FOR JCOs/NCOs/ORs : INSTRUCTION FOR FILLING THE BANK DETAILS

MESSAGE FROM CDA BANGLORE

 

All OCs/COs belonging to ASC(South), M.E.G. & Centre, PARA Regt., C.M.P., PCTC & MLI are requested to instruct and assist all PBORs serving under their Units/Formations to register their Bank details by accessing the official website of CDA Bangalore www.cdablore.gov.in the link of which is provided on this page. This registration will help the respective PAOs to create a database of their bank particulars, which in turn, will enable the PAO to credit their monthly salary directly into their respective state bank accounts.

The Monthly Pay Statement of the PBOR is planned from the Month of November 2009 onwards, hence the bank details are required immediately. If possible 15th of October’2009 or latest by 25th of October’2009

All Officers are requested to read the following instructions so as to create a correct and meaningful database.
Clicking onto following link will take you to the website of CDA Bangalore which in turn has a link to PAO ASC(South).
The form which appears before you is a common one for all PBORs belonging to any of the above six regiments/Corps.
The user id of the PBOR is his Army number without check digit(suffix).
The default password assigned is also his army number.
The system forces the PBOR to change the password the first time he logs on. “It goes without saying that he should not forget the same”.
As all PBORs may not be conversant with PC/WEB based applications, it is requested that adequate help may be provided to them.
All the fields provided are mandatory except the e-mail id and mobile number, which, if provided, will help us in providing him future personalized services.
In case the bank IFS Code (Indian Financial System Code) & MICR Code are not available with the PBOR his Cheque book may be consulted which contains both of them.
In case PBOR does not possess cheque book the following URL may be followed to RBI wherein all bank branches are listed with IFS Code and MICR Code http://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/content/docs/68774.xls
IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE REGISTERATION A “NEFT MANDATE FORM” IS ALSO REQUIRED TO BE FILLED IN AND AUTHENTICATED BY THE PBOR AND SENT TO RESPECTIVE PAOs FOR THEIR RECORDS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE FORMAT IS AVAILABLE AS ANNEXURE “A” at CDA Bangalore website www.cdablore.gov.in.
In case of any problems in filling up the details the below listed officers may be contacted for clarifications.

1. CDA Bangalore : 080-25545101

2. Shri. K.G. Chetty, Sr. AO : 09448813836 (Mobile).

3. Shri. T. Nityanandan, AO : 09916784130 (Mobile).

4. Shri. Suresh Kumar, AAO : 09449006739 (Mobile).

5. Shri. S. Vijay Kumar Naidu,AAO : 09480582420 (Mobile).

Complaints if any may be mailed to pbor.msa@gmail.com

IAF women officers to scale Mt Everest in 2011

NEW DELHI: A team of IAF's women officers will make an attempt to conquer the Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, in 2011.

"An all-woman IAF mountaineering team of 20 officers will endeavour to scale the 8,848-metre high Mount Everest in 2011," IAF officials said here.

The team is currently undertaking several expeditions in other ranges in the Himalayas to prepare them to endure the physical and mental challenges that have to be addressed first before undertaking the ultimate mission, they said.

With seven of the women officers on the team having scaled the 6,123-metre high Mount Stok Kangri in Leh this August 11, the group, led by Wing Commander Bhavana Mehra will now attempt to climb the 6,512-metre high Mount Bhagirathi-II in the Garhwal hills of Uttarakhand.

IAF Director General (Administration) Air Marshal Naresh Verma had on last Friday flagged off the team on their expedition to Mount Bhagirathi.

The team would also take up a few other expeditions in the next few months. It will scale 7,075-metre high Mount Satopanth in the pre-monsoon climbing season of 2010 and 7,757-metre high Mount Kamet in the post-monsoon season that year.

"This team will also be exposed to further higher altitudes in 2011 before setting course for Mount Everest," they added.

