ribune News Service
New Delhi, March 20

The government has sanctioned creation of 1,000 additional posts in the CISF to help the force better deploy its personnel in guarding vital installations in the country, including airports.

The CISF guards about 60 civil airports in the country and has an elite VVIP security wing under its command called the Special Security Group (SSG).

The MHA has given sanction for the creation of 899 posts in the paramilitary force and subsequently another 119 posts, a senior official said.

“With the sanctioned posts, from the constable to the inspector level, the CISF can raise one more battalion (1,000 personnel) within the next two years,” the official said, adding the current strength of the CISF is about 1.8 lakh personnel.

The government has recently handed over security-related duties of the Srinagar and Jammu airports to the CISF. It replaced the Jammu and Kashmir Police in these two airports.

The government has already made clear its intention of entrusting more and more civil airports to the CISF and increasing its task in the domain of the VVIP security.

New Delhi: After numerous delays and extensive trials, the Indian Army is set to finally place an order for 118 indigenously manufactured Arjun Mark 1-A ‘Hunter Killers’, which will have all-weather capability and better fire power and stability than the Arjun main battle tank (MBT).

Army sources told ThePrint that the Mark 1-A, which weighs 68 tonnes and features a 120mm main gun, has cleared all tests, and that cost negotiations with its developer, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), are complete. The sources added that the Army has pushed the file to place the order, which will be done “soon”.

The move comes as a big boost for the Chennai-based Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), a DRDO lab.

Also read: Tanks, fighter aircraft will soon be on their way out like Sony Walkman: Army chief

The major improvements

“The tank comes with 14 major improvements that the Army has sought, which will make it the most potent and self-protective tank in the Army’s inventory,” V. Balamurugan, director of the CVRDE, told ThePrint.

Balamurugan said the first tank will be rolled out from the factory within 30 months of the order of intent (the technical term used for the order) being placed.

He explained that four upgrades were made to the firepower of the tank, besides other developments, including new transmission systems.

The Mark 1-A includes an improved gunner’s main sight, integrated with automatic target tracking. This would enable the tank crew to track moving targets automatically, and engage them even when Arjun is on the move.

The Arjun Mk-1A’s gun is controlled by a computerised integrated fire control system, giving the tank has a high first round kill capability. The gun’s day-and-night stabilised sights, coupled with automatic target tracker, guarantee accurate engagement even in dynamic conditions, a senior DRDO official told ThePrint.

Other than the conventional fin stabilised armour piercing discarding sabot and high explosive squash head ammunition, the Mark 1-A comes with thermo baric and penetration-cum-blast ammunition.

Also read: Indian Army tanks now have sharper night vision equipment developed by DRDO

The Arjun saga

The Arjun MBT project was initiated in the mid-1970s, but the first two regiments of the tank were inducted into the Army starting 2004. Even then, they have never been used to their optimal capability because of a variety of reasons — including excess weight, issues with certain parts, and availability of spare parts.

The Arjun MBT had performed better than Russian T-90s during a desert trial conducted by the Army in 2010. However, reliability and availability weighed on the Army’s mind. The force argued that weight of the MBT, 62.5 tonnes, was a handicap as it meant that Arjun was too heavy for roads, bridges and canals along the Pakistan border.

The Army, in 2010, proposed an improved version of the tank, which would be called the Mark II, and was to have over 80 improvements, including 15 major ones.

However, this also meant that weight would increase further.

Also read: How Army-IAF fight over Apache helicopters cost India an extra Rs 2,500 crore

Cannon-launched guided missiles

In 2012, the DRDO offered the Arjun for trials with all the major enhancements, except one — a cannon-launched guided missile (CLGM).

The Army had insisted on having that capability, since other tanks like the T-90 also had it.

The DRDO roped in the Israelis and sourced the Lahat CLGM, which could conclusively hit targets between two and five kilometres away. The trials validated the CLGM’s laser designator.

However, the Army wanted a missile that could hit targets as close as close as 1.2 km, Balamurugan said.

He added that the Israelis took about a year to decide on producing it, but by then, the DRDO had decided to go in for an indigenous CLGM.

Talks between the DRDO and the Army continued until March 2018, and it was finally agreed that the next batch of Arjuns, to be called Mark 1-A, would be supplied without the missile firing capability.

