I WONDER : 1992 BATCH ARMY = COLONEL ONLY
Lalit Das of 1992 batch is being promoted to the rank of IG in Orissa.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
UPA REPORT CARD : Welfare of ex-servicemen & serving defence service personnel
PIB
I WONDER :
1. I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW PARA 42 AND 43 IS RELATED TO DEFENCE !!
2. PARA 37: RESETTLEMENT COURSES WERE ALWAYS THERE !!!!!
3. PARA 38: THERE IS MORE MONEY SANCTIONED PER INDIVIDUAL IN CGHS AS COMPARED TO ECHS. TEETHING ADM PROBLEMS ARE OVER AND ABOVE THIS FACT.
4. PARA 39: OROP IS STILL A DISTANT DREAM. COMMITTEE OF SECY THEN GOM THEN PM COULD ONLY PARTIALLY HELP THE SOLDIERS. HIGH LEVEL COMMITTEE (HLC) NO WHERE IN SIGHT. AFTER LOOSING CASE ON RANK PAY IN SUPREME COURT GOVT APPEALS FOR RE-LOOK ON DECISION SIGHTING ADM/FINANCIAL PROBLEMS. EXTENDING BENEFITS OF RANK PAY CASE TO 6TH CPC APPEARS DIFFICULT. SETTING UP OF EX-SERVICEMAN COMMISSION IS OUT OF SIGHT. AFT IS A WELCOME STEP FOR SURE.
5. PARA 40: WAS THERE EARLIER TOO. INDIAN AIRLINE IS ONLY THERE TO FLY YOU ALONG WITH ALL THEIR DIFFICULTIES !!!!
6. PARA 41: WELCOME STEP THOUGH I DONT KNOW THE DETAILS.
7. PARA 42 & 43: TOO TECHNICAL FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND :)
37) It is a constant endeavour of the UPA government to provide suitable employment for ex-servicemen as also to impart necessary training to prepare them to take on new assignments/jobs. This has enabled more than 50000 ex-servicemen to obtain employment during 2009-10.
38) The health coverage for the ex-servicemen has been widened by empanelling more civil hospitals and diagnostic centers. Disabled ex-servicemen are now entitled to get prosthetic aid from an additional 149 Central Government Health Scheme empanelled centres apart from the Artificial Limb Centre, Pune. The membership of Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) has crossed 30 lakhs.
39) A committee was set up to give specific recommendations for the welfare of defence service personnel and pensioners. The recommendations were accepted by the UPA government and this is likely to benefit about 12 lakh personnel. An Armed Forces Tribunal has been established to provide an appellate forum to the aggrieved personnel.
40) To boost the morale of troops, who are posted in far flung border areas and face difficult topographic and climatic conditions, chartering of civil flights has been sanctioned for their faster movement during leave.
41) Prime Minister's Scholarship Scheme was started under the aegis of the National Defence Fund. Under the scheme, scholarships are provided every year to wards of retired personnel and martyrs below officer rank of armed and para-military forces. In 2009-10, scholarships have been granted to 4525 students amounting to Rs.7.40 crore.
42) It has been decided to set up a National Social Security Fund for workers in the unorganized sector like weavers, toddy tappers, rickshaw pullers and bidi workers with an initial allocation of Rs. 1000 crore.
43) Government has also taken important steps for the benefit of workers in the organised sector. Workmen Compensation Act, 1923 has been amended to enhance the benefits to the workers. Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 has been amended to raise the limit of maximum gratuity payable from Rs.3.5 lakhs to Rs.10 lakhs. Comprehensive amendments have been made in the Employees State Insurance Act, 1948 to improve the quality of delivery of health care and other benefits being provided to the insured persons in the organized sector and also to enable ESI infrastructure to be used to provide health care to workers in the unorganised sector. Plantations Labour Act, 1951 has been amended for providing safety and occupational health care to plantations workers.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Army meet on Maoist fight
THE TELEGRAPH
New Delhi, June 4: Army sources today said some units in Jammu and Kashmir had been told to be “on standby” and be ready to leave for Maoist-hit central India at short notice if such an order came.
The sources, however, clarified that the Centre’s current policy of not deploying the army in the battle against the Maoists still stood, and that any new strategy had to be cleared by the cabinet committee on security.