TOI

HAWS teams scale Machoi peak

Srinagar, September 26
High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) has successfully scaled the Machoi peak (18,000 ft) in three waves on September 16, 17 and 18.

The HAWS puts its students attending the mountain warfare advance course through the expedition to give them the first-hand experience of the planning and technical aspects of the course. These techniques may come handy in the face of any eventuality along our mountainous borders. The successful completion of the expedition also validated the rock craft and ice draft training imparted to the students, a defence spokesman said.

The first summit team comprising two officers, a JCO and 12 others ranks of training staff and six officers and 32 others rank students started under the leadership of Major Harsh Jha on September 16 from the road head at Gumri and established the Base camp at a height of 14,500 ft. The first team reached the summit at 10.54 am and by 11.20 am all teams reached the summit.

The complete wave reached the Base camp by 2 pm, after the lunch break of an hour this wave started their final journey to the road head at Gumri.

Simultaneously, the second wave had started at 6.30 am on September 19 and was safely at the Base Camp 10.30 am to welcome the first wave returning from successful venture.

The second wave comprising three JCOs and 10 others ranks of training staff and six officers and 30 others ranks students started under the leadership of Subedar Gokul Pradhan on September 17 from the Base Camp and reached the summit at 8.08 am and finally to the Base Camp at 12.10 pm with this wave returning .

The third wave comprising two officers, two JCOs and nine other ranks of training staffs and four officers, a JCO and 31 other rank students started under the leadership of Capt Mirza Zaihid Baig on September 18 from the Base Camp and reached the summit on September 18.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090927/j&k.htm#3

Clamour to let army fight Maoists rises

New Delhi, Sept. 26: The CPM in Bengal has joined an increasing chorus from the states to deploy the military as the Centre shapes a shotgun strategy counter-Maoist offensive.

Ironically enough, Bengal was the first — and remains the only — state in which the army was deployed against Naxalites since the uprising in Naxalbari (1967) spawned thousands of Maoists who now claim influence over a quarter of the country.

Despite the clamour for the army, Union home minister P. Chidambaram said even yesterday during a tour of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand: “There is no proposal to involve the army in anti-Naxal operations.”

But three days back in New Delhi, Chidambaram had said in two separate meetings, that if need be, the special forces of the army would be called upon to lend their muscle to the offensive he is now shaping.

The Indian Air Force is already involved in the operations and the army top brass is involved in strategising and training of forces.

The demand for the army, being voiced with increasing decibel levels from the states since 2006, cuts across party lines — whether it is the Congress, the Biju Janata Dal or the BJP and, now, the CPM. But the largest constituent of the Left in Bengal is unsure that it can carry the coalition it leads along with it.

Should the Eastern Command, headquartered in Calcutta’s Fort William, be asked to organise a deployment, this will be the second time since 1971. A full corps of the army was deployed in the western districts of Bengal and the eastern and southern districts of Bihar — one of the strongest areas of the Maoists then as it is today — that year under Operation Steeplechase.

That history has been all but forgotten as state administrations look to militarise their drive against the Maoists.

The demand for the army is accompanied by increasing measures to militarise the police force. The scare scenario for the army is that despite their “militarisation” — by means of better equipment and larger numbers — the state and central security forces run the risk of getting stranded.

“A militarised police is necessary but if the military is asked to police, it’s dangerous,” a senior army officer said.

“In that event, the military will be called upon to police the interiors of India, something we do not want,” he said. “In Jammu and Kashmir and in the Northeast, it is important for the army to be deployed because they are border regions,” he explained.

Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik met defence minister A.K. Antony yesterday and sought the military’s involvement in the offensive to take on Maoists in the western and southern districts of his state.

Patnaik was also keen that the army recruit soldiers from his state in larger numbers.

The chief minister is also understood to have requested the defence establishment to formulate special norms suited for the physical characteristics of tribals and others in Orissa so that they stand a better chance of getting recruited.

