Defence Salary Account

KNOW MORE ABOUT DEFENCE SALARY ACCOUNT. ITS SAME FOR ARMY, AIRFORCE AND NAVY :

http://www.irfc-nausena.nic.in/irfc/dpa/mou_sbi.htm


http://www.irfc-nausena.nic.in/irfc/dpa/MoU_Defence_package.pdf

Govt finds new ways to dodge RTI

HINDUSTAN TIMES

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Govt-finds-new-ways-to-dodge-RTI/Article1-549523.aspx

The government may have refrained from amending the Right to Information Act after Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s intervened, but it has found a subtler way to refuse information.

Public authorities can refuse information in a particular format on the ground that “it would disproportionately divert the resources of a public authority” or that it “can be detrimental to the safety or preservation of the records”.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the nodal office for RTI law, has said the section 7 (9) of the RTI law gives right to a public authority to deny information if it leads to diversion of resources disproportionately.

In a circular issued this week, the department also rules out the possibility of the public authority asking the RTI applicant to pay for diversion of public resources to get the information in the sought format.

Seeking a charge for diversion of resources was often used by Central Public Information Officers (CPIOs) to deter RTI applicants. In one case, the Delhi Police had asked for Rs 20,000 for providing some information.

While that has been termed illegal, the DoPT has provided a more lethal tool to CPIOs —that is to deny information. The department said information sought in a particular format can be refused.

The circular was issued in response to transparency watchdog Central Information Commission asking the government to frame rules for charging fees for providing information that is priced and towards mailing charges.

“The government has not considered it desirable to charge fees towards expenditure involved in mailing information or overhead expenditure,” the circular said.

Rahul's healing touch for slain CRPF man's kin

TIMES OF INDIA

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Rahuls-healing-touch-for-slain-CRPF-mans-kin-/articleshow/5924052.cms

LUCKNOW: Shiv Narain Yadav may finally sleep through the night without getting up every half an hour. The octogenarian father of constable Vinod Kumar Yadav — one among the 76 CRPF men killed during the Maoist strike in Dantewada — admitted to having turned an insomniac since the news of Vinod's gruesome death reached the little uneventful hamlet, Pure Khushal, last month. 

There has been a constant trickle of visitors ever since but none could bring the solace the family needed till Rahul Gandhi stepped in the modest little house at Pure Khushal in Sangrampur block of Amethi. 

"Though his son would not come back, Rahul's visit," says the old man, "could save the family particularly his daughter-in-law Savitri and two grandchildren from ruination". Rahul dropped in unannounced at 9am on Wednesday and spent nearly half-an-hour with the grieving family members. 

"He proved to be an extremely patient listener... senior Yadav was hardly coherent... women were wailing and would not calm down and there was quite a din..." says Brijesh Kumar Singh, block pramukh of Sangrampur, who accompanied the MP.  

IAF helicopters engaged in relief, rescue operations

PTI

http://www.ptinews.com/news/675083_IAF-helicopters-engaged-in-relief--rescue-operations

Shillong, May 28 (PTI) Indian Air Force today engaged four helicopters for relief and rescue operations in the derailment of the Mumbai-bound Gyaneshwari Express in West Midnapore district in West Bengal in which over 71 people have been killed and hundreds injured.

Two MI-17 helicopters, one Advanced Light Helicopter and one Cheetah helicopter have been pressed into service, defence spokesman Wing Commander Ranjeev Sahoo said here.

The helicopters are operating from the Air Force Station, at Kalaikunda in West Midnapore district, he said adding an AN-32 aircraft had carried a surgical team from Jorhat in Assam to the Air Force Base in Kalaikunda.

He said a medical team from the Air Force base in Kalaikunda consisting of three doctors and seven paramedics were also despatched along with ambulances and coaches.

Two Indian Air Force engineers caught taking bribe

PTI & HINDUSTAN TIMES

http://www.ptinews.com/news/668375_Two-Indian-Air-Force-engineers-caught-taking-bribe

I WONDER : ITS MES NOT IAF !!!!! WE MUST ISSUE CLARIFICATIONS ON SUCH PRESS RELEASES AS THEY FURTHER TARNISH THE FORCES IMAGE......

Two engineers attached to Military Engineer Services and posted at the Indian Air Force base at Nashik, were arrested for accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a contractor.

The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Rajendra Kukkar, assistant garrison engineer (contracts) and Shashikant Patil, junior engineer attached to the office of garrison engineer (Indepe-ndent) in Nashik from Hotel Sai Palace, where Kukkar had thrown a birthday party.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, CBI ACB, Praveen Salunke said the contractor had done road construction work at the air force base, for which he was yet to be paid.

The engineers promised him money only if he paid the bribe. Initially, the engineers demanded a bribe of Rs 70,000, but the contractor negotiated and brought the amount down to Rs 50,000, the CBI said.

Last Friday, the contractor approached the Mumbai office of the CBI and lodged a complaint.

The CBI recorded telephone conversations between the engineers and the contractor to gather evidence. The engineers asked the contractor to deliver the amount on Monday but at the last moment postponed it to Tuesday.

The CBI found that the engineers had on earlier occasions taken a two to three per cent commission to clear bills of various other contractors.

ECHS EXPANSION

Government Approves Massive Expansion of Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme 

To provide equitable treatment to all eligible Ex-Servicemen and their dependents under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) and to enhance the scheme’s coverage, the Union Cabinet today approved Establishment of 199 new polyclinics including 17 mobile medical facilities and 15 new regional centres at a cost of Rs. 141 crores. With this, the ECHS facility will now be extended to those areas, where Ex-Servicemen population is below 2,500 by setting up polyclinics which are within reasonable distance from Ex-Servicemen concentrations. 

