http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140213/main3.htm
Badal showers sops
on defence personnel, veterans
Punjab Chief
Minister lays foundation stone of war heroes’ memorial on Amritsar-Attari road
Tribune News
Service
Amritsar, February
12
Chief Minister
Parkash Singh Badal today announced a bonanza for serving armed forces
personnel, ex-servicemen and NCC cadets apparently with an eye on the Lok Sabha
elections.
He made several
announcements in this regard at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the
Punjab State War Heroes Memorial and Museum here.
Addressing a
gathering at Ranjit Avenue here to mark the occasion, Badal said the state
government would soon launch a special drive to fill the backlog of vacancies
reserved for ex-servicemen in various departments, boards and corporations.
He also announced
the doubling of the loan extended to war widows for the construction of houses
from the existing Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, besides enhancing the ‘War Jagir’
from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000. He promised to waive the property tax on the
property owned by serving Army personnel and ex-servicemen.
Acceding to
another demand of the ex-servicemen, the Chief Minister ordered the immediately
slashing of the VAT being charged on CSD items from 6.5 per cent to 4 per cent.
A special court at
Jalandhar for quick dispensation of justice to serving Army personnel and
veterans would be set up, he said. Two dedicated police stations at Jalandhar
and Amritsar would be opened. These would be directly supervised by an officer
not below the rank of SP, he said. A toll-free number in the office of
Financial Commissioner Revenue (FCR) at Chandigarh would be started to enable
serving and veteran Army personnel to get their cases related to revenue
matters, especially eviction from houses on rent, resolved.
Enthused over the
success of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Academy at Mohali,
the CM said that the Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute for girls
would be established to enable them to get selected in the armed forces. The
state government has already allotted 200 acres to the Union government for
setting up a Service Selection Centre (North) at Rupnagar, he said.
About the memorial
Punjab State War Heroes Memorial and Museum
will come up on seven acres in the Naraingarh area on Amritsar-Attari road
To be built at a cost of Rs 100 crore, the
memorial will have a 45-ft-high sword at its centre. This structure will stand
atop a platform surrounded by a water body.
The names of martyrs will be inscribed on
the memorial. The boundary wall will be constructed with Nanakshahi bricks and
the memorial will be constructed on the green- building principles.
Army tanks and weapons will also be
displayed at the memorial which will showcase the history of the wars fought
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140213/main3.htm#2
Ex-Army Chiefs
seek national war memorial
Tribune News
Service
Amritsar, February
12
Former Army Chiefs
General JJ Singh (retd) and General Shankar Roy Chaudhary (retd) today
advocated the need for having a national war memorial and ‘one rank, one
pension’ for armed forces personnel and ex-servicemen at the foundation
stone-laying ceremony of the Punjab State War Heroes Memorial and Museum here.
General Chaudhary
(retd) said these two wishes of Army personnel remain unfulfilled while
suggesting that the memorial in Amritsar be considered the national war
memorial till one is constructed by the Centre.
In his address,
General JJ Singh (retd) saluted the martial spirit of Punjabis, saying Punjab
is not only a land of five rivers but is also a sacred land of warriors,
winners and martyrs. He lauded the state government’s move to set up a war memorial,
hoping that the Centre would get inspiration from it.
Bharat Ratna for
Arjan Singh
CM Parkash Singh
Badal urged the Centre to bestow the Bharat Ratna upon Marshal of the Air Force
Arjan Singh. He said Arjan Singh deserved the honour for his outstanding
services in the Air Force.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140213/nation.htm#6
Navy expands scope
of Exercise Milan
Away in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the
Indian Navy and 16 other nations were involved in the six-day “Exercise Milan”
that concluded on February 9. The scope of the exercise and its participants is
slowly increasing. For the first time since its inception in 1995, the Navy had
invited countries on the western rim of the Indian Ocean and also island
nations in the region. This time two African nations -- Kenya and Tanzania --
were invited, besides the island nations of Mauritius, Maldives and Seychelles,
all of which are crucial to India’s reach in the Indian Ocean. It was also the
first time that Philippines and Cambodia -- both important for India in the
contentious South China Sea -- were invited.
Indigenous
artillery guns
As the much needed
modernisation of the Regiment of Artillery continues to hang fire, an Indian
conglomerate has developed two artillery guns that could offer an alternate to
imports that often get bogged down in red-tapism and unsavory controversies.
Pune-based Kalyani Group has come up with a 155 mm gun, Christen Bharat-52 and
a 105 mm gun called Garuda 105 that were show-cased at the recently concluded
DefExpo-1024 at New Delhi.
