Sainik Melava - ZSWO Nashik

Sainik Melava - ZSWO Nashik : 29 Oct 2015

 



WREATH LAYING BY COL SUHAS S JATKAR (RETD), 
DIRECTOR DEPARTMENT OF SAINIK WELFARE PUNE

 

WREATH LAYING BY SHRI BHANUDAS PALVE,
OFFICIATING COLLECTOR NASHIK

 

Lightning light during Inauguration   of Maji Sainik Melawa by Col Suhas S Jatkar (Retd), Dir Department of Sainik Welfare, Pune

 

Col SUuhas Jatkar, Dir, Department of Sainik Welfare, Pune welcomes  to Shri Bhanudas  Palve, Officiating Collector Nashik during Sainik Melawa

 

 

 

 ADDRESS BY COL SUHAS S JATKAR (RETD)
 

 

ADDRESS BY SHRI BHANUDAS PALVE

 

LT CDR SOPAN DOKE (RTED),   DISTRICT SOLDIER  WELFARE OFFICER NASHIK

 

 

ADDRESS BY LT CDR SOPAN DOKE (RTED)  

 

 

 

 

 

RETIRED ARMY OFFICERS, ESM , WAR WIDOWS

AND WIDOWS ATTENDED EX-SERVICEMEN RALLY  

OROP Rally Glimps at IESM Nashik - Avinash Kulkarni

 

 

Story shared by Capt Udaji Nikam

Today I want to share a true and a very inspiring story of a Veer Nari Smt Bimla Rana w/o Late L/Nk Inder Rana of 6 Kumaon.

 

The brave heart was martyred during Kargil operations. The Veer Nari was only 21 years old then with two daughters and a son. The eldest Meenakshi was all of six years old. The second daughter Ritu was just 2 1/2 years old and the youngest son Kuldip Was only a year and a half.

 

The veer nari did not get any support from her in laws and other relatives. She had no place to stay with her three young children. She had no wherewithal to look after her children or educate them.
 

The Kumaon Regiment runs a war widows hostel at the Regimental Centre at Ranikhet. She approached the Centre Commandant for accommodation in the hostel which was immediately accepted.

 

Smt Bimla Rana started to re-create her and her children's life. She put Meenakshi in the govt school at Ranikhet. Meenakshi started her education in this Hindi Medium School. She always used to say " main fauj men jaaoonga. Main fauji banoonga."

 

This used to have a strange effect on Smt Bimla Rana. She used to imagine Meenakshi as a L/Nk of 6 Kumaon like her late husband. Little did she realise that fate had much more in store for her and her children.

 

Meenakshi kept nurturing her ambition of joining the Army. Smt Bimla Rana would cry in isolation how could a girl become a sepoy. Being uneducated she was unaware of the Women entry scheme. One day in a veer nari welfare meet she discussed her problem with the Centre Commandant's wife. The Centre Commandant's wife arranged a meeting with her husband. The Commandant explained the details of the Women entry scheme to her and said for this Meenakshi needed to study in an English medium school.

 

Smt Bimla Rana was taken aback by this information. How could a poor uneducated widow afford to get her daughter educated in an English medium school?

 

But the resolve of Meenakshi kept on motivating her. Meenakshi was an intelligent student. After she completed her fifth class Smt Bimla Rana with the help from the then Centre Commandant got the application for admission of Meenakshi in Ashok Hall Girls Residential School in Ranikhet.

 

This proved to be a turning point in the life of Smt Bimla Rana and her children. Meenakshi being intelligent cleared her admission test and got admission in Ashok Hall Girls Residential School. She completed her 12th with 90 percent marks and decided to do her graduation from DU. She applied for SRCC and got admission there. After completing her B Com from DU she applied for the Women entry scheme and got through in the first attempt. After completing her training at Officers' Training Academy, Chennai, she got commissioned in the Army Ordnance Corps.

 

Today I met Lt Meenakshi Rana at Kumaon Regimental Centre with her proud mother, her younger sister Ritu Rana who is pursuing Hotel management from Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Kufri, Shimla and her brother Kuldip Rana who is pursuing his B Sc from Hansraj College, New Delhi.