The Opposition Congress in Orissa has already called upon the Centre to deploy the army in Orissa.

In Chhattisgarh, the BJP government is making space in the outskirts of Raipur for a military cantonment. Chief minister Raman Singh has assured the army chief, General Deepak Kapoor, that land for a sub area command has been marked out. Though Raman Singh does not favour a deployment of the army just yet, his government-backed Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College in Kanker is supported by the army.

It is run by a former army officer, Brigadier (retired) Basant Kumar Ponwar, who was the commandant of the army’s specialised Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) in Vairangte, Mizoram, when he was in the service.

The army has seconded two Colonels to the faculty of the college that is the only one in the country dedicated to training state and central forces in counter-Maoist tactics. A helipad within the college campus is also used to launch air force helicopters for reconnaissance, casualty evacuation and the movement of troops.

In Operation Steeplechase — similar in many ways to the current security drive in and around Lalgarh — a corps of the army (about 45,000 troops) were deployed from July 1 to August 15 1971, in Midnapore, Purulia, Burdwan and Birbhum districts of Bengal, in Singhbhum, Dhanbad, Santhal Parganas districts of Bihar (now Jharkhand) and in Mayurbhanj district of Orissa.

The army was the outer ring of a cordon spread across the districts on the borders of the three states while central and state forces carried out searches and sweeps through much of the villages in the forested tracts. The army was withdrawn as India began preparing for the war with Pakistan in December 1971 that led to the creation of Bangladesh.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090927/jsp/nation/story_11546415.jsp

IAF Inducts Rapid Action Mobile Medical Hospital

An ultra-modern fully air-conditioned, ‘Rapid Action Mobile Medical Hospital’ was inducted into Indian Air Force by the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal PK Barbora, at the IAF’s Hindon airbase near Ghaziabad, today. Air Marshal P Madhusoodanan, Director General Medical Services (Air) who conceptualized the need for such a setup was also present during the induction ceremony.

The mobile medical Hospital, the first-of-its-kind in the country is field/disaster area deployable 25-bedded hospital with a full complement of Operation theatre, oxygen generating system and other sub-systems that would aid the military and civilians in both disaster areas and operational grounds. The system is air/road transportable and will serve as a key force multiplier to the expert disaster medical management teams on ground who have till now been working under serious constraints of facility. More such units will be inducted and positioned in each command zone after evaluation so that the entire geographic spread of the country is duly covered, informed DGMS (Air).

PIB

Military Balance and Partition

A small number of Englishmen (about two lacs) ruled India, a vast country with a population of 400 million. How could they do it? Their strategy was military control and creation of vested interests bound up with British rule. The princes and zamindars were given privileges and they wanted the British to rule India. After a few decades of the Great Revolt of 1857, the British became pro-Muslim to convert them to support British rule. Wavell considered Muslims loyalist like princes.

According to Lord Roberts, the Commander-in-Chief in the beginning of the 20th century, “Respect based on fear was key to rule in India. Remove the fear and respect will soon disappear.” British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury added that British rule depended on resort to force enormously enhanced by the reputation of invincibility. The British kept aloof from Indians. But the racial superiority shown by the English Sahibs created revulsion among Indians gradually. Gandhiji’s non-cooperation movements restored self-respect to Indians. They did not feel inferior to Englishmen as they did earlier. The easy Japanese victories in South-East Asia and Burma during December 1941 to May 1942 destroyed the myth of European invincibility. The record of the British in Malaya and Burma was extremely poor, though the British propaganda kept the truth hidden from most of the world.

