited to mere production of C-295 transport aircraft.

Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (Retd)

Former Additional Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies

THE C-295 transport aircraft acquisition project of the IAF has been a long time coming and has been hailed as a ‘trailblazer’; what is a bit overwhelming, though, is that it has been projected as a panacea for the ills that affect our aircraft industry environment. Let’s take stock.

It is indeed a good thing to happen. That it took more than seven decades after the establishment of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is what calls for serious introspection, which if not done will ensure continuance in the same old pit of foreign dependency.

When the HAL was set up, there were great hopes of an indigenous aircraft industry taking root. Dr Kurt Tank, famous German aeronautical engineer, was brought in to kick-start India’s foray into modern fighter aircraft design. But his product, HF-24 Marut, remained a symbol of India’s aeronautical dreams and didn’t achieve much for want of a suitable engine. This was also indicative of the lack of an overarching plan for developing India’s aeronautical R&D and manufacturing ecosystem.

No aircraft manufacturing project would be economically viable only on domestic orders. While the C-295 would be an ideal replacement for IAF’s An-32 aircraft when they are phased out, the number would still be insufficient unless export customers are found. Incidentally, the fact that 15 additional C-295 are now being ordered for the Navy and Coast Guard shows that we have not learnt from past experience; if these 15 had been added in the original order of 56 aircraft, it would have resulted in a reduction of the cost per machine due to the increased number.

The conversation should not be limited to mere production of C-295. For the project to be really successful, the Tatas (the Indian manufacturer) must move into R&D so that the question ‘what after C-295?’ gets addressed. This is what that should engage the company’s leadership since moving into the bigger league of aviation products requires decades of planning and action.

The Chinese aviation industry started with a small Russian trainer aircraft, Yak-18, in the 1950s but over time has graduated to 150-seat C919 and the under-development 280-seat C929, both of which would challenge Airbus and Boeing products. Their military transport aircraft Y-20 matches America’s C-17 Globemaster in performance and is the base aircraft for flight refuellers and airborne warning and control system (AWACS). Similarly, Embraer, the Brazilian aircraft company which started in 1969 (HAL was founded in 1940) with a small turboprop, has now graduated to 140-seat commercial carriers, the Tucano series of trainer and counter insurgency aircraft and the C-390 Millennium medium-lift transport aircraft. These success stories are indicative of well-thought-out and researched strategic plans; the Indian C-295 project heads, thus, have their work cut out.

The aviation sector requires a steady supply of skilled professionals. Anecdotal evidence exists that aviation technology as a subject had fallen on hard times since young engineering graduates had stopped opting for it due to lack of a worthwhile aviation industry. Now that there is light (hopefully) at the end of the proverbial tunnel, the government must redouble its efforts at ensuring quality education in specialised aviation institutes so that aerospace engineering becomes enticing for the youth. The Tatas can help by sponsoring students in engineering colleges and catching them young. In fact, the Department of Space’s Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, which is a feeder for the ISRO, should serve as a model for dedicated universities of aeronautical sciences.

Media reports indicate that a maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) ecosystem would be created as a follow-up of the C-295 project. Such yawn-inspiring statements on India becoming an MRO hub have been made for decades, but the fact is that the huge civil aviation fleet still sends its aircraft abroad for MRO. There are myriad other nuts and bolts issues of civil aircraft manufacturing that require the government’s attention. To state only two — if just one airline, Air India, is planning to buy 300 aircraft, shouldn’t the Chinese model of demanding the assembly of such huge numbers in India be made a criterion in the selection process, like the Chinese have done with Airbus and Boeing? And shouldn’t there be a civil certification agency like the Federal Aviation Administration in the US and the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification in India for the military?

And finally, an aviation czar may be needed to ensure inter-ministerial synchronisation that would be imperative for such an onerous task. That entity can help the government take a call on whether certain divisions of HAL can be opened to the time-and-cost-conscious private sector. As a suggestion, the HAL’s helicopter division is an ideal candidate so that programmes such as the ALH (advanced light helicopter) Dhruv, light utility helicopter and the light attack helicopter are further developed and marketed successfully — and not come a cropper like the disastrous ALH Dhruv sale to Ecuador. The Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) programme has been hanging fire since 2005 or so. The IAF’s huge Mi-series fleet of over 250 helicopters would be due for replacement in the coming decades; can the ingenuity and nimbleness of the private sector be harnessed for IMRH as a replacement? Can HAL divest itself of the small aircraft segment like the HTT-44 and IJT-16 trainer aircraft and stay focused on the fighter fleet? These are all radical suggestions that perhaps cannot be implemented for the fundamental reason that there is not one private entity in the country with HAL’s infrastructure and technical expertise to absorb the knowhow to ensure a seamless transition. There would have to be government hand-holding for a gradual switch once an all-encompassing plan is made for diversification.

The solution to end foreign dependency in the aviation sector is not simple, but there are options available. All that is required is a clutch of professionals who are empowered, an aviation ‘national flight plan’ and political will to bring about the required changes — else, as they say in the Indian military, its ‘jaise the’ (as you were).