The Cabinet also approved reorganization and strengthening the Central Organisation ECHS by suitably increasing the manpower. It has authorized additional manpower – 2263 in number on contractual basis, to man the additional 199 polyclinics. It has also authorized 315 serving personnel – 60 officers and 255 PBORs, for proposed regional centres and seven officers and 15 PBORs for Central Organisation ECHS. 

Financial implications towards creation of infrastructure will be about Rs.141 crore. This will entail a capital expenditure of Rs. 118.52 crore towards cost of land, construction and medical equipment. An amount of Rs. 22.25 crore of expenditure will cover purchase of furniture etc, and IT hardware. On the recurring side, an expenditure of Rs.43 crore per annum is envisaged. 

It may be recalled that the ECHS was introduced on April 01, 2003 to provide comprehensive medical coverage to Ex-Servicemen pensioners, war widows and dependents by establishing 227 polyclinics at stations with Ex-Servicemen population above 2500 throughout the country. 106 polyclinics are at military stations and 121 polyclinics are at non-military stations. Where the Ex-Servicemen population is less than 2,500, the Ex-Servicemen face hardships in reaching polyclinics because of the distance. There are over 30 lakh ECHS beneficiaries now. On an average 60,000 Servicemen retire every year and this results in a further addition of 60,000 Ex-Servicemen and 1,44,000 dependents to the list of beneficiaries each year. Over 7 lakh Ex-Servicemen, who retired prior to April 01, 2003 have not opted for the scheme primarily due to non-availability of polyclinics near their places of residence. There are also insufficient number of regional centres to monitor the polyclinics. 

Following is the list of additional polyclinics planned to be established:- 

Jammu & Kashmir

Baramulla, Doda, Poonch, Baribrahmna (Jammu), Kargil, Nagrota (Kathua) 

Himachal Pradesh

Rampur (Shimla), Nahan (Sirmaur), Shahpur (Kangra), Palampur (Kangra), Kullu, Dera Goppipur (Kangra), Jogindernagar (Mandi), Chamba, Ghumarwin (Bilaspur), Sarakaghat (Mandi), Barsar (Hamirpur), 

Punjab

Mohali, Ajnala (Amritsar), Tarantaran (Amritsar), Beas (Amritsar), Nawansahar, Suranassi (Jalandhar), Uchi Bassi (Hoshiarpur), Abohar (Ferozpur), Jagraon (Ludhiana), Batala (Gurdaspur), Srigovindpur (Gurdaspur), Sultanpur Lodhi (Kapurthala), Phagwara (Kapurthala), Samana (Patiala), Barnala (Sangrur), Nabha (Patiala), Doraha (Ludhiana), Samarala (Ludhiana), Mahalpur (Hoshiarpur), Talwara (Hoshiarpur) 

Haryana

Gohana (Sonepat), Mehan (Rohtak), Sampla (Rohtak), Loharu (Bhiwani), Kosli (Jhajjar), Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar), Gurgaon, Nuh (Gurgaon), Charki Dadri (Bhiwani), Mahendragarh, Narwana (Jind), Palwal (Faridabad), Hansi (Hissar), Dharuhera (Rewari), Narayangarh (Ambala), Kharkhauda (Sonepat) 

National Capital Territory of Delhi

Shakurbasti, Timarpur, Khanpur, Preetvihar

Rajasthan

Neem Ka Thana (Sikar), Shergarh (Jodhpur), Dausa, Sanganer (Jaipur), Bhuwana (Jhunjhunu), Bhilwara, Suratgarh (Hanumangarh), Dungarpur, Rajsamand, Rajgarh (Churu), Chirawa (Jhunjhunu), Behror (Alwar) 

Uttar Pradesh

Bagpat, Gonda, Basti, Jaunpur, Greater Noida (GB Nagar), Lakhimpur, Moradabad, Bijnaur, Rampur, Hardoi, Banda, Roberts Ganj (Mirzapur), Barabanki, Unnao, Hathras 

Uttarakhand

Joshimath (Chamoli), Dehradun, Vikas Nagar (Dehradun), Tehri, Rudraprayag, Ranikhet, Almora, Bageshwar, Banbasa (Champavat), Rudrapur (Udham Singh nagar), Dharchula (Pithoragarh), Lansdowne (Paurigarhwal), Uttarkashi, Ramnagar (Nainital) 

Bihar

Bhagalpur, Kathiar, Motihari, Siwan, Samastipur, Madhubani, Buxar, Vaishali, Sasaram (Rohtas) Khagaria, Munger, Sitamarhi 

Jharkhand 

Deoghar, Gumla, Chaibasa (West Singhbhoom), Daltonganj (Palamu), Dhanbad 

Madhya Pradesh

Satna, Ujjain, Amla (East Nimar), Pachmarhi (Hoshangabad) 

Chhattisgarh

Jagdalpur (Bastar), Bilaspur, Raigarh 

West Bengal

Berhampore (Murshidabad), Baruipur (South 24 Pargana), Bankura, Howrah, Raiganj (North Dinajpur), Cooch Behar, Kalimpong (Darjeeling), Binaguri (Jalpaiguri) 

Assam

Lanka (Naugaon), Bongaigaon, Tinsukia, Tezpur (Sonitpur), Misamari (Darrang), Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Dhubri, Lakhimpur 

Manipur

Chura Chandpur 

Nagaland

Mokokchung 

Mizoram

Lunglei

Arunachal Pradesh

Tezu (Lohit), Along (West Siang)