“The process for building that (CLGM) is already on, and could actually be integrated on the Mark 1-A as they start rolling out,” Balamurugan said.

As far as weight is concerned, he said that though the Mark 1-A weighs more, it has been designed in such a way that pressure exerted at specific points is much lower.

New Delhi: With approximately 1.4 million personnel, the Indian Army has become the world’s largest ground force, pulling ahead of China, which cut down its strength by half and is instead focusing on its navy, air force and technology.

According to the Defence of Japan 2019 report, released late last year, China has the third largest ground force in the world following India and North Korea, with approximately 9,80,000 personnel.

The Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) was always regarded as the largest army in the world with an approximate strength of two million soldiers.

India, which has been keenly watching the PLA’s modernisation, is just in the initial stages of building a leaner and modern technology-enabled force as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015.

However, while China has been working on a massive modernisation of its force, India’s modernisation plans for its large personnel-driven force have been stalled by a cash crunch and a constantly increasing pension.

The Indian Army has so far carried out four transformation studies and is working on trimming its force by about 1.5 lakh personnel, which could take a minimum of five years.

Also read: The 3 major reforms for Indian Army restructuring and what they will mean for the force

China’s head start

Chinese president Xi Jinping had in 2015 announced the downsizing of the PLA to make the force leaner and reliant on modern warfare.

The unprecedented reform began in November that year during which the focus shifted to technology for cyber and space and futuristic weapons besides giving a greater emphasis on building up the PLA’s Navy and the Air Force.

“Since 1985, China has continuously sought to modernize its military by curtailing the number of personnel and streamlining organizations and systems through reforms, including those currently being implemented, in order to improve operational capabilities … China has rapidly modernized its missile forces in recent years,” the Japanese military document said.

Also read: PLA SSF: Why China will be ahead of everyone in future cyber, space or information warfare

PLA ground forces cut by half

In January 2020, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported that China had cut the size of its land-based PLA by about 50 per cent and significantly boosted its navy and air force as part of an “unprecedented” strategic shift designed to transform its army into a comprehensive modern force.

The report indicated that the four other branches of the PLA — the navy, air force, rocket force and strategic support force, which is responsible for areas such as cyberwarfare — together make up more than half of the Chinese military, overtaking the army, which has traditionally been the dominant unit of the PLA, the South China Morning Post reported.

Shanghai-based military analyst Ni Lexiong was quoted by the newspaper as saying that the overhaul marked a significant strategic shift from having a homeland-based defensive force to one with the capacity to allow Beijing to flex its muscles beyond its national borders and to protect its interests overseas.

“He explained that modern warfare puts a greater emphasis on superiority in areas such as the air, space and cyberspace — further reducing the importance of the ground force,” the report said.

India’s military has been in the process of operationalising cyber and space commands for several years now. It also lags behind in incorporating future weapons while China and other countries such as US and Russia are way ahead.

New Delhi: The Indian military has banned all non-essential foreign travel for its personnel as part of precautionary measures amid the global coronavirus outbreak.

Defence sources told ThePrint that an order to this effect has been issued for all three Services – Army, Air Force and Navy. It will remain in place until further orders are issued upon reviewing the situation.

This means that all study or project-related tours abroad are to be put off unless extremely necessary.

Sources also said that all Indian military personnel abroad have been asked to take adequate precautionary measures, avoid any public gatherings, and follow the policy laid down by the respective Indian embassies.

“In the military, especially the Army, it is all about community living. Large groups stay, eat and work together and hence the spread of the coronavirus is a threat,” a source said.

Besides the Army, which was the first to come out with a set of guidelines to its personnel, the IAF and the Navy too have issued orders now.

While the IAF has a limited team abroad currently, including the personnel who are in France for training under the Rafale fighter jet programme, the Navy has several personnel out in the international waters who could make port calls.

Navy sources said that a health advisory has been issued to all ships moving in international waters.

Earlier this month, the Navy was forced to postpone its largest-ever multilateral naval exercise, Milan, involving over 30 countries due to the coronavirus threat.

Services at the forefront

While the military is taking precautions, it’s at the forefront of India’s fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

The three Services have set up quarantine facilities at multiple locations across the country that can take in thousands of civilians if needed. The forces are in the process of identifying more sites to set up such facilities, said the sources.