The guns are
however yet to be tested by the Army, for which the company has approached the
Ministry of Defence. The Indian army has not procured a new artillery gun since
410 Bofors 155mm howitzers were procured from Sweden in the 1980s. Many of
there guns, which performed commendably during the Kargil conflict, are said to
be unserviceable due to want of spares.
Remembering a war
hero
The martyrdom day
of Naik Jadu Nath Singh, one of the earliest recipients of the Param Vir
Chakra, falls this month. Enrolled in 1 Rajput (now 4 Guards) in November 1941,
Nath had died fighting Pakistani infiltrators at Naoshera in Jammu and Kashmir
on February 6, 1948. He was in command of a forward section post which bore the
full brunt of the enemy attack. Nine men had stood against overwhelming odds
against successive enemy attacks. With complete disregard for his personal
safety, he encouraged his men to fight, warding off two attacks. The enemy
launched a massive third attack to capture the post and a wounded Jadu Nath
charged out of the bunker with a Sten gun taking the enemy by surprise. In the
battle, two bullets hit him in the head and chest.
http://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=17..120214.feb14
Maj Gen Himalay
becomes first Lt Gen in Indian Army from NE
Imphal, February
11 2014: Bringing laurels to the North-East in general and his home State
Manipur in particular, Major General Konsam Himalay Singh has become the first
Army officer from the region to get promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General.
He is currently
posted as Chief of Staff of a Strike Corps.
Hailing from
Charangpat in Thoubal district, Major General Himalay is an alumnus of Sainik
School, Goalpara (Assam) and the National Defence Academy.
He was
commissioned into the Second Battalion of The Rajput Regiment (KALI CHINDI) in
June 1978 and later commanded 27 RAJPUT.
The General
Officer is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, College of Defence
Management and the prestigious National Defence College.
According to a statement
issued by Col SD Goswami, Defence Spokesperson, Ministry of Defence, Government
of India, so far, Maj Gen Himalay Singh has held varied Commands, Staff and
Instructional appointments during his career so far.
He has vast
operational experience in Counter Insurgency (CI) Operations in Jammu and
Kashmir (J& K) where he served five tenures in the last 35 years and four
tenures in North East which included CI Operations in LC (Line of Control), LAC
(Line of Actual Control) and HAA (High Altitude Area) environments.
He commanded 27
RAJPUT in Siachen Glacier from 1998 to 2000 .
Honoured with
'Yudh Seva Medal' in 2000 for command of a unit during 'OP VIJAY' against
Pakistan's unsuccessful move to occupy Indian Territory, the General Officer
later commanded an Infantry Brigade in Delhi.
He was the General
Officer Commanding (GOC) of 25 Infantry Division in J&K and was awarded
with 'Ati Vishisht Sewa Medal' in 2013. He has also been awarded the Chief of
Army Staff Commendation Card thrice and also the GOC-in-C Eastern Command
Commendation Card.
Maj Gen Himalay
has held a number of prestigious staff appointments which included Assistant
Military Secretary 1D, Colonel Administrator of a Mountain Division in Gangtok,
Director PS-2, Deputy MS Eastern Command and Deputy MS (B) in the Military
Secretary's Branch at IHQ of MoD (Army).
He has also been
Battalion Commander and Senior Instructor at the National Defence Academy,
Khadakwasla.
A keen sportsman,
the General has excelled in all troops games being brought up in a Sainik
School environment.
He is an avid
golfer, mountaineer and skydiver.
He also
participated in Rajput Regiment expedition to Kedarnath Dome in 1980 and
Kanchenjunga Expedition in 1987.Sainik School Goalpara, Assam, in which Maj Gen
Himalay studied, was founded on November 12, 1964 .
He joined the
school in the year 1968. It is a residential school for boys, providing Public
School Education with an aim to prepare them to join the defence services.
Sainik School,
Goalpara , would be celebrating its golden jubilee this year has excelled in
its primary role as a feeder institution to the Armed Forces and has over 200
ex-Sainik School Goalpara students (SSGians) to its credit as officers in the
Armed Forces, which other than NDA, including OTA, IMA, AFA and NAVAC.
A good number of
ex-students are IAS, IPS officers, doctors, engineers.
The school sis erving
not only in Assam and the North East but also all over the country and abroad.
The school is a
member of the IPSC (Indian Public School Conference) .
