Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 31

The Indian Air Force (IAF) achieved another milestone when an An-32 tactical transport aircraft powered with 10 per cent blend of Indian bio-jet fuel took off from the Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, Leh, today. This is the first time that both engines of the aircraft were powered by the bio-jet indigenous fuel.

The aircraft was flight tested and its performance was validated at the Chandigarh Air Base prior to undertaking the operational flight to Leh, according to IAF sources.

Leh, at an altitude of 10,682 ft above mean sea level, is among one of the world’s highest and most difficult operational airfield and is prone to extreme weather conditions. Even during clear weather conditions, landing and taking off an aircraft at Leh is challenging due to reduced power output of the aircraft engines in the rarefied atmosphere, turbulent wind conditions and proximity to mountainous terrain.

Evaluating the performance of bio-jet fuel under these conditions is important from operational perspectives. It validates the capability of the aero-engine to operate smoothly with bio-jet fuel at the extremities of the operational envelope. The tests were conducted by a team comprising test pilots from the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, Bengaluru, and pilots from the operational squadrons.

This successful test flight also demonstrates IAF’s capabilities to absorb newer technology, while sponsoring indigenisation. The technology to produce this fuel was developed by CSIR’s Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun, in 2013, but could not be tested and certified for commercial use due to lack of concurrent aviation test facilities in the country. In 2018, the IAF sponsored this project and channelised its human and material resources for the complete range of fuel testing.

The IAF had first used biofuel blend in aircraft last year when an An-32 had flown over Rajpath in New Delhi during the Republic Day fly-past.

Bio-jet fuel is produced from non-edible “tree-borne oils”, grown and procured from the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh. IAF’s efforts would assist in reducing carbon footprint.

Another milestone

• This is the first time that both engines of the An-32 aircraft were powered by bio-jet indigenous fuel
• Leh, at an altitude of 10,682 ft above mean sea level, is among one of the world’s highest and most difficult operational airfield
• This successful test flight also demonstrates IAF’s capabilities to absorb newer technology, while sponsoring indigenisation
• Bio-jet fuel is produced from non-edible ‘tree-borne oils’, grown and procured from the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh

From the Indian perspective, it is indeed a horrifying prospect that Saudi Arabia and other petrodollar Gulf states, where around nine million Indians live, could become the theatre of any US-Iran conflict. As things stand, the question is not whether but when a conflict can be expected — that is, assuming Trump gets re-elected in November.

MK Bhadrakumar
Former Ambassador

The US drone strike on January 3 killing the Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, was a watershed event. The politics of West Asia changed course. And the consequences are going to be lasting. A new phase of tensions and proxy wars is erupting in India’s ‘extended neighbourhood’, which will inevitably impact our vital interests and core concerns. The prognosis doesn’t look good. We seem to be slowly moving towards a military conflict.

The salience of January 3 is that the US unilaterally changed the rules of the game in its standoff with Iran. The four-decade-old US-Iranian rivalry has had its low and high tides: tensions subsiding in melancholy, long, withdrawing retreat and then returning after recess with a grating roar flinging waves up the high strand.

However, through that tremulous cadence, there was an eternal note, namely, neither side ever sought out the enemy and executed him on sight. Soleimani’s killing in cold blood shocked Tehran and the entire region. Unless something gives way between now and the end of the year, of which not even incipient signs appear on the horizon, there isn’t going to be any certitude of peace.

Clearly, the US-Iran hostilities are entering uncharted waters. Tehran understands that the agenda of the Trump administration is nothing less than ‘regime change’. Iraq was Tehran’s Maginot Line, a Mesopotamian labyrinth of fortifications and obstacles and weapon installations that would deter the US and compel it into a long battle of attrition. Soleimani was the craftsman of the deterrence, while Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (killed alongside by the US drone) was its supervisor and manager acting as the deputy head of the Popular Mobilisation Committee (PMC) comprising the Iraqi militia network. By eliminating the two key commanders, US expects that the PMC will be thrown into disarray, which in turn would make possible the rollback of Iran’s predominant influence in Iraq — and debilitate its capacity to be the mainstay of the Assad regime in Syria — aside disorienting Tehran’s resistance politics as such.

The heart of the matter is that the US-Iran crisis is about the future of West Asia. The US’ exit from the 2015 nuclear deal was itself prompted not by Tehran’s non-compliance with the agreement but rooted in the geopolitical assessment that there was nothing stopping Iran’s surge as a regional power. The Trump administration concluded, egged on by its regional allies, that a revamped containment strategy against Iran was needed.Tehran, on the other hand, saw this (rightly so) as an existential struggle where the containment strategy against it cannot be countered without confronting the existing regional order imposed through American hegemony with the Saudi-Israeli underpinning.

Paradoxically, Iran gets besieged without an expansion of its regional influence. The way out of this logjam lies in offering to Tehran a full integration with the world economy and a ‘grand bargain’ to make it a stakeholder in regional security, which it has been keenly seeking. But then, Iran is a rich country and robustly independent, and its surge would render archaic the US hegemony in Muslim West Asia.