In a first, a medical team, consisting of mostly military doctors, reached Maldives Friday as part of India’s bid to help its neighbours in setting up quarantine camps and treatment of coronavirus.

Washington, March 21

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper on Friday held a telephonic conversation with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and praised India’s COVID-19 initiative for SAARC countries, the Pentagon said.

The two leaders discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and underscored their commitment to close communication during this period in order to maintain momentum on initiatives that reinforced their comprehensive global partnership, the Pentagon said in a readout of the call.

“During the call, the two leaders also discussed bilateral defence priorities, including the ongoing regional cooperation and initiatives to enhance military-to-military engagement and defence trade,” it said.

Esper expressed his appreciation for India’s leadership in coordinating COVID-19-related relief efforts among South Asian countries and conveyed his intent to visit India at the earliest opportunity, the Pentagon said.

In the wake of the coronavirus crisis, Esper had postponed his scheduled travel to India this month.

He has been roped in by President Donald Trump to combat the coronavirus that has so far infected more than 13,000 Americans and claimed 230 lives. PTI

The Prime Minister had in his address to the nation asked people to stay off the roads and public places during the Janta Curfew, which will be in place for 14 hours from 7am to 9pm on Sunday.

Government and private organisations have announced stopping their services to follow a Janta Curfew on Sunday in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to the people of the country to stay at home for a day.

The Prime Minister had in his address to the nation asked people to stay off the roads and public places during the Janta Curfew, which will be in place for 14 hours from 7am to 9pm on Sunday.

“Today, I am seeking one more support from every citizen. It is Janta Curfew – a curfew for the people and imposed by people themselves,” PM Modi had said.

Essential services like police, media, medical services etc will not come under the purview of the curfew.

Also read: For PM’s ‘Janata Curfew’, iconic Chandni Chowk, CP shops to down shutters

Here is what government and private organisations are doing:

* The Indian Railways has said it will not operate any passenger train from any railway station in the country from midnight on Saturday to 10pm on Sunday.

* Mail and express trains will also stop services from 4am on Sunday, the transporter has said. All intercity trains will also remain cancelled till 10pm on Sunday.

* All suburban train services in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Secunderabad will be reduced to a bare minimum as well.

* Budget airline GoAir has announced to voluntarily suspend all flights on Sunday when Janta curfew will be in force.

“GoAir will protect all the PNRs dated 22 March 2020 in view of the Janta curfew for a period of one year under the Protect Your PNR scheme. Passengers can contact GoAir at any time over the next one year to redeem their ticket on any GoAir flight on any date with no charges being levied,” it added.

* Indigo, India’s largest flight carrier, has said it will operate only 60% of its domestic flights on Sunday.

* Air Vistara also announced it will be curtailing its domestic operations on Sunday when Janta Curfew’ would be in force. “Vistara will operate on a reduced network on Sunday, 22 March on account of Janta curfew. Passengers who have been affected by cancellations will be contacted soon,” the airline’s spokesperson said.

* The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced the closure of its services in the national capital on Sunday, for the first time in 18 years, keeping in mind the ‘Janta Curfew’.

* Delhi’s transport minister Kailash Gahlot said there are no plans to shut down public bus services yet.

Also read: Modi is right to prepare India for a deeper crisis, writes Barkha Dutt

* Mobile app-based cab aggregator services such as Uber and Ola are encouraging drivers to stay off-road on Sunday. The app services will, however, be functional for anyone who needs to avail of cabs in an emergency situation.

* More than 95,000 auto-rickshaw drivers have also extended their support to the PM’s call. Rajendra Soni, general secretary of Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh, said all drivers, irrespective of political affiliation, have decided to cooperate with the government.

* Nearly 15 lakh traders in the national capital will be downing shutters on Sunday. While all markets, both retail and wholesale, will remain shut Sunday, some will extend this curfew for three days—from March 21 to March 23—as a voluntary measure in a bid to contain the community spread of the virus.

* The Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) will suspend Aqua Line services and the city bus service on Sunday in the wake of Janta Curfew.

* Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani has said no government buses will ply on Sunday during the Janta Curfew announced by Prime Minister Modi. State transport buses, those being operated under the BRTS mechanism, as well as city buses will be off the roads in the state on Sunday, the CM said.

