Madurai, December 19

Defence personnel have engaged a helicopter to rescue about 800 train passengers stranded in flood-hit southern Tamil Nadu, an official said.

At Srivaikuntam railway station, rope and accessories needed to lift people were lowered from the chopper and a number of passengers, including a boy, were airlifted to safety.

“The work has commenced, passengers are being rescued,” a Southern Railway official said here.

All arrangements are in place including buses to take the passengers to Vanchi Maniyacchi railway station, 38 km away from Srivaikuntam. A special train will be operated to Chennai from Vanchi Maniyachchi station.

Earlier on Monday, NDRF authorities were alerted to rescue passengers in the Tiruchendur-Chennai Egmore Express (Train No 20606) which had departed from Tiruchendur to Chennai at 20.25 hours on December 17.

The train was stopped at Srivaikuntam railway station in Thoothukudi district due to heavy rain and flood situation.

In total, 800 passengers were stranded and of them, approximately 500 were in the Srivaikuntam railway station and about 300 took shelter in a nearby school, a railway official said. 

https://www.facebook.com/thomasmanimala1/videos/1063126201357001/

CRISIS IN THE ECHS DUE TO NON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS WITH MD ECHS OF CENTRAL ORG DELHI AND NON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS WITH ALL THE REGIONAL CENTRES OF ECHS IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY 🥲😰😥😓

1. Due to inadequate allotment in the last budget the fund balance with RCs all over the country and with MD ECHS Delhi is NIL
2. In Oct 2023 the pending bills with MD ECHS were worth over Rs 1800 crores and in Mid December 2023 the pending bills were worth over Rs 2400 crores . If no funds are allotted in the current session of Parliament the pending bills will rise to over Rs 4000 crores before 31-03-23 . It may result to a pathetic situation for ECHS Members all over in the Veterans’ community.
3. In Oct 2023 IESL HQ DELHI has written to all higher authorities including Secretary ESW expressing great concern about pending bills with MD ECHS and appealed to him and to all concerned including GOI for allotment of funds to MD ECHS on priority but unfortunately till 16-12-23 no intimation was received by MD ECHS about the allotment of required funds for ECHS .
4. WE on behalf of the ECHS Members ARE AGAIN APPEALING TO Govt of India to be considerate and to allot the funds, demanded by MD ECHS, in the current session of Parliament
5. The ECHS Members are upset, disturbed and are highly demoralised due to non availability of funds and due to accumulation of pending ECHS bills touching sky high
6. Veterans all over the Country are requested to approach the MPs of their area to take up this urgent and genuine case of ECHS Members in the current session of Parliament
7. Please circulate this post further and further so that this appeal could reach Govt of India for action on priority

With regrets

Col C T Arasu (Retd)
President of Indian Ex-Services League Tamil Nadu and Senior Vice President in the National Unit of Indian Ex-Services League Delhi
17-12-23
9360068354
9444891760

ESM Welfare meeting was held at Crystal Palace Pathankot today.255 ESM participated.Gen TS Shergill PVSM ex Senior advisor to Capt Amarinder Singh was the Chief Guest

ਲੇਫ਼ਟੀਨੇੰਟ ਜਨਰਲ ਟੀ ਐੱਸ ਸ਼ੇਰਗਿੱਲ (ਰਿਟਾਇਰਡ), Ex senior advisor to Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh ਨੂੰ ਪੁਰਬ ਸੈਨਿਕ ਸੇਵਾ ਸਮਿਤੀ ਨੇ ਕੀਤਾ ਸਨਮਾਨਿਤ : ਬ੍ਰਿਗੇਡੀਅਰ ਪ੍ਰਹਲਾਦ ਸਿੰਘ

