Mood Modifier....

Police Medal Winners List

As many as 484 police officials have got Police Medal for Meritorious Service this Independence Day. They are :

Andhra Pradesh

1. Rajiv Ratan, Deputy Inspector General Of Police, Octopus,
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
2. Harish Kumar Gupta, Joint Commissioner Of Police , Hyderabad,

Andhra Pradesh

3. Jitender , Deputy Inspector General Of Police, Andhra Pradesh
Police Academy, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
4. Y Gangadhar, Superintendent Of Police, Vizainagaram District,
Andhra Pradesh
5. Medipalli Ashok Vardhan Reddy, Additional Superintendent Of Police,
Intelligence Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
6. Hari Kishore Bishoy, Additional Superintendent Of Police,
Greyhounds, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
7. Shaik Sirajuddin, Additional Commandant, 3rd APSp, Kakinada, Andhra
Pradesh
8. Gagguturu Kishore Babu Raja, Deputy Superintendent. Of Police,
Ramachandrapuram (Medak), Andhra Pradesh
9. K P Lakshmi Naik, Assistant Commissioner Of Police, Chikkadapally
Division, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
10. Veedulamudi Suresh Babu, Assistant Commissioner Of Police,
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
11. A Bala Krishna, Inspector Of Police, Special Branch, Hyderabad,
Andhra Pradesh
12. Sahukari Balaraju, Reserve Inspector, Special Intellignce Branch,
Hyderbad, Andhra Pradesh
13. J Kishan, Reserve Sub Inspector, Andhra Pradesh Police Academy,
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
14. K Venkataratnam, Assistant Sub Inspector, Tirupati Rural, Andhra
Pradesh
15. S Dasaradhi, Assistant Sub-Inspector , Eluru District, Special Branch,
Andhra Pradesh
16. L Jayapal Reddy, Assistant Sub-Inspector, Warangal District, Special
Branch, Andhra Pradesh
17. N. Sudhakar, Head Constable, Central Crime Station, Nellore
District, Andhra Pradesh
18. M. Sudhakar Reddy, Reserve Sub-Inspector, Special Intelligence
Branch, Hyderbad, Andhra Pradesh
19. V Venkateshwara Rao, Police Constable, Gopalapuram,
Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh

20. Marge Riba, Deputy Superintendent Of Police, Naharlagun, Arunachal
Pradesh

Bihar

21. Abhay Kumar Upadhyay, Inspector General Of Police, Special
Vigilance Unit, Patna, Bihar
22. Vinay Kumar, Inspector General Of Police, Intelligence, Patna, , Bihar
23. Mrs Preeta Verma, Inspector General Of Police, CID, Patna, Bihar
24. Barun Kumar Sinha, Superintendent Of Police, Special Branch, Patna,
Bihar
25. Md. Abdul Manan, Sub-Inspector, CID, Patna, Bihar
26. Azhar Hussain Ansari, Constable, Phq, Patna, Bihar
27. Shiv Kumar Singh, Havildar, Phq, Patna, Bihar
28. Krishna Kumar, Constable, CID, Patna, Bihar
29. Rajeshwar Ram, Constable, CID, Patna, Bihar
30. Rajendra Upadhayay, Sepoy, Special Branch, Patna, Bihar
31. Sushil Kumar Sinha, Constable, SCRB, Patna, Bihar
32. Rajesh Tiwari, Constable, Phq, Patna, Bihar
33. Rabindra Nath Tiwari, Constable, Phq, Patna, Bihar

Chhattisgarh

34. Radhe Shyam Nayak, Superintendent Of Police, Raipur,
Chhattisgarh
35. Tek Ram Painkara, Commandant, 6th Bn. CAF, Raigarh., Chhattisgarh
36. Vijay Narayan Shukla, Sub Inspector, Special Branch, Phq, Raipur,
Chhattisgarh
37. Jagdish Kumar Tembhurkar, Subedar (M), 8th Bn CAF, Chhattisgarh
38. Kripa Shankar Shukla, Section Commander, 2nd CAF, Sakri Bilaspur,
Chhattisgarh
39. Prithivi Nath Singh, Head Constable, Balrampur PS, Chhattisgarh
40. Bhuneswar Ram, Head Constable, PS. Sanawal, Balrampur,
Chhattisgarh

Delhi

41. Sardari Lal, Assistant Commissioner Of Police, Provisioning &
Logistics, Delhi
42. Dinesh Chandra Shukla, Inspector, Police Training College, Delhi
43. Jagdish Chander Pandey, Inspector, Frro, Delhi
44. Sandip Chakravarty, Inspector , Communcation Branch, Delhi
45. Kuldeep Raj, Sub Inspector, Police Control Room, Delhi
46. Harbans Lal, Sub Inspector, Security, Delhi
47. Mrs. Rajni Rana, Assistant Sub-Inspector (Woman), Security, Delhi
48. Sher Ali, Head Constable, 1st Bn Dap Npl Delhi, Delhi
49. Jorawar Singh, Head Constable, Traffic, Delhi
50. Suresh Kumar Rana, Head Constable, Outer District, Delhi
51. Smt. Janki -, Head Constable (Woman), Crime(Women) Cell, Nanak Pura, Delhi
52. Surender Kumar, Constable, Traffic, Delhi
53. Mrs Madhu Bala, Head Constable(Woman), Rti Cell (Special Branch), Delhi

Gujarat

54. Arvindkumar Fulshankar Mehta, Assistant Commissioner Of Police,
Hq Ahmedabad City, Gujarat
55. K.M. Vaghela , Assistant Commissioner Of Police, Ahmedabad City,
Gujarat
56. Arjunsinh Sabalsinh Rathod, Deputy Superintendent Of Police, State
Control Room, Gandhinagar, Gujarat
57. Rajendrasinh Ranjitsinh Gohil, Unarmed Police Inspector, Traffic
Branch, Rajkot City,, Gujarat
58. Narendrasinh Bahadursinh Jadeja, Unarmed Police Inspector, Jasdan
Police Station, Rajkot Distt., Gujarat
59. Dilipkumar Rameshchandra Agravat, Unarmed Police Inspector, Local
Crime Branch, Bharuch, Gujarat
60. Digvijaysinh Mahendrasinh Vaghela, Unarmed Police Inspector,
Detective Crime Branch, Rajkot City, Gujarat
61. Kalyansinh Bhagwansinh Chhasatia, Unarmed Head Constable,
Vadodara Rural, Gujarat
62. Mahavirsinh Kanubha Zala, Unarmed Head Constable, Local Crime
Branch, Surendranagar, Gujarat
63. Vijaykumar Natwarlal Rana, Unarmed Police Constable, Local Crime
Branch, Bharuch District, Gujarat