During the pre-war period, the British had a strategy to suppress the mutiny of Indian soldiers should it occur. The proportion of British soldiers to Indian soldiers was one to two. The British troops were kept inside the country to serve as internal security troops. The greater part of Indian troops was part of field army for service abroad and on the frontier. The more effective weapons were with the British and not given to Indians. Commissioned Officers, the brain of the army, were mostly British. All this changed due to the exigencies of war and the British desire to save their own blood. To fight against the Japanese, the British created an Indian Army of two-and-a-half million men. The Indians had to be given modern arms: the number of Indian officers greatly increased, the proportion of Muslims to Hindus changed. Before the war, more than 50 per cent of Indian troops were Muslims. The figure fell to 25 per cent at the war end. The British had become too confident due to their experience in WW I. In the prewar period the British had kept a fair number of Sikhs in the group of non-Muslim soldiers, as Hindus mainly were asking for freedom. Thus the British could not militarily control India, even if the Muslims joined them. The number of British soldiers in India was still 70,000. When General Wavell travelled with Churchill in 1943 on the way to the US, he rebuked Wavell for creating a Frankenstien by putting modern weapons in the hands of Sepoys. Wavell still believed in the loyalty of Indian Sepoys and disagreed. He thought that Churchill had a 19th century mind. Churchill, the politician, was correct.

Many events happened during WW II and immediately after the war end. The ‘Quit India’ movement was very widespread and stronger than the 1857 Revolt. This fact was suppressed during the war period by the British. Subhash Chandra Bose raised the Indian National Army in 1943. Though the INA could not free India by invasion, the British began to have doubts about the loyalty of the Indian Army. To teach a lesson to the Indians, the British put on trial three Indian National Army officers. This boomeranged and affected the Indian soldiers. Britain, France and Holland had to give up their rule in South-East Asia during the war. To justify their own desire for rule, the British wanted their rule restored in South-East Asia. They had become too weak to fulfill their wish to rule again Indo China and Indonesia. They could not take surrender from the Japanese at the war end. Britain sent Indian troops there to take surrender from Japanese. After taking surrender from the Japanese, the British commander used them to suppress the freedom movements there. The Congress said that Indian troops were not mercenaries and should not be used to restore colonial rule there. Commander-in-chief Auchinleck feared that Indian troops might not obey orders to fire on the natives. It is important to note that it was Atlee and his Labour Government, which sent Indian troops to Indo-China and Indonesia to suppress the independence in these countries. This proves that Atlee and Labour Party were imperialist and not in favour of giving independence to India. The contrary is wrongly believed by millions in India even now. Realising that Indian troops were no more loyal to Britain, Wavell wrote in December 1945 to the Home Government in a top-secret letter a blueprint of partition and Pakistan, which was needed in the interest of the worldwide British Empire. The aim was to protect West Asia from Soviet expansion to the Indian Ocean and the oilwells there.

When theCabinet delegation came to India on March 23, 1946 with the partition plan based on Wavell’s letter, Wavell wrote to them on March 29 a military appreciation about the situation in India, pointing out the weak British position, and the trump card of ability to blockade India to prevent essential supplies like petrol, kerosene etc. The appreciation was correct. At the same time he started making ‘Break-Down’ plans in case the Indian Army revolted. Wavell wanted to use military force to impose his partition plan if the Congress did not agree. The British Government rejected Wavell’s Break-Down plans, as use of military to partition India, in their opinion, would have created deep enmity feeling against Britain. It wanted to show that partition was due to disagreement between the Congress and Muslim League. Hence, Atlee decided to replace Wavell with Mountbatten in December 1946. He fired Wavell in March 1947 for repeatedly insisting on adoption of his Break-Down plans (though Azad had incorrectly said that Wavell resigned due to disagreement with the British Government).

In the meantime, Patel had decided in December 1946 to agree to partition to save India. In January 1947, he and V.P. Menon made a partition plan, which was in the hands of Mountbatten before coming to India in March 1947. On February 17, 1947, Patel told Wavell that he was prepared to let Muslims have Pakistan in Western Punjab, Sindh and NWFP, if they desired it and East Bengal. The final partition was carried out almost according to Patel’s plan. Mountbatten was able to show that partition was due to agreement between Jinnah and the Congress, though the British were opposed to partition.