Orissa

Puri, Sambalpur, Koraput, Angul, Bhawanipatna (Kalahandi), Dhenkanal 

Andhra Pradesh

Srikakulam, Anantapur, Karnool, Cuddapah, Nellore, Karimnagar, Eluru (West Godavari), Secunderabad (Rangareddy), Khammam, Mehbubnagar 

Tamil Nadu

Erode, Sivagangai (Sivaganga), Kumbhkonum (Tiruvallur), Chennai, Ramanathapuram, Tambram (Kanchipuram)

Kerala

Mavelikara (Alleppey), Kanhangad (Kasargode), Kalpetta (Wayanad), Thodupuzha (Idukki), Thiruvananthapuram, Changanacherry (Kottayam), Moovattupuzha (Ernakulum), Iritti (Kannur), Kunnamkulum (Trichur), Kottarakara (Kollam), Ranni (Pathanamthitta), Killimanur (Thiruvananthapuram) 

Karnataka

Kolar, Tumkur, Hassan, Shimoga, Bangalore, Gulbarga, Bidar, Virarajendrapet (Kodagu) 

Maharastra

Beed, Nanded, Karad (Satara), Wardha, Navi Mumbai (Mumbai), Pune, Khadki (Pune), Yavatmal, Dhule. 

Goa

Vasco – Da – Gama 

Gujarat

Gandhidham, Surat, Rajkot 

Pudduchery

Pudduchery

In addition to these polyclinics 15 regional centres will also be set up at Shimla, Jalandhar, Dehradun, Ambala, Hissar, Meerut, Allahabad, Ranchi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Nagpur, Vizag, Bangalore, Coimbatore & Trivandrum.

COAS TO REVIEW CURRENT PROMOTION POLICY

TIMES OF INDIA

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5918224.cms

NEW DELHI: When he took over as Army chief last month, General V K Singh promised to improve the "internal health'' of his 1.13-million force. He has set the ball rolling now. 

Gen Singh is putting his weight behind a comprehensive review of the "quantification-based'' promotion policy for officers, which was ushered in by his predecessor Gen Deepak Kapoor and the now-retired military secretary (MS) Lt-Gen Avadhesh Prakash in January 2009, say sources. 

The steeply-hierarchical armed forces certainly need a "healthy'' promotion policy to ensure that officers with "robust moral fibre'' reach the upper echelons. 

This has become crucial after a flurry of liquor, ration, fuel and meat scandals, with several senior officers in the dock, has rocked the traditional high standards of probity and discipline in armed forces like never before. 

Incidentally, Prakash, who as MS was in charge of all promotions and postings in Army, is himself embroiled in the alleged Sukna land scam case with three other generals. 

Sources say Gen Singh has tasked a committee led by director-general of artillery Lt-Gen K R Rao to suggest changes in the January 2009 promotion policy, which are likely to be discussed in the Army commanders' conference next week. 

This comes in the backdrop of "negative feedback'' from the "environment'' (Army parlance for its formations spread across the country) about the policy. 

Under it, 95% marks are given for "quantified parameters'' like ACRs (annual confidential reports), courses, honours and awards. Only 5% is kept for "value judgement'' by selection board members on criteria like performance, recommendations, potential for employability in higher ranks and, importantly, "degree of difficulty'' in tenures. 

"This policy ignores environmental reality by relying too much on quantification. It virtually eliminates the human angle,'' said a senior officer. 

Added another, "It gives little credit to officers for serving in tough field postings like high-altitude areas or counter-insurgency operations. Earlier, gallantry awards and field service had much more weightage.'' 

The bifurcation of major-generals and lieutenant-generals into "command'' and "staff'' streams, with the former heading operational formations and the latter administrative duties, has also not gone down well in several quarters. 

The counter-view is the policy quantifies as many selection criteria as is feasible for "greater objectivity'' and enables the "most deserving'' officers from a batch are picked for higher ranks. "It keeps human subjectivity down to a minimum,'' said an officer.


READERS MAY LIKE TO READ THIS TOO :


http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Resentment+in+Army+over+promotion+policy-a0206370340

PROMOTION GUIDELINES IAS & IPS

IPS PROMOTION GUIDELINES:

http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/ProGuidPAR160410.pdf

IAS PROMOTION GUIDELINES :

http://persmin.nic.in/EmployeesCorner/Acts_Rules/IASPromotionGuideLines.pdf

PC reviews deployment, operational strategy of CRPF

THE TIMES OF INDIA

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/PC-reviews-deployment-operational-strategy-of-CRPF/articleshow/5964130.cms

NEW DELHI: Home minister P Chidambaram on Saturday took stock of the deployment of CRPF personnel across the country, especially in the Naxal-affected states, and reviewed the force's operational strategy.

The meeting came a day after the CRPF transferred three of its officers posted in Chhattisgarh and set up a court of inquiry as a follow-up action on the Rammohan Committee report.

During the over two-hour meeting at the CRPF headquarters here with the force, Chidambaram also had a detailed discussions on the report of the Rammohan Committee which had inquired into the April 6 incident in which 76 CRPF personnel were killed by Naxals in Chhattisgarh. The minister is also understood to have sought information related to latest pattern of Naxal violence and what steps could be taken to deal with the situation, sources said.

On Friday, the home ministry had shunted out its deputy inspector general Nalin Prabhat and two other officers for their alleged lapses in the Dantewada tragedy after considering the report.

Besides Prabhat, a 1993 batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, the other two officials who have
been sent out are Commandant A K Bisht and inspector Sanjeev Bangre. While Prabhat will be joining in Chandigarh, a charge he was already holding, Bisht has been moved to a training centre Aradi in Orissa. Bangre has been shifted to Anantnag in Kashmir. A separate court of inquiry to be headed by an officer of the rank of inspector general has been instituted against these officers. R S Sahota will replace Prabhat while Ashok Swami will move in as Commandant of 62 Battalion.