* The Tamil Nadu government has also said government bus and Metro rail services in the state will be suspended on Sunday in view of ‘’Janta Curfew’’. Private transport operators and owners of mini-buses too have been asked to extend support and not operate their vehicles on that day.

* Operations of Lucknow Metro will also be suspended on Sunday.

* Most private establishments and some public services will be shut across Bengaluru and the rest of Karnataka on Sunday. The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), that provides inner-city services, said they would operate with limited capacity and based on demand. All pubs, bars, malls and theatres, among other places, will remain closed.

Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd)

THE call of the Prime Minister to have a thank you ‘din session’ on March 22 is long overdue for the millions who have been slogging, and still have a tough task ahead. While this is certainly for the medics, nurses, public transport operators, home delivery personnel, sanitation workers et al, one can well add a few more who have been doing seva quietly — coronavirus or not. So, when I clap this Sunday, I would also be expressing gratitude for a few more, whom many Indians do not know much about.

Medical services and staff are always caregivers, but spare a thought for personnel of the Army Medical Corps who are in the frontline with the Army — in the very trenches where the adversary trains his fire. On the Siachen Glacier, they serve for months, though the other soldiers are compulsorily brought out after three months. Ever heard of any media coverage for them while the others are in the limelight? Similarly, popping flash bulbs focus on Air Force pilots in their flying overalls, but behind every Siachen helicopter rescue covered in the media, or giving backup to every fighter sortie, are the hardworking technical personnel. They are up on duty in the dark, getting the aircraft ready for the first sortie to take off at the crack of dawn — in the blistering heat of Jaisalmer, or the numbing cold at Siachen Base Camp, day in and day out! Hats off to you guys — what would we pilots have done without you? Our lives have always been in your hands, and you have delivered every time!

And slogging out — absolutely unheralded — are the logisticians. They work from their offices, warehouses, forward logistics bases and in the langars of the infantry platoons on the frontline, aircrew rooms and messes in forward air bases and ships on the high seas. What would the war fighter have done, but for the hot mug of tea and the simple puri-aloo dished out with such love! And let’s not forget, they provision the armament too — so, here’s to all the logisticians for the great job they are doing!

And then, a logistician of a different class — the wife back home, without whom nothing can happen. We menfolk are up and away, without a care for the myriad issues and problems of running the house — the schooling of kids, their falling sick, looking after aged parents and in-laws, and so many more, but still sending you off and receiving you with a smile on your return home. That’s a dedication and love for which one wonders whether any Sunday ‘din session’ would do justice.

So, friends, let the clapping of hands and banging of utensils this Sunday convey our gratitude to the coronavirus warriors; let it also be heard at the Sia La post on Siachen, at the Campbell naval base deep down in the Andamans, and at the IAF’s advanced airstrip at Mechuka in our far East.

Chandigarh, March 20

In the wake of poor occupancy on account of Covid-19 scare, Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi has been cancelled. The Ambala Railway Division has cancelled 54 trains from March 20 to March 31. Saturday onwards, all three Shatabdi trains stand cancelled. A statement affirmed that the trains will not depart from Chandigarh to any destination. — TNS

List of trains cancelled

No train to Ramnagar

1. 12527 Ramnagar-Chandigarh Express

2. 12528 Chandigarh-Ramnagar Express

Shatabdi stopped, Delhi trail blocked

3. 12005 New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Express

4. 12006 Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express

5. 12011 New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Express

6. 12012 Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express

7. 12013 New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi Express

8. 12014 Amritsar-New Delhi Shatabdi Express

9. 12017 New Delhi-Dehradun Shatabdi Express

10. 12018 Dehradun-New Delhi Shatabdi Express

11. 12029 New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi Express

12. 12030 Amritsar-New Delhi Express

13. 12031 New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi Express.

