India of My Dreams

2020-07-14T22:38:00.002+05:30

PICTORIAL TOUR OF ELLORA

AURANGABAD (Maharashtra)

2020-07-07T20:34:00.002+05:30

Tweet from Maj Gen Satbir Singh SM (@satbirsm)

Dear Friends,

Maj Gen Satbir Singh SM (@satbirsm) tweeted at 11:47 PM on Mon, Jul 06, 2020:

1.) SSC Officers have been given a raw deal. The aim should have been to make SSC so attractive that the most suitable youth willingly volunteers for the profession of Arms for a short period of five years and then offered Second Assured Career through the Act of Parliament.
(https://twitter.com/satbirsm/status/1280204299012763648?s=03)

Maj Gen Satbir Singh SM (@satbirsm) tweeted at 11:47 PM on Mon, Jul 06, 2020:

2.) The following should have been considered:-

*Second assured Career with 5 years of seniority of d same status.

* Be allowed all further promotion in d 2nd Career.
*Once, they have been selected through SSB interview, there should be no further testing to provide d 2nd Career.

(https://twitter.com/satbirsm/status/1280204301541838848?s=03)

Maj Gen Satbir Singh SM (@satbirsm) tweeted at 11:47 PM on Mon, Jul 06, 2020:

3.) * Their potential through military ACRs, and the options given by them, should be enough for their Second Career job.

* A small number may be upto 25% who opt, may be granted Permanent Commission.
* All those who do not want any Govt service, be granted lum-sum

(https://twitter.com/satbirsm/status/1280204303714533376?s=03)

Maj Gen Satbir Singh SM (@satbirsm) tweeted at 11:47 PM on Mon, Jul 06, 2020:

4.) amount equivalent to four months’ pay per year i.e.20 months’ pay of military officers with 5 years of services for resettlement.

*They be entitled to all awards Gallantry/ Distinguished Service as for regular officers. Any one awarded Gallantry award be entitled pension of.

(https://twitter.com/satbirsm/status/1280204306008829957?s=03)

Maj Gen Satbir Singh SM (@satbirsm) tweeted at 11:47 PM on Mon, Jul 06, 2020:

5.) an officers with 20 years of service.
*They be entitled to following facilities:- (a) ESM status (b) ECHS Facility (c) Medical care in Military Hospital (d) CSD Facility.

Jai Hind! Jai Bharat! Regards.

(https://twitter.com/satbirsm/status/1280204309141979136?s=03

2020-06-29T12:38:00.006+05:30

How Indian troops chased the Chinese for a kilometre over LAC in Galwan on 15 June night

Details of what occurred leading up to and the night of 15 June tell us how the violent face-off at Galwan Valley unfolded.

Snehesh Alex Philip

Representational image

It was a combination of “treachery” and breaking the terms of an agreement by the Chinese that led to the violent face-off in the Galwan Valley on the night of 15 June that left 20 Indian soldiers dead and several injured, ThePrint has learnt.

However, it was not a one-sided battle and the night witnessed an over 1-kilometre-long chase by the men from 16 Bihar Regiment and other units as the Chinese ran back to the safety of their units posted just across the Line of Actual Control (LAC), sources said.

ThePrint has spoken to a number of individuals in the know and has been able to construct a sequence of events that eventually ended with the Chinese being pushed back from the Indian territory that they briefly intruded into by a kilometre at the mouth of the Galwan Valley.

Before 15 June: A military agreement

The events of last Monday night occurred along the Galwan River, which originates from Aksai Chin, and reaches the Shyok river, also known as the river of death. There is a particular point at which the Galwan river takes a sharp turn left and later meets the Shyok.

Patrol Point 14 (PP 14) is just ahead of this confluence of the Shyok-Galwan river.

Indian troops have traditionally patrolled till PP 14 but has never built a camp or any structure in accordance with the understanding between the two sides at the local level.

Similarly, the Chinese also patrol up to PP 14 from time to time. This is also the spot where the two sides meet to talk.

Early May, a Chinese tent was spotted at PP 14. This is deemed to be in Indian territory and the Indians challenged this construction in May itself and also confronted a group of Chinese soldiers who were attempting to trek down to the Shyok river.

Sources said that the Chinese later dismantled its tent and went back to their side beyond PP 14.

However, both sides had built up troops and were literally in a stand-off at PP 14.

After the 6 June meeting between 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen. Harinder Singh and his Chinese counterpart Major General Lin Liu, commander of the South Xinjiang Military District, it was decided that both sides will fall back by about 2 kilometres from their current positions at PP 14.

Accordingly, Indian troops moved behind and the Chinese did too.

However, sources said that a few days later, India found that the Chinese had reneged on the agreement and erected two fresh tents on a slope, including one which was suspected to be an observation point.

The Chinese were repeatedly asked to remove them and Indian troops forcefully dismantled one of the two tents and set it on fire on Sunday, 14 June.

On 15 June: The big fight

On 15 June, the Commanding Officer of the 16 Bihar Regiment, Col Santosh Babu, held talks with his Chinese counterpart at PP 14. It was decided that both sides would strictly adhere to the 6 June decisions, which would also mean that the Chinese would have to remove the structure on the slope.

At around 7 pm that night, as reported by ThePrint, Colonel Santosh along with a small group of officers and personnel went up to PP 14 to check if the Chinese had kept up their end of the agreement.

This is where the account blurs. Some sources say initially a Major and some non-commissioned officers (NCOs) had gone to PP 14 and were taken hostage, but others say it was Colonel Babu who went.

What is confirmed is that Col Santosh had about 40 other personnel with him, including officers and unit videographers, when he neared PP 14.

Seeing the tent still present, the CO asked his men to remove the tent. A small group of Chinese soldiers then came forward and began a verbal spat.

Sources said this slowly turned into pushing and shoving. At this time, the Indians outnumbered the Chinese.

This continued for about half an hour, and during the melee, the temporary structure was dismantled.

However, a larger group of Chinese soldiers came to the spot armed with iron rods, stones and even sticks with nails and barbed wires on them.

The Chinese had the tactical advantage here in terms of numbers, weapons and the geography.

The Chinese attacked the Indian soldiers and the Commanding Officer (CO) was hurt since he was at the forefront.

He fell in the icy cold waters of the Galwan River below even as the soldiers fought back with the sticks they were carrying.

The attack on the CO fired up the soldiers, who managed to wrangle the weapons being used by the Chinese away from them and turned it on them. They even fought with sheer physical force, the sources said.

“This was treachery by the Chinese. The attack on the Indian team was planned. The CO had gone there with his men in good faith because talks were held in a positive atmosphere during the day,” a source said.

Sources said that since the fight was happening over a ledge, many soldiers from both sides fell into the icy cold river water.

They added that of the 20 dead on the Indian side, about eight died directly as a result of hypothermia because they had injured themselves by falling on the rocks in the river below. It was Tuesday morning by the time a rescue was possible.

As the Indian side found out about the fight breaking out, back up was rushed in. This included troops from the 16 Bihar and other units that were posted in the area due to the stand off.

The names of these unit are not being disclosed for security and tactical reasons.

While more Indian soldiers armed with sticks rushed in, the Chinese threw stones and rolled down bigger stones onto the Indian team.

In the hand-to-hand combat, many Chinese soldiers were grievously injured, the sources said.

Such was the confusion at this point that each side pelting stones was also hitting their own soldiers.

“The area of the main fight was very narrow. In the melee, at one particular section, the Chinese were again overwhelmed by the Indian troops and they ran off to the main area of PP 14 behind which there was Chinese build up,” a source said.

A group of Indian soldiers chased them and crossed over what is the Line of Actual Control (LAC), an undrawn line.

It is here that 10 Indian soldiers were held captive since the Chinese had a bigger build-up, sources said.

The fight continued for several hours into the darkness till it subsided with both sides pulling apart.

16 June: The morning after

In the morning, both sides decided to halt the fight and rescue the injured and take away bodies.

Some of the soldiers who ended up in custody on the other side were returned following the Major General level talks near PP 14.

Both sides made sure that the injured were taken care of.

However, it was only on Thursday that the Chinese returned the 10 who had crossed over the LAC in the chase.

“It was a clash that began with Chinese treachery. It was a clash of great heroism of the troops posted there who fought back the Chinese and taught the Chinese a lesson not to mess with India,” a source said.

Since the Monday clash, the Chinese have withdrawn from the Indian territory at PP 14 and have gone back to their side in accordance with the decisions taken on 6 June.

The Indians too have gone back but have maintained a strict vigil. The future talks, including the one held on 22 June, will focus on more de-escalation and will follow a policy of specifying how many troops will be at what distance from the LAC, besides new patrolling tactics.

2020-06-29T12:29:00.002+05:30

Why Only Hinduism Mentions The Universe But No Other Religion?

Did we ever notice that only Hinduism mentions the universe? The reason is that only Hinduism knows about the vast dimensions and the huge timeframes of the universe of which our earth is just a speck. Ancient cultures like Maya, Inka, Sumeria, and others may also have reached out to the stars, but they were all destroyed either by Christianity or by Islam, and Bible or Quran were enforced as “the truth”.

Only Hindus have still preserved this knowledge which in all likelihood originated in India itself. There are still millions of valuable ancient texts in India, even though millions of others were burnt by invaders on the premise that only one book is needed. In Greece in contrast, there are estimated to be only some 20,000 texts.

Surya Sidhanta is a major text with incredible knowledge about the universe dated – hold your breath – at least 10,000 years ago. The ancient Indians knew that the earth is round or rather elliptical, that it goes around the sun, they knew the distance to the sun and moon; they knew that the distance is 108 times the respective diameter – the reason why sun and moon appear of the same size from the earth. Their knowledge was truly inspired or ‘God-given’.

The Puranas (purana means old and according to tradition were composed by Veda Vyasa around 5000 years ago), which are often dismissed as mere myths, are also a treasure trove of knowledge. They talk among other things about the creation of the universe (the ‘Big Bang’ and ‘expanding universe’ theory were in all likelihood inspired by them) and about the periodic withdrawal after billions of years, about the original, unmanifested One Source and the gods in charge of creation, sustenance and dissolution, who evolved from the One Source. Clearly, the ancient Indians were at home in the universe.

The Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana even claims that there are ‘myriads of universes’, a view which may now be taken more seriously by science after certain experiments in Antarctica had strange results. The timescales which the ancient Indians proposed are incredibly huge.

Now compare this with the Abrahamic religions. Judaism, the parent religion, as it were, of Christianity and Islam claims that the earth is some 6000 years old. Christianity and Islam didn’t challenge this view. Both did not look beyond this earth and actually hold very primitive ideas about it. Christianity taught that the earth is flat and static and that the sun moves over it until 400 years ago. Giordano Bruno, an Italian philosopher, was burnt to death in 1600 CE because he refused to disown the theory that the earth goes around the sun. Imagine – he was brutally killed for stating the truth and only 400 years ago…

Islam too considers the earth as flat and mountains were placed to stabilize it (Q15.19). Like Christianity, Islam also says that not the earth, but the sun moves, and runs to its resting place at night. There was clearly no idea about the vastness of the universe, as Q 67.5. says “We have decorated the heaven of this world with lamps and we made them as missiles for pelting the shaitans and thus prepared for them the scourge of flames.”

So naturally, these religions don’t mention the universe, because they had no clue about it. It is truly unfortunate that they dumbed down the intelligence of the human race. They destroyed the natural urge to discover the truth about us and the universe. Only since Christianity lost its power to punish views which are not in tune with the teaching of the Church, science took off in the West.

There is no doubt that the sudden tremendous progress of science in the recent few centuries was greatly inspired by Indian knowledge. Some western scientists themselves acknowledged this. Einstein said “We owe a lot to the Indians.” Famous scientists like Heisenberg, Schroedinger, Oppenheimer or Tesla studied India’s ancient wisdom. And Mark Twain opined: “Our most valuable and most constructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.”

Even in the 1970s and 80s, India’s wisdom had a rather good image, after the Beatles were inspired by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Transcendental Meditation. The contribution of India for example to Transpersonal Psychology was also acknowledged at that time, yet was meanwhile erased at least from Wikipedia.

However, in our modern times, this has changed. Hindu Dharma and Hindus, especially Brahmins, who preserved the knowledge system over many millennia, are unfairly vilified and ridiculed by the mainstream religions. They are accused of ‘oppressing minorities’, of ‘rape culture’ and even of terrorism. It happens rarely that anything positive is said about the Hindu tradition, when it actually produces the most humane mind-set, as it is based on Dharma, which means to do what is right under the given circumstances.

Are the institutionalized religions afraid that they lose their followers, if they come to know about the knowledge still stored up in India?

By Maria Wirth

These are the authors personal views

2020-06-29T12:12:00.004+05:30

COUNTERING CHINA

Lt Gen PG Kamath (Veteran)

China’s belligerence has always been to remind India of its place that at best it can remain only as a South Asian Power. She has to be in a subsidiary status to China while she tries in vain to pursue her ill-founded dream of ‘Middle Kingdom’. China also suffers from a severe inferiority complex as they had undergone a century of humiliation from 1850 to 1950, when China was humbled, subjugated, exploited and literally drugged with opium. Their Summer Palace at Beijing was raided, looted and burnt. China in the first of half of the 20th Century was in the throes of a civil war for nearly two decades to emerge as PRC. Smarting under the humiliation she underwent; she is determined to wreck the world and satisfy her false ego and redeem insults that the world had once heaped on her. India certainly cannot be a whipping boy for China’s pursuit to avenge the injustice meted out to her in the past.

How should India deal with China? She has to be paid in her own coin. China respects strength and if one bow to her, she would insist on bending one’s knees as well. However, if you are prepared to give her a bloody nose, she would benevolently smile at you and would wax eloquent on China-India; Civilisational links and need for the Asian Giants to cooperate against the Western exploitation; or some such narrative to neuter the situation and wait for a suitable time to crush you down. India in her all-pervasive naivety always trusted China. It is high time to wake up and deal with China empowered with ‘Chanakya Niti’.

I have tried to list a number of actions we should take to counter China; however, the list is not comprehensive. All the suggested measures cannot be taken immediately but it should be our ultimate agenda. The time plan could vary from one year to a decade. Many more points can be added however, I want to caution the skeptics not to discount any points. Some of them may not look practical at this point in time but may seem viable in a future time frame. Please note a decade is only a blip in the life of a nation; one may have to plan for a minimum period of half a century at one time.