Haryana

64. Arshinder Singh Chawla, Superintendent Of Police, Karnal, Haryana
65. Mohinder Singh, Inspector , SCB/ Madhuban, Haryana
66. Jai Shri, Inspector, Palwal, Haryana
67. Ishwar Singh, Inspector, GRP, Ambala Cantt., Haryana
68. Joginder Kumar, Assistant Sub-Inspector, Sirsa, Haryana
69. Sukhwinder Pal, Head Constable, SVB/Chandigarh, Haryana

Himachal Pradesh

70. Anurag Garg, Deputy Inspector General Of Police, Central Range
Mandi, Himachal Pradesh
71. Ashok Tewari, Deputy Inspector General Of Police, Northern Range,
Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh
72. Ranvir Singh, Inspector, 1st Irb, Bangarh, Himachal Pradesh

Jammu And Kashmir

73. Deepak Kumar, Deputy Inspector General, Gulshan Ground, Jammu,
Jammu And Kashmir
74. Mrs Gurdev Kour, Joint Director (Prosecution), CIDHq, , Jammu And
Kashmir
75. Zakir Hussain, Suprindentent Of Police,, Batmaloo, Srinagar, Jammu
And Kashmir
76. Rupender Kumar Chalotra, Additional Superindentent Of Police,
Police Control Room, Jammu, Jammu And Kashmir
77. Abdul Rashid Bhat, Inspector , Hq Srinagar, Jammu And Kashmir
78. Abdul Kabir Bhat, Inspector , Jkap, 13th Battalion, Jammu And Kashmir
79. Mohammad Yousuf Ganai, Sub-Inspector , CIDHq, Jammu , Jammu And
Kashmir
80. Vijay Kumar Nakhasi, Sub-Inspector , Skpa Udhampur, Jammu And
Kashmir
81. Ghulam Qadir Shaheen, Sub-Inspector , Security Headquarters,
Jammu And Kashmir
82. Kuldeep Singh, Sub-Inspector , Commando Group Chatroo, Jammu And
Kashmir
83. Manzoor Ahmed, Sub Inspector , Commando Group Poonch, Jammu And
Kashmir
84. Nissar Hussain Wani, Assistant Sub Inspector, Security Civil
Secretariat, , Jammu And Kashmir
85. Anil Kumar Sudan, Assistant Sub Inspector, Battalion Hqrs, Jammu,
Jammu And Kashmir

Karnataka

86. K.H. Srinivasan , Deputy Inspector General Of Police, Railways,
Bangalore, Karnataka
87. Panduranga Hadu Rane, Deputy Commissioner Of Police, Traffic West,
Bangalore, Karnataka
88. K. S. Mohan, Superindent Of Police, Lokayukta, Ramanagar, Karnataka
89. G.H Shripati, Superindent Of Police, Intelligence, Belgaum, Karnataka
90. V. S. Prabhakar , Deputy Commissioner Of Police, Bangalore,
Karnataka
91. M M Mahadevaiah, Deputy Superintendent Of Police , Chamarajanagar
Sub Division, Karnataka
92. Chandrashekar Laxmanrao Kallyan, Deputy Superintendent Of
Police, Finger Print Bureau, Belgaum, Karnataka
93. Yaragudi Baburaju, Police Sub Inspector, Dsa, Unit Bellary,
Karnataka
94. Ponnappa Thimmaiah Hosakalu, Reserve Sub Inspector, V Bn Ksrp,
Mysore, Karnataka
95. Prabhakar Rai, Reserve Sub Inspector, Vii Bn, Ksrp, Mangalore,
Karnataka
96. Kanakappa Durgappa Madar, Special Reserve Sub Inspector, X Bn,
Ksrp, Shiggaon, Karnataka
97. Ramaiah N. Nanjappa, Head Constable, Intelligence, Bangalore,
Karnataka
98. Raveendra Shamanna, Head Constable, Intelligence, Bangalore,
Karnataka
99. M Nagarajappa, Head Constable, Viii Bn, Ksrp Shimoga, Karnataka

Kerala

100. R A Chandra Sekhar, Deputy Inspector General & , Commissioner Of
Police,Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
101. Vijaya Sreekumar, Suprindentent Of Police, Kottayam, Kerala
102. K.R. Premachandran, Assisstant Commissioner Of Police, Kozhikod.

CRPF jawans lag in combat training

Aug. 14: The CRPF, all set to get into a combat mode against the dreaded Maoists in November, has not been able to undergo adequate training for the last two-and-a-half years.

For the past two-and-a-half years, the CRPF personnel were heavily deployed for various internal security duties which ranged from trouble at Nandigram, Amarnath land agitation to the Lok Sabha polls. The CRPF is now expected to launch an operation jointly with other security forces against the Maoists in the red belts which include Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Jharkhand.

In a bid to prepare the force for the strikes, the government intends to begin en-mass training of the force covering all ranks by the end of this month.

A section of senior officials, however, expressed concern since they feel that there "might not be enough time to complete the training for the force, which generally takes at least six weeks". The training module to be undertaken by the CRPF personnel will include basic and advanced physical training, unarmed combat, weapon tactics, motor transport, counter-insurgency and anti-terrorist programmes, human rights sensitivity, anti-explosive, map reading besides a course on intelligence.

It was learnt only about 10 per cent of the force has so far been able to complete the training course. Officials admitted that insufficient training of its personnel is one of the major reasons for the force’s inability to achieve major successes in its operations against Naxalites and insurgent groups operating in Kashmir and the Northeast.

"Due to hectic and continuous deployment, the in-service training of the force has been suffering for more than two years. To cover the huge backlog, at this juncture, 180 companies of CRPF are being sent for extensive training from all over the country under the first phase," an MHA official said.

The 4-6 weeks in-service training programme is a must for the force, expected to operate in tough, impregnable terrains, since it sharpens and upgrades the skills of the force. To get into the shape, 35 companies deployed in Jammu and Kashmir, are also being withdrawn.