 

I share this inspiring story of a Veer Nari as a tribute to her and salute her.

 

May her story inspire all veer naris. May L/Nk Inder Rana's soul Rest in Peace and satisfaction. May he shower blessings from heaven to this bravest of the brave Veer Nari and her children.

 

If you liked this story and feel that it is worth sharing, please do so

 

Shared by Capt Udaji Nikam

Unwittingly Walking Along With Toadies Of The Previous Government - Johnny Dhar

Dear Gen,

Thx for your sticking out your kneck. We know where we stand and will be under no further delusion. 

We have learnt a lot from seniors like you but this is one issue on which a lot of us, probably a majority of us, would not like to be on the same wicket as you. We have our own considered opinions and would stick by it till the end.

As you may have read in my earlier mails to you and to others, I am of the considered opinion that our real fight, ?(Yes fight), must be for 'Restoration of the Honour and Dignity of the Soldier' so systematically, ruthlessly snipped off us in a sustained manner by successive govts since independence. OROP is just a tiny first step towards a successful conclusion of that fight. There aremany more peaks to climb till we conquer the ME.

At least we are now aware, thanks to OROP what has been done to us, (Not for us), in a paranoidial reaction to a deep rooted jealousy and fear of the Armed Forces, both by the Bureaucracy and their Masters, fed by fearful Minutes from the former.

I am happy that under sustained promptings from  quite a few of us, Satbir has finally realised the importance of not limiting our struggle to OROP. I was happy to listen to his audio on FM Radio 1 the other day, where has finally clearly spelt out the long way forward.

India's heritage is not the legacy of the Sangh Privaar alone. It is of each one of us amongst the 1.25 billion proud Indians. This heritage has survived over 10,000 yrs of history full of depredations by foreign invaders and uninvited settlers, Aryans being one of them. But the Aryans were wise, they took the philosophy of the Indus valley civilisation, whicj predated their arrival and mixed it with their own rituals and gave us what we now treasure as Vedas, Upanishads and the Vedanta, the SrimadBhagwat Gita and countless other treatise. 

That 10,000 yrs old heritage is being usurped by a few upstarts of the Sangh Privar, who, at the best, are half cocked, dimwitted and love nothing more than their own hegemony. The composite culture that survived 10,000 yrs is being systematically destroyed, bit by bit. This must be stopped at any cost.

So now that we know where we stand, I will not waste your time with my thoughts. I will rather share it amongst my friends and fellow citizens, who are even more concerned about India's cultural, political and ethnic future.

Before I close , I would like to share with you Sir, that about two months back, I had casually opened a fb page, inviting friends who had similar thoughts. We, as I wrtie, are  just a few short of 1100 mark, with not one wanting the page to be closed till we have not conquered the ME. And to think that I have been able to pay only partial attention to the fb page due to my study commitment for MBA (Finance).

I am sure you will find happy company with some illustrious people, who once wore the uniform but have come to be despised by tyheir own regiments.

We are veterans, soldier veterans and who, better than you, will know that a soldier never dies, be he in active service or 'sevanivritt'.

Thx and regards,

Yours sincerely,

Johnny Dhar

[ Tri Services India ] ​31 October 2015 at 01:03

OROP Rally Photo - Avinash Kulkarni

 

 

OROP: Ex-servicemen hold rally in Mumbai

Ex-servicemen today protested against the delay in issue of official notification by the government to 'one rank one pension' (OROP) scheme as announced by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in September.

 

 

Ex-servicemen today protested against the delay in issue of official notification by the government to ‘one rank one pension’ (OROP) scheme as announced by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in September.

 

The ex-servicemen, under the banner of United Front of Ex-Servicemen Movement (UFESM), held a rally at Azad Maidan here today.

 

Chairman of Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM) Maj Gen (retd) Satbir Singh addressed the rally which was aimed at making people aware of what several veterans feel is an active attempt by the government to water down the scheme, an IESM spokesperson said. “Rallies are being held across the country to make people aware of the machinations of the babus-netas who have relentlessly denied OROP to veterans after withdrawing it in 1973, within 18 months of the 1971 war victory,” he said.