Immediate Concern

Restore Status quo ante Bellum on the LAC as on 15 April 2020. Please do not bother about the close collusion between the CPC and Congress; we can deal with the latter’s treachery later. Now, concentrate to restore the LAC. This is the litmus test to test our political will against China. India should not get involved in the endless dialogue on this issue as the delay will only legitimise the Chinese Occupation of No Man’s Land at Finger 4 at Pangong Tso. As per reports he has further built-in areas vacated by him. The entire process should not get delayed and should follow a strict verifiable time plan. China will not withdraw easily as Xi needs an honourable exit with some gains in hand. India need to occupy areas ahead of LAC in other sectors as quid pro quo. There is a need for us to take initiative in other areas where he is not prepared. I still do not rule out a local skirmish with weapons that could fulminate into bigger but limited conflict.

Psychological Operations (Psy Ops) Against China. India should not hesitate to launch psy operations against China to expose her expansionist actions. President Trump, Prime Minister Abe, President Putin, German Chancellor, French President, PM of UK, Taiwan and ASEAN should be briefed on Chinese aggression. We should release imageries to show Chinese expansion date wise for the world to understand China’s aggression. Enough of inert statements, when China has gone ballistics on naming India as an aggressor.

Overcome the onslaught of Covid-19. Redouble the effort to find a vaccine and simultaneously give all the resources to states to overcome the surge that is likely to happen in Sep/Oct. The challenge with the government is to ensure economic growth during the nations fight against Corona Virus.

Review the Intelligence Set up in the country. It appears that the entire intelligence set up in the country works under the NSA. I will not discuss this aspect now, as the LAC is still hostile and an eyeball to eyeball situation prevails. It certainly needs a relook and the overall coordination has to be done by the DIA, who should keep the CDS, three service Chiefs and NSA updated simultaneously. Ultimately, the intelligence is required to keep the forces posted in order to pre-empt enemy and neutralise his designs. I have a feeling that the intelligence is held up at NSA Secretariat without proper dissemination to required agencies who need to take action. Competition among different intelligence agencies and the tendency to breast the tape with vital intelligence inputs is stalling its free flow to the armed forces, who need to act upon it. Whatever be the reason, a thorough review of intelligence set up of the country should be carried out. Strategic intelligence should have given us an indication of the build-up in Ngari, Hotan and Kashgar Prefectures. Troops most probably were the local troops available in the Western Theatre Command and it is assumed that troops from other Theatre Commands were not requisitioned.

Diplomatic Measures

Renounce One China Policy

Renounce ‘One China Policy’ and insist it would be quid pro quo to China declaring ‘One India Policy’. The ‘One India Policy’ policy means Indian sovereignty over the entire J&K.

Remove the Ambiguity on LAC in Ladakh

Ensure meaningful talks when SRs meet for Sino-Indian Border talks. 22 meetings have been held; however, India has only been discussing peripherals with them. The NSA should be firm and say; in case the claim lines of China in the Western Sector (Ladakh) is not given then there is no point in continuing the so-called fruitless border discussions. Some timebound inputs have to be obtained. In the Eastern Sector, there is no need to ask for claim lines as ‘McMahon Line’ should be taken as the final one; that only needs to be demarcated on the ground. In the Middle sector ‘Barahoti’ is on our side of the Zanskar Ridge that is claimed and occupied by China. The IB should run on the ridgeline of Zanskar Range going by the watershed principle. No compromise should be accepted on our claim and it should be articulated in clear and strong terms.

Be firm with China that the border understanding cannot be left to the future generation as required by China but should be sorted out to ensure peace and prosperity between the two countries.

Enhance cooperation and trade with Taiwan and enhance political, economic and military support. Clandestinely give technical support to Taiwan and Vietnam to become a nuclear and missile powers as China had done to Pakistan to pit it against India.

Provide Brahmos Missiles to Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines to dominate the South China Sea. They should be given land, air and sea version of the cruise missiles. Taiwan would be able to dominate Taiwan Straits as well.

Ensure Taiwan is given an ‘Observer’s Status’ in WHO; now, that India is the head of the executive committee.

Bring about an entente between the USA and Russia and wean the latter away from China. India should enhance its close cooperation with Russia.

Ensure close cooperation and the elimination of distrust between South Korea and Japan as they have a maritime dispute over Dokdo Islet. Act as an intermediary and ensure that it is solved and their estrangement is removed. The US would be keen to lead such an endeavour. India should facilitate it. The aim is to isolate China in the Indo-Pacific. China’s only friend should be North Korea and Cambodia.

Also, be an intermediary to solve the territorial dispute over the Kurile Islands between Russia and Japan. If Japan, Russia, South Korea act as one it will send shivers up the spine of Beijing.

Support Japan to her claim over the Senkaku Island chain which is claimed by China under the name Diaoyu. Support Japan in its renaming the island as ‘Tonoshiro Senkaku’.

Strengthen ‘Quad’ and increase its Membership. Presently the members of Quad are the US, Japan, Australia and India. Increase the membership with countries of SE Asia who have a maritime dispute with China; such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Singapore is a vibrant democracy and will gladly join the fold. Innocuously, ensure the containment of China.

Support the littoral countries of the South China Sea and insist the maritime borders should be based on UNCLOS. Incidentally, China has signed and ratified the treaty. Artificially constructed islands can neither command territorial waters nor an EEZ. Join the movement led by the USA to ensure the waters of the South China Sea are international waters.

India’s Naval exercises ‘Malabar’ and ‘Milan’ should aim to get all the countries of Quad and South East Asia to participate.

Give impetus to strengthen the Indian Ocean Rim Association. It has 22 countries and the grouping should have Biannual Naval Exercise with the theme ‘Indian Ocean for Indian Ocean Regional Countries’ and measures to contribute to world trade and development. It is not understood as to why India is not taking the lead in integrating this group? It can be a positive counter to Chinese expansion in the Indian Ocean.

Enhance cooperation with Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan. They have borders with China. Though we modernised Ayni Airbase in Tajikistan, we were not able to capitalise on the dividends. It would enable us to turn the flanks of both China and Pakistan.

Give support to the Democratic movement in Hong Kong. The National Security Legislation imposed on Hong Kong by China is against the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The declaration rules that the autonomy of Hong Kong will not be interfered by China for fifty years after 1997. China’s impatience to stifle democratic aspirations of People of Hong Kong has riled the world community and the US has threatened to strip its special status given to Hong Kong for trade and finance that has enabled it to become a ‘World Financial Hub’. This would adversely affect China’s investments which are mostly through Hong Kong.

Incite Insurgencies in Xinjiang and Tibet. ‘East Turkmenistan Liberation Front’ an Uyghur organisation of Xinjiang is fighting for independence from China. The Tibetan Youth Congress is also fighting for Tibetan Independence. Give formal recognition to ‘Tibetan Government in Exile’ (TGIE) located in Dharmsala. If China can play around with words and change the LAC perception ad nauseam; we should not hesitate to change our stance towards Tibet due to changed circumstances. Agreement on Trade and Intercourse between India and China for trade-in Tibet was signed on 29 April 1954 was valid for only eight years and it has not been renewed since then. As the treaty is no more current, we should declare; Tibet is not a part of China. Geographically India, Tibet and Xinjiang have mutual common land boundaries with each other. Provide financial, moral, arms and ammunition and training support, and incite and sustain these insurgencies and build resistance movements in these provinces of China. I am sure the reader is aware that the CIA supported the Guerrilla Rebellion in Tibet in 1950s and 60s from Indian soil. Caches of arms, ammunition and currencies were dropped in Tibet. We should also forge an alliance between the insurgencies by Uyghurs and Tibet and enable them to form a Joint Front to coordinate and sabotage Chinese assets and execute raids on their security establishments. Wide-scale subversion should be resorted to as the people of Tibet have immense faith in his Holiness Dalai Lama. We all know the extent of discontent among the Uyghurs as more than a million has been forcibly put in concentration camps euphemistically called ‘Re-education Camps’. Both the provinces can be made ripe for insurrection only if the Government of India has the political will to pursue its strategic objective.

Economic Measures

Huawei 5G. Cancel Huawei 5G participation and in rolling out 5G network in India, immediately..

Cripple Chinese Exports. China has become an export-oriented economy and if exports are hit; it will cripple its industries and large-scale retrenchment of workers will take place. This is a good opportunity to cause resentment among its populace and spur an internal conflict. We all know how the one-party autocratic rule is having a stranglehold over its people. It is a gigantic convent at work. Any questions raised would be blasphemous. The pent-up restraints in a billion people can erupt; all it needs a spark to the powder barrel.

Action has already been taken to prevent China from taking over our ventures by monitoring investments from China. All Chinese FDIs would be monitored by the Government.

The $50 billion trade deficit has to be reduced. This should be taken as a unique opportunity for India to manufacture goods locally. Alternatively, as all sources of supply cannot be established within the country so soon; alternate foreign sources of supply should be explored.

Get the Lowest Bid. The international loans and aid that comes to India have strings attached as they have to be given to the lowest bidder and China is generally, the lowest bidder as it can exploit her own people to manufacture goods so cheap that no country can compete. Have an understanding with Indian companies to underbid and win contracts and the Government thereafter should compensate the Indian firms for the losses incurred due to their underbids. This will ensure that China would not be able to win any contract in India.

A people’s movement is gaining grounds in India for boycotting Chinese goods; as the ‘Confederation of Indian Traders’ has given a call to boycott goods of Chinese origin. Uninstalling of Chinese apps and deactivation of membership from those firms which have heavy investments from China is taking place. The government should encourage the move and start encouraging the State Governments. Maharashtra has already taken a lead on the issue.

Africa is all set to fight against the predatory economics of China. Utilise the opportunity to make an innocuous expansion of trade and economic cooperation with the African countries. Most countries have already been conned by China and they are looking for an opportunity to come out of the neo-colonial stranglehold.

The ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership’ a brainchild of Obama was further modified by Trump under a new name ‘Blue Dot Network’ as a counter to China’s BRI. The BDN should comprise the US, Japan, Australia, India and other democracies. It should provide loans and technology to developing countries under absolute transparency in contrast to opaque Chinese terms that lands the borrower as a surrogate country to China.

Measures for improvement of Security and Defence

Formulation of ‘National Security Strategy’. Our country with adversaries in China and Pakistan and surviving under nuclear threat and beset with ongoing terrorism and insurgencies for the past seven decades still does not have a ‘National Security Strategy’. Let alone planning the defence budgets we have not even identified our threats from the two and a half fronts. We have still not identified our Political Objectives in case of war and how they translate into Military Objective against both China and Pakistan. The task was given to the NSA and he is still in the act. It should not be vague and should benchmark our military capabilities year wise in a ‘two and half front war scenario’. The envisaged capacity building has to be supported by compatible defence allocations to achieve such a capability. Unspent money should be carried forward.

Assured Defence Budget. Once the National Security Strategy is approved by the CCS the same has to be signed by the PM. Thereafter the annual allocation of defence budget should be assured based on the capacity building. Otherwise; just see as to how our defence budgets are allocated. Chinese attacked and humbled Nehru in 1962 then there was a sudden increase in the defence budget. It enabled us to do well both in 1965 and 1971 Conflicts. Again, the country was going to slumber and the present standoff is a blessing in disguise to warn the government to get rid of its penchant to churn out debilitating defence budgets. It should be a steady three per cent of the GDP.

Ability to Defeat China at Sea for its Belligerence on Land. Develop the ability to throttle trade of China passing through the Indian Ocean by developing the capability to throttle Malacca Straits, Sunda and Lombak and dominate Ombai Straits in conjunction with Australia to deny the Indian Ocean to China. Andaman Nicobar Archipelago is well poised to throttle Malacca Straits. We only need to develop task forces to dominate Sunda, Lombak and Ombai Straits. It is essential that we have a minimum of three aircraft carriers to harass, delay and throttle Chinese Ships and destabilise their economy. The Achilles Heels of China is in Indian Ocean.

Change of Allocation of GOI Business Rules. Even after the appointment of CDS, the major allocation of business rules has not changed in respect to the responsibility for the defence of the country. It still lies with the defence secretary. Let us see the present situation.

Ø MMRCA initiated in 1999 and after 21 years, we have only one aircraft with us. Rest of the one-fourth of the earlier requirements are in pipeline.

Ø S-400 the anti-air defence missile system has still not been received and the RM has gone to Russia to expedite the supply.

Ø The third aircraft carrier plans have been shelved by the MOD citing lack of funds.

Ø The Mountain Strike Corps is stillborn as resource allocation for its raising has been stopped midway.

Ø The scathing shortage of critical ammunition and the Armed Forces have to scrape the bottom for ‘10 days intense battle’ reserve.

Ø Now let us rule out the big-ticket weapons; the basic weapons; rifles, light machine guns and carbines for frontline soldiers are in pipelines for several years.

Ø The RM had approved in Jan 2109 to procure cum locally manufacture 6,71,427 AK-203 Rifles. The Joint Venture is between OFB and the Russian firm. The OFB has not been able to come to any understanding of the prices. Hence, with our enemy knocking at our gates the Defence Secretary and his caboodle have not been able to wind up the act to get the basic weapons for our soldier.

Ø During the entire Indo-China standoff the MOD and the Defence Secretary were silent spectators; let alone be responsible for the grand illusory task for the defence of the country.

Ø The only talk the Defence Secretary gave was on 22 May 2020; and, instead of highlighting critical deficiency in ammunition and shortage of weapons and equipment; his only refrain was the heavy pension bill of the Armed Forces. He reels out cooked up figures that the Defence Pension Bill rose from 32000 crores to 1,33,000 crores.

Let me assure that the Defence Secretary is talking glibly by manipulating data. Does it mean each of the veterans would have got four times their erstwhile pensions? Both CGDA and MOD intimidate decision-makers by reeling out puffed up figures. In case the Defence secretary was really doing his job of looking after the defence of the country, where does he have the time to go for a public talk and project cooked up data on defence pensions? He should be preparing the Armed Forces for war when China had built up across the LAC.

RM to please ensure that the responsibility to defend the country should lie with the CDS and not the Defence Secretary, who does not have a clue as to how to go about it?

Integrating Armed Forces Officers into MOD.

A long-pending requirement to keep the naïve babus abreast with the service requirement was recommended by GOM under Mr LK Advani besides by the Kargil Review Committee under Mr Subramaniam. With the raising of the Department of Military Affairs under the CDS, the requirement has been met partially; however, no real integration has been done in other departments of the Ministry. I have just mentioned that the Department of Defence under the Defence Secretary function in their make-believe world of mutually comforting ignorance. He does not even have a middle-ranking officer from the Armed Forces to advise him: Decrepit state of affairs!