The official, however, pointed out that the training process is likely to spill over to the next year since it is now being conducted in a phased manner depending on the availability of the force, a senior home ministry official said.

Source : Asian Age

19 CBI officials get President’s police medals

New Delhi: O. P. Galhotra, who investigated the Bofors case; and Rishiraj Singh, who arrested Buta Singh’s son on corruption charges; are among 19 CBI officials honoured with this year’s police medals.

Mr. Galhotra was honoured with the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service. He is a 1985-batch IPS officer from Rajasthan, and is presently Joint Director of the CBI, heading the Special Task Force.

Besides helping the agency in cutting down pending cases, the officer handled high-profile cases like the Bofors arms deal. Very recently, he led the team which allegedly exposed corruption in the Ordnance factory, leading to the arrest of former Chairman-cum Managing Director Sudipto Ghosh.

Rishiraj Singh, a 1985 batch IPS officer from Maharashtra, presently Joint Director of the Western Region, arrested Sarabjot Singh, son of the Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes Buta Singh, on alleged corruption charges.

Arun Kumar, a 1985 batch IPS officer from U.P. was also honoured with the same award. He investigated a case where the Delhi Police’s Special Cell wrongly arrested two people . The CBI team under his command revealed that the two had been framed. This led to action against the three Special cell officials.

Additional Superintendent of Police D. N. Biswas was also awarded the Presidential Police medal for Distinguished Service. Deputy Inspector General Hemant Priyadarshy and Zaki Ahmed, and Superintendent of Police N. M. Singh were among 15 officials honoured with this year’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service. Among others, Additional SP Hari Singh Gurawaria, Deputy SPs Ghanshyam Rai, S. K. Sareen, Inspectors Kalaimani Gopalan, Kumaresan Krishnaswamy, sub-inspectors Manak Chand, Ravinder Kumar, ASI Bansi Dhar Tiwari, head constables Dilbagh Khatri, Rawel Singh, and constables Harpal Singh and K. Abdul Rasheed were honoured. — PTI

ITPO GM awarded police medal

Special Correspondent reports from New Delhi:

Vikram Sahgal, Deputy Inspector-General of the CRPF and currently General Manager with the Indian Trade Promotion Organisation, has been awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service. He is now in charge of security at the Pragati Maidan exhibition complex.

Dealing with various kinds of law and order problems related to terrorism in Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast, he has also had the distinction of having served with the National Security Guard during operation “Black Thunder,” and the elite Rapid Action Force.

52 get Shram awards

The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment on Friday announced the Prime Minister’s Shram awards for 2007 for 52 employees of departmental and public sector undertakings of the Central and State governments, and private sectors employing 500 or more employees.

The awards are given in recognition of their distinguished performances, innovative abilities, outstanding contributions in the field of productivity, and exhibition of exceptional courage and presence of mind.

This year, one Shram Ratna Award, four Shram Bhushan Awards, 12 Shram Vir/Shram Veerangana Awards, and 16 Shram Shree/Shram Devi Awards have been announced.

The Shram Ratna, the highest of the awards, goes to Mr. Naikawadi Sunil Maruti, Tata Motors Limited, Pune. It carries a cash award of Rs.2 lakh and a citation.

Though the total number of Shram Awards is 33, the number of workers receiving them is 52 (including seven women) since some of the awards have been shared by workers.

Source : Hindu

UPA begins to lose luster

Balbir K Punj

As the Budget Session of Parliament, the first major business session after the Lok Sabha poll, draws to a close, the lustre of the UPA’s election victory is already fading. The unbelievable India-Pakistan joint statement that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inked in Egypt last month is only one of the several areas in which the Government has goofed up.

Mr Singh invoked the legacy of his predecessor, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to justify the Sharm el-Sheikh disaster. However, Mr Vajpayee’s strategy vis-à-vis Pakistan was vastly different. Within days of the NDA Government coming to power in 1998, Mr Vajpayee demonstrated great political acumen. By carrying out the nuclear tests in Pokhran, he announced to the world that India had graduated from being a first generation to a second generation nuclear power.

It was only after demonstrating India’s nuclear capability that Mr Vajpayee initiated his ‘bus diplomacy’ with Pakistan. Later, it was only after completely routing the Pakistani forces in Kargil sector that he invited Gen Pervez Musharraf for the Agra summit. Here too Mr Vajpayee did not yield an inch, which disappointed Gen Musharraf as his book In the Line of Fire very clearly mentions.

Similarly, after the ISI-sponsored attack on our Parliament House complex, for almost two years Mr Vajpayee refused to shake hands with the Pakistani President, so much so that Gen Musharraf was forced to offer a handshake at the SAARC summit in Kathmandu. Also, for two years the NDA Government kept the Pakistani Army on the edge by launching Operation Parakram. Finally, Mr Vajpayee eased the pressure on Pakistan but only after the latter’s national security chief agreed to relent on the terrorism issue.

Therefore, simply invoking Mr Vajpayee’s legacy of statesmanship will not help the UPA Government undo the damage it has already done in Sharm el-Sheikh. Soon after the joint statement, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani milked the Balochistan issue that India had conceded, and told the Pakistani media that he had made New Delhi agree to delink the dialogue process from action on terrorism.

The fundamental position of Pakistan has not changed despite the cosmetic measures that Islamabad has of late undertaken to please its American bosses. There is no denying that terrorism continues to be used as an instrument of state policy by Pakistan vis-à-vis India. Pakistani terrorist organisations keep the entire Indian security establishment engaged at all times. What could be a better proxy for the Pakistani Army?

Therefore, Islamabad will never dismantle the terrorist camps operating from its soil. The on-going Pakistani Army operation against the Taliban is different because these jihadis are a threat to Pakistan itself. Rest assured, terrorist organisations like the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba will remain insulated from any such crackdown.

Back home the Government is facing flak on various domestic issues. Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal is already backpedalling on his proposal to have a single secondary school board for all States. Further, the dispute over natural gas pricing has invited the criticism that the Government is being partisan in its handling of this important issue. This criticism has been so effective that the Government has had to amend its stand on the matter in the Supreme Court.