 

The government’s declaration on September 15 had several shortcomings that would kill the very idea of OROP.

 

Despite the announcement, there had been no official government notification for the scheme, he said.

 

Objecting to the government’s proposal to revise pensions after every five years, he said, by definition, OROP means an annual increase in pension and the veterans feel that a five-yearly revision will defeat the purpose of the scheme.

 

On October 25, several retired officers and senior Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), under the banner of the UFESM, signed a petition in blood at Jantar Mantar in Delhi which was to be submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

The petition demanded early implementation of OROP and the group expressed apprehensions that the government’s intention was not to give them the actual OROP

 

 

[ Financial Express ] [ PTI ] [ Mumbai | October 31, 2015 6:38 PM

On this day, 31 Oct - Lt Gen Raj Kadyan

Unlike water, life does not flow  over the shortest possible route.

On this day, 31 Oct....

 

1815 - English chemist, Sir Humphry Davy patented the miner's safety lamp. Miners at work constantly met firedamp, an explosive mix of methane gas and air, during the working of coal. This was an almost insurmountable obstacle to the working of many of the collieries until the discovery of the safety lamp.

 

1888 -  Pneumatic bicycle tyres were patented by Scottish inventor, John Boyd Dunlop.

 

1951 - The zebra crossing was first introduced in Slough, Berkshire, England to reduce casulaties at pedestrian road crossings. (At that time there was only a tenth of the traffic now seen on the roads. The crossings existing then were marked by metal studs in the road. Those on foot could see them clearly but the motorist felt the familiar bumps only in the seconds before he or she collided with a pedestrian. Others things were tried but nothing had the visual impact of the broad white and black stripes across the road at a zebra crossing).

 

1962 - Krishna Menon, Defence Minister, resigned due to attack by China.

 

1956 - An airplane landed at the South Pole for the first time. Navy Admiral George J. Dufek was the first American to set foot on there, the first man since Scott to stand at the Pole. He came with an advance party to build the first permanent South Pole Station. 

 

1980 - Julian Nott sets world hot-air balloon altitude record at 16,806 m. (Starting with the first hot air balloon ascent by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier of France, where he rose to 79 feet,  Alan Eustace, a senior vice president at Google, reached 135,906 ft altitudre on 24 Oct 2014 on a balloon and returned to Earth by a parachute jump).

 

1984 - Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by her bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh at her home in New Delhi. (Indira Gandhi, the 4th Prime Minister of India, was assassinated at 09:20 am and died after 4 hours of surgery. She was on her way to be interviewed by British actor Peter Ustinov, who was filming a documentary for Irish television. She was walking through the garden of the Prime Minister's Residence at No. 1, Safdarjung Road towards the neighbouring 1 Akbar Road office.The assassination happened in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, the June 1984 assault on the Golden Temple in Amritsar). 

 

1992 -  The Vatican admitted erring for over 359 years in formally condemning Galileo Galilei for entertaining scientific truths such as the Earth revolves around the sun, which the Roman Catholic Church long denounced as anti-scriptural heresy. After 13 years of inquiry, the Pope's commission of historic, scientific and theological scholars brought the pope a “not guilty” finding for Galileo. In

 

1633, at age 69, Galileo had been forced by the Roman Inquisition to repent and spent the last eight years of his life under house arrest. Galileo is remembered as one of history's greatest scientists.

 

2000 - Chhattisgarh, the 26th State of Indian Union, comes into existence.

 

2011 - The world population reaches 7 billion inhabitants according to the United Nations.

 

Born....

1875 - Vallabhbhai Zaverbhai Patel, 'Iron man of India'. (He was also the first Deputy Prime Minister. His father had served in the army of the Rani of Jhansi against Britishers).

 

RIP....

1876 - Cyclone hits Bengal, centred near Bakarganj (now in Banlgadesh); about 200,000 die.

 

1918 - Spanish flu-virus kills 21,000 in US in one week.

