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

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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.