“As of now there is no decision to deploy the army. Even the defence minister has said that unless the cabinet committee on security approves (such a move), nothing can be said,” an army source said.
A cabinet meeting, scheduled yesterday, was cancelled without any reason being cited. Nor was the cabinet committee on security meeting held.
Army sources said a series of meetings was held at the Eastern Command headquarters today to discuss the anti-Maoist strategy. Government sources added that a Rashtriya Rifles battalion could be the one to be moved from Jammu and Kashmir to central India.
It’s not clear what the army’s role will be if it is deployed in the Maoist zone.
The Centre’s strategy is to secure major routes in Chhattisgarh and, if the cabinet committee on security allows it, even the army’s special forces could be sent to de-mine and secure roads and vital infrastructure, the government sources said.
Any move to send the army after the Maoists will attract protests from civil society organisations and even from sections within the government. Even today, many MPs who called on Union home minister P. Chidambaram advised against army deployment against the rebels.
There are 48 CRPF battalions in nine Maoist-affected states, of which 14 are in Chhattisgarh alone. However, the recent setbacks suffered by the paramilitary forces have prompted the government to rethink its strategy.
Jharkhand is under President’s rule and, as its governor said on Thursday, the government has decided to continue with the anti-Maoist operations there.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
India's bureaucracy is 'the most stifling in the world'
BBC NEWS
The report ranks bureaucracies across Asia on a scale from one to 10, with 10 being the worst possible score. India scored 9.41.
Rest is Here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/10227680.stm
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Govt looks at direct role for Army against Naxals
THE TIMES OF INDIA
I WONDER : GOVT IS ALREADY CREATING IGP(OPS) FOR CRPF. EARLIER THEY HAD OFFERED DIG POSTS TO BRIGs. NOW DIRECT ROLE FOR ARMY. BUT THE COMMAND AND CONTROL ROLE AND THE SENIORITY ISSUES CROPPED UP DUE TO 6TH CPC LIKE A COLONEL WILL HAVE PROBABLY MORE SERVICE THEN EVEN SOME OF THE IGs, SAME IS THE CASE FOR BRIGS, MAJ GEN ETC ALSO NEEDS TO BE SEEN........AS NO EXTRA VACANCY IS OFFERED TO ARMY AS YET...... BUT YES IF THE SITUATION DEMANDS ARMY SHOULD RISE TO THE OCCASION BUT WITHOUT COMPROMISING THESE ISSUES.....
NEW DELHI: The government is veering around to expanding the role of the armed forces in the ongoing anti-Naxal operations, with a hard look even being taken at whether they should be "directly deployed'' in the fight against the Maoists.
While an enhancement of their present surveillance, logistical and training mandate is a certainty, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting likely on Thursday will take the final call on whether to enlist the armed forces in a more direct combat role.
The decision will be influenced as much by political considerations as security imperatives. Yet, the possibility of armed forces being asked to take on the Left-wing extremists is no longer being summarily dismissed like before.
Defence minister A K Antony on Tuesday sounded out the three Service chiefs on the sensitive issue, with the 90-minute meeting with Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, Admiral Nirmal Verma and General V K Singh discussing "all dimensions'' of the security situation.
Independent of whether the government decides to push ahead with the idea, the very fact that direct engagement of armed forces is being looked as a serious option is significant.
It marks a critical shift on the part of the government, which had so far shied away from deploying soldiers in the Naxal battle. But a big cause for concern is the increasingly savage and audacious Maoist attacks, which have inflicted heavy casualties on paramilitary forces as well as non-combatants.
In May alone, as many as 172 civilians and 29 security personnel were killed by Naxals, if the derailing of the passenger train in West Midnapore on May 28 is also taken into account.
Though the meeting chaired by Antony examined the "pros and cons of different options'', it's for the CCS to decide on the exact mandate. "But one thing is certain even if the armed forces are deployed in a more direct role, it will be a limited mandate for a limited period,'' said a source.
One possible option could be to divert a few of the 63 battalions of Rashtriya Rifles, the Army's specialised counter-insurgency force operating in Jammu and Kashmir, "for selective missions'' in states worst-affected by Maoist depredations, said sources.