ਯੂਨਾਇਟੇਡ ਫ਼ਰੰਟ ਆਫ ਪੂਰਵ ਸੈਨਿਕ ਸੇਵਾ ਸਮਿਤੀ ਦੀ ਵਿਸ਼ੇਕ ਬੈਠਕ ਬ੍ਰਿਗੇਡੀਅਰ ਪ੍ਰਹਲਾਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਦੀ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨਗੀ ਹੇਠਾਂ Royal Crystal Resort ਵਿਚ ਹੋਈ ਜਿਸ ਵਿਚ ਲੈਫਟੀਨੈਂਟ ਜਨਰਲ ਟੀ ਐੱਸ ਸ਼ੇਰਗਿੱਲ ਵਿਸ਼ੇਸ਼ ਮਹਿਮਾਨ ਵਜੋਂ ਸ਼ਾਮਿਲ ਹੋਏ. ਜਨਰਲ ਸ਼ੇਰਗਿੱਲ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਨੇ ਪੂਰਵ ਸੈਨਿਕਾਂ ਦੇ ਇੱਕਠ ਨੂੰ ਸੰਬੋਧਿਤ ਕੀਤਾ ਅਤੇ ਪੂਰਵ ਸੈਨਿਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਪੇਸ਼ ਆ ਰਹੀਆਂ ਪ੍ਰੋਬਲੇਮਸ ਅਤੇ ਓਹਨਾ ਨੂੰ ਹਲ ਕਰਵਾਉਣ ਵਾਸਤੇ ਕੇਂਦਰ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਵਲੋਂ ਕੀਤੇ ਗਏ ਉਪਰਾਲਿਆਂ ਦੀ ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ ਦਿੱਤੀ.ਓਹਨਾ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਮੈਂ ਖੁਸ ਹਾਂ ਕਿ ਪਠਾਨਕੋਟ ਦੀ ਪੂਰਵ ਸੈਨਿਕ ਸੇਵਾ ਸਮਿਤੀ ਦੀ ਤਰਾਹ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵਿਚ ਹੋਰ ਵੀ ਸੰਸਥਾਵਾਂ ਹਨ ਜੋ ਵੀਰ ਨਾਰੀਆਂ , ਬਜ਼ੁਰਗ ਪੇਂਸਿਨਰਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਵਿਧਵਾ ਭੈਣਾਂ ਦੀ ਪੈਨਸ਼ਨ ਸੰਬੰਧੀ ਮਸਲਿਆਂ ਵਿਚ ਸਹਾਇਤਾ ਕਰਦਿਆਂ ਹਨ.ਓਹਨਾ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਪੂਰਵ ਸੈਨਿਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ECHS ਵਿਚ ਇਲਾਜ਼ ਅਤੇ ਦਵਾਈਆਂ ਦੀ ਸਮੱਸਿਆ ਵਾਰੇ ਨਿਰਧਾਰਿਤ ਚੈਨਲ ਰਾਹੀਂ ਹਲ ਕਰਵਾਉਣ ਦੀ ਕੋਸਿਸ ਕੀਤੇ ਜਾਵੇਗੀ. ਜਨਰਲ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਨੇ ਪੂਰਵ ਸੈਨਿਕਾਂ ਦੇ ਆਸ਼ਰਿਤ, ਪੂਰਵ ਸੈਨਿਕਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਲੇਡੀਜ਼ ਨੂੰ ਪੇਸ਼ ਆ ਰਹੀਆਂ ਸਮਸਿਆਵਾਂ ਤੇ ਵਿਚਾਰ ਸਾਂਝਾ ਕੀਤੇ. ਮੌਕੇ ਤੇ ਕਰਨਲ ਆਰ ਕੇ ਸਲਾਰੀਆ,ਕੈਪਟਨ ਬਲਦੇਵ ਸਿੰਘ, ਕੈਪਟਨ ਪ੍ਰਿਥਵੀ ਰਾਜ, ਕੈਪਟਨ ਸੁਭਾਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ, ਕੈਪਟਨ ਸ਼ਾਮ ਸਿੰਘ, ਕੈਪਟਨ ਕਰਨ ਸਿੰਘ,ਕੈਪਟਨ ਨਿਰਮਲ ਸਿੰਘ, ਸੂਬੇਦਾਰ ਮੇਜਰ ਕੁਲਵੰਤ ਸਿੰਘ, ਸੂਬੇਦਾਰ ਮੇਜਰ ਸਿਕੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਪਠਾਨੀਆ, ਬਲਦੇਵ ਸਿੰਘ ਰਾਣੀਪੁਰ, ਕੈਪਟਨ ਰਾਮ ਮੂਰਤੀ, ਜਰਨੈਲ ਸਿੰਘ, ਸੂਬੇਦਾਰ ਮੇਜਰ ਪ੍ਰਹਲਾਦ ਸਿੰਘ, ਸਰਦਾਰੀ ਲਾਲ, ਸੁਮਨ ਕਲਿਆਣ ਸਿੰਘ,ਬਲਦੇਵ ਸਿੰਘ ਧੋਬਰਾ, ਸੂਬੇਦਾਰ ਗਿਆਨ ਚੰਦ, ਅਜੀਤ ਪਾਲ, ਹਾਰਵੇਲ ਸਿੰਘ,ਸੂਬੇਦਾਰ ਬੂਟਾ ਰਾਮ, ਪ੍ਰਸ਼ੋਤਮ ਲਾਲ,ਓਂਕਾਰ ਸਿੰਘ,ਹਾਵਿਲਦਾਰ ਪੰਕਜ ਭਜੁਰੀਆ ਸਮੇਤ ਸਾਰੇ ਬਲਾਕ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਅਤੇ ਦਫਤਰ ਸਟਾਫ ਸ਼ਾਮਿਲ ਹੋਏ.