OFB and DRDO to be Accountable to the Armed Forces.

These two organisations function with no accountability to the user, the Armed Forces of the Country. Look at the perpetual shortage of ammunition; the MOD that exercises control over these two establishments is mutually hand in glove with each other. Critical projects are delayed at the DRDO. The ammunition is not only in short supply but last year a series of accidents and deaths of troops took place due to defective ammunition. Last year the training on L-70 Air Defence guns was stopped as an officer and the gun crew were injured. The barrel of a new howitzer also burst due to defective ammunition. The corporatisation of the OFB is being protested. The DRDO with 52 laboratories and 7800 scientists has been inadequate, to put it mildly. Astra Air to Air missiles, Anti-Tank Nag Missiles, Arjun Main Battle Tank and Ballistic Missile Defence have been under various stage of development for the past two to three decades. Instead of concentrating on their main jobs, they have developed ‘Hand sanitiser’ and ‘Germi Clean’ to sanitise uniform of police personnel. Does it need a DRDO to develop a chamber to warm uniforms to 70 Celsius? It can be made by a local MSME. Misplaced priorities have dogged the organisation. It is only the user who can goad the organisation to focus on their main task and hold it accountable for the delays.

Conclusion

India has responded with firmness and fortitude and political will has been displayed by the government. It has translated in the offensive military skirmish on the border. The bravado and bullying of PLA have been replaced with sobriety and sombreness. India’s face-saving is to ensure the PLA withdraws to status quo ante Bellum as on 15 April 2020. PLA’s face-saving is to delay and drag the military negotiations for months so that the spotlight over the issue fades into irrelevance. There should not be any thinning of our build-up until our aim is achieved. Political will builds Military strength and should outlast Beijing’s scheme of delay and duplicity..

A good lesson for India is not to starve its forces with paltry budget support. It was China in 1962 that made us focus on our defence. It made us triumphant in 1965 and 1971. Similarly, in the past few years, when the Defence was being neglected it is a timely reminder to us to shore up our defences for the two and half front war. The shortages that we are facing are due to two factors; one, political neglect for making naïve and rudderless Defence Ministers and, the second; bureaucratic delays as this breed is not accountable to anyone. During Kargil operations due to shortage of Bofors ammunition, we ran around with a begging bowl in our hands. Now the RM has gone to Russia with a bigger bowl. When will we ever learn? ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ also means Bharat with ‘Strategic Autonomy’.

Tailpiece

Chinese build-up and deployment in ‘No Man’s Land’ is not over. There is a likelihood of limited conflict. Please support the Government. Congress and Communists are supporting the Communists Party of China, but our country has learned to live with them since independence and prospering in spite of them. Jai Hind!

About the author:

Veteran Lt Gen PG Kamath, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, is one of the most highly decorated officers of the Indian Army. He retired as the Commandant, Army War College, Mhow, a crucible for evolution of tactics, strategy and grand strategy; an appointment that is the cynosure of eyes of all Combat Soldiers.

__._,_.___

By the kind courtesy of

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/countering-china-lt-gen-p-g-kamath/?published=t

2020-06-29T11:58:00.000+05:30

India plays into China’s hands if we lament 1962 or criticise Modi govt and military

To pressure Modi government and military from our drawing rooms, without knowing what is happening at LAC at 15,000-feet, is an irresponsible act.

Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy

Never in the history of free India has the country seen such difficult times and over such a prolonged period. The challenges are unprecedented. While the nation is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, a sudden flare-up with China on the Line of Actual Control has added to our problems. In the scuffle that followed, 20 of our Army personnel lost their lives and possibly more than 40 Chinese soldiers were killed.

The skirmish at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and particularly the loss of Indian combatants, has caused a storm in India. It certainly irks to read articles flinging pernicious comments and unbridled criticism of the Narendra Modi government and the military at such a sensitive juncture. Are we really accusing them of having the blood of the soldiers on their hands? Such comments are bound to make an impression on the minds of our adversaries. It also seems unfair that assumptions and conjectures have been made quoting failures from 60 years ago. Today, it is not difficult to extract historical data and maps from Google with just the press of a button. We are playing into the Chinese hands when we lament the debacle of the 1962 war. Such outbursts make the Chinese look 12-feet tall.

The Modi government and the military have certainly been aware of what the Chinese were doing, but intentions are always unpredictable, including our own. China and India are vastly different today than they were 60 years ago. There have been generational changes among people, leadership, military and above all – technology available. It is the attitude of the nation that is most important. China, being Communist-ruled, has no problem controlling information. With misinformation, or even incomplete information, we have a large number of people in India willingly playing into their hands. The Chinese are our adversary. Our kith and kin are facing them eye to eye at the borders.

India is prepared

We forget that those at the helm of affairs — be in the military or the government — have access to a continuous flow of data up-to-date. Thousands of staff and hundreds of serving Generals are working across India to keep information updated in real-time without missing any facts. They have a huge responsibility to ensure that their brethren and machines are well prepared to fight a war and that every bit of national security information is well protected.

It is usual for the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to examine the situation along with the military commanders, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) as many times as required before directing action. We will never get to know the discussions held behind those closed doors, the stance that they took and the rationale for the choices that were made on 15-16 June until they are revealed by the relevant authorities. We will also never know what the military’s intentions are or of their strategy until after the event (Balakot strike was an example). Nothing of operational significance can be known outside the forts of the military and the government.

Today, India’s military is being led by brilliant men and women who are far better professionals, by virtue of their exposure and responsibilities, than their predecessors, and are supported by an astonishing range of technology about which the public and veterans may not be aware of. Our combatants have proved worthy, and far more prepared than their predecessors were. Elements of surprise and fall back options are always embedded in all military plans. They also have the advantage of learning from history, from the finest of traditions and experiences and global exposure — our veterans may have missed much of it. India may have been surprised at the start of the Kargil war, but we stood steadfast and won that war. No one doubts India’s military ability. Why then throw winds at the unknowing and impressionable public?

Superior military

Today, some are blaming the government for not striking at the Chinese before they built their strength in Galwan and Pangong areas, but we don’t know all the facts. Such an action, if taken, could well be perceived as a knee-jerk reaction. It is the government’s prerogative to take a stand, to strike when it decides or to stand down. For now, the answer is to wait patiently. Thousands of brave warriors are at the borders following military directions. We must reflect similar faith and trust in our leadership.

To pressure the government from our drawing rooms is an extremely irresponsible act. We can never imagine the state of mind of a combatant fighting hand to hand to kill (otherwise be killed) at 15,000 feet, on a slippery slope covered by boulders and pebbles, with a river at the bottom that will freeze anyone falling to death within minutes – and, all these at night. It requires enormous courage and strength.

I fit the category of ‘veterans group’. I believe, with good reasons, that the current crop of Chinese soldiers and leadership do not have the combat experience their Indian counterparts do and are very conscious of it. The Indian Army is rated superior in mountain warfare. The Indian Air Force operates combat aircraft of better capabilities and with far greater skills than those that the Chinese Air Force can deploy against India. Our pilots have trained with global partners in Europe, the US, Australia, UAE, Oman, Singapore and Israel. We can fight very well with what we have and we are in far better shape than we were at the beginning of Operation Parakram in 2002.

Preparing for an operation

The compulsion to use the military invariably arises when least expected. Severe budgetary constraints add to our woes. The situation was similar when we were ready to launch Op Parakram in 2002 after the terrorist attack on Parliament. In 2001-02, I was present in many of the CCS meetings that were held to decide on the starting date and the course of Op Parakram.

All these meetings were attended by the prime minister at the time, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, four senior-most ministers, the PMO, the three military chiefs and heads of R&AW and IB.. There were many issues discussed by the CCS before approving military operations, such as preventing escalation, minimising collateral damage, avoiding loss to civilian lives/ property/ industries, impact on the nation’s economy and foreign relations. Objectives of the mission were also laid out. Certain states had to extend support and those likely to be affected were informed. Special directives were given to the Railways and civil aviation. Cabinet approval was necessary to stop or block certain airways. Civil defence was organised. Each service chief was expected to share their views on all these and also project the attrition that their own forces were likely to suffer. Replenishment would have to be planned and special financial powers given.

Such deliberations give a final definition of the strategy and tactics to be adopted by the military. All these are established practices that get continually refined.

Over the last few days, I am inclined to believe that all the crying loud on television about the precious loss of life of our soldiers and officers were mere antics and politics at play. Military honour does not expect tears to be shed. I conclude with a simple request: to show solidarity with the military and to trust them and the government in these difficult times. Be proud Indians.

The author is a retired Air Chief Marshal, who was Chief of Staff, Indian Air Force, 2001-2004. Views are personal.

2020-06-29T11:36:00.000+05:30

VETERAN'S STATEMENT ON THE GALWAN INCIDENT IN LADAKH

June 30, 2020

To:
The President of India

The Prime Minister of India

The Minister of Defence

Chief of the Defence Staff

Chief of the Army Staff

Chief of the Naval Staff

Chief of the Air Staff

We, the signatories, are all Veterans of the Indian Armed Forces, who have served in the defence of our nation in various ranks and appointments in peacetime and in operational/war zones, over the past several decades.

We do not represent any group or political party, and each of us only has the best interest of our country and our Armed Forces at heart in making this Statement. We therefore request that our respectful comments, requests and urgings in the following paragraphs be taken in that spirit alone.

1. The Chinese PLA build-up in Galwan and other places in Aksai Chin, and the recent events in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh, have raised very serious concern among Armed Forces Veterans.

2. The loss of twenty Jawans, including the CO, Colonel Santosh Babu, on June 15/16 in the Galwan valley is deeply disturbing and raises many questions. The earlier incident in Eastern Ladakh on 05 May 2020, where a Colonel, a Major and Jawans were wounded by similar action by the Chinese, adds to our concerns, as it surely would to all Indians and Government of India.

3. The incident at Galwan could only have happened because of failure at one or more levels in the political, civil and military establishments, especially in continuous intelligence acquisition and dissemination. While we accept that failures can happen in any system, in the current instance either our intelligence system was found wanting, or the intelligence which it obtained did not reach the field units in time. We therefore urge that our nation’s intelligence system be urgently revamped.

4. A formal statement issued by the Army or by Government soon after the unfortunate Galwan incident of 15/16 June, would have laid rumours and guesses at rest. It would have prevented China from taking advantage of contradictions between ambiguous or inaccurate verbal statements needing later clarifications. We therefore urge that in the event of such future situations, only formal statements be issued so that the Indian public is not confused and the aggressor nation does not gain political advantage.

5. India urgently needs a stated national policy and strategy on Neighbourhood Management, concerning all India’s immediate and more distant neighbours, but especially China and Pakistan. Formulation of such a national policy and strategy has been neglected by successive governments. We request that this be immediately initiated so as to safely guide our political, military, bureaucratic and diplomatic establishments to establish stable relations with our neighbours, small and large, friendly or inimical. Having an over-arching national policy and strategy will reduce casualties among our troops, which occur due to the heightened risk of being reactive to conflict situations created by China or Pakistan.

6. A Fact-finding Body needs to be immediately instituted regarding the intrusions, incursions and encroachments by China in Aksai Chin (Depsang, Galwan, Pangong Tso, etc.) and also elsewhere on our long borders with China, upto Arunachal Pradesh in the East. We request that the Report of this Fact-finding Body be tabled in the Lok Sabha within a time-bound framework.

7. We also strongly urge that the un-redacted Henderson Brooks-Bhagat Report concerning the 1962 war against China be released into the public domain, so that the military-bureaucratic-political system and the public can learn from the mistakes of the past. There can be no sensible reason for this Report remaining secret even after 57 years.

8. We urge that government should take very early steps towards concluding Boundary Agreements with all our neighbours, but especially China and Pakistan, by employing all available diplomatic means and pressures, together with the power of India’s membership position for 2021-22 in the UN Security Council. This does not in any manner imply reduction in deployment of our Armed Forces or let-up in our intelligence systems, but it will enable us to better attend to development for our people within our country.

9. We further urge that in the domestic context, proactive steps be taken to use non-electoral political tools of consultation, discussion and negotiation in all domestic disputes and situations instead of coercion and force, as it will strengthen our nation’s integrity and resolve to face any and all aggresssive designs by inimical and aggressive neighbours. These steps will enable state and central governments to devote more attention and resources towards development for our people within our country.

10. As military Veterans who have served our nation for decades, we would like to bring the following points to the attention of the President of India who is also the Supreme Commander of our Armed Forces, the Prime Minister of India, and the Armed Forces Leadership:

i) The Armed Forces of India owe their allegiance to the Constitution of India, and not to any government, political party or ideology. Over the years, different political parties have been using/misusing the Armed Forces in various ways for political purposes, sometimes even blatantly. Unfortunately, this is an increasing trend, and is detrimental to the morale of the fighting soldier. Therefore, in the interest of national security and in the larger national interest, we urge that this must cease.

ii) Over the decades, a substantial portion of the Army has been continuously deployed in its secondary role on Internal security (IS) and Counter-insurgency (CI) duties, at the cost of availability of troops for the Army’s primary role of defence of territorial sovereignty. At the same time, large strength of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are deployed in border areas in an essentially military role. This anomalous reversal of roles and duties now demands rationalization for efficiency and effectiveness in both internal and external national security.

iii) Dependence on foreign sources for critical hardware and critical software used in governance functions and the various sectors of our economy, especially the security forces (Armed Forces, Intelligence services, CAPFs and state police forces) makes India vulnerable to cyber attack, which could be designed to hamper military operations. We urge that India needs to urgently invest in indigenous human, material and financial resources to manufacture its own hardware and software in adequate volumes, so as to avoid purchase from international vendors, especially for the command and control structure the Armed Forces and Intelligence services. We strongly urge that urgent steps need to be taken in this direction in the interest of national security.

iv) The Indian Armed Forces have been continuously deployed over decades for war/conflicts with neighbours and for internal security. Political solutions have not been sought in the past, but now need to be arrived at, because continuous deployment of the military can never be a long-term solution. We therefore urge non-military political solutions for both external and internal security, in the larger national interest.

11. We have one of the finest voluntary, disciplined, professional Armed Forces in the world. All personnel of India’s Armed Forces take an oath which is unique to the Armed Forces, namely, to defend our nation even at peril to their lives, in active military operations, in harsh and high-risk field service conditions. The June 15/16 incident in Galwan valley resulting in death of 20 of our best and bravest, is only the most recent example.