The author has penned a recently published book, entitled Reflections on the History of World in 20th Century; www.peaceamongmankind.com is his website.

http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article1668.html

The Moving Finger Writes

China: An enemy at large
By M.V. Kamath

China is no friend of India. According to China expert Gordon Chang, author of The Coming Collapse of China, "China sees India as an adversary and wants to destabilise it". According to him, "China has supported terrorists who operate in India and China transferred nuclear weapons technology to Pakistan to keep India in check." The closer Pakistan is at the breaking point, the more China will try to encircle India by making friendly overtures towards India’s neighbours.

Does anyone remember the time when India was forced to take action against Pakistan forces in East Bengal as millions of refugees began to pour into West Bengal following the revolt of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman against Islamabad’s military misrule? Forced to take military action, India stormed into East Bengal and defeated the Pakistani Army and took 90,000 Pakistani soldiers as prisoners-of-war. It was at that time that one of India’s worst enemies, US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, tried to persuade China to attack India.

The same story at a different level is being enacted now. Pakistan itself is in deep trouble. It is scared that India may take advantage of its current situation and amass its troops along the Indo-Pak border. Pakistan, under pressure from the US has withdrawn a sizeable segment of its forces from the East for action against the Taliban in the West. Pakistan is afraid that India might take this opportunity and invade it. In the circumstances, the Pakistan Armed Forces must have persuaded Beijing to indulge in illegal activities along the Sino-Indian border to distract the Government of India.

According to the Indian Army chief, there were 21 Chinese incursions in June, 20 in July and 24 in August. Between 2006 and 2008 Chinese intrusions doubled from 140 incidents to 270. These are obvious tactics, but they should be taken seriously. For Shri SM Krishna, External Affairs Minister, to play down the aggressive tactics employed by China in the Ladakh region by saying that the Sino-Indian border is "most peaceful" fools no one. Shri Krishna may be playing the diplomatic game but either he is unwilling to read up on history or is ignorant of how China betrayed India even as Nehru and VK Krishna Menon were espousing Hindi Chini bhai bhai.

China is no friend of India. According to China expert Gordon Chang, author of The Coming Collapse of China, "China sees India as an adversary and wants to destabilise it." According to him, "China has supported terrorists who operate in India and China transferred nuclear weapons technology to Pakistan to keep India in check." The closer Pakistan is at the breaking point, the more China will try to encircle India by making friendly overtures towards India’s neighbours, Mynmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The United States can do nothing. Either it doesn’t want to or is incapable of taking China on-a nation to which it is deeply indebted. It is shocking to think that it is beholden to Pakistan for containing the Taliban.

To see the United States, the only Super Power on earth grovelling at the feet of Pakistan and promising it $7.5 billion in aid over five years, most of which goes into the pockets of the Pakistan Army, is unbelievable. An official US agency had charged Pakistan with misusing American aid to fight the Taliban by spending the money to buy arms to fight India. And now, to top it all former President Pervez Musharraf has himself admitted that Pakistan has been freely using US aid to strengthen its defences against India. In an interview he even went so far as to say that he did not care whether the US would be angered by his disclosure. Pakistan gets its arms practically free. India has to spend billions to match Pakistan’s offensive capabilities. The US is thus enforcing an arms race in South Asia to India’s detriment.

With the United States as ‘friend’, India does not need enemies. China is trying to keep India in perpetual fear of war and has had the impertinence to warn the Dalai Lama not to visit Arunachal Pradesh and especially Tawang. It is here that Dalai Lama halted in 1959 when he escaped from Lhasa. He has close links with a monastery there and he has every right to visit it. China’s remarks must be treated with total disdain. If once India gives in, China will misunderstand it as weakness and seek to make more demands.