Thus, the Trump administration has preferred unilateral pressure to diplomacy and is demanding that Tehran should renounce all its regional ambitions and strategy — plainly put, ‘capitulate’. But the bleak scenario was mitigated by Trump’s stated aversion to new West Asian wars. However, Trump is now systematically expanding the troop and fighter presence in Saudi Arabia. A report in the Military Times last week said, “The return of US forces to Prince Sultan Air Base is one of the more dramatic signs of America’s decision to beef up troops in the Middle East.” The report quoted the US’ top commander for the Middle East, Gen Frank McKenzie as saying that any possible future conflict with Iran, “is not going to be a ground manoeuvre war, it’s going to be a war of fires, it’s going to be a war of ballistic missiles, a war of unmanned aerial systems and cruise missiles.”

The US has sought permission from Baghdad for deployment of Patriot missiles in Iraq. The intention is to deny Iran any strategic depth and defang it from retaliating against any US attack.

From the Indian perspective, it is indeed a horrifying prospect that Saudi Arabia and other petrodollar Gulf states, where around nine million Indians live, could become the theatre of any US-Iran conflict. As things stand, the question is not whether but when a conflict can be expected — that is, assuming Trump gets re-elected in November.

Iran’s strategic patience is legion, historically speaking, and it is playing the long game. Iran’s resistance to the US’ containment strategy will continue and diplomacy with the US seems remote while Trump is in office, but talks may begin, conceivably, once he leaves the White House.

Meanwhile, a flashpoint can arise over Iran’s nuclear activities in the coming months. A legal loophole recently came to light whereby Washington can still force the reimposition of UN sanctions set to expire next year under Resolution 2331. The point is, although Washington walked out of the 2015 nuclear deal, R-2331 was never amended to reflect its withdrawal.

Iran has forewarned that it will kick out international nuclear inspectors, resume additional nuclear activities and quit the NPT in the event of a ‘snapback’ of UN sanctions. In short, the Trump administration is in a position to manufacture a crisis and to seize the moment to hit the previously announced 52 targets in Iran. Trump may even consider it politically expedient to do so as a display of ‘decisive leadership’ in the middle of his re-election bid.

Guardians of Governance scheme was introduced two years ago for effective implementation of govt schemes and to check corruption

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, February 3

About two years after the state government introduced the Guardians of Governance (GoG) scheme for the effective implementation of various government schemes and to check corruption, members of the Punjab Panchayats’ Union, Faridkot, on Monday met Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, urging him to stop the interference of the GoG.

Alleging that the GoG was making unnecessary interference in the execution of various developments works and was leading to a delay in the completion of these works in rural areas, the union members gave a representation to the minister during his visit to Faridkot on Monday.

Introducing the GoG scheme about two years ago, the state government had engaged ex-servicemen, asking them to act as the eyes and ears of the Chief Minister in the effective implementation of various government schemes, particularly in rural areas, while ensuring that there is no leakage of funds, harassment of commoners and unnecessary bottlenecks. A Lieutenant-General (retd), who is a senior adviser to Punjab CM, is the chairman of the GoG.

Earlier in its election manifesto in January 2017, the state Congress had announced to launch a department of Guardians of Governance. This is a group of ex-servicemen from panchayats to blocks to districts, right up to the Chief Minister. This is a disciplined force, going to hopefully check the misuse of funds, the party had announced in its manifesto.

The department is under the CM and Guardians of Governance are to report to the CM about the implementation of various schemes.

However, two years down the line, many panchayats alleged that the GoG members were making unnecessary interference in their work. We have urged the minister to stop the interference of the GoG members in development works in rural areas, said Gurshwinder Singh, district president of the Faridkot unit of Punjab Panchayat Union.

Other than raising the GoG issue, the sarpanches urged the minister to provide independent labour wages to the panchayats for the execution of various development works at the village level. “At present, the state government has made it mandatory that for the execution of all development works in rural areas, the panchayats have to rely on the MGNREGA scheme to get skilled and unskilled labour,” said Gurshwinder Singh.

The members said, “Mostly, we face difficulty in getting the labour under the MGNREGA scheme due to delayed payment of wages and it was a big hurdle in the timely start and finishing of the work.”

They have also demanded an increase in allowances of the sarpanches, Rs 10,000 per month for sarpanches and Rs 5,000 for panches. They urged the minister to check the unwarranted interference of bureaucrats in their work and delay in releasing the grants.

Amritsar, february 4

With restoration work in full swing at Jallianwala Bagh, the authorities have decided to close it from February 15 to April 12. A notice in this regard has been put up at the entrance.

Officials say March 31 is the target date for completing the first phase of facelift. “The effort is to re-open it in its new avatar within the stipulated time frame. The visitors’ entry has been restricted so that the pace of ongoing work is not affected,” said an official.