12. The Armed Forces of India take pride in their secular credentials, which are part of their ethos, training and operations, and on the basis of which every soldier fights and dies as an Indian, without regard to his religion, caste, creed, state of origin. We believe that only this secular basis will more firmly integrate our diverse nation, and strongly urge that divisions on the basis of religion, caste or creed should be discouraged as a matter of policy. We urge our political leadership to adhere unwaveringly to the vision and spirit of the Constitution of India, which spells out the framework for our nation and its people.

We the undersigned, endorse the above Statement:

From: Sudhir Vombatkere

Subject: FOR VETERANS ONLY

Dear Sirs,

We, Veterans, have watched in consternation the unfolding Chinese incursions in Ladakh, Sikkim, Dharchula, Arunachal Pradesh and their increasing influence on Nepal, Bhutan and other neighborhood countries.

We have decided to write a letter to The President of India and the Prime Minister expressing our concern and outlining necessary steps that are required to address the issue.

Please go through the letter by clicking on the link BELOW. Please endorse it in the link itself, if you concur.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-kcBOXVsZhfbd8Na2Jy-TXDl5-_ftuJCI3NdVWWKoJYFE4g/viewform?usp=sf_link

The views expressed here are personal or combined of all authors. Not necessarily author of this blog.

2020-06-29T11:14:00.006+05:30

Dear all:
An exceptional discussion on the Galwan intrusions, organised by the Pensinsular Foundation and the Madras Management Association:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pkn6X2v64w

Fully worth the nearly 2 hour viewing.
Regards,
Ravi Mani

What a contrast in two funerals of two of India's greatest war heroes

2019-01-07T19:54:00.000+05:30

This is the story of two funerals of two of India's greatest war heroes ...One under NDA and the other under UPA...You may read it and draw your own conclusions...

India's military grace and courtesy was on full display today at Brar Square as the nation stopped for a moment to pay homage to one of India's finest soldiers...Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh.....The mourners assembled from all walks of life...past soldiers, grizzled veterans, air warriors, Navy veterans...all heroes in their own space, yet, gathered to pay homage to one of the greatest heroes of our military.....Across the nation, the Tri Color flew at half mast, a sombre statement that the nation mourns one of its greatest sons.....and so did our political class...The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the President of India walked into the residence of the Marshal to pay his respects as did the Prime Minister of India...Today, we saw L K Advani and Man Mohan Singh also place wreaths on the great man....The Raksha Mantri took it upon herself to oversee all the arrangements......And the Air Force flew the Missing Man formation....Yes the Air Force will miss its greatest hero but he will forever remain an inspiration....

In 1942, a young company commander stopped 8 bullets in his stomach in the battle of the Sittang river in Burma during World War II...they gave him up for dead, but Sam Manekshaw was a man of steel....He pulled through, got back into the war in about a year's time........and went on to become a legend....After the debacle of 1962, Nehru turned to Manekshaw to rebuild the devastated IV Corps in Tezpur....One of his first orders on taking over, was ..."Gentlemen, any further retreat will be on written orders and no such orders will ever be issued by my HQ..." The revival in morale was instant.....and he went on to become India's Army Chief in 1969....When the East Pakistan crisis broke in March.1971, Mrs Gandhi was in favor of instant offensive... Gen Manekshaw in the course of a Security meeting with the Prime Minister in the Chair, stood up and told her in no uncertain terms, that he needed 6 months to prepare for war and that it would be suicidal to go in now....Everyone assembled was stunned at this open defiance...But that was Manekshaw, forever blunt, forever forceful, forever speaking his mind...To the eternal credit of Prime Minister Gandhi, she agreed and the rest as they say is history...A new nation emerged in December, 1971, and Gen Manekshaw was appointed India's first 5 Star Military Officer.....

This great soldier passed away on 27 Jun, 2008 and they laid him to rest the next day with full military honours....The Supreme Commander of India's Armed Forces was busy in her home state and could not spare time to fly down to Wellington to pay her respects to this patriot...The Prime Minister of the day, the erudite Man Mohan Singh, an accomplished scholar, probably never understood what military glory and pride was all about ..he could not spare time either...India's Defence Minister, A K Anthony considered the journey to Wellington would be too taxing, so he detailed his MOS, Defence, Pallam Raju to attend...India's Army Chief, Gen Deepak Kapoor was in Russia so they said, he could not come back...although heroes like Manekshaw are any day more important than any foreign trip...The Air Force and the Navy Chief, probably, getting a sense of the way the wind was blowing all skipped...An ungrateful elite of a great nation skipped the funeral of the most beloved and respected soldier of our times......It was said, subsequently, that in the rush of things, even the cursory gesture of a wreath on behalf of the President was given a miss....It was as if India was in a hurry to get it over and done with.....This will go down, perhaps forever, as a blot on our military profile ....our failure to acknowledge our own.....ent from Yahoo Mail on Android

How the Civilians Thrive at the Cost of the Defence Forces.

2018-10-11T13:43:00.001+05:30

Isn't it a pity that the Indian Government is unable to visualise how the Civilian staff is feasting on the Defence Pensions, included in the Annual Defence Budget, which the Finance Ministry has been announcing with all the whims and fancies from year to year to impress the Indian Public. In fact they enjoy many more benefits sitting in their cosy offices, which have been often denied to the Defence Forces, just because they cannot protest or agitate like all others.

How long the Government including the Bureaucracy, would keep their eyes close to the realities of life, which the soldiers of this country face and have been subjected to through out their truncated careers.

Surprisingly the Indian Media is also reluctant to report their vows, despite the fact that the Minister for Information and Broadcasting who would have a say in this matter, is an Ex-Soldier. What a pity?

A reality View on India's Defence Budget

2018-10-11T13:15:00.000+05:30

Most Defence personnel and experts agree with the views expressed by TR Ramaswami and would like the powers in the Government to look at the amount, the tail is eating into the defence budget. In this regard would the Army Chief ever dare to ask the MOD to trim the tail and compromise on the existing capabilities of the Defence forces?

Modi Government politicized surgical strikes but did little for soldiers

2018-10-05T19:48:00.000+05:30

By Prakash Katoch

The Indian government has celebrated the second anniversary of the 2016 surgical strikes featured in a cross-border raid into Pakistan-administered Kashmir in retaliation for the killing of 19 soldiers at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir by four heavily armed terrorists of the Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammed group.

The adjective “surgical” was added by the government to dramatize the fact that the raid on multiple terrorist launch pads did not involve hand-to-hand combat. The government claimed that some 40 terrorists and two Pakistani Army regulars were killed, though Pakistan denied that the raid happened. But telephonic conversations between Pakistani police officials and Indian reporters from the Network 18 news channel confirm Pakistani casualties, though the number remains ambiguous.

Immediately after the raid, Indian politicians began boasting that Pakistan had been “taught a lesson,” and that cross-border terrorism would stop. Prime Minister Narendra Modi even proclaimed that he had called up Pakistan but no Pakistani general was “available” to talk to him, implying that they had gone into hiding with fear.

The government riding covert operations to garner votes has not only jeopardized similar future operations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir but has done precious little for the Special Forces. Units are holding an assortment of new-old weapons, even assault rifles. Communication equipment is grossly outdated and surveillance equipment is far below authorization. Holdings of combat military free-fall parachutes are nearing zero.

Even basic Special Forces equipment such as laser target designators and general-purpose machine-guns authorized since 2002 are yet to be fielded. There is no sense of urgency beyond publicity. The institution of a separate Special Forces Fund is anathema to the government.

The government-appointed Naresh Chandra Committee on security reforms recommended the establishment of a Special Forces Command in 2012. After six years of inaction, the Defense Ministry approved the establishment of a Special Operations Division in the military last year. But it still requires cabinet approval.

There is no move to have special operations set up under the prime minister for strategic-level tasks. Despite having adverse asymmetric advantage vis-à-vis Pakistan-China at the sub-conventional level, there is no will to evolve systemic sub-conventional response.

The government launched an electronic and print media blitz glorifying the raid through articles, books, TV debates, and documentaries. But violence levels rose exponentially from 2016 onward compared with previous years; 2,134 ceasefire violations (including 1,046 this year), 916 infiltration attempts, and 566 terrorists and 242 security personnel killed as of September 30.

To think that tactical-level retaliatory strikes would make Pakistan stop terrorism was naive but India never really mustered the guts to take the sub-conventional war inside Pakistan, because of lack of political will and intellect, fear of failure, focus on internal security and fighting elections. Increased casualties in Jammu and Kashmir are also because of warped policy. The number of security personnel killed matters little to the government.

The government’s surgical strikes celebration spanned universities, colleges and events at the national level including releasing another documentary. Never have such celebrations been made for major wars India won including the 50-day Kargil Conflict. The exclusive aim of making political mileage is reinforced by the fact that no such celebrations were held last year during the “first anniversary.”

The government wants students – youth comprise 65% of India’s population – to “show respect” to the armed forces despite every survey showing the military is already the most respected organization in India with an overwhelming majority. It is the politicians and bureaucrats that need to show respect to the armed forces.

If the valor of soldiers is milked for political gain while soldiers pay with their lives, the loss of lives is not the only apathy the armed forces face. Denigration and degrading of the military has been ongoing for decades, with the present dispensation accelerating the pace. Simultaneous to the surgical strikes, the Modi government slashed soldiers’ disability pensions.

More than 750 army officers have approached the Supreme Court against filing of a First Information Report (FIR) against military personnel serving in the Kashmir Valley for counter-insurgency operations.

The filing of an FIR leads to endless litigation for soldiers, who can be harassed by the police long after they retire. Ironically, Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave her assent to the then-reigning Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to file these FIRs against soldiers who were forced to open fire against stone-pelting crowds in self-defense. However, the federal government has now changed its stance and has sheepishly stated support for these officers.

Despite using the military as the first responder in nearly every crisis, it continues to treat soldiers shabbily. The Modi government did grant one-time relief under subterfuge of the “one rank one pension” (OROP) policy, which it is not. Despite calling itself “nationalist,” the government resorted to a police baton charge on peacefully protesting military veterans in August 2015, shaming the nation. Veterans’ protests for full OROP in New Delhi completed 870 days on October 1 this year. A blanket media ban on their activities is a slur on democracy and constitutional rights.

The military’s Order of Precedence continues to be lowered in the Constitutional scheme. Anomalies of pay commissions with respect to the armed forces from the third Central Pay Commission in 1973 to date remain unaddressed. The seventh Central Pay Commission (2017) brought pay and allowances of police forces above the armed forces. A serving or retired civilian defense employee is five times as expensive as his uniformed counterpart or veteran. The army is asked to cut down its strength unilaterally but the civilian-support part of defense continues to bloat.

The worst apathy is toward widows and the disabled, who are made to fight prolonged legal battles for their dues and pensions. It is difficult to understand why a female defense minister hires batteries of lawyers, paying each an average of 200,000 rupees (US$2,750) from the defense budget, to fight pensions and dues of widows and the disabled, knowing some of them don’t have the means to fight legal battles. This despite that the Ministry of Defense hasn’t won a single case to date.

Sitharaman told Parliament that the Ministry of Defense would not withdraw legal cases against widows and the disabled. A non-functional upgrade allowance is granted to government services but the government is fighting legal battles to deny this to the armed forces. The government is also complicit in denying soldiers the right to vote, especially those posted in forward or remote areas.

Both the prime minister and the defense minister skipped the last Army Day and Air Force Day celebrations but the entire government machinery celebrated Surgical Strike Day; so much for votes despite proclaiming that there is no opposition or opposition leader worth the name.

India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru was known for harboring suspicions about the military, and the current incumbent, Narendra Modi, is having his way. Beyond institutionalized criminality and corruption, where India is heading has been queried in these columns. How the next government will treat the armed forces is anybody’s guess.

This article is published by Asia Times and is by courtesy http://www.atimes.com/modi-government-politicized-surgical-strikes-but-did-little-for-soldiers/

The views expressed by the Author are his own and not of this blog.

Prakash Katoch

The author retired as Lieutenant General from the Indian Army's Special Forces.

Are Armed Forces Ready for NFU?

2018-08-04T20:17:00.000+05:30

Harsha Kakar

There are rumours afloat that Non-Functional Upgradation (NFU) for the armed forces may be released sometime soon. It could be either on the orders of the court based on an appeal whose decision is awaited, or by the government prior to the elections, seeking to assuage the armed forces. This has been the demand from all sections of the military.

While everyone desires that NFU be made applicable for the armed forces, internally the forces would need to evaluate their systems and methodology for its implementation, to prevent legal battles and cater for their specific conditions of service as against the Group A and allied services for whom it has already been released.

The Group A services comprise of three central civil services, which are allocated to states and employed by the Centre on deputation. They are the IAS, IPS and the IFS (Indian Forest Service). All others including the IFS (Indian Foreign Service), revenue and others (44 of them) are affiliated only to the Centre which is responsible for their promotions and postings and hence are termed allied services. Traditionally, the Group A services have been senior to the allied services.

The armed forces, whose officers are ‘commissioned’, are as per government orders, higher in status and position to both the Group A and the Allied services. However, by declaring the service HQs as attached HQs from independence, they have been kept away from decision making and hence regularly degraded in status. This is a result of fears of a coup if the army is too closely involved in government. This fear has been exaggerated by the bureaucracy.

Thus, when the armed forces officers seek to demand NFU as allocated to civil services considering their pattern of affiliation to only the Centre, they would be dubbed as ‘allied services’ and not a Group A service as they are not allocated to any state. They would then become the 45th allied service, which would be permanently below the status of Group A services.

The structure of the armed forces is also at vast variance from all other services. The armed forces have a pyramidical structure while others have a near cylindrical one. Within the armed forces due to the structure, supersession comes at every rank commencing from Lt Colonel upwards while in the civil services, anyone graded above average is to be promoted, which may however be delayed due to vacancies.

NFU, within the civil services, is a grant to enhance status of employees to the level of those who have risen earlier. This remains until the individual who is awaiting promotion obtains his promotion. Very few are superseded. In a statement in May 2017, the army chief stated that there is a misconception doing the rounds that because NFU has been granted to the civil services, the status of the armed forces has been downgraded.

He added, “A letter from the government states that NFU will be a purely financial upgrade and it will not bestow any right to the officer to claim promotion or designation to a higher post.” Why has this not been implemented in letter and spirit, mainly by those organisations where army and civil counterparts work together remains a mystery.