The Government has also had to backtrack on several other issues. For instance, after welcoming the Delhi High Court verdict decriminalising homosexuality, it now says that it wants to reconsider its stand. Its ally, the Trinamool Congress, has also forced it to rethink the land acquisition Bill, while the DMK is refusing to go along with the Government on divestment, at least as far as PSUs in Tamil Nadu are concerned. Union Telecom Minister A Raja hasn’t helped the Government’s image either. He continues to embarrass the Government with his shenanigans.

The severity of the power crisis nationwide, the shadow of drought looming large over many parts of the country, and the spurt in food grain, pulse and vegetable prices even though inflation is in negative, do not provide a rosy picture of the Government in charge. Even before recovery from the economic downturn has firmed up, there is talk of inflation raising its ugly head again.

The Government’s chicanery on the issue of declaration of assets by our judges has been well and truly exposed. After introducing the relevant Bill in the Rajya Sabha, the Government quietly withdrew it when the Opposition saw through its gameplan to shield the judges.

And finally, to cap it all, the Maoist menace plaguing many States of the country flies in the face of all the brave talk by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.

Two months in office may be too short a time to judge a Government. But the omens are worrying. This Government is virtually no different from the previous regime which was in power from 2004 to May 2009. That is a lot of time to show results, or obfuscate issues.

-- punjbk@gmail.com

Manmohan deserves Nishaan-e-Pakistan

Swapan Dasgupta

Viewed from the perspective of India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s latest peace overture to a recalcitrant Pakistan seems bewildering and a trifle misplaced. How, it is being legitimately asked, can you repose trust in a Pakistan that is unwilling to own up to its misdemeanours and, indeed, is content with the mollycoddling of extremist and terrorist forces? Just because Atal Bihari Vajpayee too was guilty of a similar misjudgement doesn’t necessarily justify its persistence.

Yet, it is important to realise that India’s desperate desire to give its difficult neighbour the benefit of doubt is not an isolated move prompted by some weakness of the national character. Pakistan, which was worsted after the 9/11 attacks and the Anglo-American ‘war on terror’, is on the verge of recovering lost ground and scoring a major foreign policy triumph. This is not because the Manmohan Singh regime is weak and supine. That is only a small part of the problem. The real advantage for Pakistan lies in the fact that an economically devastated West has lost the political resolve to persist with the war in Afghanistan. It is looking for ways to extricate itself from what is generally being regarded as a no-win situation. What India is doing is creating the conditions for an ignominious Anglo-American retreat from Afghanistan. Being nice to Pakistan is a part of India’s facilitation process.

The extent to which defeatism has overwhelmed the West is most evident in the hysterical British reaction to the death of 22 of its soldiers last month. The July toll may seem small by Indian standards — the Maoists have killed more policemen and para-military forces in Chhattisgarh in the same time frame — but in British eyes this is unacceptable. From the perspective of other European participants in the multi-national force it is even more so. The only German soldier who killed a Taliban insurgent had to be flown back home for trauma therapy and the legendary Luftwaffe has ceased all night operations because it is seen as too risky.

There was a naive belief in some European capitals that involvement in Afghanistan actually meant overseeing good works by social workers in the Provincial Reconstruction Teams. The soldiers, it was assumed, would keep a benign eye on things as earnest young do-gooders helped Afghans rebuild schools, practice gender equality and climb up the Human Development Index. When that romantic dream turned into a nightmare amid the harsh realities of Afghanistan, the inclination of European civil society has been to cut losses and run back home.

The Afghan war is without question an unpopular war. The Americans may want more boots on the ground and a few targeted operations, including the one with the menacing name Operation Panther’s Claw, but this is widely seen as a face-saving precursor to departure. Maybe the bases in Baghran and Kandahar may remain, but for all intents and purposes, the war on terror is drawing to a close without any sign of victory.

For Pakistan, this is fantastic news and it is doing its utmost to hasten the departure of the international forces. Having carefully helped the Taliban regroup after the debacle of 2001 and continue its low-intensity guerrilla war, Pakistan is now intent on projecting itself as the proverbial poacher-turned-gamekeeper. It has implored the West to outsource the pacification of Pushtuns to it. After all, no one is said to know the forbidding terrain around the Durand Line better than Pakistan. In return, Pakistan wants the West to create the conditions for its ‘approved’ intervention in Afghanistan.

Ideally, Pakistan has two demands. First, it wants the West to guarantee that the shift of military might from the eastern front with India to the western front will not involve India taking advantage of the situation. Second, Pakistan wants the West to realise that it would be difficult to manage the internal fallout of training its guns on the Taliban unless there is some ideological compensation, such as some recognition of Pakistan’s role in Kashmir. As of now, the West has merely impressed upon India the need to free Pakistani forces in the east so that it can join the main battle in the west. For India, this has meant lowering the temperature on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism directed against India. As of now, the West hasn’t really arm-twisted India on the Kashmir issue. But that is only a matter of time. New Delhi has already demonstrated its inclination to crawl when asked to bend.

The coming months are going to be crucial for Afghanistan. On the face of it, President Hamid Karzai seems set for a clear victory in next month’s presidential election. However, it is clear that both Pakistan and the so-called civil society groups in the West are betting on his ex-World Bank rival Ashraf Ghani as a wholesome alternative to Karzai. Ghani has the support of the anti-Karzai Pushtuns but lacks the incumbent’s ability to garner the votes of the minority communities linked to the erstwhile Northern Alliance.

The presidential election isn’t likely to be entirely free and fair. Given the troubled state of Afghanistan, it can hardly be so. Moreover, the democratic culture hasn’t really taken roots in Afghanistan. Any result that favours Karzai is likely to be strongly disputed by the Ghani camp and the scepticism is certain to be fuelled by both Pakistan and Western Governments anxious to leave Afghanistan to god and Pakistan. It is a possible man-made crisis over the election results that may well set the stage for Pakistan’s formal re-acquisition of its lost ‘strategic depth’.

By refusing to play hard ball in Egypt last month, Manmohan Singh thought he was trying to help the West get its act together in Pakistan. The consequences of his generosity may well be Pakistan’s victory in Afghanistan. The Indian Prime Minister deserves a Nishaan-e-Pakistan award.

Source : The Pioneer

Hike in pension to benefit 12 lakh jawans: PM

I WONDER : Is it so... Mr Prime Minister?

PTI | New Delhi

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said that the Government's decision to increase the pension of retired jawans and Junior Commission Officers (JCOs) will benefit 12 lakh ex-servicemen and their families.