 

1975 - Sachin Dev Burman, famous music director.

 

Titbits....

1987 - Chris Antley at Belmont became the first jockey to win 9 races in 1 day.

 

Good morning. Have a nice day.

Lt Gen Raj Kadyan

Unwittingly Walking Along With Toadies Of The Previous Government - Lt Gen SK Bahri

Veterans,

I am sticking my neck out on a subject which will raise the hackles of a lot of us who are in a "confrontation mode" against the government at Jantar Mantar. Having turned 83 yrs yesterday, I think I will take the risk of being a contrarian.

Friends, we are watching the spectacle of a number of 'so called' eminent writers, artistes, scientists and film makers returning their supposedly 'deserved' awards received under the previous regime. A lot of them have been exposed of their having got the awards singing praises about Congress leaders. Most of them were selective about which cause they bleated about when bigger misdeeds of the previous government were not even whispered about eg., Bihar riots of 1967(my unit was called up), Hashimpura massacre, Bhagalpur killings, ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits, Sikh riots of Delhi. There has been endless complaining about the thousand odd people killed from both communities in Ahmedabad in 2002 but forget about thousands of the minority community killed in a 4 day of orgy in 1969 under a Congress government, before the Army was called up and peace was restored within a few hours, without killing anyone in a few hours. I was witness to it as commanding officer of a unit. And what about the beheading of soldiers by Pakistan, because of whose sacrifice they are able to write/research/work without any fear. If the soldier were not to stand guard at the border these people would actually be snuffed out instead of being only feeling suffocated.

Why did not these stalwarts, who feel suffocated under the present dispensation, even raise a whimper of protest on those occasions. The reason being that had they had done so, their perks and awards would have been forfeited and the gravy train stopped. Being small men they did not want to risk that. The problem is that even our judiciary and bureaucracy, during the emergency imposed by the same benefactors of theirs, crawled when asked to bend, except for few exceptions. 

Veterans, surely we do not want to be in the same group of self serving people. We too returned our medals in 2008 but there is a major difference. We did not get our medals out of anybody's largesse, they were earned. But we were angry that though we had never stinted in doing our duty by the Nation with all the handicaps of shortage of warlike stores, lack of political clarity of our national aim and poor intelligence, while being shortchanged with our salaries and consequently, pensions. The last straw on the camel's back was the 6th CPC award which showed that the UPA government was not interested in the izzat and welfare of the soldiers and, therefore the security of the Nation. Worse is that we saw no benefit to the country even if we were deprived of our essential equipment and paid a pittance in comparison with our contemporaries in the civil services, as the powers that be were only interested in lining their pockets. The defence budget has been the Kamdhenu cow of our rulers so far. Hope this changes under the present dispensation.

Friends, you all must be aware that the present government has done a lot to improve our ability to fight in the last 18 months, more than the Congress governments have done in nearly 60 years when they were in power! I am sure with the PM and RM on our side they will also be able overcome the rearguard action being fought by the bureaucracy and we will get what we deserve. So I would recommend that we should not be on the same page as the 'eminent' people returning their awards. 

Let us give up our Jantar Mantar agitation and give the government time till Diwali to redeem its promises, as stated by the RM. You know very well as a soldier that you become more determined when you work under a threat, so lets not push the government beyond a point. We have already made the government conscious of the fact that if the OROP award is not to our liking, we are willing to negotiate. Further if the negotiations fail we will seek legal remedies. The government is fully aware that we are only seeking our legal entitlements and as always, the courts will give us what the government tries to deny us. So fellow Veterans, lets us close down our protest at Jantar Mantar and give the PM & RM time to stand by their promises.

 

Wishing you all a very happy Diwali with your families and friends.

 

Lt Gen SK Bahri PVSM
[ Tri Services India ] ​30 October 2015 at 22:25

 

What India is Buying to Guard Against Chinese Missile Attacks

 

The S-400, a ballistic missile shield is designed to protect key installations such as nuclear reactors, population centres and government installations and can intercept enemy missile more than 400 kilometres away.