Maj Gen Himalay
Singh is married to Dr (Mrs) Mangala Devi, an accomplished doctor and they have
two daughters, the statement of the Defence Spokesperson added.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/states/russia-keen-to-sell-antimissile-defence-system-to-india/article5681678.ece
Russia keen to
sell anti-missile defence system to India
Mumbai, February 12:
Even as the Indian
Army has entered the global market to buy short-range surface-to-air missile
defence systems, Russia is keen to offer its anti-missile system Tor-M2KM to
India, with the latter slated to undergo a series of tests.
Exhibited outside
of Russia for the first time, a fully operational combat model of the Tor-M2KM
anti missile system was displayed at the Defexpo-2014 exhibition held in Delhi
recently.
Defence purchases
have risen from just over $200 million in 2001 to over $14 billion currently.
As part of the recently announced tender for 52 short-range air defence systems
to form two missile regiments in the Indian Army, Russia has decided to test a
modified version of the Tor-M2KM mounted on a wheeled chassis manufactured by Tata
Motors.
Incidentally, Tata
Motors also unveiled two new combat vehicles at Defexpo 2014. The Kestrel, an
8x8 wheeled armoured amphibious vehicle designed and developed indigenously by
Tata and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the
Light Armoured Multipurpose Vehicle (LAMV), also developed indigenously, with
technical input from Supacat, were showcased on the occasion.
Visitors to the
Defexpo-2014 were able to check out a real combat model, said Vyacheslav
Kartashov, Kupol’s assistant director for military technical cooperation and
government orders. According to the company, Tor-M2KM is a highly versatile air
defence system that can be mounted on a wide variety of platforms, including
railway cars, rooftops and ships.
Yuri Baykov,
spokesman for Almaz-Antey, the manufacturer, has said that the versatile nature
of the Tor-M2KM missile significantly enhances the scope of its operational
deployment, as the system can be used to protect stadiums from airborne attacks
during large sports events.
Neutralise weapons
The main mission
is to neutralise precision guided weapons, the spokesman added. The Tor-M2KM is
equipped with modern electronics and radar capable of detecting and handling up
to 48 targets, displaying information on the 10 most dangerous ones, and
destroying four air targets simultaneously.
Rahul Madhavan,
who leads the aerospace and defence sector with the US-India Business Council,
noted in a statement, “Our two democratic governments have made tremendous
progress in advancing technology release procedures and streamlining the
acquisition process to accommodate two bureaucracies.
While seeking to
advance our industrial cooperation, we also hope to advance our defence and
strategic partnership.”
http://www.punemirror.in/article/2/2014021220140212123748921249fb31/35-lakh-civilian-workers-in-Army-to-go-on-oneday-strike.html
35 lakh civilian
workers in Army to go on one-day strike
Thirty-five lakh
civilians working with the armed forces are on a war path. The civil employees
of all four commands — Northern, Eastern,Western and Southern — are geared up
for a one-day strike on February 17 across the nation to protest against the
government’s decision to allow foreign direct investment in the defence sector
and its apathy in implementing the Seventh Pay Commission.
An employee
working in Southern Command, on condition of anonymity, said, “This strike is
not against the Indian Army. It’s against the policies of Indian government
designed for civil employees working in armed forces.”
A notice of
demands have been sent to Defence Minister A.K Antony as civil workforce from
ammunition, ordnance and maintenance will be part of the one-day strike.
Saying the civil
workers’ demands are ‘genuine’, Vijay Gaikwad, general secretary of MES
Swarakshan Sanghtan, Pune, said, “We will protest against government policies
in front of our respective headquarters, charter of demands are for the welfare
of civil employees.
Three federations
of defence civilian employees across the country are against foreign direct
investment in defence sector. We don’t want foreign interference in armed
forces.”
The charter of
demands also include formation of Seventh Pay Commission and its
implementation, immediate family member of an employee should be given job in
case of her or his death, contract for water and electricty should be given to
government employees working in defence sector, resolving the anomalies in 50
per cent of civilian posts lying vacant should be filled.
The civil workers
are also asking for a hike in medical allowance, bonus renewal and a revison of
night duty allowance. All India Defence Employees Federation, All India Defence
Employees Federation, Bharatiya Pratiraksha Mazdoor Sangh,
Military Engineer
Services Employees Union and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh of Pune are expected to
take part in the strike.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/editorials/No-Excuse-to-Put-Off-Military-Modernisation/2014/02/12/article2051294.ece#.UvwdGc5W0a8
No Excuse to Put
Off Military Modernisation
Defence minister A
K Antony’s announcement that the IAF’s multi-combat aircraft deal cannot be
inked this year because of financial constraints means that the modernisation
of the military has once again been put on hold. This does not redound to the
credit of the government which has not managed its finances well. While it has
entered into deals with defence suppliers for a variety of items from aircraft
to guns, the capital expenditure budgets of the Indian armed forces have more
or less remained static. There is a mismatch between the need for arms and
ammunition and the availability of money, which is a pointer to the lack of
planning.