"We have accepted the recommendations of the committee constituted to examine the issue of pension of ex-servicemen. This will lead to increased pension for about 12 lakh retired jawans and JCOs," Singh said in his address after unfurling the national flag at the ramparts of Red Fort here on the occasion of 63rd Independence Day.

"We are proud of our brave soldiers. It is our duty to ensure the ex-servicemen are able to lead a life of comfort," he added.

Meeting a long-pending demand, the Government had last month announced in the General Budget that it accepted the recommendations of Committee headed by Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar to substantially increase the pension of retired Army men.

The revised pension was implemented beginning July this year and it was an attempt to bring it as nearer to the 'One Rank-One Pension' demand of armed forces as possible.

The decision to increase the pension for defence personnel would cost the exchequer over Rs 2,100 crore annually.

Some More News.............

4 Militants killed 

Dinesh Manhotra
Tribune News Service 

Udhampur, August 14
By eliminating four dreaded militants of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) in a fierce encounter in the Mahore area of Reasi district, security forces this evening foiled an attempt of the ultras to target Independence Day functions here. The gun battle which started this evening was going on till the filing of this report.

According to the police, the slain ultras were planning to target Independence Day functions in Mahore and adjoining localities.

Official sources said on a specific information about the presence of some militants, security forces started a search operation in the forest areas of Mahore bordering Kulgam district of south Kashmir. When security personnel reached the spot at Kund forest where militants were hiding, ultras resorted to indiscriminate firing with sophisticated weapons. The encounter started at five this evening and was still on till the filing of this report.

As the encounter site is located in the remotest areas of Reasi district, exact detail of the encounter is yet to be reached in district headquarters. Sources, however, quoting initial reports, said identities of the slain militants had been identified as Tuffail, Nasir, Mudassar and Imran, all local militants belong to the HM outfit.

Pak flags hoisted, Tricolour burnt in valley 
  


 

Srinagar, August 14
The police lobbed teargas shells and used batons to disperse a group of youths who set ablaze a Tricolour and hoisted Pakistani flags at a few places and raised slogans in favour of the neighbouring country on the occasion of its Independence Day today.

Security personnel swung into action after over 200 youth took to the streets outside Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar shortly after Friday prayers, burst crackers and clashed with the police personnel, official sources said.

Chanting slogans - “Long live Pakistan” and “We want freedom”, the youth pelted stones in retaliation to the teargas and canecharge triggering clashes, the sources said.

As the situation became tense, security reinforcements were rushed to the spot to check violence from spreading to other areas.

The sources said Pakistani flags were also seen hoisted on electric poles and trees at two places in Ganderpora locality of Eidgah in downtown Srinagar and several places in north Kashmir, Baramulla and Sopore townships, including Ningli and Batpora, early this morning.

However, the flags were immediately removed by the police patrolling the areas. — PTI

China refuses India's request to declare Masood Azhar a terrorist

NEW DELHI: China has turned down India's request to declare Masood Azhar, chief of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group, a terrorist and
be sanctioned by the UN Security Council's 1267 committee.


Chinese officials told their Indian counterparts that theirs was a "technical" hold. No amount of Indian explanation that the decision was "political" succeeded in persuading the Chinese. India held its last round of talks on the subject of Azhar with the Chinese during last weekend's boundary talks between national security adviser MK Narayanan and China's state councilor, Dai Bingguo.


It was in mid-July that India asked China, by then the only country to put a "hold" on Azhar's ban, about its decision to block the declaration. According to top level officials, China had reportedly said they had not seen all the information. Consequently, India sent along a lot of information that it thought would help in persuading China.


In fact, after the Xinjiang unrest in early July, India believed, China would have a greater understanding of Islamic terrorism.


But China's decision, said officials, continues to be led by its relations with Pakistan, which has housed Masood Azhar. In December, it was only after Pakistan gave the go-ahead that China lifted its hold on Laskar-e-Taiba chief Mohammed Hafiz Saeed. Saeed was put on the "consolidated" list of the UNSC's 1267 committee after which Pakistan put him under house arrest.


On Masood Azhar, UK had initially joined China in placing a "hold" on the three names that India had sent to the 1267 sanctions committee -- the others being Azam Cheema and Abdul Rahman "Makki". UK lifted its hold after India protested diplomatically.


Pakistan last week declared that it had banned 25 terror organizations operating on its soil, among them Jaish-e-Mohammed (which was renamed Jamaat-ul-Furqan after being banned by Pervez Musharraf in 2002) and Khuddam-ul-Islam, another India-centric group started by Azhar. 

Source : TOI

The United States’ Global Agenda, vis-à-vis South Asia

It is a well-known fact among international security experts that one of the longstanding foreign policy doctrines of the United States is to destabilize countries and regions that are considered hostile to US economic and strategic interests. This policy has been the bedrock of American military and covert operations across the globe throughout the cold war period. When the US fails to win support from countries for its self-interested economic and defense policies, the US undertakes covert operations to overthrow democratically elected leaders in those countries by supporting military juntas and insurgent movements, cut off economic aid, and isolate them internationally until they give in to US pressure.

Since the end of the cold war, the US has inducted a new weapon to its arsenals of destabilization: This new weapon is the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) funded by the West. The US has been openly supporting various nongovernmental organizations to marshal mass support against elected governments that refuse to kowtow the US on the pretext of campaigning to protect human rights, media freedom, and democracy. The US funded international nongovernmental organizations and their local counterparts have been operating as the proxy of the US government across Latin America, the Middle East, and South, and South East Asia. The underline objective of all these covert operations is to cause political upheavals in specific countries, or regions with a long-term global strategy.

Once a nation becomes embroiled in fighting internal rebellions, whether they are ethnic or religiously motivated groups, or involved in cross-border conflicts, that nation soon becomes overwhelmed by the concerns of its survival. This would eventually force the leadership of that country to capitulate to the American strategic and economic interests in that country, and the region. This, in turn, would ensure US economic and political hegemony in the long- run, especially in nonwestern countries. For example, when Saddam Hussein refused to bow down to US pressure they invaded his country and violated all international conventions, rules and norms at will, and killed more than half a million civilians.