Indian Army Military Police help line launched

ONE INDIA

http://news.oneindia.in/2010/05/20/indianarmy-military-police-help-linelaunched.html

New Delhi, May 20 (ANI): The Indian Army has launched the Military Police help line here.COAS inaugurated the facility on Wednesday during the biannual Army Commanders Conference.

Common Military help line telephone number 155200 can now be accessed across the nation to provide assistance to military personnel.

The number that is available at Military Police Control Rooms has been instituted to provide immediate assistance and be instrumental in solving and mitigating crisis being faced by military personnel.

In addition, it will provide an excellent facility for the civil police and the public to contact the Army Military Police to provide first hand information of any situation where military persons are involved or has potential to affect the military persons.

The telephone number has been allotted in coordination with department of telecommunication and can be accessed locally and from outside the locality by prefixing the STD code of that station.

The facility has been activated presently at some of the metro cities and state capitals, and is likely to be extended across the nation soon. (ANI)

Army man, uncle held for spying by ATS in Gujarat

PTI

http://www.ptinews.com/news/661905_Army-man--uncle-held-for-spying-by-ATS-in-Gujarat

I WONDER : ITS MES MAN NOT ARMY MAN !!!!

Ahmedabad, May 20 (PTI) An army man and his relative have been arrested in Kutch district by the Gujarat anti terrorist squad (ATS) on charges of spying and passing on Indian Army's confidential documents to Pakistan-based intelligence agencies, ATS officials said today.

Ibrahim Sama, recruited through the Military Engineering Service (MES), and his maternal uncle Osmaan Sama were arrested yesterday from Bhuj in Kutch, which has borders with Pakistan, on charges of spying and criminal conspiracy to disturb internal security, they said.

Confidential and sensitive documents of the Indian Army and some phone numbers of their Pakistani contacts, were recovered during searches conducted in the duo's houses, the officials said.

Both were produced before a local court in Bhuj, which sent them to nine-day police custody for further interrogation, they added.

Chinese firms in India say situation is not 'too bad'

 INDIA TODAY

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/96807/India/Chinese+firms+in+India+say+situation+is+not+%27too+bad%27.html

Environment minister Jairam Ramesh's outburst in Beijing notwithstanding, many Chinese companies operating in India do not feel the situation is too bad.

Dragon on leash

Click here to Enlarge

With the exception of telecom equipment manufacturers such as Huawei, the ministry of home affairs has still not granted a hearing to the Chinese telecom equipment manufacturing companies waiting to clarify their stand. The Chinese ambassador is expected to meet the home secretary to seek a level playing field for these companies.
A Huawei official said the company had approached the ministry last week to seek an appointment but is still awaiting a response.
He said Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE have now gained a 15 per cent share in the Indian telecom market as their equipment is priced 30 to 40 per cent cheaper than their Western rivals Ericsson, Alcatel- Lucent and Nokia Siemens Networks.
Huawei sales have been growing rapidly in India and touched $ 1 billion in the last fiscal which is a 35 per cent jump over the 2008- 09, he added.
However, with the home ministry turning cautious due to security considerations, the Chinese companies are worried about losing their foothold in India.
The scare created by Chinese hackers targeting computer systems in India's security establishments has only added to the security concerns.
According to senior government officials, while Chinese companies are welcome to participate in Indian infrastructure projects, security issues in select areas cannot be ignored.
Chinese companies have a major presence in power, with Chinese firms bagging orders for setting up a third of the 60,000 MW of power capacity to be added in the 11th Five- Year Plan ( 2007- 12).
Leading Chinese companies such as Dongfang Electric and Shanghai Electric have been the major beneficiaries and have been allowed to compete openly with India's BHEL. The oil exploration and production sector is another field in which Chinese companies have been allowed to take up contracts.
But some restrictions have been placed in the eastern offshore region as the Indian Navy feels vital data pertaining to the sea could be misused by hostile submarines to creep into Indian waters. The Navy has a point as the Chinese have developed a strong military presence in Myanmar and this cannot be overlooked from the geo- political standpoint.
Restrictions have also been placed on Chinese companies operating in areas such as the North- East as Beijing claims these to be disputed areas. Officials claimed that there is no blanket ban.
According to Ravi Perti, GM marketing and communication, mobile division, Haier: "Generally, the Indian market is suspicious of Chinese products as they are considered of poor quality. And it is true to some extent. However as our quality is good, there is no issue. So far, we have established ourselves well and not faced any specific problem." However, Irfan Alam, council member, India China Economic and Cultural Council, feels Chinese companies do face some problems. " One of the biggest problems is visa. The visa process is not smooth for the Chinese companies". "On the policy level things should be smoother. People do not know when some Chinese product will be banned, so there is always an air of uncertainty about doing business," Alam said.
The same problem is faced by the Indian companies in China. So both governments should ease their policies if they want healthy economic ties, he said.
"Chinese companies certainly feel some bias. How can we be a threat to India as 80 percent of our workforce is Indian. This is like singling out Chinese company. If they are so particular about security why single out China?," a ZTE official said.

IAF rejects RTI application on questionable grounds

 THE HINDU

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article433542.ece

Four years after the Right to Information (RTI) Act was enacted to ensure easy access to information for citizens, officials are still rejecting applications on questionable grounds, which may make them liable for punishment.

The Indian Air Force headquarters rejected an RTI application saying that fee attached in the form of Indian postal order was drawn in favour of “Accounts Officer, Indian Air Force” and not “Air Force Public Fund Account, Air Headquarter, New Delhi” as per their internal rules.