Already there is a general feeling that India is weak-minded and can be easily threatened to submission. Delhi should not give the wrong signals. At the same time, Pakistan’s provocative act of firing rockets across the Wagah border calls for instant reaction. This also is a deliberate attempt to see how far Pakistan can go before Delhi reacts. The suggestion must have come from China. One sees more than a similarity between Chinese incursions in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh and Pakistani infiltration into Indian territory. The United States can be of no help either way. It has been consistently unreliable in the last four decades. The disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist AQ Khan has revealed that Pakistan was ready to test a nuclear bomb as early as 1984 as the US was inclined to overlook its clandestine atomic programme in the initial years, due to Islamabad’s involvement in the US-led war against the Soviet presence in Afghanistan.

The US even looked the other way when Pakistan bought 200 anti-aircraft missiles from North Korea during the Kargil War and the dollars came from US aid. Even when North Korean engineers came to visit the Kahuta nuclear plant in Pakistan quite openly, the US had nothing to say. A Q Khan got away, as they say, with murder. He could do anything illegal like supplying equipments to Iran or Libya and no questions were asked. The current Pakistani attacks have not brought out one single protest or warning from Washington. Obviously, as Gordon Chang says, everybody is aware of America’s current problems which prevents Washington from taking a strong stand.

Apart from ‘invading’ Indian territory, China is becoming a host to terrorists. What arms, for instance, was a China-bound UAE Air force plane carrying when it made an emergency landing in India? At first the pilot lied about the cargo. When its real nature was discovered, there were red faces. For whom were those arms meant for? Certainly not for China? They are obviously intended for terrorists who have been given shelter in China and who make occasional forays in North East India. Shri Krishna may not want to show his hand but if he really believes that the recent incidents are not a cause for concern, India is going to be in real trouble soon. The time is ripe to tell both Pakistan and China that there is a limit to India’s forbearance and they had better beware. Barbarians do not understand politeness. They understand power and the willingness to use it. Shri SM Krishna must think again. India has paid dearly for pussyfooting in the past. It would be foolish to repeat the performance all over again.

http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=311&page=9

China cannot do a 1962: Tawang residents

Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh): Sewang Lama, a businessman, was 11 years old when India and China fought a border war in 1962, with Chinese troops advancing deep into Arunachal Pradesh and inflicting heavy casualties on Indian soldiers.

Today, 58-year-old Lama, a father of three, is confident China cannot do a repeat of 1962 in this rugged eastern frontier.

"The situation was different in 1962 with the Chinese catching our soldiers unawares. Today, I am pretty sure the Indian Army would be able to give China a befitting reply in case they have any ill intentions," Lama said sounding proud and confident.

Lama has faint memories of the 1962 Chinese aggression.

Why the China threat story sells in India

"I remember my father shifting our entire family to a far off village to escape the rampaging Chinese Army... We probably stayed there for close to three weeks."

The mountainous state of Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,030-km unfenced border with China

The Sino-Indian border along Arunachal Pradesh is separated by the McMahon Line, an imaginary border now known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Like Lama, 63-year-old Tamding Sarwang too has bitter memories of the 1962 war.

Khan's disclosures vindicate India's stand

"Whatever happened is history, now China cannot do a repeat of 1962. The people of Arunachal Pradesh are solidly behind the Indian Army and would shed blood to protect our territory," said Sarwang, a yak farmer near the Sela Pass perched at an altitude of close to 14,000 feet.

The writing on the wall is loud and clear - Arunachal is part of India.

"I am India, India is me. I love my India," reads a slogan painted on rocks close to the Chinese border.

But there is a grouse among the locals here - they want New Delhi to firm up its stand against China and develop the frontier region to remove any sense of alienation.

"India should strengthen its troops and equip them with the best of weapons and take a bold step to make India's position clear on Arunachal. We also want our border roads and other infrastructure to be developed," Ruwal Norbu, a community elder, said.

No question of repeat of 1962: NSA

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu echoes similar views.

"Chinese claims of Arunachal Pradesh is baseless. So India should once for all settle the border dispute and clarify all doubts," the chief minister said.

