The order will apply to 51 identified high pressure Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme polyclinics across the country to tide over the current Covid crisis

Photo for representation only. Photo courtesy: echs.gov.in

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 27

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the hiring of additional contractual staff over and above the authorisation, the Ministry of Defence spokeperosn said on Tuesday morning.

The order will apply to 51 identified high pressure Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) polyclinics across the country to tide over the current Covid crisis.  Several ECHS are located across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, home to a sizeable number of retired servicemen.

The contractual staff, including one each of medical officer, nursing assistant, pharmacist, driver and chowkidar for identified ECHS polyclinics, will be hired through station headquarters for night duty, beyond normal working hours, for a period of three months.

The high-pressure ECHS polyclinics indentified for the hiring are Hoshiarpur, Mohali, Chandigarh, Chandimandir, Ambala, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Meerut, Jammu, New Delhi (Lodhi Road), Jalandhar, Gurugram, Gurugram (Sohana Rd), Ghaziabad (Hindon), Pathankot, Ludhiana, Ropar, Tarn Taran/Patti, Yol Cantt, Delhi Cantt, Patiala, Palampur and Dehradun.

Other ECHS clinics on the list are at Kanpur, Allahabad, Jodhpur, Lucknow, Bengaluru (Urban), Kotputli, Secunderabad, Agra, Pune, Trivandrum, Kolkata, Danapur (Patna), Khadki (Pune), Bareilly, Kolhapur, South Pune (Lohegaon), Visakhapatnam, Jaipur, Guntur, Barrackpore, Chennai, Gorakhpur, Bhopal, Kochi, Vellore and Ranchi.

The move will ensure availability of immediate medical attention even during night hours to acute cases in these areas to the veterans and their dependents.