New Delhi:  Ahead of the visit of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to Russia tomorrow, the decks have been cleared for the acquisition of what is widely considered the world's most advanced anti-ballistic missile system - the S-400.

Considered a ballistic missile shield, the S-400 is designed to protect key installations such as nuclear reactors, population centres and government installations and can intercept enemy missile more than 400 kilometres away. The cost of the acquisition and the number of S-400 systems India will acquire is not known at this stage.

In an interview to ITAR-TASS ahead of his departure tomorrow, Mr Parrikar has said he hopes to finalise the S-400 deal with Russia by the time Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Moscow in December.

Mr Parrikar has also made it clear that India stands committed to investing and being a partner in the development of the stealth Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), a Sukhoi designed fighter presently being test flown in Russia. India has reportedly not been happy with the work share it was allotted in what was thought to be a joint-development project worth $30 billion. Speaking to ITAR-TASS, Mr Parrikar has said, "I have directed my officers to commence the negotiations as early as possible and close the first stage so that we can proceed further."

Though details have not yet been confirmed, India is also likely to sign a deal for the acquisition of a second Akula-2 class nuclear attack submarine from Russia and three Krivak class frigates which are in various stages of completion.

The Defence Minister's agenda for his Russia visit comes as the government's Defence Acquisition Council cleared defence projects worth more than Rs. 15,000 crores.

A few key items which were cleared include upgrading the Indian Air Force's two decade old Il-76 transport jets with new avionics and re-engining its fleet of six Il-78 air to air refuellers. This will cost Rs. 4300 crores.

The Indian Army will acquire two regiments of 'Made-in-India' Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers for Rs. 3300 crores. Each regiment will come with 18 Pinaka launchers and associated systems.

The Navy will acquire four 3500 ton multi-utility vessels which will be built in India. This is likely to cost Rs. 2800 crores. These are unarmed vessels to be used for non-combat roles.

The Indian Air Force will digitise its existing squadrons of Russian Pechora missiles in an ambitious Rs. 1800 crore project, tenders for which will be sent out to Indian firms. Old analogue systems in the three-decade old Pechora surface-to-air missiles will be replaced by more modern and reliable digitised processors, data-links and other systems.

Story First Published: October 30, 2015 00:00 IST

 

Vishnu Som

 

[ NDTV ] | Updated: October 30, 2015 02:34 IST

 

माजी सैनिक मेळावा - सैनिक कल्याण विभाग नाशिक

माजी सैनिकांच्या भव्य मेळाव्याचे आयोजन सैनिक कल्याण विभागाच्या वतीने व भारतीय माजी सैनिक संघटना (IESL) च्या सहकार्याने गुरुवार, दि. 29 ऑक्टोबर 2015 रोजी सकाळी दहा वाजता, माजी सैनिकांच्या मुलांचे वसतीगृह, शासकीय दुध डेअरी समोर, त्र्यंबक रोड, नाशिक येथे करण्यात आले होते.
 

महाराष्ट्राचे सैनिक कल्याण विभागाचे संचालक, कर्नल सुहास जतकर प्रमुख पाहुणे व निवासी जिल्हाधीकारी अध्यक्षस्थानी होते. मंचावर भारतीय माजी सैनिक संघटना (आइ इ एस एल) खान्देश प्रभाग अध्यक्ष कॅप्टन अजीत ओढेकर,  जिल्हा सैनिक कल्याण अधिकारी ले. कमांडर सोपान ढोके, मेस्को चे संस्थापक संचालक मेजर कुलकर्णी, आर्टीलरी चे सिनियर रेकार्ड अधिकारी , भारतीय माजी सैनिक संघटना नाशिक जिल्हा अध्यक्ष श्री फुलचंद पाटील उपस्थीत होते.

या मेळाव्यात माजी सैनिकांशी निगडीत विविध विषय, समस्या व योजनांवर मार्गदर्शन करण्यात आले. ले. कमांडर सोपान ढोके यांनी सैनिक कल्याण कार्यालय, नाशिकच्या कामाची माहीती देत प्रास्ताविक केले. मेजर कुलकर्णी यांनी मेस्को च्या वतीने रोजगाराच्या विविध संधींची माहीती दिली.