Further, within the armed forces, promotion up to the rank of Lt Col and equivalents in other services is time bound and there is no delay in promotions; hence NFU would be valid from where supersession commences, based on promotion boards. When the above is considered in totality, it emerges that NFU when granted to the defence services must be different in nature and form. It cannot be simply duplicated.

There have been multiple cases in the past, the Ex-Servicemen Compensatory Health Service (ECHS) being a prime example, where the concept has been copied from the civilian model, in this case the Central Government Health Scheme, and implementation failed only because an in-depth study involving specific armed forces requirements had not been factored in. The same should not happen with the NFU.

When the spirit behind the NFU is assessed, a few issues would need to be resolved before it is implemented. The first is that while an officer who has been superseded would be granted an equivalent upgrade as those of his colleagues who have risen, he would not get the same privileges and status. As different from the civil services, where promotion avenues remain open, in his case they are closed. Thus, he would only be compensated financially, without change in status.

Secondly, since NFU is only a financial upgrade, it would not impact pensions, which would remain dependent on the rank at which the officer retires. This implies that an officer drawing the grade of his colleagues of a higher rank, would not obtain a pension of the same. These two key issues must be amicably resolved to enhance satisfaction and reduce litigation.

Since NFU once allotted would be common for the three services it is imperative that they evaluate its implications and evolve a common procedure for implementation. It is unlikely that the government would continue accepting changes to the model. The aim should be to enhance satisfaction to the cadre for the long term, rather than for the immediate moment. Further, its implementation should not lead to increased legal cases.

The army is presently moving forward on its own cadre review, which may be impacted as it would offset the protocol balance within the services. NFU and the cadre review would need to be considered possibly together. The ideal agency to assess, analyse and offer a viable solution for the betterment of the complete armed forces cadre is the HQ Integrated Defence Staff.

It could conduct a study with members from all services and evolve a model to benefit the system, within the legal framework, rather than end up as a disappointment. Simply copying the civilian model to implement this in a rush would only enhance dissatisfaction and anger, as service conditions are unique.

The writer is a retired Major-General of the Indian Army.

By the kind courtesy of

https://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/are-armed-forces-ready-for-nfu-1502667298.htm

An Appeal by Maj Gen Satbir Singh, SM (Retd) Advisor United Front of Ex Servicemen & Chairman IESM

2018-08-04T19:52:00.002+05:30

JOINT ANDOLAN BY JAWAN KISANS AND DALITS MAHA RALLY BY EX SERVICEMEN ON 09 AUG 2018 AT JANTAR MANTAR NEW DELHI

Dear Friends,

Deprived sections of Society have been raising their voice to get justice of their demands and for that they have been doing Andolan individually. The fact that these Sections of Society are still executing their Protest Movements, as, their grievances have not been addressed to their satisfaction.

Towards, this:-As citizens’ protests surge, India’s Dalits, farmers, and ex-servicemen have come together, with support from other sections of the society, for demanding justice and seeking redressal for their grievances. We have come together to put forward our demands with the hope that this is a Government that is responsible to the People. We expect a responsible government to answer questions put forward by the people and fulfill their demands. With this in mind, the important individual demands of three organisations are as follows.

INDIAN EX SERVICEMEN MOVEMENT (IESM)

1. Complete OROP as per approved definition of Parliament of India.

2. Arrest Functional, Pay Parity downgradation/degradation of the Armed

Forces personnel & restore status (in the Warrant of Precedence) as existed in 1947. Abolish the AFHQ CS (Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services).

3. Cancel the Cantonment Roads order. Implement Supreme Court order on the subject. Address the concerns raised by CAG & CGDA with respect to corruption in the Directorate General of Defence Estates (DGDE).

ALL INDIA KISAN SABHA (AIKS)

1. Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops at one-and-a-half times of cost of production (C2+50%) and guaranteed procurement.

2. One-time waiver of all loans of all farmers including bank loans, cooperative loans and private money lender loans.

3. Land to the landless poor, house sites for the homeless, ban on forcible acquisition of farmers’ land for corporate or corridor projects without proper compensation and rehabilitation, stringent implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA).

ALL INDIA AMBEDKAR MAHASABHA (AIAM)

1. Withdrawal of all cases against Chandrashekhar, Shiv Kumar Pradhan, Sonu, Upkar Bawre and others detained under NSA and those arrested or implicated on 2nd April 2018 Bharat Bandh.

2. Restoration of SC, ST (Prevention of) Atrocities Act 1989 as it existed with its all provisions and penalties prior to the Supreme Court Judgement on 20th March 2018.

3. Establishment of Indian Judicial Service under the Article 312 of the Constitution.

In addition, all the three organisations have decided to unitedly stand up and fight for the following three vital issues:

1) Put an end to the hate-driven mob violence and lynching plaguing the country. Fast-track the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for murders and those backing them in an exemplary manner.

2) Revive and vote into law the Women’s Reservation Bill guaranteeing 33% reservation for Women in the Lok Sabha as well as state assemblies– within the term of the current (16th) Lok Sabha.

3) Scrap The Aadhaar, which has wreaked havoc with welfare schemes by widening exclusion, compromised civil liberties by creating new forms of discrimination, and made real the threat of a surveillance state.

Henceforth the above three organisations, representing three critical segments of our society, will work in tandem and in a symbiotic manner with mutual respect & augment strengths on the ground. ‘Calls for Action’ will be actively supported by our constituents.

Action Calls in August

09 August 2018: BJP Quit India & Jail Bharo across 400 districts. Call given by All India Kisan Sabha.

09 August 2018: Bharat Bandh. Call given by All India Ambedkar Mahasabha

All rallies & protests will be synchronized actions where the three constituents (Dalit, Kisan and Jawan) will mobilise people across the country towards redressal of their demands.

Action by Ex Servicemen:

· Our Conveners are requested to liaison with local leaders of Formers and Dalits and support their demands by attending their Dharnas, Rallies as per their local Conditions.

· Ex Servicemen Rally will be held at Jantar Mantar New Delhi on 09^th Aug 2018 from 11AM to 3 PM.

· ESM, members of our families and our supporters are requested to attend the Rally in large numbers to showcase solidarity to the Cause of Soldiers.

Part reimbursement of transportation expenses/rail fair as hither to will be made to the ESM attending the Rally as under :-

Own vehicle upto 200 Km, 4-5 persons – Rs 500 per vehicle.

Own Vehicle beyond 200 Km - Rs 750 per vehicle.

Own Vehicle upto 200 Km, 8-10 persons – Rs 750 per vehicle.

Own Vehicle beyond 200 Km, 8-10 persons – Rs 1000 per vehicle.

By Bus – One side fare subject to 2^nd class normal train fare.

By Train - One side 2^nd class fare.

All concern are requested to give wide publicity to the above action/activities and motivate people to take part in the joint Andolan By Jawan, Kisan And Dalits across India.

Maximum participation is requested at our ESM Maha Rally at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi on 09 Aug 2018 from 11AM to 3PM.

One Rank One Pension: Govt says No to Annual Revision of Pensionery Benefits

2018-07-31T00:33:00.000+05:30

The Central government on Friday told the Supreme Court that it will not revise the formula for One Rank-One Pension (OROP) scheme nor would it bring down the timeline for periodical revision of the pensionary benefits for retired armed forces personnel.

The ASG sought dismissal of the petition by Indian Ex-servicemen Movement also on the ground that there is a limited scope of reviewing a policy decision.

For details read - http://www.india.com/business/one-rank-one-pension-latest-news-no-change-in-orop-policy-government-says-to-supreme-court-3189967/

Appearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh made the government's stand clear in response to a PIL.

"We will not revise the OROP formula. The government has already gone out of its way," Singh submitted.

The law officer added that whatever has to be decided by the government has already been done.

"More than Rs 10, 000 crore has been sanctioned after much deliberation. This has huge ramifications on the exchequer and any interference would further burden us," Singh told the Court.

The ASG sought dismissal of the petition by Indian Ex-servicemen Movement also on the ground that there is a limited scope of reviewing a policy decision.

"This petition is not maintainable because it seeks to challenge a policy decision," said Singh.

Representing the petitioner, senior advocate Vivek Tankha replied that he is ready to argue on both maintainability and merits of his plea.

The Court then asked Singh to file a formal affidavit in reply to the petition and fixed the matter for hearing after four weeks.

The Indian Ex-servicemen Movement (IESM) and others have challenged the government’s policy of periodic review of pension once in five years.

It has sought a direction for the government to implement OROP as recommended by the Koshyari Committee with an automatic annual revision, instead of the current policy of periodic review once in five years.

“OROP is the uniform desire of all three defence services. Ex-servicemen are presently drawing pension that is not consistent with their rank and/or length of service... the pension of past pensioners be automatically and contemporaneously enhanced, whenever there is any future increase or enhancement in the rates of pension,” said the petition.

It added the government should be directed to fix the pension on the basis of highest pension of financial year 2014-15 and not 2013.

A video by IESM released thereafter can be seen at:

VID-20180727-WA0172.mp4

Status Downgradation Of Armed Forces

2018-06-27T22:58:00.000+05:30

Dear Veterans,

A Letter written to Hon’ble Raksha Mantri and three chiefs by Maj Gen Satbir Singh, SM (Retd) Advisor United Front of Ex Servicemen

& Chairman Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM) on the above subject is given below herewith for your information and widest circulation please.

Dated 27 Jun 2018

Smt Nirmala Sitharaman
Hon’ble Raksha Mantri

104, South Block, New Delhi-110011

STATUS DOWNGRADATION OF ARMED FORCES

Dear Raksha Mantri,

With concern, we wish to bring to your notice the systematic and continuous downgradation of Defence Forces and request the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri to seriously address this issue to ensure, the most suitable youth is attracted to the noble profession of Arms.

It is brought to your notice that there has been deliberate down gradation of status of Armed Forces- Functionally as well with respect of Pay Parity.

Functional Downgradation.

Armed Forces Officers have always been equated with All India Services Officers, as documented in Warrant of Precedence (WoP), Post War Pay Committee Report & Raghuramiah Committee Report. JCOs have been accorded Gazetted Officers status by an Act of Parliament vide Section 3 (xii) of Army Act 1950. Senior NCOs always carried the status of Non Gazetted Officers. However, MoD has started equating JCOs with Non Gazetted/ Gp C employees & Sr NCOs with even lower level employees. Lts & Capts are being equated with Gp B Offrs, Lt Cols with Dy Dir/ Under Secys (lowest Gp A designation), Cols with Jt Dir/ Dy Secys (2^nd Gp A designation) & Brigs with Directors (3^rd Gp A designation). This issue of Degradation of Military ranks is being actively pursued by AFHQ CS Cadre, which is a Gp B internal support cadre of Services HQ, in their quest for comparative up gradation of their own cadre designations.

A number of letters on these degraded equations have been issued by CAO/ MoD/ Cabinet Sectt during last over 20 years. Though RM had ordered for cancellation of one such letter during Jan 2018, but host of other letters remain in force. These equations are now slowly & slowly being put into effect on ground in all functional aspects in Services HQ, ISOs, MoD & on Deputations in other Deptts/ Ministries, including Channel of Reporting, Protocols & various Entitlements.

Also, presently Armed Forces have almost no say in decision making in their own Ministry. Even files endorsed by Chiefs are being subjected to scrutiny by lower bureaucracy. Decision making in MoD is being directly influenced by lower level civil bureaucrats who have aggressively started competing for status & service privileges applicable to uniformed personnel, thereby actively attempting to downgrade & degrade the Armed Forces.

Pay Parity Downgradation.

Till 5 CPC, Brigs were placed in SAG II equivalent Pay Scales, Lt Cols in Director’s Pay Scales & 2/Lts had their starting Pay Scale higher than IAS Officers. The JCOs were in Pay Scales

equivalent to Gp B Gazetted Officers, while Sr NCOs were in Gp B Non Gazetted Pay Scales. Today the old established Pay Parity is almost bordering two Rank Downgradation. Presently Maj Gens are in Level 14 while Police ADGs have moved to Level 15; Cols are in Pay Level 13, applicable to NFSG Directors; Subedars are placed in Level 7, which is applicable to Non Gazetted employees & Nb Subs are Level 6, which is even lower than Non Gazetted. Havildars are in further lower Pay Levels. This is the very reason the JCOs are not being given higher MSP, NFU is being refused to Officers & lateral absorption is not working out.

Way Forward.

In Dec 2008, PMO had directed for setting up of High Powered Committee (HPC) for resolving Status & Rank Equivalence issue. However, same has not been done till date. While Anomalies Committee was set up by Govt immediately after 7 CPC for resolving Pay Anomalies of Civilian employees, including Defence Civilians, no such Committee has been set up for resolving Defence Pay Anomalies till date. It is therefore imperative that:-

(a) There is immediate need to arrest the downgradation and restore the status which existed as on 15 Aug 1947. This be completed in a given schedule at the earliest say by 31 Dec 2018.

(b) HPC consisting of Parliamentarians be set up by Govt for establishing one to one Rank equivalence with All India Services within three months ie by 30 Sep 2018.

(c) Separate HPC consisting of Parliamentarians be also set up for resolving outstanding Pay Anomalies of Defence personnel by 30 Sep 2018.

(d) MoD be restructured to include adequate representation from Armed Forces for balanced & synergised decision making earliest.

(e) AFHQ Cadre in Services HQ & ISOs be replaced by employing ESM & non-empanelled Offrs, thereby bringing considerable savings to the Govt.

It is against all principles of management that decisions on Armed Forces are being taken by civilian executives who do not understand the ethos and comraderie of Armed Forces. The main driving force of the armed forces is its discipline and the fact that a soldier dashes into to volley of bullets and sure death on orders of his commander are very complex issues, beyond comprehension of a person who is not involved in these issues. Decisions taken by individuals who do not understand these issues and emotions will be void of reality and will never be for raising morale of Armed Forces. Request of Armed Forces to include their representatives in decision making has always been brushed aside on the pretext that Armed Forces HQs are always consulted for any decision. Whereas we all know that that is not the truth and Armed Forces HQs are only given orders to implement whether they like it or not.