The sub-section “RTI-regulation of Fee and Cost Rules, 2005” under the RTI Act section of Indian Air Force’s official web site clearly states that fee can be drawn in favour of Accounts Officer of the Public Authority, which in this case was the IAF.

When the concerned Central Public Information Officer, Wing Commander T. Sajan, was contacted, he said, “The information on the web site may be wrong. We don’t have any such head to accept the fee.”

The Department of Personnel and Training, nodal agency for the implementation of the Act, had in a circular dated December 5, 2008 to all ministries and departments of Government of India made it clear that RTI applications with fee drawn in favour of “Accounts Officer” should not be rejected.

“Refusal to accept an application on the ground that the demand draft/banker’s cheque/IPO submitted by the applicant has been drawn in the name of the Accounts Officer may amount to refusal to accept the application. It may result into imposition of penalty by the Central Information Commission on the concerned CPIO under section 20 of the Act,” it read.

When contacted, Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah said this was a clear case of violation of RTI Act and an immediate complaint should be filed with the CIC.

The Sports Ministry had last year rejected two applications seeking details of expenditure incurred on the preparation of Commonwealth Games.

“Your both applications along with postal orders are returned herewith as the information asked for is not readily existing and is not held by the public authority (Sports Ministry),” Pramod Agrawal, Director, International Sports Department of the Ministry, had said in his reply.

The cases are also seen by experts as an indication of poor training given to officials handling RTI requests.

Frequent change of postings too make it difficult to keep a tab on the regular updates which keep coming from Information Commissions and Department of Personnel and Training.

“Most of the officials have been trained but it is a difficult task. Frequent transfers also add to problem,” Mr. Habibullah said.

Globemaster will be flown to India for trials in June

 THE HINDU

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/article433082.ece

The Indian Air Force's quest to acquire a tactical heavy lift transport aircraft from the United States will get under way with user trials scheduled for next month in India.

In the last week of April, the U.S. Department of Defense notified Congress of a letter of request from the Indian government for acquiring 10 of Boeing Globemaster III.

Briefing a group of correspondents at its facility here, company representatives said the aircraft, to be taken on lease from the U.S. Air Force, would be flown to India by June 21.

“Unlike many other countries that have brought these aircraft, the Government of India insists on trials, and we will be there in June,” Tommy Dunehew, vice-president, Business Development, Boeing, told The Hindu.

The trials would be one part of a possible $5.8-billion deal, negotiations for which will begin only after Congress approves the sale. The product Boeing offers is the latest Block 18 aircraft, and much will depend on the configuration the IAF will want.

It is for India to decide whether it wants to join the worldwide virtual fleet Boeing has set up with other countries — Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, the UAE and the European Union consortium of 12 nations — that have bought these planes.

The IAF plans to base these tactical aircraft at Agra. They can carry 73,616 kg of payload and can be operated by a crew of just three (two in the cockpit and one loadmaster).

Delivery will begin 24 months after the contract is signed. At present, Boeing is producing one plane every three-and-a-half weeks, or up to 15 a year. Its current order book, including some 30-odd pieces for the U.S. Air Force, will run on till 2011. However, should India order these planes, the schedules will be negotiated, Mr. Dunehew said.

It is being deployed for disaster relief operations in various parts of the world. The U.S. Air Force has transported a brigade of men, tonnes of equipment and 400 vehicles over five nights, flying 17 shifts, he said, explaining the ability of the workhorse.

The plane can carry 188 passengers, has reverse thrust engines for short turnaround and equipped with missile warning system with flares to disengage the incoming missiles.

THIS IS HOW WE TREAT OUR WAR HEROES

READ THE LINK BELOW

http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_and-this-is-how-we-treat-our-war-heroes_1384804

army cdrs conf

PIB

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=61890

The Army Commanders’ Conference commenced at Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army) on 17 May 10.  The five days conference, scheduled from 17 May 10 to 21 May 10 is being chaired by Army Chief   General  VK Singh.

               The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony  in his inaugural address   emphasised on the necessity for force modernisation to meet emerging threats.  He stressed on the requirement of Tri-Services synergy across the spectrum of conflict to meet our National Security needs. The Defence Minister  brought out that Cyber Security is the next generation of threat.    He stressed the need to make our cyber space fully secure. He said that the Govt was taking all necessary steps to ensure  that the Indian Army is kept in a high state of operational preparedness as also ensuring high morale of troops through training  and welfare measures.

            The Army Chief General VK Singh during his address reviewed the Regional security situation, in which he spoke of the Asymmetric means adopted by non state actors and terrorists to achieve their objectives.  He also mentioned the multi spectral threats, which directly affect military doctrines and restructuring.  

   General Singh  stressed on the need to transform the Indian Army so as to customise its operational effectiveness.  Talking about training, the Army Chief emphasised on realistic, imaginative and practical training.  Referring to Low Intensity Conflict he stressed on “zero tolerance” to Human Rights  violations.  

            Army Chief also emphasised on morals, ethics and value systems in the Army.  He brought out that professional commitment, loyalty, sacrifice and integrity were the need of the hour and that there would be no compromise with respect to the image of the Army.

            The Deputy Chief of Army Staff and Adjutant General also  presented updates in the afternoon session.  Discussion on Raising of  Arunachal and Sikkim scouts Battalions were also carried out.  While discussing the Counter Naxal Training it was brought out that 46,343 personnel of CPO have been trained so far.

            The Adjutant General brought out that in future a personality development programmewill be included in the Training curriculum of recruit.  It was recommended to be on a trial basis for a period of 2 years.  With respect to empowerment of PBOR the followingprogrammes have been given impetus:-

            (a)        Gyan Deep                    -           Providing Educational Certification to PBOR through IGNOU.