The work of restoration and allied services, which is estimated to cost around Rs19.36 crore, is being carried out under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India.

A new exit point with 15-foot-wide gate has been created. The old structure around the martyrs’ well has been replaced with glass walls so that the visitors can have a clear view of inside of the well.

A new light and sound show system has also being installed. The 50-seat auditorium on the first floor is being revamped with a 3-D projection system to showcase documentaries.

The bullet marks on original structures and surrounding walls are being preserved. For beautification, new landscaping and lighting arrangements are being done. Facilities for the visitors are also being improved.

MP Shawait Malik, who is also a member of the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust, said the place would remain open till 9 pm after the completion of facelift. — TNS

es have formed an enquiry committee to find the root cause of the incident and suggest remedial measures.

“Normal operations have resumed and all leakages have been fixed and crude oil is being received from installations at Central Tank Farm, Duliajan,” the company said.

A joint team comprising Circle Officer of Tengakhat Circle, Dibrugarh district, State Pollution Control Board, fisheries department and OIL experts were reviewing the possible damage to the environment.

Once the expert committee submits its findings, necessary action would be initiated.

The video of the fire, with dense, huge, black smokes from the river covering the horizon, went viral on social media.

New Delhi, February 4

Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Tuesday said a CAG report that criticised the force for the delay in procurement of special clothing for soldiers serving in high altitude areas, including Siachen, is a “little outdated” as it pertains to 2015-16.

The Army is very well prepared today, he asserted.

The report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), which was tabled in Parliament on Monday, pulled up the Army for the delay in procurement of clothing, equipment, snow goggles and multi-purpose boots that are required to be provided to soldiers serving in high altitude areas.

After meeting a group of 30 journalism students of Abasaheb Garware College here, General Naravane told reporters: “If you look at the CAG report carefully, it pertains to 2015-16. So, it is not a report about the present times. So, it is a little outdated in that sense”.

“But I would like to assure you that as of today, in 2020, we are very well prepared and every jawan who goes to Siachen gets personal clothing worth approximately Rs 1 lakh. That is the kind of preparation we do for each and every soldier who goes there,” he added.

On the marginal hike in the defence budget, the Army chief said: “Defence budget has got a modest increase of 8 per cent year on year. We will be studying how to manage this budget and how to make full use of it. And we will continue to modernise”. “Notwithstanding what budget allocations are made, in the last year itself we have inducted more than four-five different kind of weapons, weapon systems and platforms. So, modernisation has never been an issue,” he said.

The defence budget was increased to Rs 3.37 lakh crore for 2020-21 against last year’s Rs 3.18 lakh crore, belying expectations of a significantly enhanced allocation to fast-track long-pending military modernisation. PTI

75 contracts (worth Rs 1,67,898 cr) of 210 in last four financial years have been signed with foreign vendors

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, February 4

As the ‘DefExpo 2020’ opens here, the emerging contours of India’s military equipment acquisition are clear: the ‘Make in India’ push is unfolding and could lead to possible exports of some equipment; however, for now, the reality is that India’s import dependence has grown, instead of getting reduced.

The Ministry of Defence supplied data to the parliamentary standing committee and it indicates ‘dependence on the foreign vendors is rising’.

In the financial year April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015, the total procurement of weapons and equipment was worth Rs 65,859 crore (approximately $9.40 billion). The committee report, tabled in December 2019, says during the

period, the procurement from foreign vendors was worth Rs 25,980 crore (approximately $3.71 billion) which works out to be 39.62 per cent of the

total expenditure.

In the financial year April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019, the total procurement was worth Rs 75,920 crore (approximately $10.84 billion) and the purchase of foreign equipment amounted to Rs 36,957 crore (approximately $ 5.2 billion). It comprised 48.67 percent of the spending.

Actually, the last fiscal (2018-19) saw sharp spike over the one ( 2017-2018) previous to that. Imports increased by almost 10 per cent largely due to part-payment for cutting-edge imported equipment like Rafale fighter jets, the heavy lift helicopters, Chinook CH 47, and attack copters,

the Apache AH64E.

In 2017-18 the total procurement was worth Rs 72,732 crore ($10.39 billion) off this a sum of Rs 29,035 crore ($ 4.14 billion) or 39.92 percent of it, was on imports. In the past few years, imports have hovered between 37 and 39 per cent of all procurement.

In the last four financial years (2015-16 to 2018-19),

a total of 210 contracts were signed, off these 75 contracts worth about Rs 1,67,898 crore ($23.98 billion) have been signed with foreign vendors, including those from the USA, Russia, Israel, France, etc., for procurement of defence equipment for armed forces. The defence equipment imported during this period includes helicopters, aircrafts, missiles, rifles, artillery guns, simulators and ammunition.

The five-day defence expo (February 5 to 9) opens in this city tomorrow and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate it.