Our Correspondent

Fazilka, December 17

The widows and kin of martyrs who laid down their lives in the Fazilka sector during the 1971 Indo-Pak war were honoured at Asafwala War Memorial during Vijay Diwas celebrations here today.

Maj-Gen DS Bisht, GOC, Amogh Division, interacted with the widows and war veterans. Brigadier Maneesh Kumar Jain, Commander, 67 Infantry Brigade, honoured the family members of martyrs.War veterans Col RS Sodhi, Col HS Gill and Lt Col KR Verma were honoured.

Vijay Mohan

Chandigarh, December 17

Cadets from Haryana and Punjab touched the sky with glory at the Air Force Academy (AFA), not only topping the “flying” as well as the “ground duty” streams in the batch that was commissioned as IAF officers on Sunday but also carrying forward their family legacy.

Flying Officer Atul Prakash from the flying branch won the President’s Plaque and Chief of the Air Staff Sword of Honour for standing first in the Order of Merit in the Pilots Course and being adjudged as the overall best cadet, while Flying Officer Amrinder Jit Singh of the accounts branch was awarded the President’s Plaque for standing overall first among the ground duty branches.

Hailing from Jind in Haryana, Flying Officer Atul Prakash is an alumnus of Military School, Belagavi. Carrying forward the legacy of a military family, this second-generation officer proved his mettle by taking on challenging roles and responsibilities, according to AFA officers. They described him as “a born leader full of courage and conviction” and performing to the highest standards of training. For Punjab’s Flying Officer Amrinder Jit Singh, it has been a journey of grit and determination to succeed. From serving as an airman for 16 years to being the topper among the cadets much younger to him. At 36 years, he has proved that age is just a number. The Combined Graduation Parade at the AFA in Dundigal, near Hyderabad, witnessed the culmination of training of 213 Flight Cadets, including 25 women, from various branches of the Air Force. Eight officers from the Indian Navy, nine from the Indian Coast Guard and two from friendly countries also passed out alongside.

The parade was reviewed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who awarded the newly commissioned officers their shoulder stripes denoting the rank of Flying Officer, and also pinned wings and brevets on those from the fying branch. Among them was Flying Officer Mewa Singh, who is “following his family legacy and fulfilling a dream”. A third-generation soldier and the first officer from his village near Bathinda in Punjab, his grandfather had fought in World War II and his uncle had served in the Army.

For Flying Officer Lata Kaushik, who became the first commissioned Air Force officer from her village near Jhajjar in Haryana, it has been all about “patience and perseverance”. After failing to enter the academy in an earlier attempt, she secured the 2nd all-India rank this time.

Flying Officer Ryan Henriques received the “best in flying” trophy, while Flying Officer Tanya Singh was declared the best in navigation. Flying Officer Shubham Sharma was adjudged the best in administration branch and Flying Officer Ashish Kumar the best in logistics branch.