            (b)        Kshamta                       -           Developing of IT and English        speaking skill in PBOR.

            (c)        VTC                              -           Vocational Trg in last year of service through Centres of excellence which will be established at selected location.           

            The five days conference will also focus on macro level issues pertaining to prevailing security challengers prevalent in the country and the neighbourhood, military strategy, operational logistics and matters impacting the welfare and enhancement of satisfaction levels amongst all ranks of the Indian Army.  The operational preparedness of the Army will be reviewed by senior commanders to include operational plans and the on going modernisationprocess.

KVs restore old quota policy for admission

I WONDER : FAUJIS WERE THE WORST HIT

KVs restore old quota policy for admission

To ensure smooth admission for children of Central government employees, the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangthan has restored its earlier quota policy under which the class strength would not be affected while accommodating students in reserved category. 

As per the restored system, reservation will be given to students over and above the existing strength of a class in a central school. 

According to this system, each class will have 40 seats. But another five students can be given admission under reserved category. 

The students given admission under reserved category will be above the normal strength, the Board of Governors of KVS has decided. 

"The reserved students will not eat away the seats for general category students. The reservation will be above the existing class strength," a ministry official said. 

The KVS was following this quota system previously. But it was amended few months back bringing the quota seats within the class strength. 

However, it created problems for the kids of Central government employees who very often are transferred and have to look for fresh admission for their kids in new schools. 

The KVS has also put in place a new transfer policy under which those teachers will be given most priority to get transfer if their spouses are working in the school of their choice. 

The KVS has also decided to set up one disabled friendly school in each of its 18 regions. 

These schools will have all facilities to help physically challenged students get education. 

Besides, teachers of Sanskrit can now switch over to Hindi by appearing certain examination. This will open up their promotional avenues, the official said. 

Fed up of being terrorist, man crosses LoC with wife

 HINDUSTAN TIMES

 http://www.hindustantimes.com/Fed-up-of-being-terrorist-man-crosses-LoC-with-wife/Article1-542032.aspx

A Kashmiri militant crossed over from the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district with his Pakistani bride because he was "fed up" of living the life of a terrorist, police said on Tuesday.

Mohammad Ashraf, who went from Badagaon village in Poonch to Pakistan administered Kashmir for arms training and joined the Lashkar-e-Taiba there, returned on Monday evening with his wife Asma to this side of the LoC, which divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan, a police officer said.

He said Ashraf had left in 1999 along with many others for arms training "but gradually got fed up with his life as a militant".

He got married this March and decided to come back home. Indian Army soldiers allowed him to cross over from Poonch sector, about 240 km from Jammu, when they saw him with a woman. After hearing their tale, the army handed the couple over to the local police. 

"Further questioning is going on. They would have to be produced in court," the officer said.

Chinese intrusions become frequent

 TIMES OF INDIA

 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Chinese-intrusions-become-frequent-/articleshow/5913913.cms

NEW DELHI: China continues to intrude into Indian territory in the real as well as virtual worlds with sheer impunity. Along with mounting cyber-attacks, China persists in needling India all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control (LAC).

At least three incursions by motorised armed patrols of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the strategically-located Trig Heights and Pangong Tso lake were recorded during last week, said sources on Monday.

Chinese "transgressions'' into these sectors in Eastern Ladakh this year have registered "a sharp jump'', ranging from 27% to 52%, as compared to the same timeframe in 2009. "Just in Trig Heights area, for instance, almost 30 Chinese transgressions have already been witnessed this year,'' said a source.

Similarly, both the north and south banks of Pangong Tso, two-third of which is controlled by China as it extends from India to Tibet at an altitude of 4,218 metres, record incursions by Chinese foot, vehicle and boat patrols on a regular basis.

This continuing cat-and-mouse game to strengthen its claims over disputed areas is yet another indicator that China has very little intention of softening its posture in the protracted border talks with India to delineate the 4,057-km LAC.

Indian troops, of course, also indulge in similar moves but they are nowhere near as aggressive as the assertive border management policy of the 2.25-million strong PLA, which has already unnerved the Indian defence establishment with its massive build-up of military infrastructure in the border areas.

This flexing of muscles is not restricted to Eastern Ladakh alone. It spreads across all the three sectors -- western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal) -- of the LAC. "Chinese armed patrols, for instance, have intruded in the Asaphila sector of Arunachal as well this year,'' said a source.

Even Sikkim, which India considers to be "a settled matter'' after the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to China in 2003, has not been impervious to incursions across the state's 206-km border with Tibet. The so-called 2.1 sq km "finger area'', the northern-most tip of Sikkim, for instance, is still on China's radar screen.

The UPA government, however, continues to publicly downplay all these concerns. The consistent official line is that the transgressions take place due to "differing perceptions'' of the unresolved LAC, with both New Delhi and Beijing trying to "amicably resolve'' the issue through talks.

But the concern underneath can be gauged from the fact the Border Roads Organisation is now being pulled out of Naxal-hit areas to concentrate on infrastructure build-up in forward areas.

This has become necessary because of the tardy progress in the construction of the 73 all-weather roads earmarked for the Sino-Indian border, with only a dozen ready till now.

Then, of course, apart from beginning to base Sukhoi-30MKI fighters in North-East as well as upgrading airstrips and helipads, India is also raising two new specialised infantry mountain divisions (35,000 soldiers) and an artillery brigade for Arunachal Pradesh.

India also plans to progressively base six surface-to-air Akash missile squadrons in the North-East to counter the threat posed by Chinese fighters, helicopters and drones in the region.