Successive governments have been averse to enlisting the Army in the fight because of the concern that it might lead to a perception about the Indian State not being in control of vast swathes in its own heartland.
There is also the issue of suitability of armed forces, which are trained to kill with heavy force, operating against an adversary who blends into the civilian population and is, in fact, adept at using them as shields.
The top military brass have their own reservations, extending from the lack of familiarity with the terrain and concrete ground-level intelligence to the armed forces being already overstretched in counter-insurgency in J&K and the North-East as well along the long unresolved borders with Pakistan and China.
But underlining the government's resolve to take the battle to Maoists, PM Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said, "In dealing with the challenge of Naxalism, we will pursue a policy that genuinely seeks to address developmental concerns at the grassroots, while firmly enforcing the writ of the state.''
But the dice could still fall either way in the CCS, with the home ministry keen to bolster the fight against the Maoists with "some more help'' from the armed forces but the defence establishment remaining largely reluctant about getting sucked into "yet another internal security duty''.
There has, however, been a significant shift in Antony's position in the last few days, from earlier being a strong opponent of deploying armed forces against Maoists in a direct role to now holding they will "accept'' the government's decision and "implement it with vigour and commitment''.
IAF, on its part, feels it can enhance its "air-support'' beyond the current four Mi-17 helicopters deployed in the region but continues to maintain the use of "offensive airpower'' is not a practical option since it can lead to collateral damage on the ground.
The armed forces, of course, are preparing for the worst-case scenario by finalising action plans to meet any contingency, as reported by TOI last week.
Having already trained around 47,000 paramilitary personnel since 2006 in its counter-insurgency and jungle warfare school in Vairengte and other institutions, the Army is also keen that a separate and dedicated counter-Naxalism training facility be established to train "homogeneous companies'' of police personnel.
While an enhancement of their present surveillance, logistical and training mandate is a certainty, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting likely on Thursday will take the final call on whether to enlist the armed forces in a more direct combat role.
The decision will be influenced as much by political considerations as security imperatives. Yet, the possibility of armed forces being asked to take on the Left-wing extremists is no longer being summarily dismissed like before.
Defence minister A K Antony on Tuesday sounded out the three Service chiefs on the sensitive issue, with the 90-minute meeting with Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, Admiral Nirmal Verma and General V K Singh discussing "all dimensions'' of the security situation.
Independent of whether the government decides to push ahead with the idea, the very fact that direct engagement of armed forces is being looked as a serious option is significant.
It marks a critical shift on the part of the government, which had so far shied away from deploying soldiers in the Naxal battle. But a big cause for concern is the increasingly savage and audacious Maoist attacks, which have inflicted heavy casualties on paramilitary forces as well as non-combatants.
In May alone, as many as 172 civilians and 29 security personnel were killed by Naxals, if the derailing of the passenger train in West Midnapore on May 28 is also taken into account.
Though the meeting chaired by Antony examined the "pros and cons of different options'', it's for the CCS to decide on the exact mandate. "But one thing is certain even if the armed forces are deployed in a more direct role, it will be a limited mandate for a limited period,'' said a source.
One possible option could be to divert a few of the 63 battalions of Rashtriya Rifles, the Army's specialised counter-insurgency force operating in Jammu and Kashmir, "for selective missions'' in states worst-affected by Maoist depredations, said sources.
Successive governments have been averse to enlisting the Army in the fight because of the concern that it might lead to a perception about the Indian State not being in control of vast swathes in its own heartland.
There is also the issue of suitability of armed forces, which are trained to kill with heavy force, operating against an adversary who blends into the civilian population and is, in fact, adept at using them as shields.
The top military brass have their own reservations, extending from the lack of familiarity with the terrain and concrete ground-level intelligence to the armed forces being already overstretched in counter-insurgency in J&K and the North-East as well along the long unresolved borders with Pakistan and China.
But underlining the government's resolve to take the battle to Maoists, PM Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said, "In dealing with the challenge of Naxalism, we will pursue a policy that genuinely seeks to address developmental concerns at the grassroots, while firmly enforcing the writ of the state.''
But the dice could still fall either way in the CCS, with the home ministry keen to bolster the fight against the Maoists with "some more help'' from the armed forces but the defence establishment remaining largely reluctant about getting sucked into "yet another internal security duty''.