The border dispute with China was inherited by India from British colonial rulers, who hosted a 1914 conference with the Tibetan and Chinese governments that set the border in what is now Arunachal Pradesh.

China has never recognised the 1914 McMahon Line and claims 90,000 sq km, nearly all of Arunachal Pradesh. India accuses China of occupying 8,000 sq km of its territory in Kashmir.

Aircraft start using IAF base near China border

After 1962, tensions flared again in 1986 with Indian and Chinese forces clashing in Sumdorong Chu valley of Arunachal. Chinese troops reportedly built a helipad in the valley leading to fresh skirmishes.

The latest hiccups along the border follow reports of Chinese incursions, which Beijing has denied.

Indian officials say there have been some incursions but this is routine since the border is not demarcated.

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=jj0m4bedhed&title=_China_cannot_do_a_1962_border_villagers_say

NSA is a babe in the woods on nuclear matters: Santhanam

New Delhi: Describing National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan as a “babe in the woods” on nuclear matters for his comments on Pokhran-II tests, the former DRDO scientist, K. Santhanam, has said his career has been that of “a cop and a spook.”

Chiding Mr. Narayanan for calling him a maverick, Mr. Santhanam, who was one of the four key scientists associated with the tests in 1998, said “it shows desperation of a sort. There is a nice phrase in football — attacking the player, not the ball.”

“The attempt is to give the dog a bad name. But this dog has not lost its bite,” Mr. Santhanam said in an interview to Outlook magazine. The scientist recently stirred a controversy claiming that the 1998 nuclear tests were not successful as was projected.

Terming the scientist’s claims about the tests “horrific,” Mr. Narayanan asserted that India had thermonuclear capabilities which had been verified by a peer group of researchers.

Mr. Santhanam said: “I am a person from a nuclear background, who spent close to 16 years in Trombay, published articles in various journals. I was doing strategic analysis long before I came to Delhi.”

“I may not be known to Mr. Narayanan but, if anything, I will add that Mr. Narayanan is a babe in the woods on nuclear matters. His career has been that of a cop and a spook. And I do not want to elaborate any further.”

Claiming that they could only manage yield of 20 to 25 kt against the expected 45 kt during the thermonuclear (TN) test, Mr. Santhanam said “no crater was formed ... if you look at the seismic data recorded by the DRDO instruments, which worked beautifully, you can tell that the 45 kt yield didn’t happen.”

Advocating resumption of nuclear tests, he said, “if the opportunity arises we should consider resuming tests ... If you ask me, I think the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty will be pursued with much vigour by the new U.S. administration. The window of opportunity is available now.” — PTI

http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/26/stories/2009092661551100.htm

Army won’t be used against Maoists: Chidambaram

RAIPUR/RANCHI: Visiting Maoist-affected Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said on Friday that the Army would not be involved in the offensive against naxals.

He said it was a matter of concern that Jharkhand had become the “epicentre of left-wing extremism” along with Chhattisgarh.

“There is no proposal to involve the Army in the anti-naxal operations,” said Mr. Chidambaram, who was in Ranchi to review the security situation in Jharkhand.

“Left-wing extremism is the gravest challenge to our way of life, our republic and our democracy,” he said of the banned CPI (Maoist).

“Our policy on left-wing extremism is very clear. There is no place for violence or so-called armed struggle for liberation in a republican, democratic form of government.

“They believe in armed liberation struggle. We reject that argument. So long any one indulges in violence, the State has to oppose and fight the group,” he said.

He said the Centre had made it clear at the recent Chief Ministers’ Conference in New Delhi that the so-called armed liberation struggle was unacceptable, and the police would act against it.

Earlier, Mr. Chidambaram said in Raipur that the Centre was committed to fighting naxalism and would provide all help to the Chhattisgarh government to eradicate the extremists. — PTI

http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/26/stories/2009092650930100.htm