Army officer held in city for child porn

TIMES OF INDIA

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Army-officer-held-in-city-for-child-porn/articleshow/5904868.cms

MUMBAI: A 42-year-old lieutenant colonel of the Indian Army was arrested by the cyber crime investigation cell (CCIC) of the Mumbai police on Thursday for allegedly posting obscene pictures of children on an international web site.

The accused, Jagmohan Balbir Singh, who worked in the supply and transport wing of the army, has been remanded in police custody till May 12. A commerce graduate, Singh joined the Indian Military Academy in 1989 as second lieutenant.

The investigation had its origin in Germany. While probing a complaint against minor's pornography in September, 2009, the German Federal Police found that the objectionable pictures were being uploaded from a computer the Internet Protocol (IP) address of which was in India. The German police alerted the Interpol, which through CBI, forwarded the case to the Mumbai police.

"We caught Singh downloading porn clippings red-handed as we entered Singh's government flat at Namdar Manzil in Colaba. Eeven as we questioned him at his home for four and a half hours, the downloading continued. We have also taken printouts of the pictures so that we can use it as evidence in court,'' said an officer.

The police claimed to have seized the hard disk of Singh's personal computer, which contained lots of pornographic material, as well as his two cellphones that also had objectionable clippings. The children in the clippings—as tagged in the title—fall in the age group of three to 15 years. Singh, who is not very tech-savvy, would commit this crime from his residence.

"Singh was acting difficult. To make him confess to the crime, the police asked if his two sons were involved in the uploading and downloading of obscene clippings. Sacred that his sons would be implicated, Singh admitted that he was responsible for the crime,'' said a source. During the interrogation, neither Singh's wife nor his two sons came in the room. Singh told the police that he would download obscene clippings from various sites and then upload them on a specific site.

From one of the two hard disks, the cyber police have got 157 obscene clippings (files) and porn movies. The police will now obtain the mirror image of the two hard disks before it is sent for cyber analysis.

Singh, who is attached with the Western Command of the army that covers Maharashtra and Gujarat, has been booked under Information Technology Act 2000. If convicted, Singh can be sentenced to a maximum seven years in jail and also fined
Rs 10 lakh.

Crime branch chief Himanshu Roy said, "He was not doing it for commercial purpose. We have secured his custody and will question him.'' The police are also scanning Singh's email account to check if he would send/receive such stuff to and from other persons.

Captain N Nambiar, chief public relation officer (Defence), said details were being ascertained from the police. "An application seeking his bail has been moved so that the case can be dealt with by the army authorities,'' Nambiar said.

Originally from Mohali in Chandigarh, Singh had joined the army as he was inspired by his father who was also in the military. He had been posted twice in Jammu and Kashmir and Bangalore and had also served in Ulfa-controlled areas in Assasm.

Singh told the police that he had been on leave since June 2009 to complete his study on Labour Law.

Army orders inquiry into death of officer in fire

THAINDIAN NEWS

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/army-orders-inquiry-into-death-of-officer-in-fire_100360323.html

Jalandhar, May 7 (IANS) The Indian Army Friday ordered a court of inquiry into a fire incident in Hoshiarpur district in which an officer was charred to death and another sustained serious injuries, said officials.
According to defence officials, Captain N. Anand was killed and Major Sudhir Parmar was badly injured after the tent in which they were sleeping was engulfed in flames Wednesday night.

The officials were part of the Vajra corps, which was camping at Miani village in Hoshiarpur district here for the last few days.

“This is a serious issue and demands a thorough probe. Therefore a court of inquiry has been ordered to find out the real cause of fire,” said Naresh Wig, Indian Army spokesperson, here Friday.

He added: “The deceased official was a native of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. Parmar is stable and he is recuperating at an army hospital in Tibbri Cantt in Gurdaspur district.”

Police have registered a case in the incident. Sources in the police said the fire was caused due to a mosquito repellent coil and the flames spread because of the strong winds.

Pak wargames to blunt India's strategy

 TIMES OF INDIA

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Pak-wargames-to-blunt-Indias-strategy/articleshow/5891362.cms

NEW DELHI: Even as Indian Army refines its 'pro-active' war strategy to mobilise fast and strike hard across the border under the 'cold start' doctrine, Pakistan army is practising its own swift response to counter such multiple offensive thrusts into its territory.

While the massive Indian 'Yodha Shakti' and Pakistani 'Azm-e-Nau-III' (New Resolve) wargames are not exactly being conducted eyeball-to-eyeball across the border, both high-voltage exercises with around 50,000 troops each have entered their final phase this week.

Indian watchers tracking the Azm-e-Nau exercise say Pakistan is validating its "new war-fighting concept", which primarily seeks to "blunt and defeat" India's cold start strategy, as also test its new weaponry, reconnaissance and early-warning capabilities.

Though an "extremely professional" 5.2-lakh force, Pakistan army seems to be slightly rattled by the 11-lakh strong Indian Army's cold start concept. "They are trying different manoeuvres, first in the southern sector and now in the northern one, to counter the multiple thrusts India may launch in the event of a war," said a senior officer.

It's not that the two countries are going to war anytime soon but militaries perforce have to factor in worst-case scenarios, drafting doctrines to deal with them and then validating them through mock battles in realistic settings.

Indian Army's gameplan is to launch self-contained and highly-mobile 'battle-groups' — with Russian-origin T-90S tanks and upgraded T-72 M1 tanks at their core — for strikes across the border within 96 hours, as reported by TOI earlier.

"The aim is to hit fast and hit hard... and keep the enemy guessing," said the officer. This cold start doctrine took shape after it took almost 30 days to mobilise troops on a large scale for Operation Parakram following the December 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament.