Two months after the first step towards full withdrawal of troops at the Line of Actual Control, troops are still locked in confrontation in at least two areas. There is a growing belief that India withdrew too early and New Delhi has remained silent on Beijing’s offer for help with its Covid-19 surge
by Kunal Purohit
Two months after New Delhi and Beijing completed the disengagement of troops from the hotly-contested Pangong Tso lake on their disputed border, there is a growing belief in India that its troops withdrew too early and what was meant to set the stage for a fuller pull-out by both sides at other friction points is unlikely to happen any time soon.
The Indian government has made no official comment, but local media reports have quoted military and government sources as saying that Chinese forces were “reluctant” to restore the status quo that existed in at least two other areas before the stand-off that began last May, and that Beijing had indicated New Delhi “should be happy” with what has been achieved so far.
Such statements were made after senior military commanders from both countries met on April 9 to discuss the disengagement process at Hot Springs and Gogra – located along their undemarcated border known as the Line of Actual Control between India’s Ladakh region and the Chinese-administered Aksai Chin.
As part of the early-February agreement for both sides to withdraw troops, tanks and artillery from the glacial lake, Indian forces had given up its positions on the strategically-located Kailash range in the region.
“It appears India was in a hurry to declare ‘victory’ by making China ‘withdraw’ from the finger areas [of Pangong Tso],” said BR Deepak, a professor of Chinese and China Studies at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.
According to Deepak, Beijing’s goal “was to vacate India from the Kailash range” to wrest back the tactical advantage that New Delhi had, but it did so by “changing the status quo” on the northern banks of the Pangong Tso.
The northern banks have finger-like spurs of the heights overlooking the lake which have been numbered from one to eight. India claims territories eastward from Finger 1 up to Finger 8, while Beijing claims territory westwards up to Finger 4.
In the current agreement, both sides have vacated the area between Finger 4 and Finger 8 and have decided that neither side would patrol that area.
The agreement had led to hopes for a similar resolution to the troop stand-off at Hot Springs and Gogra. But, with no resolution in sight two months later, Deepak said this had escalated the crisis. “Hot Springs and Gogra Heights where there was no friction before have become new friction points as China has refused to withdraw from these positions,” he said.
Deepak Sinha, a retired Indian Army brigadier, said he believed India’s early withdrawal could have lasting consequences.
“The Chinese are not going anywhere, it is obvious,” he said. “We will never be able to go back to the idea that the border dispute can be settled later, while the two countries cooperate on other issues.”
According to a release by the Indian embassy in Beijing on Tuesday, comments made by India’s ambassador to China Vikram Misri several days after the April 9 meeting suggested New Delhi was unwilling to look past the current stalemate.
“We have also seen a tendency in some quarters to sweep this situation under the carpet and characterise it as just a minor issue and a matter of perspective,” Misri told a meeting of Chinese in Guangzhou, according to the embassy.
Misri added that this was “inadvisable” and would take the two countries “further away from a sustained solution”.
Beijing, however, indicated it wanted New Delhi to keep the border stand-off at “an appropriate position”.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Wednesday said he hoped India would “meet China halfway” and “focus on the bigger picture of long-term development of bilateral relations”. China on Friday offered to help India battle an alarming surge in coronavirus cases that has seen its hospital system buckle from a lack of medical supplies, including oxygen.
India is also facing a shortage of raw materials used to make vaccines due to export curbs by the United States and Europe.
New Delhi has not yet responded to Beijing’s offer, even as it has put out an international appeal for help, with oxygen tanks sent to India from Singapore on Saturday.
STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE
One reason behind the prolonged stand-off at Hot Springs and Gogra could be the strategic significance these spots carry for both the countries, analysts said.
These friction points lie close to the Kongka Pass, a high-altitude mountain pass that China claims is the boundary between the two countries. India claims the boundary to be further east of this pass.
“This pass lies close to strategically-crucial deposits of zinc in Chinese territory and hence, occupying Hot Springs and Gogra might be one way of pre-emptively blocking off India’s access to those areas,” said retired Lieutenant General Rakesh Sharma, who in 2013 served in the region as the commander of the Fire and Fury Corps.
Sharma was referring to the Huoshaoyun deposit, said to be the site of one of Asia’s largest zinc-lead deposits, according to Metal Bulletin, a portal that tracks global metal and mining-related information.
The pass is also crucial due to its proximity to the sensitive Chinese provinces of Xinjiang and Tibet, both which have traditionally posed security concerns for Beijing.
According to Sharma, making it tougher for New Delhi is its poor access to its forward-locations in Hot Springs and Gogra.
“Both these posts are accessible to India only through the Marsimik La pass, which is shut for half the year due to the harsh winter conditions. Hence, this is not a strong post for India,” said Sharma.
Based on his knowledge of the area and military operations in the region, Sharma said New Delhi needed a “pragmatic approach” to deal with the Chinese refusal to disengage from these friction points.
“The truth is, if China has denied have denied India patrolling rights here, India has also denied the China the patrolling rights at many points as per Beijing’s 1959 LAC claim line,” he said, pointing to a border alignment that was first spelt out by late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in a letter to then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1959, which New Delhi continues to reject.
“Which is why, we need pragmatism and not strategies like delinking,” Sharma said.
Sharma suggested that the two sides could create a “buffer-zone” where both sides patrol in a regulated manner and the claims of both sides “remain intact”.
“If we want to do business, we will have to come to a sector-wise compromise,” he said.
Deepak, the New Delhi academic, said India’s options were limited and that the stalemate was likely to persist, with ongoing bilateral ties likely to be shaped by India’s post-coronavirus recovery.
“It will depend on how quickly India regains its economic growth trajectory by making its social and economic drivers strong,” he said. “Until then, China will not be sensitive to India’s (concerns).”

Lt Gen. Mohanty also emphasised on the use of best technologies to enhance India’s military capabilities to confront various challenges, including along the western and northern borders
He said a frontline commander in the thick of a battle cannot afford to contact multiple service providers.
India needs to have a national logistics network, combining the civilian and military resources, to effectively deal with any crisis situation in the future, Vice Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General CP Mohanty said on Saturday. In an address at a seminar, Lt Gen. Mohanty said a national logistics policy is being deliberated upon as the country cannot afford to separate national logistics from the military logistics networks.
“My vision of operation logistics in a few lines — it has to be completely networked to connect the frontline soldiers and all service providers with a click of a button,” he said.
“To do so, it has to be modelled on telemarketing on the lines of Amazon, Flipkart, Big Basket etc.,” the Vice Chief of Army Staff added.
Lt Gen. Mohanty also emphasised on the use of best technologies to enhance India’s military capabilities to confront various challenges, including along the western and northern borders.
“As we look to enhance the capabilities of our armed forces to meet the dual challenges on our western and northern borders, we are deeply conscious of the fact that it is with technology alone that we can prepare ourselves for all scenarios,” he said.
The Army Vice Chief said the incorporation of automation to reduce inventory, artificial intelligence for better predictive maintenance, block chain for more efficient logistics supply chain management, fuel cells for energy management are some of the issues that are being looked at.
He said a frontline commander in the thick of a battle cannot afford to contact multiple service providers.
“All services such as food, fuel, warlike stores, weapons, ammunition, casualty evacuation, medical services, repair and recovery of vehicles and equipment have to be integrated into one large web,” Lt Gen. Mohanty said.
“It would involve multiple warehousing facilities, transportation by land, air and water, workshops, hospitals with round-the-clock transparency,” he added.
Lt Gen. Mohanty said the requirement of nurturing jointness and integration, particularly in the evolution of joint logistics structures, has been accorded priority.
“We, as a nation, cannot afford to divorce national logistics from military logistics — especially when a war or any major crisis in effect is a national effort,” he said.
Inevitable, the armed forces has to achieve this and show the way to overall logistics in our country.