With regards,

Yours Sincerely,

Maj Gen Satbir Singh, SM

(Retd) Advisor United Front of Ex Servicemen

& Chairman Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement

(IESM)

Mobile: 9312404269, 01244110570

Email:satbirsm@gmail.com

Copy to :-

General Bipin Rawat, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM Chief of the Army Staff Integrated HQs of Ministry of Defence (Army) South Block, New Delhi-110011	You are requested to take up this important issue jointly to restore the status of Defence Forces as suggested above.
Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa ,PVSM AVSM YSM VM ADC Chief of the Air Staff Integrated HQs of Ministry of Defence (Air Force) Vayu Bhawan, New Delhi 110011	Our request as above.
Admiral Sunil Lanba ,PVSM, AVSM, ADC Chief of the Naval Staff & Chairman Chiefs of Staffs Committee (CoSC) Integrated HQs of Ministry of Defence (Navy) South Block, New Delhi -110011	Our request as above.

2018-05-22T13:43:00.003+05:30

Tinkering with tribunals will make them useless

Harsha Kakar

The Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) was established as a military tribunal under the Armed Forces Tribunal Act in 2007. This was based on the Law Commission’s 169th report of 1999, which stated that disciplinary and service matters of military personnel required quick resolution and proposed a special tribunal for para-military and armed forces. The act was steered through Parliament by the defence ministry, leaving the para-military, Assam Rifles and Coast Guard out of its purview.

The principal bench of the AFT is based in Delhi and it has regional benches at Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Guwahati, Chennai, Kochi, Mumbai and Jaipur. Except for Chandigarh and Lucknow, which have three benches each, all others have a single bench. Each bench comprises of a judicial member, who is a retired high court judge, and an administrative member, who is a retired member of the armed forces.

In a democracy, the judiciary by nature is lenient. However, the armed forces because of their role and tasks must follow a disciplined structure, without which they would fail. Hence, the armed forces are governed by their respective acts and rules which are the Army Act of 1950, Air Force Act of 1950, the Navy Act of 1957 and the Defence Services Regulations. Disciplinary punishments, granted under respective acts, are periodically challenged in AFTs. Unless the circumstances and specific regulations are clarified to the judge, leniency in judgement would impact military discipline.

Further, vagaries and conditions of service are vastly different from any Central government organization. Hence AFTs have been liberal in approving disability pensions, which an unrelenting bureaucracy challenges in the Supreme Court to no avail. To advice the judicial member on service-specific issues and apprise him of the conditions of service, an administrative member with decades of service experience is appointed.

Till June 2017, the AFTs functioned at near full strength and was effective. After the government issued unilateral notifications incorporating changes in its composition and functioning, presently under challenge in the Supreme Court, there has been no induction of fresh members, resulting in almost non-functional courts. Thus, the very reason for creating the AFT, speedy disposal of cases pertaining to the members of the armed forces, has been lost.

On 1 June 2017, the government amended the AFT Act, amongst 19 other existing laws, enhancing its powers pertaining to the appointment and removal of members of various tribunals. Amongst the major changes which affect the functioning of the AFT is the appointment of the administrative member.

The earlier rules had stated that the administrative member could be retired major generals and above. However, the new rules state any person, ‘of ability, integrity and standing having special knowledge of, and professional experience of not less than 20 years’ in multiple fields not connected with the armed forces but ‘in the opinion of the government is useful to the AFT’ could be appointed. Thus, knowledge of service conditions and military law is not essential, making such appointments redundant. It opens doors for appointing IAS and other Central government service members, who lack even basic military knowledge.

The chairperson of the AFT was appointed by the president, hence was difficult for the government to remove. The changed rules state that he would be appointed by the government in consultation with the chief justice, thereby denuding his appointment. Earlier rules stated only a retired High Court or Supreme Court judge could be the chairperson, whereas the amended rules state ‘any person who is qualified to be a judge of the Supreme Court’ could be appointed. Thus, an advocate with ten years’ experience can be nominated as a chairperson.

The appointment of the judicial and administrative members was amended so that they would be appointed by a search-cum-selection-committee which would comprise a Supreme Court judge, chairperson of AFT (appointed by the government), defence secretary and another member of the executive. Thus, majority power would be with the executive. The Supreme Court has disagreed stating it cannot be tilted towards the executive.

The new rules place the AFTs under the defence ministry, whereas earlier based on Supreme Court directions, they were placed under the law ministry. The power to remove members has also been diluted and the MoD can constitute a committee to recommend removal. These powers were earlier with the Supreme Court.

The new rules have reduced tenure of members from five to three years. It appears, when linked up with the other amendments, aimed at opening doors for ex-secretaries of the government, who retire at 62, to be nominated to the AFT, for which they would otherwise have been barred.

These amendments, which would alter the functioning of the AFT and make it useless for the task for which it was created, angered many veterans who practice in AFTs and they approached the Supreme Court. The court’s final determination is likely in July.

The bureaucracy, worried about a possible court rebuff, advertised for vacant posts based on its amended rules. It is now seeking the court’s permission to go ahead with the selection. If it succeeds, the AFTs would become just another example of the government’s apathy to serving and veteran military personnel.

A fallout of the case has been that unless court orders are finally issued, no fresh appointments can be made. Hence most AFTs are either non-functional or those with multiple benches have just one functional bench. This has impacted clearance of cases.

The sole reason for creating the AFT is now being lost. The government which has denied the forces various facilities is now seeking to make the AFTs redundant. It will require a concerted effort by all who support the military to pressurise the government against making a mockery of an institution created to speed up justice.

The writer is a retired Major-General of the Indian Army.

By the kind courtesy of

https://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/tinkering-tribunals-will-make-useless-1502639042.html

कैसे सेना में सर्विस कर रहे जवानों और भूतपूर्व सैनिक जवानों को CSD , ECHS कार्डों के नाम पर चूना लगाया जा रहा है

2018-05-22T11:58:00.000+05:30

Saabka Sainik Sangarash Committee Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh , HARYANA की तरफ से दिया गया मांग पत्र अवश्य पढ़ें के कैसे सेना में सर्विस कर रहे जवानों और भूतपूर्व सैनिक जवानों को CSD , ECHS कार्डों के नाम पर चूना लगाया जा रहा है.

Memorandum For CSD Or ECHS Card Letter No. SSSC/03/2018

To,

Honourable President of India

Rashtrapati Bhavan , New Delhi

Honourable Prime Minister of India

South Block , New Delhi - 110011

Honourable Defence Minister of India

South Block , New Delhi

विषय - भूतपूर्व सैनिकों को ECHS (एक्स सर्विस मैंन कंट्रीब्यूटरी हेल्थ स्कीम) कार्ड और CSD (केंटीन स्टोरज डिपार्टमेंट) कार्ड को बार बार नए बनवाने के लिए हुक्म जारी करके मानसिक परेशान करने संबंधी मांग पत्र ।

श्री मान जी,

निवेदन है कि हमारी साबका सैनिक संघर्ष कमेटी तरन तारन पंजाब तथा साथ में दूसरी सहयोगी यूनियनें पिछले 8 सालों से जवानों को इंसाफ दिलाने के लिए संघर्ष कर रही हैं और इसके लिए हम सैकड़ों प्रदर्शन कर चुके हैं ।

श्री मान जी भूतपूर्व सैनिकों को कभी ECHS कार्ड और कभी CSD कार्ड नए बनवाने के लिए हुक्म जारी हो रहे हैं और पुराने कार्डों को बिना किसी सूचना के रद्द किया जा रहा है । ऐसे तानाशाही हुक्म किसके कहने पर जारी हो रहे हैं, यह सोचने का विषय है ।

श्री मान जी अगर सेना पुराने ECHS , CSD कार्डों को बदलना चाहती है तो पहले सभी भूतपूर्व सैनिकों को नएं कार्ड जारी किए जाएं और उसके बाद पुराने कार्डों को बंद या रद्द किया जाए ताकि किसी भूतपूर्व सैनिक को मुश्किलों का सामना नहीं करना पड़े लेकिन सेना द्वारा नएं कार्ड जारी किए बिना पुराने कार्डों को बंद कर देना भूतपूर्व सैनिकों के साथ बेइंसाफी है ।

श्री मान जी बैंकों द्वारा ATM (ए टी एम) कार्ड के एक्सपायर होने से एक महीने पहले ही नया ATM (ए टी एम) कार्ड घर के एड्रेस पर पोस्ट आफिस से रजिस्टर्ड लैटर के माध्यम से भेज दिया जाता है ताकि बैंक ग्राहक को परेशान नहीं होना पड़े ।

श्री मान जी यही बैंक ATM कार्ड सिस्टम सेना द्वारा ECHS ,CSD कार्डों के लिए अपनाया जा सकता है । श्री मान जी बैंकों के ATM कस्टमरों की गिनती ECHS, CSD मेंबरों से ज्यादा है । इस लिए यह कहना भी बेमानी होगा कि ECHS , CSD की ज्यादा मेंबरशिप होने के कारण बैंकों के ATM जैसे सहुलियत उपलब्ध करवानी संभव नहीं है ।

श्री मान जी सेना द्वारा ECHS , CSD कार्डों के बार बार बदलने का असली कारण नएं कार्डों के नाम पर पैसे इकट्ठे करना है । इस समय टोटल ECHS की मेंबरशिप तकरीबन 50 लाख है और नए कार्ड बनाने के लिए एक कार्ड की फीस 177 रुपए निश्चित की गई है । अभी 50,00,000 मेंबर्स का हिसाब लगाएं तो 50,00,000 × 177 = 88,50,00,000 रुपए ( अठ्ठासी करोड़ पचास लाख रुपए) बनते हैं , जो कि बहुत बड़ी रकम है । यही कारण है कि ECHS कार्ड बार बार बदली किए जा रहे हैं ।

श्री मान जी अगर आप पैसे इकठ्ठे करने चाहते हो तो भी आप भूतपूर्व सैनिकों को दफ्तरों में ख़राब क्यों कर रहे हो ?? आप नए कार्ड बनाकर ECHS क्लीनिकों में भेज दें और यह मैसेज पास कर दें कि इस दिनांक (निश्चित की गई तारीख) के बाद पुराने ECHS कार्ड नहीं चलेंगे । इस लिए सभी भूतपूर्व सैनिक अपने नजदीकी ECHS क्लीनिक में 177 रुपए कार्ड के हिसाब से जमां करवाकर अपने नए कार्ड ले लें । श्री मान जी रही बात डाक्यूमेंट देने की तो जब पहले ECHS कार्ड बने थे तो सभी जरूरी डाक्यूमेंट आपको जमा करवा देने पर ही अपने कार्ड जारी किए थे तो इस लिए बार बार डाक्यूमेंट देने की जरूरत नहीं होनी चाहिए । आपके पास सभी भूतपूर्व सैनिकों का पूरा रिकॉर्ड मौजूद है ।

श्री मान जी CSD कार्ड नए बनाकर घर के एड्रेस पर भेजने में तो कोई मुश्किल होनी ही नहीं चाहिए क्योंकि CSD से तो अरबों-खरबों की कमाई हो रही है और अगर सेना CSD से हुए लाभ का 33% (जो कि करोड़ों में होता है) सीधे सीधे आफिसर्स मेस को गैर कानूनी तौर पर दे सकती है तो जवानों के लिए CSD लाभ में से कुछ लाख से CSD कार्ड बनाकर जवानों के घरों में पोस्ट आफिस के माध्यम से भेज सकते हैं । यह तो बहुत छोटी सी बात है लेकिन सेना के आफिसर्स द्वारा भूतपूर्व सैनिकों को जान बुझकर खराब किया जा रहा है । श्री मान जी इस समय भूतपूर्व सैनिकों और सर्विस कर रहे सैनिकों की गिनती तकरीबन 60 लाख है और अगर इस समय नए CSD कार्ड के लिए ली जा रही फीस 270 के हिसाब से टोटल राशि बनाई जाए तो वह 60,00,000 × 270 = 1,62,00,00,000 ( एक अरब बासठ करोड़ रुपए ) बनते हैं और यह राशि जवानों से अवैध रूप से वसूली जा रही है ।

श्री मान जी राजनीतिक दल हमेशा इलेक्शन में भूतपूर्व सैनिकों को सहुलियतें देने के बड़े बड़े वायदे करते हैं लेकिन सरकार बनने के बाद किए हुए वायदे भूल जाते हैं । श्री मान जी CSD और ECHS कार्डों को बार बार नए बनवाने के नाम पर जो ठगी चल रही है और जवानों को मानसिक रूप में परेशान किया जा रहा है । श्री मान जी हमारी मांग है कि यह तत्काल बंद होना चाहिए और CSD और ECHS कार्डों की पालिसी में सुधार होना चाहिए ताकि जवानों को इंसाफ मिल सके ।

इसके लिए आपके बहुत धन्यवादी होंगे ।

Copy to –

MD ECHS

IHQ of MOD (Army)

New Delhi

Ex Servicemen (ESM) Maha Rally on 20 May 2018 At Jantar Mantar/Parliament Street New Delhi

2018-05-20T10:10:00.002+05:30

EX SERVICEMEN (ESM) MAHA RALLY ON 20 MAY 2018

AT JANTAR MANTAR/PARLIAMENT STREET NEW DELHI

Dear Friends,

Note :-Friends, the above ESM Maha Rally is being postponed by one week and will now be held on 20th May from 11 AM to 3 PM. Rest no change.

This change is necessitated to accommodate Team Ambala to take part in the Maha Rally.Team Ambala lead by IESM GB Member and President Ambala ESM Welfare Committee Sub Attar Singh Multani visited Jantar Mantar on 28 Mar 2018. During discussion we learnt that on 14 May 2002 Terrorists attacked Kaluchak Family Quarters in which Two Children (son and daughter)of Sub Attar Singh Multani were Martyred .He has kept Akhand Path from 12 May to 14th May 2018 in remembrance of the children. To accommodate Team Ambala,the ESM Maha Rally will now be held on 20th May 2018.All ESM are requested to attend the ESM Rally on 20th May 2018.In this connection Please refer our earlier mail dated 27 Mar 2018 as given below.

1. Ex-Servicemen Maha Rally will be held on 13 May 2018 from 11AM to 3 PM at Jantar Mantar/Parliament Street New Delhi to Showcase Solidarity to the Cause of Soldiers and to raise “Voice “of Defence Family for the implementation of Actual OROP and other important issues as under :-

(a) Implementation of Actual One Rank One Pension (OROP).

(b) Pensions of Defence Widows should be same as the ESM Pensions.

(d) Ensuring Second Career for the early Defence Retirees till the age of 60 years through the Act of Parliament.

(e) Improvements in Medical care Scheme ECHS. The medical procedures which have been introduced in the Country be on ECHS Procedure list within, six months of their being operational in India.

(f) Dire need to have Veterans Hospitals on the lines of other Democracies.

(g) Need to enhance ECHS Budget to efficiently manage Super Specialty Care for the Defence Personnel and their dependents.