In 1998, a UN survey revealed that the mortality rates among children below five years of age in southern Iraq had more than doubled compared to the previous decade, meaning 500,000 excess deaths of children had occurred by that year due to diarrhea and acute respiratory infections because of sanctions imposed by the US and it allies. UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq (1997-98) Denis Halliday called sanctions ‘genocide’ and resigned in protest. His successor Hans von Sponeck followed suit in 2002 citing the same reasons. The UN World Food Program Director in Iraq Jutta Burghardt also registered his protest by fully subscribing to Sponeck’s position and tendering his resignation. That was before the US lead invasion of Iraq in 2003. Following the invasion, at the end of 2006, more than 600,000 civilians had been killed. The high-ranking retired US government official argued that the “price was worth” considering the importance of US strategic and economic interests in that region. It was argued that the invasion was necessary to remove “weapons of mass-destruction” that were being amassed by Saddam Hussein. When that was proved untrue, the Anglo-American invaders argued that they wanted to establish democracy in Iraq. Today Iraq is in the midst of a civil war created by the West. The major Western news organizations and the non-governmental organizations such the Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which are heavily funded by the West, remain decidedly silence despite daily carnage taking place in that country. There is no moral outrage on the part of these human rights campaigners for the suffering of innocent Iraqis when the culprits were their paymasters.

Iraq is today one of the most dangerous places on Earth, thanks to the global “democracy” campaign of the Anglo-American leaders. Iraqis today not only have no democracy, but most importantly, lack basic security to go about their daily activities. In the meantime, the US has gained a permanent foothold in Iraq as never before with a largest fortified embassy, total control of its oil supply and, most importantly, a puppet regime installed by the US. This has given the US a guaranteed access to Iraq’s market for the supply of both military and consumer goods. The Anglo-American global “democracy” project is now complete, and the Western media and INGO allies are fully satisfied with the outcome of the Iraq war. They have moved on to their next assignment: Afghanistan, which is part the US strategy in South and Southeast Asia.

The South Asia has been particularly important for the US global strategy since the cold war. The creation of Al Quida organization involving Islamic militants against the Soviet backed regime in Afghanistan began in the early 1980s. With the end of the cold war, the key partners of the US strategic alliances broke up, and Al Quida became a sworn enemy of the West. A classic case of the “creature turned against its creator” with vengeance.

Some may think that the purpose of the current war in Afghanistan and Pakistan involving US and NATO troops is to capture Osama Bin Laden, who is hiding somewhere in the tribal area of Pakistan. If that is the real reason, a well equipped, nearly 100,000-man army should have finished the job in a few weeks, if not months. The truth is that they are not interested in Osama Bin Laden per se, but to stir up regional conflicts to prevent countries in that neighborhood from realizing their economic potential.

The longer this conflict lasts, both Afghanistan and Pakistan will have no chance of economic recovery, and will remain impoverished. They would continue to depend on American economic and military aid to carry on with a vicious military campaign, which has no obvious winners, except the US.

Likewise, India will continue to be rattled by periodic cross-border attacks by disaffected Muslims in the region. Moreover, India’s inability to resist the US pressure to get involved in the American geo-political agenda in that region will eventually antagonize not only China, but also many other smaller countries in the region.

Throughout the Cold War, the US kept Pakistan as its ally to undermine India, which was an ally of the Soviet Union. However, today, the US has almost abandoned Pakistan in favor of India, as the new US strategy to contain China requires much larger military and economic cooperation in the region. By bringing India on the side of the US to counter China’s economic and military influence in South Asia, the US foreign policy and military strategists intend to create a much bigger conflict in that region, which would destroy India. The Indian foreign policy mandarins must somehow find a way to cut India free from the “American Rope,” if India is to avoid military confrontation with China.

As recently as last week, Indian Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sureesh Mehta warned Indian authorities that India is no match for China when it comes to Chinese military and naval superiority. The US strategists are fully aware of this “sudden” and “perceived” insecurity by the Indian military leaders. In an attempt to exploit this, the US military strategists and media continue to highlight a perceived so called “military ring” being created by China in South Asia. Although Chinese concerned is purely its own economic and territorial integrity, sovereignty, and national security, the US has its own agenda to weaken China through various insurgent groups including Muslim minority and Tibetan separatists. By portraying China as a potential military threat to India, two large emerging economies in Asia, and forcing India to spend a large sum of money to build up Indian armed forces annually, the US is going to benefit economically in the short-run by selling military hardware to India. However, in the long-run, the objective is to destroy both China and India, as potential global economic rivals to the US.

PM's Speech : 15th Aug 09

Following is the text of the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh’s address from the ramparts of Red Fort on the occasion of Independence Day:

“Dear countrymen, brothers and sisters,

I consider myself fortunate to once again have the opportunity to address you on this sacred day of 15th August. On this auspicious occasion, I extend my hearty greetings to all of you.

. Today is most certainly a day of happiness and pride for us. We are proud of our freedom. We are proud of our democracy. We are proud of our values and ideals. But we should also remember that it has taken the sacrifices of lakhs of Indians to bring us where we are today. Our well being and progress have been built upon the foundation of the hard work and sacrifices of our freedom fighters, the brave jawans of our armed forces, our farmers, our workers and our scientists.

Today, we remember all those martyrs who laid down their lives for the freedom and security of our country. The best way of paying homage to those brave sons of our country will be to resolve today that we will always stay committed to strengthening the unity and integrity of our nation. Let us all together take a vow that we will spare no effort to take India to greater heights.

The elections held a few months back have strengthened our nation and our democracy. In these elections, the people of India have favoured a politics that integrates our country and our society. You have chosen a political arrangement which is secular and which includes many varied strands of thought. You have voted for a democratic way of life which provides for resolution of differences through debate and discussion. I am of the view that we have received a mandate for starting a new era of cooperation and harmony in our national life.

We accept with humility the great responsibility you have entrusted to us. I wish to assure you on this sacred day that we will work with sincerity and dedication to fulfil the expectation of each and every citizen of India. It will be our effort to ensure that every citizen of India is prosperous and secure and is able to lead a life of dignity and self respect. We will derive inspiration in our work from the ideals of service and sacrifice bequeathed to us by the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Our Government will follow the path shown by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Shrimati Indira Gandhi, Shri Rajiv Gandhi and other great leaders of our country. It will be our endeavour to carry everyone with us and to lead the country ahead on the path of development by creating an environment of consensus and cooperation.