Apart from the
multi-combat aircraft, the Army needs, for instance, towed artillery, which,
unfortunately, is also out of the budget this year. An impression seems to have
gained ground in government thinking that modernisation of the military can
wait, as has been manifested in the defence spending cut. What all this
suggests is that there is utter confusion in the government about what need to
be bought for the military and paid for this year. Ideally, there should have
been greater coordination between the military which needs the equipment and
the finance ministry which needs to make provision for it. Indigenisation of defence
production is now more a dream than reality. Otherwise, precious foreign
exchange could have been saved by reducing such imports.
The proposal to
have a joint chief of staff has been hanging fire for a long time, although
reports had come that the government had cleared the proposal. Such a post
would help in bringing about greater integration among the three armed forces.
The “doctrine of jointness” will also pay dividends in terms of spending. It is
difficult to believe that modernisation of the military can wait till some
halcyon days when there will be a lot of money. The situation in India’s
neighbourhood is unsettled now, not in the future. In case of any eventuality,
India will have to square up to the situation. The military must, therefore, be
brought up to the mark.
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140211/DEFREG03/302110015/After-Indian-Rule-Changes-Foreign-Firms-Shift-Strategy
After Indian Rule
Changes, Foreign Firms Shift Strategy
NEW DELHI —
Overseas defense companies have shifted gears in the wake of India’s decision
last year to steer military contracts to domestic companies when possible,
executives and experts said at last week’s Defexpo exhibition.
The new name of
the game: joint ventures between overseas companies and Indian firms.
Yet while joint
ventures offer an avenue for defense deals, many overseas and Indian executives
said India must increase the level of foreign domestic investment (FDI) from
its current limit of 26 percent.
K.V. Kuber, CEO of
New Delhi-based Sugosha Consulting, said no core technologies would flow to
India unless the FDI limit is increased.
“Global cooperation is the
norm in a global village,” Kuber said. “No country in the world can make
everything in house. FDI must be increased, from the current levels to 74
percent or more with adequate checks and balances. I believe that the
government is not increasing the current FDI limit due to lack of effective
checks and balances and an accountable implementation mechanism, which leads to
a lack of trust. This can be overcome by incorporating an effective oversight
mechanism.”
India changed its procurement
rules in June after the adoption of the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, which
defense analysts feared could lead to strict overseas oversight on India’s
system for importing weapons.
While the new procurement
rules are tilted toward state-run defense companies, private Indian companies
are aggressively competing for programs by partnering with overseas firms.
This year’s Defexpo was
focused on showcasing indigenous talent. Among the highlights were displays by
several medium, small and micro defense companies, said Gokul Pati, India’s
permanent secretary for defense production.
Yet overseas firms are quickly
reworking their strategies to tap India’s defense market, managers said.
“Our business strategy in
India revolves around the building up of an extensive network of local business
partners, both in the public and private sectors including [small and
medium-size enterprises],” said Loic Piedevache, country manager for French
missile-maker MBDA.
Added Kim Kwan-see, global
director for South Korea’s LIG Nex1: “We want to work in India as production
partners and not merely as sellers.”
Kim disclosed that his company
has partnered with state-owned Bharat Dynamics Limited and Ordnance Factories
Board to co-produce precision-guided missiles and anti-ship missile programs.
Israel Aircraft Industries and
Rafael have tied up with India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) to co-produce a $2 billion medium-range surface-to-air missile program.
“India is a strategic market
for Rafael,” said Rafael’s President and CEO Yedidia Yaari. “We are constantly
seeking new partnerships and joint ventures with Indian companies for
cooperation that will help drive forward our mutual ability to address local
needs and operational requirements. We are engaged in joint ventures and
partnerships with local Indian industries and are in constant search to expand
our activities in the country, in cooperation with the DRDO, in order to better
address local needs and requirements.”
BAE Systems, which has already
transferred a license to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to produce the Hawk
trainer, is also exploring partnerships with domestic companies, especially for
artillery projects.
“We will continue to explore
partnerships with a cross-section of public and private sector companies; the
forms may vary based on the goals of the collaboration,” said John Brosnan,
managing director for Southeast Asia and India for BAE. “As such the preference
for [buying Indian] further expands the potential for us to share technology
and co-develop and co-produce with domestic industry.”