A DRDO erected 500 bed Sardar Vallabhai Patel Hospital in New Delhi
Medical facilities of DPSUs, OFB to treat civilian COVID-19 patients: Rajnath after review meet
New Delhi: All health facilities of defence public sector undertakings and the Ordnance Factory Board have been allowed to provide health services to civilian population requiring treatment for COVID-19, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday.
Singh also said that the armed forces and the defence ministry will leave no stone unturned in providing all possible assistance to the civil administrations in dealing with the pandemic.
The defence minister’s comments came after he reviewed efforts by the three services and various other wings of his ministry in contributing to India’s fight against a fast-spreading second wave of COVID-19.
Officials said several Indian Navy ships were put on standby for any assistance in moving oxygen tankers in view of a shortage of medical oxygen for treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Singh carried out the review at a virtual meeting attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and DRDO chairman G Satheesh Reddy, among others.
“Reviewed the efforts of Ministry of Defence and the three Services to fight against the current wave of COVID Pandemic through video conferencing facility. The Armed Forces and MoD will leave no stone unturned in providing all possible assistance to the civilian administration,” he tweeted.
He said the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is adding another 250 beds by Saturday evening at its Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Covid Hospital near the Delhi airport. The addition will take the total number of beds at the facility to 500.
The defence minister said a 1,000-bed hospital, set up by the DRDO, has become operational in Gujarat.
India is struggling with the second wave of the pandemic with more than 3,00,000 daily new coronavirus cases being reported in the past few days, and hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds.
Singh said work is in full swing to establish a COVID-19 treatment facility in Lucknow that would become operational in the next five-six days, adding the hospitals would be run by the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) in coordination with the Uttar Pradesh government.
“All health facilities of Defence PSUs & Ordnance Factory Board have been allowed to provide health services to local COVID-19 affected civilian population. The MoD officials and the three Services are closely monitoring the progress of various initiatives taken by the Ministry,” Singh said in another tweet.
The three services as well as other wings of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have been extending support to various state governments and union territories in dealing with the massive spike in coronavirus cases.
Since Friday, the Indian Air Force airlifted empty oxygen tankers and containers to various filling stations across the country to speed up the distribution of the much-needed medical oxygen.
The IAF has also been transporting essential medicines as well as equipment required by the designated COVID hospitals in various parts of the country.
On Saturday, one C-17 transport aircraft of the IAF picked up from Singapore four cryogenic containers for storage of liquid oxygen to boost oxygen supply in the country, officials said.
In the meeting, the defence minister was informed that the IAF transported two empty oxygen container trucks from Pune to Jamnagar and another two empty oxygen containers from Jodhpur to Jamnagar.
One Chinook helicopter airlifted medical equipment from Jammu to Leh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on Monday to review the ongoing operations of the Indian Armed Forces to battle the current wave of coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The recent surge in infections has caused a shortage of medical oxygen and beds.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on Monday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review preparations and operations being undertaken by the Indian Armed Forces to deal with the raging coronavirus pandemic, according to a government statement. In addition to deploying additional medical officers, doctors and nurses at the hospitals, the armed forces are aiming to make military-grade medical infrastructure available to civilians, CDS Bipin Rawat informed the Prime Minister.
“The CDS briefed the PM that all medical personnel from armed forces who have retired or taken pre-mature retirement in the last 2 years are being recalled to work in Covid facilities within proximity of their present place of residence. Other medical officers who retired earlier have also been requested to make their services available for consultation through medical emergency helplines,” General Bipin Rawat informed the Prime Minister, according to the statement. He added that other medical officers who had retired earlier are also being requested to provide consultation through medical emergency helplines.
Moreover, all medical officers currently on staff appointments at command headquarters, Corps headquarters, Division headquarters, and similar headquarters of the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force will be employed at hospitals. Nursing personnel is also being employed in large numbers to accompany the doctors at the hospitals, the PIB release cited CDS Rawat as saying.
Regarding the current oxygen crisis in the country, General Bipin Rawat said that oxygen cylinders available with the armed forces in various establishments will be released for hospitals. Not just this, the armed forces are also planning to build medical facilities in large numbers to make potential military medical infrastructure available to the civilians.
Prime Minister Modi reviewed the operations being undertaken by the IAF to transport oxygen and other essentials in India and abroad. He also asked the CDS to instruct Kendriya and Rajya Sainik Welfare Boards and officers posted in various headquarters to coordinate the services of veterans to extend the reach to remote areas.
India is currently struggling with a more infectious second wave of the deadly coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infection and hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds in view of rising Covid-19 cases. The country recorded more than 300,000 coronavirus cases for the fifth day in a row on Monday.