The 'Yodha Shakti' wargames in the blistering heat of Thar Desert, with temperatures touching 50 degrees celsius, for instance, are centred around swift offensive manoeuvres by "mission-oriented battle-groups" with airborne forces and lethal firepower "to rapidly dominate the entire spectrum of battlespace".

Army chief General V K Singh will review the exercise on May 8, in which the Mathura-based 1 Corps, one of the three principal 'strike' formations, has come together with formations drawn from places like Babina, Patiala, Hissar and Allahabad.

Incidentally, the Army is now also revising its doctrine to effectively meet the challenges of a possible 'two-front war' with China and Pakistan, as also deal with asymmetric and fourth-generation warfare and enhance strategic reach and joint operations with IAF and Navy, as reported earlier.

Government considering common law for defence services

 THAINDIAN NEWS

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/government-considering-common-law-for-defence-services_100357941.html

I WONDER : COME ON ITS AN OLD TEXT BOOK ANSWER ON "CDS". YOU SAID THIS ONE YEAR BACK TOO. I CAN ONLY QUOTE A OLD SAYING " WHERE THERE IS WILL THERE IS WAY"

 

New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) The government is considering a common law for the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force to ensure effective operational coordination between them, parliament was informed Monday.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony said the draft of the Tri Services Act has already been prepared and was submitted to the ministry for approval from the Chiefs of Staff Committee in August 2009.

“The act is under consideration in consultation with the three services,” Antony said in a statement laid in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

He informed the houses on the status of implementation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Unified Command for Armed Forces recommendations submitted to the Lok Sabha in February last year.

The minister said the proposal to establish a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), as recommended by the Kargil Review Committee (KRC), was “under examination”. The decision on this matter would be taken after completion of the ongoing consultations with political parties, he said.

He said the institutional support and infrastructure was already in place in the form of the Integrated Defence Staff Headquarters to support the CDS, whenever created.

Antony said the government was trying to build consensus on appointment of CDS and had taken up the matter with political parties, but a number of them were had not responded so far.

Armyman killed in police action

 PTI

http://www.ptinews.com/news/636145_Armyman-killed-in-police-action

 I WONDER : I can't believe it. Will army try to find out the truth for the benefit of the family and organisation's IZZAT !!!!!!!!

An army jawan, who along with his accomplice allegedly seized a private car after throwing out its driver from the moving vehicle, was killed in a shootout with police in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh.

The incident happened yesterday when the police tried to intercept the taxi near a barricade at Chola, UP Additional Director General of Police Brij Lal told reporters here today.

Army jawan Kuldeep and Gaurav booked a taxi in Mathura on April 30 and went to Sadabad where they asked the driver to take the car to some place which he refused, Lal said.

The two then overpowered the driver, robbed him of his mobile and Rs 1000 in cash and threw him out of the moving car on the Bulandshahr-Khurja highway.

The driver informed the police who immediately swung into action, the ADGP said.

DA Rates with effect from july 2010

The DA wef 01 July 2010 is likely to be somewhere around 43%-45%.

comparison : MOD vs MHA

Can we have report card for MOD ???

read these links and judge yourself....

MHA Report Card : http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=61260

MOD :

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=61232
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=61140
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=61047
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=61046
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=61045

Could you feel the difference !!!!!!!

IAF's radars 'inadequate, obsolete': MPs' panel

 IBNLIVE

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/iafs-radars-inadequate-obsolete-mps-panel/114222-3.html?from=tn

New Delhi: In a damning indictment, a parliamentary panel said on Thursday the surveillance radars of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were not only inadequate but were also obsolete and prone to frequent breakdowns.

Noting that air defence is "critical to the nation's security", the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), in its report tabled in parliament Thursday, said: "The IAF possesses less than the adequate number of surveillance radars needed for providing efficient and reliable detection."

The committee was also "surprised" that none of the Air Defence Ground Environment System (ADGES) plans prepared after 1971 had been approved by the government "although some components have been sanctioned a piece-mean basis".

Thus, a "serious mismatch exists between availability and the IAF's requirements of radars and although the defence ministry has formulated a long-term perspective plan till 2022, which includes the ADGES plans, it is not clear whether the plan is as yet operational or not", the PAC report said.

The committee was also critical of the fact that several contracts had been signed for procuring radars but no delivery timelines had been specified.

"The committee is constrained to point out that even though contracts have been signed, defence ministry and IAF officials could not provide scheduled dates of delivery for the radars and also by when these would be eventually commissioned" and to what extent they would "fill the existing gap in the air defence system" and "how the present threat perception will be addressed".

"To be specific, the committee would like to emphasise that commissioning and installation of medium power radars and low-level transportable radars and completion of associated civil and development projects be expedited so that gaps in provision of AD (air defence) assets can be avoided," the report said.

The committee also noted that the IAF's air defence radars "are facing obsolescence and need urgent upgradation and modernisation".

The ministry's argument that the Defence Procurement Procedure was being followed and the time taken in processing acquisition cases has been reduced "does not satisfy the committee, given the hostile environment in which we live", the PAC said.

"The fact remains that the need for defence preparedness and capability was never so acute as it is today. It is, therefore, essential that the purchases are timed and so sequenced that the armed forces are never short of their requirements," the committee said.

Frowning on the frequent breakdowns of existing radars and the non-availability of spares, the PAC also noted that the "hours of watch allocated to the units of all types of radars are much below the hours prescribed for these units."

"The fact that additional radars are being procured itself indicates that the present position regarding planned hours versus what is actually being achieved is not adequate for proper air defence of the country," it said.

"It may be ensured that watch hours as prescribed by the government are adhered to once new acquisitions materialise and the IAF does not operate with any shortfalls as on date, thereby eliminating any compromise with security considerations," the PAC said.