We know that India's progress can be real only when every citizen of our country benefits from it. Every Indian has a right over our national resources. The policies and schemes of our Government in the last 5 years have been based on this paradigm. It has been our endeavour to ensure that the benefit of development reaches all sections of the society and all regions and citizens of the country. Our efforts have succeeded to some extent. But our work is still incomplete. We will carry it forward with firm determination and sincerity.

As you know, our economy grew at a rate of about 9% from the year 2004-05 to the year 2007-08. This growth rate came down to 6.7% in 2008-09 due to the global economic crisis. It is only a result of our policies that the global crisis has affected us to a lesser extent than many other countries. Restoring our growth rate to 9% is the greatest challenge we face. We will make every necessary effort to meet this challenge¬¬¬ -- whether it is for increasing capital flows into the country, or for encouraging exports or for increasing public investment and expenditure. We expect that there will be an improvement in the situation by the end of this year, but till that time we will all have to bear with the fall out of the global economic slow down. I appeal to all businessmen and industrialists to join us in our effort to tackle this difficult situation and to fulfill their social obligations fully.

I have always believed that India's prosperity is not possible without the prosperity of our farmers. This is the reason why our Government had waived bank loans of lakhs of farmers. We have increased the support prices for agricultural products by far more than ever before. This year there has been deficiency in the monsoons. This would definitely have some adverse impact on our crops. But, I am sure we will be able to meet the situation quite well. We will provide all possible assistance to our farmers to deal with the drought. In view of the deficiency in the monsoons, we have postponed the date for repayment of bank loans of our farmers. We are also giving additional support to farmers for payment of interest on short term crop loans.

We have adequate stocks of foodgrains. All efforts will be made to control the rising prices of foodgrains, pulses and other goods of daily use. I appeal to all State governments to exercise their statutory powers to prevent hoarding and black marketing of essential commodities.

We will have to adopt modern means to be successful in agriculture. We will have to make more efficient use of our scarce land and water resources. Our scientists must devise new techniques to increase the productivity of our small and marginal farmers. More attention will have to be paid to the needs of those farmers who do not have means for irrigation. The country needs another Green Revolution and we will try our best to make it possible. Our goal is 4% annual growth in agriculture and I am confident that we will be able to achieve this target in the next 5 years.

It is our ardent desire that not even a single citizen of India should ever go hungry. This is the reason why we have promised a food security law under which every family living below the poverty line will get a fixed amount of foodgrains every month at concessional rates. It is also our national resolve to root out malnutrition from our country. In this effort, special care will be taken of the needs of women and children. We will endeavour to extend the benefit of ICDS to every child below the age of six years in the country by March 2012.

The first UPA government had given the right to 100 days of employment in a year to every rural family through the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. In the last 4 years, this programme has been expanded to cover the whole country. The programme has been able to fulfil the expectations from it to a large extent. In the year 2008-09, it benefited about 4 crore families. It has also contributed to improvement in rural infrastructure. In the coming days we will improve the programme to bring more transparency and accountability into it. New types of works will be added to the works that can be taken up under the programme.

We know that good education is not only desirable in itself but is also essential for the empowerment of our people. We have recently enacted the Right to Education Act. This law provides to each child of our country the right to elementary education. I wish to make it clear that funds will not be a constraint as far as education is concerned. We will give special attention to the needs of disabled children. As a result of our efforts in the last few years, almost every child in our country has access to primary education today. Now we also need to pay greater attention to secondary education. Secondary education will be expanded through a programme that will ensure that every child in the country gets its benefit. We will endeavour to provide bank loans and scholarships to the maximum possible number of students to support their education.

A new scheme will be started to help students from economically weaker sections of society by way of reduced interest rate on their education loans. This will benefit about 5 lakh students in getting technical and professional education.

Good health is one of our basic needs. The National Rural Health Mission that we have started aims at strengthening the infrastructure for rural public health services. We will expand the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana so as to cover each family below the poverty line. In our journey on the road of development we will pay special attention to the needs of our differently abled brothers and sisters. We will increase facilities available for them.

While touching upon issues related to health, I would also like to make a mention of the flu that is spreading due to the H1N1 virus. As you all know, some parts of our country have been affected by this illness. The Central Government and the State Governments will together continue to make all necessary efforts to control the spread of this infection. I also want to assure you that the situation does not warrant a disruption of our daily lives because of fear and anxiety.

The special programmes that our government had started for the development of rural and urban areas will be accelerated. We have been successful to some extent in improving the infrastructure in rural areas through Bharat Nirman. But there is still a wide disparity between the development of rural and urban areas. To this end, the allocations under Bharat Nirman have been increased substantially this year. We will set more ambitious targets for schemes for house construction and telecommunications in rural areas.

We will accelerate our efforts to improve physical infrastructure in the country. The Road Transport and National Highways Department has initiated action for construction of 20 Km of National Highways every day. Similarly, Railways have started work on the Dedicated Freight Corridors. We are giving careful attention to the problems of Air India and will resolve them soon. The schemes of roads, railways and civil aviation being implemented in Jammu & Kashmir and the States of the North East will be especially monitored.

We had started the Jawaharalal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission for the urban areas. We will accelerate this programme also. Today, lakhs of our citizens live in slums which lack basic amenities. We wish to make our country slum free as early as possible. In the next five years, we will provide better housing facilities to slum dwellers through a new scheme, Rajiv Awas Yojana.

Climate change has become an issue of global concern in recent years. If we don't take the necessary steps in time, our glaciers will melt and our rivers will go dry. The problems of droughts and floods will grow in seriousness. We also need to prevent air pollution. India wishes to tackle the problem of climate change in partnership with other countries of the world. We have taken a decision to constitute 8 National Missions. We are committed to meet the challenge of climate change through these 8 Missions. To increase the use of solar energy and to make it affordable, we will launch the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission on 14th November of this year.

The sacred Ganga is the life source for crores of Indians. It is our duty to keep the river clean. We have constituted the National Ganga Authority in which the Central and State Governments will jointly work towards this end. The cooperation of the public is also needed in this effort.

Our natural resources are limited. We must use them more efficiently. We need a new culture of energy conservation. We also need to prevent the misuse of water. We will pay more attention to programmes for water collection and storage. "Save Water" should be one of our national slogans.