There has, however, been a significant shift in Antony's position in the last few days, from earlier being a strong opponent of deploying armed forces against Maoists in a direct role to now holding they will "accept'' the government's decision and "implement it with vigour and commitment''.
IAF, on its part, feels it can enhance its "air-support'' beyond the current four Mi-17 helicopters deployed in the region but continues to maintain the use of "offensive airpower'' is not a practical option since it can lead to collateral damage on the ground.
The armed forces, of course, are preparing for the worst-case scenario by finalising action plans to meet any contingency, as reported by TOI last week.
Having already trained around 47,000 paramilitary personnel since 2006 in its counter-insurgency and jungle warfare school in Vairengte and other institutions, the Army is also keen that a separate and dedicated counter-Naxalism training facility be established to train "homogeneous companies'' of police personnel.
2 Army officers fight over top post
THE ASIAN AGE
The Army’s image is set to take a further beating with an ongoing tussle between two senior lieutenant generals of the Indian Army over appointment to the top post of the tri-services Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS). The tussle, between the Director General of Hospital Services Lt. Gen. Pradeep Bhargava and the Commandant of the Army’s Research and Referral Hospital Lt. Gen. Naresh Kumar is now likely to reach the courts. Lt. Gen. Bhargava is senior to Lt. Gen. Kumar in service. This will be the first controversy of its kind to hit new Army Chief Gen. V.K. Singh who took over earlier this year as chief and comes in the wake of incidents such as the Sukna land scam last year that had dented the Army’s image.
The current DGAFMS (Lt. Gen. N.K. Parmar) retires on June 30 this year and the matter has therefore acquired an urgency in government circles.
It all started when the Army and ministry of defence (MoD) actively began to consider expunging a numerical grading in a confidential report (CR) of 2005 that would have probably have resulted in Lt. Gen. Kumar becoming DGAFMS.
This was being considered on the grounds that one of the numerical gradings that year could be “technically invalid”.
Sources said Lt. Gen. Bhargava then complained to the government that such a move would not be in accordance with the “system of good governance that the armed forces represent”. Both the officers had been empanelled for promotion from major-general to lieutenant general in 2008.
If the government and Army approve expunging of a grading in one of Lt. Gen. Kumar’s CRs, he could be considered by a review board to have been empanelled in 2007 itself thus making him the front-runner for the post of DGAFMS. This would also mean that Lt. Gen. Bhargava would be superseded.
Lt. Gen. Bhargava retires on August 31 this year while Lt. Gen. Kumar retires next year.
But appointment to the post of DGAFMS will give them more tenure till they reach the age of 62.
But what has added to Lt. Gen. Bhargava’s fears is that the MoD and Army are likely to expunge the numerical grading, resulting in Lt. Gen. Kumar becoming the new DGAFMS.
Lt. Gen. Bhargava is now likely to petition the armed forces tribunal against any such move.
The current DGAFMS (Lt. Gen. N.K. Parmar) retires on June 30 this year and the matter has therefore acquired an urgency in government circles.
It all started when the Army and ministry of defence (MoD) actively began to consider expunging a numerical grading in a confidential report (CR) of 2005 that would have probably have resulted in Lt. Gen. Kumar becoming DGAFMS.
This was being considered on the grounds that one of the numerical gradings that year could be “technically invalid”.
Sources said Lt. Gen. Bhargava then complained to the government that such a move would not be in accordance with the “system of good governance that the armed forces represent”. Both the officers had been empanelled for promotion from major-general to lieutenant general in 2008.
If the government and Army approve expunging of a grading in one of Lt. Gen. Kumar’s CRs, he could be considered by a review board to have been empanelled in 2007 itself thus making him the front-runner for the post of DGAFMS. This would also mean that Lt. Gen. Bhargava would be superseded.
Lt. Gen. Bhargava retires on August 31 this year while Lt. Gen. Kumar retires next year.
But appointment to the post of DGAFMS will give them more tenure till they reach the age of 62.
But what has added to Lt. Gen. Bhargava’s fears is that the MoD and Army are likely to expunge the numerical grading, resulting in Lt. Gen. Kumar becoming the new DGAFMS.
Lt. Gen. Bhargava is now likely to petition the armed forces tribunal against any such move.
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