(h) Need to have Covenant Act of Defence Forces on the lines of UK & other countries.

(j) Need to expedite construction of Martyrs Memorial at India Gate. Long delays have already been caused. Pictures of progress of construction of War Memorial be published regularly say every quarter in National News papers as part of enhancement of National spirit.

(k) Need to enhance rates of Disability Pension for Defence Personnel.

2. Our OROP case is also being pursued in HSC and the hearing is scheduled in the 1^st week of April 2018. We had made the following plea in our plaint including two modifications applied for and accepted by the HSC:-

· Declaring the letter dated 07.11.2015 bearing reference 12(1)/2014/D(Pen/Pol)-Part-II illegal, unconstitutional, and violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution;

· Declaring the Notification dated 14.12.2015 bearing reference No. 12(01)/2014-D(Pen/Pol)-Part-II issued by Respondent No. 1 illegal, unconstitutional, and violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution;

· Declaring the letter of Respondent No. 1 to the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, the Chief of Air Staff dated 03.02.2016 bearing reference 12(1)/2014/D(Pen/Policy)-Part-II illegal, unconstitutional, and violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution;

· Direction in the nature of mandamus to the Union of India directing that the pension of past pensioners be automatically and contemporaneously enhanced, whenever there is any future increase or enhancement in the rates of pension;

· Direction in the nature of mandamus to the Union of India directing that errors in tables prepared by the Central Government indicating One Rank One Pension computation, wherein there are numerous instances of ex-servicemen who retired with senior rank and longer length of service being shown to be eligible for lesser pension that ex-servicemen who retired with junior rank, be corrected to ensure One Rank One Pension;

· Direction in the nature of mandamus to the Union of India directing that fixation of pension must be on the basis of financial year 2014-2015 and not calendar year 2013;

· Direction in the nature of mandamus to the Union of India directing payment of revised pension with effect from 01.04.2014 instead of 01.07.2014;

· Direction in the nature of mandamus to the Union of India directing that Havildars who retired as Hon. Naib Subedar be given the pension of Naib Subedar;

· Direction in the nature of mandamus to the Union of India directing that all soldiers who have been conferred an Honourary superior rank, whether before or after retirement, be given the pension relatable to such superior rank;

· Direction in the nature of mandamus to the Union of India directing that all ex-servicemen of the defence services be given benefit of full pre-commissioning service period for pension calculation, regardless of their date of retirement;

· Direction in the nature of mandamus to the Union of India directing that veterans who have retired as Major after 13 years of service be granted the pension of Lt. Colonel;

· Direction in the nature of mandamus to the Union of India directing that veterans who retired prior to 2004 as Lt. Colonel be given pension of Colonel;

· Pass any other or future order(s) as this Hon’ble Court deems fit in the facts and circumstances of the present case.

· 7^th CPC pensions need to be worked out afresh by multiplying the factor of 2.57 to the Actual pensions as on 31 Dec 2015 and not the pensions of base year 2013.

· 33 years rule having been cancelled, the pensions of Defence Personnel need to be reworked afresh based on the rank and engagement period.

3. Unity is the essence of “Mission Success” All ESM members, our families and our supporters are requested to attend the Rally in large members. All logistics are being arranged for including accommodation for outstation members.

4. ESM are requested to spread the message around their areas and motivate others to attend the Rally to make it a grand success.

Head,Hands and Soldiers…………..Together………… ……………and Heave to “FATEH” raise to the power “N”

Yours Sincerely,

Maj Gen Satbir Singh, SM (Retd)
Advisor United Front of Ex Servicemen & Chairman IESM Mobile: 9312404269, Tel: 0124 4110570

Email: satbirsm@gmail.com

Implementation of Actual OROP-Letter to Raksha Mantri

2017-11-26T16:42:00.003+05:30

Dear Veterans,

Letter written to RM with Copies to the three Chiefs is enclosed for your information and wide circulation please.

Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman Dated: 25 Nov 2017

Hon’ble Raksha Mantri

104, South Block,

New Delhi-110011

Dear Raksha Mantri,

1. This has reference to my meeting with you on 15 Nov 2017 regarding Implementation of Actual OROP.

2. As discussed, rectification of Anomalies in the Govt Notification of 07 Nov 2015 is essential to ensure Implementation of Actual OROP. You are aware that an Average Model of Rs 5500 has been implemented instead of Actual OROP which as per the 6^th CPC scales works out to be Rs 8300 Cr.

3. What has been implemented falls short of the OROP. The definition of OROP has been amended which kills the very soul of OROP. You are aware that Definition of OROP has two distinct Parts:-

(a) Defence Personnel with the Same Rank and same years of Service will get same Pension irrespective of the date of retirement.

(b) Any change in the rate of Pensions will be automatically passed to the past pensioners.

4. The above definition implies that current pensions will be paid to the defence personnel with the same rank and same years of service. It also implies bridging the gap in pensions between the current and the past pensioners with the same rank and same years of service.

5. You are also aware that the OROP implementation Notification dated 07 Nov 2017 has changed the Definition part two ie “Instead of change of rate in pensions will be automatically passed to the past pensioners, it has been amended to read, “equalization of Pensions will be carried out at Periodic intervals”. This implies that many of the junior defence personnel of the same class will get more pensions than their seniors of the same class. This will be against the Constitution Article 14. No senior should ever draw less pension than his juniors.

6. Implementation of Actual OROP was assured by the Ho’ble Prime Minister. We request that the Actual OROP be implemented to correctly execute the concept of OROP. In this connection Govt Executive Order dated 26 Feb 2014 is enclosed.

7. As already brought to your notice, important issues concerning Defence Personnel requiring immediate redressal are once again enclosed.

8. May I request you for an early response please?

With regards,

Yours Sincerely,

Maj Gen Satbir Singh, SM (Retd)

Advisor United Front of Ex Servicemen &

Chairman Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM)

Mobile: 9312404269, 01244110570
Email:satbirsm@gmail.com

Copy to:-

General Bipin Rawat, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM Chief of the Army Staff Integrated HQs of Ministry of Defence (Army) South Block, New Delhi-110011	For information with request to jointly take up the issue with the PM & RM for the rectification of anomalies for the implementation of Actual OROP
Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa PVSM AVSM YSM VM ADC Chief of the Air Staff Integrated HQs of Ministry of Defence (Air Force) Vayu Bhawan, New Delhi 110011	-do-
Admiral Sunil Lanba PVSM, AVSM, ADC Chief of the Naval Staff & Chairman Chiefs of Staffs Committee (CoSC) Integrated HQs of Ministry of Defence (Navy) South Block, New Delhi -110011	-do-

Studying OROP report, says Defence Ministry

2017-10-31T23:05:00.000+05:30

The Defence Ministry on Monday said the report of a one member committee on the One Rank One Pension is under examination, on a day when veterans protesting the OROP being implemented were forcefully evicted from their protest site.

Defence Ministry sources said the report, by the one man committee of Justice L Narasimha Reddy, the retired Chief Justice of Patna High Court, is being studied, and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also met him over the report.

"The report is under examination, we are looking into it," the source said.

A group of veterans had started the protest for One Rank One Pension at Jantar Mantar on June 15, 2015, and also staged indefinite hunger strike before government announced on September 5, 2015 that it was implementing OROP.

Some soldiers however continued the protest stating that the OROP implemented by government was flawed and would not justify the goal of having same pension for those retiring from the same rank.

Maj Gen Satbir Singh (retd), advisor to the United Front of Ex Servicemen and Chairman, Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement, who is part of the continuing agitation, questioned what is the government studying in the report, submitted to the Defence Ministry on October 26, 2016.

"What is the government studying in the report after one year? They are making fools out of us," he said as he and other soldiers protesting at Jantar Mantar were forcefully evicted on Monday by police and civic authorities following an order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on October 5 banning protests at the spot.

The Central Government had appointed the committee under the Justice Reddy to look into the anomalies, if any, arising out of implementation of OROP.

The committee was formed to suggest measures for the removal of anomalies that may arise in the implementation of the OROP, measures for the removal of anomalies that may arise out of inter-services issues of the three armed forces due to implementation of OROP, implications on service matters and any other matter referred by the central government on implementation of the OROP or related issues.

The major sticking point for the protesting group of veterans is time period for revision of pensions. While government's OROP has revision every five years, veterans have demanded annual rationalisation of pensions.

The second major demand is fixing pensions at top of the scale against the current fixation of mean average.

The present OROP scheme has a mechanism of fixing pensions by calculating average of highest and lowest pensions for a rank, with protection to those with higher pension.

Third demand is to make the date of implementation April 1, 2014, and not July 1, 2014 as it is presently.

The government has said it has taken July 1 as the date of implementation as it came in power in May 2014.

The fourth demand is fixing the base year of implementation at financial year 2013-14, and not on the basis of calendar year as it is at present.

by the kind courtesy

of https://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/india/20171030/3209937.html

The General in charge of the surgical strikes

2017-09-26T22:02:00.001+05:30

'When there are two hostile armies operating in close proximity, moral ascendancy is very important -- and that is something, I think, we achieved.'

'What is important is the will and determination of a country.'

'That you are willing to do something about terror that is coming from across the border and that is the message that was sent out.'

Exclusive: How the surgical strikes were planned

IMAGE: Lieutenant General Deependra Singh Hooda, UYSM, AVSM, VSM (Bar), was the Northern Army Commander from 2014 to 2016.

The surgical strikes were among the most difficult operations under his watch.

As the highest ranking officer in Jammu and Kashmir during the September 28-29, 2016 surgical strikes, the buck literally stopped with Lieutenant General Deependra Singh Hooda.

General Hooda was the General Office Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command, in charge of the planning and execution of the top secret operation across the Line of Control.

Most officers and soldiers in the Northern Command -- responsible for the security of J&K and Line of Control -- were not aware of the strikes being planned.

As the general monitored the progress of his men as they crossed the Line of Control, their safe return was at the top of his mind.

According to the just released book India's Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern Military Heroes, Indian soldiers spent two nights and a day in "enemy territory". It was one of the most difficult operations under his watch, the general recalls.

Now retired, the former officer of the Gorkha Rifles with over four decades in the army, relives those unforgettable hours with Rediff.com's Archana Masih.

A year ago at this time, you had the plan in place for the surgical strikes. Do you find yourself going back and thinking about those days?

It was a successful operation. It was well done. Its scale and scope was pretty large.

You do think back on those days. How the whole planning was done. How we went about it.

The joy when everyone came back safe.

In your long military career, what have been some of the achievements that you look back with satisfaction? Where would the surgical strikes feature in that roster of military memories?

It has been wonderful primarily because you work with a highly motivated group of officers, very well trained officers.

There have been difficult times. One very difficult time for us was the earthquake of 2005.

I was the brigade commander in Uri and 95 per cent of the garrison had come crashing down.

We had to look after our own casualties, and carry out rescue, relief operations for the civilians.

The spirit of the soldier is such that it weathers through tough times.

Where do the surgical strikes figure in my book?

I would definitely say it was a very challenging operation and perhaps one of the most difficult on my watch.

What was your biggest concern in those hours after the men crossed the LOC and till the time they returned?

Of course, the biggest concern was the safety of each and every man who was crossing in what I call 'enemy territory' at that time.

We were also very confident that we had done everything by way of planning, preparation, empowering the soldiers, equipping them, giving them everything they needed.

In that sense we were fairly confident.

Honestly, after the soldiers crossed the Line of Control, I had little control.

It was for the officers and men to successfully carry out the operation.

Sitting in Udhampur (the Northern Command headquarters), there was really little we could do except watch.

What was the conversation you had with your men before they left? What was your parting line to them before they set out for this daring military task -- beyond enemy lines as they say?

We sit with the team leaders, the commanding officers and discuss every aspect of the plan.

We make sure every contingency that can arrive is catered for.

It happens only in the movies that the general stands in front of all the soldiers and gives them a parting pep talk. It really didn't happen like that (laughs).

It was a very secret operation and we did not assemble everyone together.

But I am sure the team leaders would have constantly spoken and motivated their men.

My interaction was with the officers and commanding officers.

How Indian forces went behind enemy lines

IMAGE: Nine soldiers of the Special Forces who took part in the surgical strikes were awarded gallantry medals.

In hindsight and because we have that luxury to ponder over that because it was a successful operation, did you ever feel what would happen if the operation failed?

We had prepared well and we were quite confident of success, but obviously, you can't say that you are going to 100 per cent succeed.

The risk of failure does weigh heavily on you.

If we had failed, obviously the consequences would not have been pleasant.

What consequences could those have been -- and for you?

I was at the fag end of my military career. I had two months left to go before my retirement.

It wasn't so much what other people would think or say. It was more about how you would look back and see whether you have done well or badly.

So the consequences were more in my head.

But it was a high for you. You were going to retire in couple of months and you went out in a blaze of glory, isn't it?

It was a high. But it wasn't something I did myself.

There was a contribution of all those who sat and planned it -- we had a small planning team, army headquarters, the directorate of military planning -- most importantly, the soldiers who went across.

If they hadn't done as well as they did, we would not feel the way we do.

Everyone contributed to its success.

The Northern Army Commander is in charge of J&K and the LoC. He shoulders enormous responsibility. What was your tenure like?

It was fairly challenging. I took over in 2014. The situation along the borders was deteriorating.

A large number of ceasefire violations were taking place. Internally, there were a number of issues like the floods in September 2014.

In 2015, the internal situation was not looking good. We had some attacks on our camps.

In July 2016, we had massive unrest (after Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani's death) and then we had the Uri attack.

It was challenging. There were times when we thought we could have done better.

I think every challenge was handled well and I relied on my commanders, officers and men to do the right thing.

Salute the Special Forces for the surgical strikes

What impact have the surgical strikes had on the soldiers in areas of conflict and in the rest of the armed forces?

One of the big intangible positives was the impact on our own soldiers.

Just prior to the surgical strikes, we had Uri which was one of the worst strikes on our garrisons in a number of years. We had 19 casualties.

One message was that the sacrifice of soldiers would not go unavenged.

Once information on the strikes came in, it was not only a morale booster for soldiers in J&K, but across the country.

It uplifted the morale of the Indian Army.

In the immediate aftermath, can you pinpoint to some of the changes that you saw in the soldiers?

After Uri, obviously, questions were being asked about 'What are you going to do?'

'What are your preparation levels?'

'How can people just come in and do this?'

'Are you going to be totally defensive as it generally happens?'