If we work united, we can meet all challenges that confront us. Our citizens have the right to express dissent and anger. I also maintain that every government should be sensitive to people's complaints and dissatisfaction. But nothing is achieved by destroying public property and indulging in violence against one's fellow citizens. Our democracy has no place for those who resort to violence to express their disagreement, and the government will deal firmly with such people.

Terrorism has emerged as a threat to peace and harmony in all parts of the world. After the horrific terror attacks in Mumbai in last November, our government has taken many steps against terrorism. To root out terrorist activities, our security forces and intelligence agencies are being constantly upgraded. I am sure that with cooperation from all sections of our society, we will be successful in eliminating terrorism from our country.

Some parts of our country continue to be affected by the Naxalite menace. It is the constitutional obligation of the government to protect the life and liberty of our citizens. Those who think that they can seize power by recourse to the gun do not understand the strength of our democracy. The Central Government will redouble its efforts to deal with Naxalite activities. We will extend all help to the State Governments to make their police forces more effective. Central forces will be provided wherever they are needed. We will also do more to ensure better coordination among States.

I would also like to state here that we will endeavour to remove those causes of social and economic dissatisfaction which give rise to problems like Naxalism. We believe in a development process which will remove backwardness, unemployment and reduce disparities in income and wealth. We seek active partnership of our brothers and sisters of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in our development processes.

We do not subscribe to the view that to take special care of the deprived sections of the society amounts to appeasement. In fact, we believe that it is our solemn duty to do so. Our government will give its full attention to the well being of our brothers and sisters belonging to the minority communities. We have started many schemes for the welfare of the minorities. These programmes will be taken forward. The funds for the special schemes taken up for the development of minority concentration districts have been enhanced quite substantially this year. Similarly, we have allocated increased funds for scholarship schemes for minorities that the first UPA government had started. A Bill to prevent communal violence has been introduced in Parliament and efforts will be made to convert it into a law as soon as possible.

The practice of female foeticide regrettably persists in our society. This is a shame for all of us. We must eliminate it as early as possible. Our progress will be incomplete till women become equal partners in all areas of our life and in our nation's progress. Our government is committed to the early passage of the Women's Reservation Bill. This legislation will provide one-third reservation for women in Parliament and the State Assemblies. We are also working on a legislation to provide 50% reservation for women in rural and urban local bodies. In fact, we should find ways and means to increase the participation of women in all democratic institutions. Our government will make sustained efforts for social and economic empowerment of women. We have decided to launch a National Female Literacy Mission, through which female illiteracy will be reduced by half in the next three years.

We are proud of our brave soldiers. It is our duty to ensure that ex-servicemen are able to lead a life of comfort. We have accepted the recommendations of the committee constituted to examine the issue of pension of ex-servicemen. This will lead to increased pension for about 12 lakh retired jawans and Junior Commissioned Officers.

In our journey of development, we should not only pay special attention to some sections of our society, but must also take care of the special needs of the backward regions of our country. We will redouble our efforts to remove regional imbalances in the level of development. Here I would like to make a special mention of our States of the North-East. Our government will constantly endeavour to make the States of the North East equal partners in the country's progress. Imphal or Kohima may be physically far away from Delhi, but the welfare of our brothers and sisters of the North East is always close to our heart. We know that without their well-being the country cannot move forward.

There have been two elections in Jammu & Kashmir since I addressed you on the last Independence Day. The first one was for the State Legislative Assembly and the second for the Lok Sabha. People of all areas of the State have participated vigorously in both the elections. This is a proof that there is no place for separatist thought in Jammu & Kashmir.

Our Government will continue assisting the State Government in improving governance in all parts of Jammu & Kashmir. It will be our endeavour to ensure that human rights are respected in the State and all its citizens are able to lead a life of peace and dignity in an environment of safety and security. We respect the special assurances and concessions provided to Jammu & Kashmir in our Constitution. We will continue to honour these special provisions.

Today's world is becoming smaller in many respects. Whether it is the international economic crisis or terrorism or climate change - what happens in one part of the world has an effect on other parts also. The international economic and political order is changing. Questions are being raised on the functioning and continued effectiveness of the multilateral institutions established in the 20th Century.

Our foreign policy should be able to cater to India's interests in these constantly changing circumstances. I am happy that we have been successful in doing this to a large extent.

We have good relations with the United States, Russia, China, Japan and Europe. There is a tremendous amount of goodwill for India and its people in the countries of South East Asia, Central Asia, West Asia and the Gulf. We have further strengthened our traditional ties with Africa. We are looking for new opportunities in Latin America.

As far our neighbours are concerned, we want to live with them in peace and harmony. We will make every possible effort to create an environment conducive to the social and economic development of the whole of South Asia.

However good our programmes and schemes might be, their benefit will not reach the public till the government machinery is not free of corruption and till it is not effective in their implementation. I would like our public administration to be more efficient so that programmes for public good can be implemented faster. We need to improve our delivery systems to provide basic services to our citizens. We will act with speed on the recommendations of the Administrative Reforms Commission to strengthen governance. Renewed efforts will be made to decentralize public administration through the Panchayati Raj Institutions and to ensure greater involvement of people in it. Initiative will be taken for a new partnership between the civil society and the government so that tax payers' money is better spent. We have enacted the Right to Information Act to enhance accountability and transparency in public life. This law will be improved so that it is more effective.

We have to make special efforts to strengthen the administrative machinery for our rural programmes. Those who live in villages and semi-urban areas should get services similar to the residents of urban areas. Communication and Information Technology can go a long way in achieving this objective. Recently, we have set up the Unique Identification Authority of India. This is a historic step to link up the whole country through a high quality administrative arrangement. We expect the first set of identity numbers to be available in the next one to one and a half years.

Today, as I stand before you I can feel the energy of more than 100 crore Indians marching ahead on the path of progress. Some people question whether India will ever be able to attain its true potential. I have no doubt about this. We are rapidly moving forward. We have faith in ourselves. We have political stability. Our democracy is an example for the whole world. We are gaining in economic strength. And most importantly, we have full confidence in our youth. They are our future. I am sure that they will take our country to a new glory.

Let us all commit ourselves today to working for a golden future. On this sacred occasion let us resolve that nation building will be our highest duty.

Jai Hind
Jai Hind
Jai Hind.”