The procurement changes have
largely been welcomed by the domestic defense companies. However, most of the
projects have not taken off yet, said Rajinder Bhatia, CEO of Bharat Forge.
Madhukar Vinayak Kotwal,
president of the Heavy Engineering division of Larsen & Toubro Limited
(L&T), said doing defense business in India is a huge challenge because
defense tendering is based on the lowest bidder and not based on the
technologically superior bidder.
Kotwal further noted that
L&T has the capability to build any weapon and platform in India, yet there
are no long-term programs in the defense sector.
While the overseas defense
companies are adjusting their strategies, analysts say domestic firms won’t
receive any real benefits until the FDI limit is increased to 49 percent. Such
a move will help forge major joint ventures on an equity sharing basis, they
said.
“We accept the decisions of
the Indian government in this respect. Is it working well? That is for the
Indian government to answer, to decide whether or not the current level is
helping the indigenous defense industry to advance as well as desired,” said
MBDA’s Piedevache. “Of course a higher level of FDI would make investing in
India a much more attractive proposition as it would provide greater control of
the investment involved.”
Peter Gutsmiedl, senior vice
president for Airbus Defense & Space India, said: “We respect the Indian
government’s stand but we believe that should this cap be raised, it will be
easier for us to develop a larger industrial base here and transfer even more
cutting-edge technologies. This will secure the self-reliance of India’s armed
forces without compromising national security and will also benefit the Indian
economy.”
A senior executive with
domestic Mahindra defense systems said his firm would support raising the FDI
to 9 percent. “It will allow a re-look at whether technologies can come in with
the enhanced FDI, because the present 26 percent is not facilitating this.”
However, Shyam Kumar Singh,
vice president of Mumbai-based Elcome Integrated Systems, wants only a
hand-holding role by the overseas partners.
“FDI will lead to formation of
[joint ventures] and investment of funds. However, higher percentages of FDI
will also attract larger portions of the technology being implemented by the
foreign firms themselves rather than the technology being imbibed by Indian
partners. In the long run, the dependency will remain on foreign partners,
which is not desirable.”
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-dna-special-tainted-tatra-trucks-rechristened-beml-heavy-duty-trucks-1961263
Tainted Tatra
trucks rechristened BEML heavy duty trucks
After the CBI probe, production of the
Tatra trucks was stopped, as BEML was restricted to do business with Vectra
Global
Desperate to get
rid of the 'taint' of Tatra scam, the ministry of defence is planning to rename
the high mobility trucks to get back into business in the country.
Tatra, the
all-weather trucks are being used to carry Indian Army's strike-power, were
surrounded by controversy after former army chief General VK Singh alleged that
there was an attempt to bribe him for clearing the purchase of 1,676 of the
high-mobility trucks.
Subsequently, the
CBI in April 2013 booked VRS Natarajan, chief of the Bharat Earth Movers
Limited (BEML) — the defence Public Sector Unit which manufacture these trucks
in India. The BEML was the Indian partner of Tatra with UK-based Vectra Group.
After CBI probe,
production of these Tatra trucks were stopped, as BEML was restricted to do
business with Vectra Global. Production of Tatra was 40% indigenous and the
reamining 60% was dependent on import from Vectra.
"Since 2012,
BEML was restricted to import from Vectra. So, we decided to built it pure
indigenous. But, we do not want continue with the 'tainted' name of Tatra. We
decided to rename the home-made version of these trucks and will be called as
only BEML heavy duty trucks,"said a senior BEML official.
BEML claims to
relaunch six-wheeled-drive high-mobility vehicle and the eight-wheeled-drive
high-mobility vehicles by early April this year.
The official told
dna that ever since the decision for stopping the procurement of Tatra trucks
from the UK-based company, the maintenance of the fleet of over 6,500 such
trucks in India was adversely affected due to lack of spares and other parts.
An army official said
entire strike-capability of Indian Army moves on these Tatra trucks. From
BrahMos missile to Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher and the Smerch, field
radars and mobile bridges, which helps moving tanks to cross canals or any
other small water bodies are carried on these trucks.
A defence ministry
official said, "It seems, BEML does not want to associate itself with the
scam-ridden Tatra name."
Based on its
experience in the Kargil war in 1999 and during Operation Parakram in 2002, the
army decided to buy trucks with new parameters. And Tatra trucks emerged
winner. Since then, army was using these truck.
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