'Are we going to do something about it?'

Most of the people in my headquarters were also not aware that the strikes were going to happen.

After the strikes one could notice that shoulders were straighter, smiles on the faces (laughs). It had a huge effect on them.

How did it play out among the Pakistan armed forces and security establishment?

What are some of the direct consequences of the strikes on Pakistan and in its response subsequently?

In June 2015 we had the Myanmar operation.

Immediately, the Pakistan interior minister, military spokesperson made statements saying this can't happen in Pakistan. Pakistan is not Myanmar. Any Indian adventurism will have a befitting response.

I think they were completely shocked with the strikes. They had little idea how to respond.

They literally buried their head in the sand as if nothing had happened.

When there are two hostile armies operating in close proximity, moral ascendancy is very important -- and that is something, I think, we achieved.

Among the soldiers that were deployed on the other side, their leave was cancelled, they were told to be careful because the Indian Army could strike anywhere. We saw such changes in the Pakistan army along the border.

At the UN General Assembly Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Abbasi accused India of indulging in terror activities against his country and of 'war crimes' in Kashmir.

He warned of a 'matching response' if India 'ventures across the LoC'.

We have heard these words before. Pakistan has complained of war crimes in Kashmir. It has said that India poses an existential threat to Pakistan.

More than statements it is the attitude that the country has towards India.

Unless that changes, relations will continue to remain hostile. It is something for them to think about.

IMAGE: General Hooda pays tributes at the Kargil war memorial at Drass in Jammu and Kashmir, July 26, 2016.

How did the open acknowledgment and declaration of the surgical strikes by the government alter India's position and response to its handling of terror from across the border?

A lot of people question the acknowledgement, but I think it was right.

If you are a strong, determined, nation, you should be able to show your capability.

One thing we showed is that our response to terrorist attacks will not only be defensive; it will not only be on our side, but we will also go across the border.

Internationally also, it made a big statement. Among the various response options we have, this (surgical strikes) was one more added.

It showed one major response we have in how we respond to terror.

What according to you has been the biggest purpose the strikes achieved? How has it made the LOC and India more secure?

We were quite clear in the military that one surgical strike is not going to end all terrorism in Kashmir or that it will stop cross border infiltration.

After all, Osama bin Laden's killing has not finished Al Qaeda or sorted out the problem in Afghanistan.

What is important is the will and determination of a country. That you are willing to do something about terror that is coming from across the border and that is the message that was sent out.

It really wasn't so much about finishing terrorism in Kashmir. That was not even remotely our objective.

Surgical strikes is one of the options we have in our response to terror -- and it is an option we can employ in the future too if need be, right?

I am not saying a surgical strike is the answer to each and every terrorist attack or problem that we have, but as I said it is has definitely added to our response option.

If required, it can be done.

Would you be able to say how many camps were destroyed and how many terrorists were killed? Is there a number?

No. I can't talk about the number of targets struck. It is classified.

As far as casualties are concerned, frankly, nobody was waiting around to start counting.

There have been occasions in the past when Indian forces have gone across the LOC in similar, albeit in smaller ops? Is that right?

Yes, that is right.

You had said as Northern Army Commander that it is going to be a long war in Kashmir. At what stage have we reached in the course of this long war?

It is very difficult to say. I say it is a long war because it needs a long term strategy to deal with it.

Sometimes, unfortunately, we go from here to here and say 2017 is better than 2016 because then more terrorists were killed or 2015 was better than 2016.

This year on year comparison is not fair and we are making a mistake.

Yes, there is a problem in J&K, there is also the issue of Pakistan's support, there is also the issue of growing radicalisation, the issue of economic development.

All these require a long term strategy.

Therefore, I say it is a long war. You have to have patience. You have to move towards the direction you want to go.

Unfortunately, some of it hasn't happened so fast.

When things were peaceful, we just said ok, we said fine. That is why we have these cycles of violence.

This year we saw many incidents of stone pelting, where the Kashmir valley seemed to be spiralling out of control. What is the situation now?

As I said, if we just look at current indicators and say this is our definition of things getting better. In March-April-May we had more incidents of stone pelting than now, so things are better.

Have we looked at the root causes and tried to address them? I think this is where we need to do some thinking.

What do you think of the Pakistan army chief's statement that it will continue supporting the Kashmiri right to self determination and wanting more army interaction with Pakistan's parliament? How is he different from his predecessor?

As an institution the Pak army has been used to being in power. Now they want power without any responsibility.

I don't think any chief can be different. They have grown up in the same system.

IMAGE: Then army chief General Dalbir Singh with then Northern Army Commander General Hooda in Srinagar.

On a personal note, did your wife and family sense that you were bearing the weight of such a military task? What was it like when you finally got home in Udhampur after the ops ended?

When the going gets tough you cannot show your emotions (at work) or your frustration because immediately panic strikes.

When you get home, you can lower your barrier and take off your frustration.

It always helps to have a calm wife (laughs).

The army has a very supportive family.

What did you say to the men when you met them after they returned?

A day after the operation was over all the officers that took part in the operation and planning came home in the evening.

We shared many joyous moments. It was very good to meet them.

I was happy that they had returned safely.

How is retired life? Does a soldier ever retire?

What you miss on a daily basis is the very motivated bunch of men and women of the army. But everyone's time gets over. That is the reality.

New people have to come in and they come in with new ideas.

I generally spend my time reading. I love reading. I write a little, then people like you keep me busy with some interviews (laughs).

by Archana Masih / Rediff.com

http://www.rediff.com/news/interview/the-general-in-charge-of-the-surgical-strikes/20170926.htm

SC refuses to stay AFT order on special perks for troops

2017-09-21T16:38:00.001+05:30

Plan was only allowed for civilian staff

· NFU entitles civilian officers to get the pay scale of the highest

· promoted officer of their batch even if they are not promoted

· The civilian officers, however, would get NFU two years after the promotion of their batchmate

· The purpose of this scheme, unique to the Indian establishment, was to alleviate stagnation

· Vijay Mohan

The Supreme Court has declined to stay the judgment of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) granting non-functional upgradation (NFU) to members of the armed forces on the same lines as it was granted to civilian Group-A services a few years ago.

The scheme was not extended to the armed forces and central armed police forces (CAPF), following which their officers sought judicial intervention. A serving Army officer, Col Mukul Dev, had moved the AFT contending that the armed forces fulfilled the criteria laid down for being considered in Group-A service. He averred that it had not only affected the morale of thousands of defence officers, but also lowered their stature vis-à-vis civilian officers while violating Article 14 and 16 of the Constitution. The AFT had, in December 2016, allowed Col Dev’s petition along with that filed by other officers. The Union Government moved the apex court against the judgment earlier this year and the matter had been pending over some technical issues.

The Supreme Court’s Bench did not issue any notice to the parties today and fixed October 26 as the date for final arguments the petitioner’s counsel, Col Rajiv Manglik (retd), told The Tribune. “This can imply that there is now no bar on the government to grant NFU to the armed forces,” he added.

Representing the government, Solicitor General Ranjit Singh had sought a stay on the AFT judgment on the grounds that similar petitions concerning CAPFs were still pending.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/sc-refuses-to-stay-aft-order-on-special-perks-for-troops/470113.html

Everything Is Free In Armed Forces. The Indian Soldiers Die For the Indian Citizens for Free

2017-08-03T17:22:00.000+05:30

Did You Know Countrymen, Everything Is Free In Armed Forces. Your Freedom Is Absolutely Free of cost to you

The issue is regarding Insurance for Serving Military Personnel.

Presently the monthly insurance premium is Rs 5000 for officers and Rs 2500 for JCOs for a sum assured of 50 lakhs and 25 lakh respectively, which is deducted from their salary.

The Mkt Rate for 'Normal Life Insurance' (without covering War and other risks of war and terror operations) for a ANNUAL premium of RS 4000 for a sum assured of Rs 1 crore. The heavier premium paid by soldiers is about 220% higher than normal due to the additional war and terror risks.

Govt does not fund the Army Group Insurance Scheme at all and the soldiers not only risk their life for the Country but also pay in cash for taking such risks.

The salaries of the officers who are posted to HQ AGIF to manage these activities are again paid from corpus raised from the salaries and not by the Govt. (The money is refunded to CDA's by AGIF)

In other countries like the USA, every soldier is insured regardless of rank for a monthly premium of 27 dollars for sum assured of 4 lakh dollars. This is made possible by the Federal Govt Law by which the heavy premium is borne by the Federal govt.

In India, we virtually and effectively ask the soldiers to risk their lives and also pay for it too ..

SO YOU THOUGHT EVERYTHING IS FREE IN ARMED FORCES. YOU ARE VERY RIGHT. THE LIVES PROTECTING YOU ARE FREE. THEY PAY FROM THEIR SALARY FOR THEIR INSURANCE SHOULD THEY DIE PROTECTING YOU ..

EVERYTHING IS FREE IN ARMED FORCES. THE INDIAN SOLDIERS DIE FOR FREE.

Mera Bharat Mahaan

Taming of The Bureaucracy - A Tectonic Change

2017-08-03T17:20:00.000+05:30

Silently yet determinedly in the last two years, the shape of the steel frame has been getting moulded at the Government of India level. ‘How Bharatiya has been the Indian Bureaucracy,’ ever since the Modi government was formed.

My initial feeling was that the changes brought about are at best piece-meal. It persisted until I got first-hand taste of the silent yet titanic change a few days back when I saw the empanelment list for Additional Secretary of my batch officers in IAS. I was taken aback to know that out of about 102 officers of 1988 IAS batch, only about 40 figured in the said list. My surprise was over the radical weeding out of more than half of them. It was a radical shift from the past where about 90 percent of those who joined early could easily aspire to retire as Secretary to the Government of India. Not any more.

Changes unleashed at the top level bureaucracy, when the new regime took over at the Centre, were at a small level of ensuring office punctuality irrespective of rank, which graduated to keeping track of frequenting IAS officers to golf clubs in Delhi, to posting non-IAS officers to assignments held traditionally by IAS officers, to weed out the rotten eggs through the traditional mechanism of compulsory retirement in good numbers, and it climaxed at unheard performance based mid-term transfers at the level of Joint Secretaries. All these new changes were at best piece-meal, because they did not attempt to alter the fundamental character of Indian bureaucracy. As a result, I heard how reluctant were officers increasingly becoming in joining the government of India. They felt the changes will not affect those who stay back in states.

But the radical-most of all is what started two years back, and it affected each, irrespective of one’s placement in state or the Centre. The Government of India made a move to shortlist names of IAS officers for senior most empanelment based on what is known today as the 360-Degree Review. It is an out of box appraisal system to select, promote and even punish officials. It has changed the rules played hitherto in that each officer’s suitability to hold the senior-most post is judged not only by what his immediate seniors hold for him/her. He/she is judged today by what the juniors, peer group, or even social circles think of him/her besides his immediate superiors. This essentially reduces the reliance on annual confidential reports as the key basis for short-listing and empanelment. This, in turn, has a significant bearing on the final selection of a bureaucrat to a top job.

The striking fact about the radical most shift is that its mechanism is the least revealed to even those who are part of the system. Surprisingly, the names of three retired secretary–level officers is a tightly guarded state secret, not known to an ordinary senior officer.

As a result, over the past three years, this new system has slowly unhinged certain basic assumptions in a bureaucrat's zone of maneuverability-like lobbying the minister concerned for a job in his department, or even other top bureaucrats.

This is not to say that any of these methods has turned obsolete. But their effectiveness, or ‘rate of return’, has sharply dropped. While some of it has to do with the erosion of coalition era multiple power centres, the simple fact is that new rules have replaced old rules. It is feared that grounds are prepared that in few years from now, more than half of the Secretary's level post in the Government of India will be held by private sector experts.

360-Degree System

It’s said that so devoted is the prime minister to the 360-degree system that he doesn't even want himself to be exempted. He has reportedly chosen to drop names forwarded from his office if they don't pass the 360-degree test.

Three questions arise: What is this review? How is it done? And why is it so important to GoI?

A way had to be found to counter a decade of Congress rule in which the bureaucracy held sway, allowing for long-lasting loyalties to be cultivated across services and beyond retirement barriers. For new equations to be built, old ones had to be disrupted.

But how? After all, lines and rows of batches-cum-cadres seemed well sorted with a string of ‘outstanding’ reports and recommendations. There was no way that they would fail the existing evaluation and selection system, unless there was outright political high-handedness, which would have invited avoidable bureaucratic opprobrium.

Then there was the mandate against corruption. This provided the perfect setting for a systemic overhaul by a newly elected political leadership. This is also the reason why GoI could carry out more senior bureaucratic reshuffles than usual in the past three years.

It was in this context that the 360-degree system was put in place. What does it mean? Quite literally, like in many corporates, it amounts to conducting a holistic evaluation across talent, skills, social and personal parameters instead of simply looking at filework. In bureaucracy, this meant don’t go by confidential reports alone. GoI’s highest echelons were convinced that this system had been rigged, and that many officers were not making it to the shortlist because they had one ‘outstanding’ less than the other. Few important calls were made.

One, all eligible candidates, regardless of their average performance on their appraisals, will be considered for this assessment. Two, the minister’s recommendation of the post being filled will not override the outcome of the 360-degree process. And three, integrity will also be assessed by way of reputation, not just by a Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) clearance.

A Tightly Held Secret

So how is the process conducted? The exercise is a tightly held secret conducted by three retired secretary-level officials. They have been appointed for a two-year period, subject to health considerations, and their identities are supposed to be classified.

This group is expected to work pretty much independently, sharing all the cadres among the three, collecting information from myriad sources in an unsuspecting, unassuming manner, figuring out the general reputation of the officer among subordinate staff, paint an overall perception picture on integrity, besides making any other relevant observations. At the same time this group wouldn't be made aware of the job an officer is being considered for. Now, whom they talk to, and whose views count is still more or less a grey area. But what we know is that this report is placed before a panel headed by the Cabinet secretary in case of secretary-level appointments, and the establishment officer, who heads the panel for joint secretaries. Both panels have PMO representations.

All other inputs, including intelligence reports and ministerial recommendations, are on the table. But the contents and conclusion of this report have a definitive bearing. The recommendation of this panel is largely final. In other words, the measure of perception and reputation has come to matter more, regardless of what appraisal reports say. And while that may give a second chance to many who have lost out in their careers for the wrong reasons, the system has also introduced new variables, including subjective elements, that have drastically altered the field of play.

This bold article on Indian Bureaucracy is by Uday Sahay, A former IPS officer