SS Chhina

Any mention of the Andaman and Nicobar islands had been of much interest to me because of the tales of freedom fighters imprisoned in the Cellular Jail there. So, it was a pleasure when I was entrusted with the task of undertaking a study of the panchayat elections in those islands.

Prior to my departure for Port Blair, I was told that about half the population of Andaman and Nicobar comprised Punjabis who settled there after serving their term of imprisonment. When I arrived at Port Blair and headed towards the guesthouse, I looked on both sides of the road, but could see just a lone turbaned Sikh driving his scooter on this 5-km route.

Dalwinder, another prominent Punjabi, came to see me after a short while and discarded my misconceptions. These are not two islands of Andaman and Nicobar, rather there are 550 islands spread in a periphery of about 600 km. The group of 28 Nicobar Islands is about 500 km from the Andamans. Only 36 islands are inhabited. The population is only of 5 lakh, and the Punjabi population is hardly 1 per cent, numbering about 5,000. People from all states of India and all religions live here. The literacy rate is 100 per cent and nobody is below the poverty line.

The next day, while in a dense jungle, we saw a memorial in the memory of 40 Army men killed by the Japanese army, in which 22 were Punjabis. While visiting the Cellular Jail, the large number of Punjabi names could be read on the long list of prominent prisoners, particularly the statue of Baba Budh Singh outside the jail gate. The other Punjabi concern was the rush at dhabas in Port Blair. Rangat Road is 150 km long and was constructed by linking the islands with bridges.

But once I visited Dr Dewan Singh Gurdwara, I realised why the man was so revered. A medical officer of the jail, he served all sections of the population facing penury and distress. When the Japanese occupied those islands, they resorted to acts of tyranny on the civil population, thinking they were helping the British. Dr Dewan Singh was asked not to serve the civil society, but he refused. The Japanese could not judge his spirit. He was tortured and attained martyrdom in the same jail where he was a medical officer.

As he lived in the hearts of the people, they came together to construct a beautiful gurdwara, a solace for the locals as well as the visitors. The gurdwara dispensary provides free service to those in need of medication. It is one religious place in that remote location where members of the management belong to all religions, serving as a lighthouse in what was known as Kala Pani during the colonial rule.

Jammu: The Army has postponed its common entrance examination for recruitment which was to be held in Samba on April 25. — PTI

Border Roads Organisation (BRO) constructs bridge on Tarnah river

The bailey bridge. File Photo courtesy: BRO

New Delhi, April 23

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed a 160-foot-long bailey bridge on the Tarnah river to connect Sakol village in Punjab with Jammu, an official statement said on Friday.

The bridge will provide a much-needed lifeline to the village residents, who had to go through a lot of hardship to cross the “dreaded” river every year during monsoon, it noted.

Workers of the Border Roads Organisation worked relentlessly round-the-clock and finished the construction of the double-decker bridge in five days, the statement said.

The bridge lies on the Chadwal-Sanjimore-Hariyachak-Paharpur-Simbal stretch, the BRO stated. “Every year a pontoon bridge was required to be launched for crossing the river and delaunched (removed) after receding of water levels post-monsoon. Now, this bridge will provide all-weather connectivity between both the regions,” it said. — PTI

Covid-19 testing machinery being loaded onto Chinook at the Air Force Stations in Chandigarh on Saturday. PTI

Jammu, April 24

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday airlifted to Ladakh medical equipment weighing 1,700 kg, including bio-safety cabinets and centrifuges, which will help augment Covid-19 testing facilities in the Union Territory, officials said.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM) in Jammu provided the equipment.

“The IAF’s Chinook and AN-32 helicopters airlifted a payload of 850 kg each, comprising a total of four bio-safety cabinets, two centrifuges and two stabilisers to Leh and Kargil. The items worth over Rs 1 crore were handed over by CSIR-IIIM-Jammu for the UT of Ladakh,” Jammu-based Defence PRO Lt Col Devender Anand said. Last year, CSIR-IIIM director DS Reddy had promised the equipment to Ladakh in collaboration with Sun Pharma as part of its corporate social responsibility to augment the testing capacity in the UT’s two districts — Leh and Kargil. — PTI