In his address, Rajnath stressed that striking a balance between tradition and innovation to keep pace with constantly evolving times was crucial. While asking officers to give due importance to tradition in the Armed Forces, terming it as time-tested, he also pointed out that if tradition was followed for a long time without thinking then a state of inertia or ossification occurred in the system, a situation that needed to be avoided.

“If we follow only tradition, we will be like a dead lake. We need to be like a flowing river. For that, we will have to bring in innovation along with tradition. Keep flying and touch greater heights, but maintain your connection with the ground,” he said. “Don’t lose your openness to new thinking, new ideas and your idealism under any circumstances,” the Defence Minister asserted.

Our Correspondent

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday recalled the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru. “Today, we recall the martyrdom of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, a beacon of courage and strength. His unparalleled sacrifice for human dignity echoes through time, inspiring humanity to live with integrity and compassion,” the PM wrote on ‘X’. tns

KNOW ABOUT GURU TEGH BAHADUR’S MARTYRDOM DAY.🫡👇

When Indira Gandhi ruled 18 states, Punjab wasn’t in those 18.
Now when Modi is ruling 19 states, Punjab isn’t in those
When British ruled all over India Punjab was the last one to come under that rule and immediately started struggle for freedom.
In the freedom struggle against British, the contribution of Punjabis is more than 80%.
When Mughal ruled India and converted Hindus to Islam, one and only one Punjab stood against them and Guru Teg Bahadur Ji ( 9th Guru & father of Guru Gobind Singh ji ) laid down his life at Chandni Chowk in Delhi for their support
& Guru Gobind Singh sacrificed all his four sons of the age of 7,9,14 & 17 years against the conversion to Islam. His Elder two sons (Sahibzade) sacrificed their lives in war against Mughals at Chamkaur Sahib(Pb) & younger two sons (Sahibzade) were bricked alive at Sirhand (Pb) by the Mughal ruler of that State.
Even when Sikander conquered all, only King Porus of Punjab dared to stop him.
I salute to the river land – Punjab.
Today is Death Anniversary of one of the greatest emperors in Indian history, Sher-E-Punjab,Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Blinded in one eye, injured in one arm, yet built up the great Sikh empire.
United the disparate Sikhs into a kingdom and built an empire that covered Punjab, Kashmir, Ladakh, the entire North West.
Served by able men like Hari Singh Nalwa, Dewan Mokam Chand, Veer Singh Dhillon, Zorawar Singh.
Also built a modern army, even recruited European officers to bring in the latest techniques of warfare. That’s why British Rulers couldn’t annex Punjab until he was alive. Because of him, Punjab was the last State which came under British rule in 1849.
But alas no one teaches about his legacy in India. 🇮🇳
Because of him, Punjab was the most literate state at that time. Even though he recruited European officers he ensured they followed a strict code of conduct, no beef, no smoking and no alcohol.
As a matter of fact, Ranjit Singh banned cow slaughter in his empire.
Built Gurudwaras at Patna and Nanded, in honor of Guru Gobind Singh, both of which are considered among the Panch Takths.
A great warrior, an equally able and wise ruler, a truly great human being too.
Ranjit Singh is the only king in the history of world to have conquered Afghans, which even modern militaries of USA and Russia couldn’t achieve, and eventually blocked entry of Mughals.
My request to all, please do share this information with as many as you can, especially to the younger generation, as a humble tribute to this great emperor on his Death Anniversary 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd)

IT was a lazy winter morning in New Delhi on December 13, 2001. I was the Staff Officer to then Air Chief Marshal AY Tipnis. With the boss away on a trip to south India, we were having an easy day, doing mundane tasks, when we heard ‘crackers’ going off. The offices of the Air Chief and his secretariat faced Rajpath and from the windows there was a wonderful view of Parliament House. The circular building stood in all its grandeur and the only odd thing was the sound of ‘crackers’. We thought a marriage procession was passing by (December is a busy month during the marriage season in north India).