14. 12032 Amritsar-New Delhi Express

15. 12045 New Delhi-Chandigarh Express

16. 12046 Chandigarh-New Delhi Express

Haridwar disconnected

17. 12053 Haridwar-Amritsar Jan Shatabdi Express

18. 12054 Amritsar-Haridwar Jan Shatabdi Express

19. 12057 New Delhi-Una Himachal Jan Shatabdi Express

20. 12058 Una –Himachal- New Delhi Jan Shatabdi Express

21. 12063 Haridwar-Una Himachal Jan shatabdi Express

22. 12064 Una Himachal-Haridwar Jan shatabdi Express

No trains to Amritsar

23. 12241 Chandigarh-Amritsar Express

24. 12242 Amritsar-Chandigarh Express

25. 12411 Chandigarh –Amritsar Intercity Express

26. 12412 Amritsar-Chandigarh Intercity Express

27. 12459 New Delhi-Amritsar Express

28. 12460 Amritsar-New Delhi Express

Intercity trains blocked

29. 14095 Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Kalka Himalaya Queen Express

30. 14096 Kalka-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Himalaya Queen Express

31. 14309 Ujjain-Dehradun Express

32. 14310 Dehradun-Ujjain Express

33. 14511 Prayag-Saharanpur Nauchandi Express

34. 14512 Saharanpur-Prayag Nauchandi Express

35. 14523 Barauni-Ambala Express

36. 14524 Ambala-Barauni Express

37. 14217 Prayag-Chandigarh Express

38. 14218 Chandigarh-Prayag Express

39. 14605 Haridwar-Jammu Tawi Express

40. 14606 Jammu Tawi-Haridwar Express

41. 14615 Lal kuan –Amritsar Express

42. 14616 Amritsar-Lal kuan Express

Himachal Pradesh blocked

43. 14625 Delhi Sarai Rohilla- Ferozepur Cantt Express

44. 14626 Ferozepur Cantt-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Express

45. 14673 Jaynagar-Amritsar Express

46. 14674 Amritsar-Jaynagar Express

47. 14681 New Delhi-Jalandhar Express

48. 14682 Jalandhar-New Delhi Express

49. 22479 New Delhi-Lohian Khas Express

50. 22480 Lohian Khas-New Delhi Express

51. 22485 New Delhi-Moga Express

52. 22486 Moga-New Delhi Express

53. 22705 Tirupati-Jammu Tawi Express

54. 22706 Jammu Tawi-Tirupati Express

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 20

Nearly four years after two persons were murdered and two minor girls gang raped, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed an anticipatory bail plea filed by an Army man in the matter. The case was initially registered by the Haryana Police in Nuh district, but the investigation was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The accused Ravinder Yadav alias Fauji’s counsel had submitted that the petitioner was serving in the Indian Army and there was no possibility of his fleeing from the justice. Besides, he had no criminal antecedents. As such, he was entitled to anticipatory bail.

Referring to the challan submitted by the CBI, Justice Arvind Singh Sangwan of the high court asserted it indicated the petitioner was allegedly seen holding an unlicenced weapon in his hand at the time of incident. The fact was also corroborated by two prosecution witnesses in their statements given to the investigating agency.

“At this stage, it cannot be said that the petitioner is innocent and has not committed the heinous offence of double murder and gang rape, therefore, finding no ground to grant anticipatory bail to him, present petition is dismissed,” Justice Sangwan said.

The Haryana Police had on August 25, 2016, had registered the FIR for gang rape, murder and other offences under Sections 459, 460, 376-D, 302, 325, 326, 396, 397 of the IPC, the provisions of the POCSO Act and the Arms Act at Tauru police station in Nuh district. The CBI, subsequently, registered its FIR on December 5, 2016, after the probe was transferred to it. The CBI submitted the challan against four accused, after obtaining report from the Forensic Science Laboratory, which indicated matching of DNA profile of the accused persons.

The petitioner moved the High Court after CBI Special Judge dismissed his anticipatory bail application filed after he was summoned by the trial court.

Tribune News Service
Solan, March 20

About 600 vehicles carrying tourists from Delhi, Punjab and Haryana have been sent back from the Parwanoo inter-state barrier since last evening, when the state government banned the entry of both foreign and domestic tourists into Himachal.

A joint team of policemen and health staff was monitoring the vehicles at all entry points in the district and even buses carrying groups of tourists were stopped and directed to go back.

Parwanoo DSP Yogesh Rolta said round-the-clock monitoring of vehicles was underway. “A large number of tourists were asked to return yesterday. Subsequently, their number declined steeply today,” he said, adding that the staff at the border checkpost had been provided masks, gloves and sanitiser for protection against Covid infection.

Hotels in Solan have also been directed to ensure that all tourists are sent back by 5 pm tomorrow and no new bookings are accepted till March 31.