कर्नल सुहास जतकर यांनी सैनिक कल्याण विभागामार्फत राबविल्या जाणा-या विविध उपक्रम व त्यांच्या महत्वाविषयी आणी नवनविन ऊद्योगांविषयी माहीती देउन 'मेक इन इंडीया- डिफेंस' संकल्पनेची व माजी सैनिक किंवा त्यांच्या पत्नी कसे उद्योजक होऊ शकतील तसेच मेस्कोच्या साथीने पर्यटन व्यवसायातील विविध संधींची सविस्तर माहीती दिली .

जिल्हधिका-यांनी सैन्याविषयीचे आपले अनुभव सांगत माजी सैनिकांच्या समस्या प्राधान्याने सोडविणात संपुर्ण सहकार्याचे अश्वासन देणार असल्याचे सांगीतले. मेस्को चे नाशिक विभाग प्रमुख कर्नल बाळासाहेब पाटील यांनी उपस्थीतांचे आभार मानले.

कार्यक्रमाचे उत्कृष्ट सुत्रसंचालन व निवेदन भारतीय माजी सैनिक संटघना (IESL) नाशिकचे उपाध्यक्ष श्री गोविंद बस्ते यांच्या वहीनी सौ भारती बस्ते यांनी केले. कार्यक्रमाच्या समाप्तीनंतर कर्नल सुहास जतकर यांनी माजी सैनिकांच्या समस्या ऐकुन घेतल्या व त्यांचे लवकरच समाधान करण्याचे अश्वासन दिले.


माजी सैनिक संघटना  (IESL) चे उपाध्यक्ष श्री गोविंद बस्ते, उपाध्यक्ष श्री  विजय पवार, सचीव श्री मेघःशाम सोनवणे, खजीनदार श्री श्रीराम आढाव, कार्यकारीणी  सदस्य श्री उदय तेली, श्री चंद्रशेखर कांबळे, श्री सोपान मुसळे, श्री प्रकाश मेधने, श्री शिवाजी शिवर, श्री  प्रभाकर बडगुजर, श्री आनंदा कापसे, सिन्नर तालुका अध्यक्ष श्री मधुकर सोनवणे, चांदवड तालुका सचीव श्री बाळासाहेब गाढे, पेठ तालुका अध्यक्ष श्री गंगाधर चौधरी, सटाणा तालुका अध्यक्ष श्री शिवाजी सोनवणे, मालेगाव तालुका अध्यक्ष श्री लोटन शेवाळे, मालेगाव शहर प्रमुख श्री दिलीप हिरे, सैनिक कल्याण कार्यालयाचा संपुर्ण कर्मचारी वर्ग महीला बचत गट सदस्य यांच्यासह मोठ्या संख्येने माजी सैनिक, त्यांच्या पत्नी, विर पत्नी, विर माता, वीरपिता, माजी सैनिकांच्या विधवा मोठ्या संख्येने उपस्थीत होत्या.  कार्यक्रमाच्या यशस्वीतेसाठी आयोजक व संयोजकांचे जाहीर अभिनंदन.

IAF wants aerial refuelling, jammers, quick turnaround in new Tejas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From 2018-19 onwards, 16 'Standard of Preparation-18' Tejas fighters, which involves four major upgrades, will roll off the line each year

 

In New Delhi on September 23, decades of friction came to an end when key stakeholders in the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) finally agreed on the specifications of a fighter that would join the Indian Air Force (IAF) in large numbers, starting in 2018-19.

Termed "Standard of Preparation - 2018" (SoP-18), these specifications were agreed between four agencies. Besides the IAF, they include the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which oversees the Tejas programme; Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), which builds the fighter, and the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

SoP-18 involves four major, and several minor, improvements. As Business Standard reported on Monday ("Cutting edge Israeli radar wins air force approval for Tejas fighter"), a crucial enhancement in the SoP-18 Tejas will be "active electronically scanned array" (AESA) radar, which Israeli company, Elbit, will develop with HAL.