A baraat right next to the ‘temple of Indian democracy’? That was indeed odd. We sensed that something was amiss. Soon enough, SUVs of the Delhi Police were racing towards the Parliament complex with their sirens blaring. The crackle soon became an almost continuous rat-a-tat of guns. I raced to the adjacent office of then Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal S Krishnaswamy. As I barged in without the customary knock, the Vice Chief looked up sternly. ‘Sir, there is firing going on near Parliament House,’ I said, interrupting his meeting. Soon, we looked out of his office window: there were numerous police vehicles and cops cordoning off the area.

The terror strike that morning pushed the nation into Op Parakram; armed forces were mobilised for a year. I moved to the Air Force Station, Jammu, as Station Commander within a fortnight. I know first-hand that we nearly went to war twice that year.

What does the Parliament intrusion of December 13, 2023, signify? The intruders/protesters/attention-seekers raised slogans and opened smoke canisters. That they broke the law is obvious, but their action points to two disturbing inferences. One, they cocked a snook at Parliament’s security setup, into which crores of rupees have been pumped. It is well known that on December 13 every year, the political leadership pays homage to the security personnel who made the supreme sacrifice in 2001. Security would have been very tight and frisking would have been stricter than usual. This dereliction of duty by the security staff is far too serious to be dealt with merely by making a few heads roll at the junior level.

Two, the young people involved knew that they would be arrested and there would be dire consequences of their patently illegal act, but they still went ahead with it. They were reportedly upset over issues such as unemployment, farmers’ distress and the Manipur violence and wanted to attract the lawmakers’ attention. Were they able to convey a message to the political top brass that it needed to address these pressing matters, or was their action counterproductive? These are points to ponder for the MPs in particular and the nation as a whole.

The govt must hold elections at the earliest and provide all constitutional rights to J&K residents.

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Luv Puri

Journalist And Author

THE decision of the five-judge Supreme Court Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, to uphold the constitutional order revoking Article 370 was hardly a surprise, given the judges’ observations during the hearing in September. The court has validated the action of the political executive and found the August 5, 2019, abrogation constitutionally valid. Implicitly, the introduction and abrogation of Article 370 were legitimate decisions of the political executive of the day.

Moving forward, the impact of the abrogation on three crucial realms — national politics, national security and foreign policy — has to be assessed. The SC stamp on the abrogation is set to become a prominent talking point for the ruling BJP in the 2024 General Election. A day after the verdict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was understandably quick to welcome it. In an article, he commented on the imprudence of Article 370 and said: “Unfortunately, due to centuries of colonisation, most notably economic and mental subjugation, we became a confused society of sorts. Rather than taking a clear position on basic things, we allowed duality, leading to confusion. Sadly, Jammu and Kashmir became a victim of such a mindset.” Taking a dig at the political executive that inserted Article 370 in the Constitution, he stated: “At the time of Independence, we had a choice of making a fresh start for national integration. Instead, we decided to continue with the confused approach even if it meant ignoring the long-term national interests.”

The significance of the abrogation as an achievement for the BJP can hardly be underestimated, particularly with PM Modi eyeing a third term. In recent years, the BJP’s core issues have been the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code and the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to Muslim-majority J&K. The impact of J&K, having just five Lok Sabha seats and a population of nearly 14 million, on the Indian political landscape, particularly in the Hindi-speaking states with considerable electoral clout, is less understood. Due to several factors, including the inter-generational trauma caused by the Partition, the opposition to Article 370 had resonance in populous Hindi-speaking states — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

India’s political parties, except the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Left front, did not come out in the open against the abrogation of Article 370. This is also because of the rigid interpretation of its interlinked provisions, such as Article 35A of the Constitution. This Article empowered the J&K legislature to define ‘permanent residents’ of the state and provide them with special rights and privileges. This prevented some long-term residents in J&K from acquiring domicile rights, including Partition refugees, many of whom were Dalit and poor. These facts were at the heart of the arguments presented by defenders of the abrogation. The Congress’ response after the SC decision indicates that it is on the back foot as in an electoral battle, explaining the complex historical context that necessitated the introduction of Article 370 becomes difficult and it is no match for the combative narrative of the BJP on the issue in the Hindi heartland.