Besides AESA radar, the SoP-18 Tejas will be equipped with the capability for air-to-air refuelling, a "self-protection jammer" (SPJ) mounted in an external pod to confuse enemy radar, and an improved layout of internal systems to ease maintenance.

HAL is currently building 20 Tejas fighters to the initial operational certification (IOC) standard. HAL chief, T Suvarna Raju says, over the next three years, production will ramp up from four aircraft this year to seven in 2016-17, and eight in 2017-18, thus completing the order for 20 IOC fighters. From 2018-19 onwards, 16 SoP-18 Tejas fighters will roll off the line each year.

"Ramping up production to 16 Tejas per year will cost us about Rs 1,252 crore. We have mutually agreed that HAL will provide half the cost, and the IAF and navy will together pay the other half," says Raju.

Meanwhile, ADA will continue developing the Tejas Mark II, replacing the current General Electric F-404IN engine with a new GE F-414 engine. The IAF remains sceptical about the Tejas Mark II, but the navy is certain the Tejas must have the more powerful F-414 engine to enable it to get airborne from short aircraft carrier decks.

That means that, along with the SoP-18 Tejas that would remain in production till 2024-25, the Naval Tejas Mark II would have to be somehow produced alongside.

Air-to-Air refuelling
The integration of air-to-air refuelling has been regarded as essential to give the Tejas enough reach. Currently, its internal tanks carry just 2,300 litres of fuel, with another 2,400 litres carried in external pods. However, external pods cannot be carried into battle, and they take up two weapon stations, reducing the fighter's punch. Without external fuel tanks, the Tejas has a combat radius of barely 300 kilometres.

Air-to-air refuelling will step up combat radius to 500 km. Towards that, a late prototype of the Tejas, numbered LSP-8, was fitted with an external fuel probe. This is being integrated and will soon undergo flight-testing.

Says a veteran fighter pilot: "As important than the ability to fight is the ability to turn up at the fight. That requires long legs and, for a light fighter, that requires air-to-air refuelling".

External jammer pod
Tejas designers admit the absence of a jammer to throw enemy radar off the scent is a key vulnerability of the Tejas. While designing the fighter, they simply ran out of space for an internal jammer. With the IAF dropping its insistence on an internal jammer, ADA and HAL have now offered an "external jammer pod".

While this threatened to reduce the Tejas' weapons carriage by occupying one of its seven hard points, HAL is overcoming that problem by fitting a "twin-arm" at that hard point. "One of the arms will carry the jammer, while the other will mount an air-to-air missile", says the designer.

Maintainability
For the IAF, which must mount multiple missions every day with each Tejas fighter, easy "maintainability" and "low turn-around-time" are key attributes. The HAL chief says the IAF wants the fighter to take maximum 14 minutes between landing after a mission; and taking off for the next mission, fully checked, rearmed and refuelled. Currently, the Tejas takes about 20 minutes.

"The IAF has carried out a 'maintainability evaluation' on the Tejas, and provided requests for action (RFAs) to HAL. Each RFA deals with a particular way to improve maintenance. We will be making 27 modifications in the fighter", says Raju.

The Tejas already has built-in-test-equipment (BITE), which is a software programme that automatically checks the functionality of every crucial system. In case an aircraft system is not working optimally, the BITE flashes a warning light.

On the other hand, if no warning lights are evident, maintenance engineers know that all systems are working satisfactorily. The need to check each one manually is no longer there.

This also involves fitting "pressure refuelling" of the kind that exists in Formula One racing cars, which requires fuel to be pumped under pressure into the fuel tanks. Refuelling the Tejas takes just four minutes, and two more to fill drop tanks as well.

 

Ajai Shukla  

HAL  

[ Business Standard ]  October 27, 2015 Last Updated at 22:39 IST

Indian Air Force (IAF) to Commence Exercise-Livewire

 

The Indian Air Force is commencing its annual exercise, Exercise Livewire, on 31 October 2015. The exercise involves utilization of air assets of all types available with the IAF. The aim of the exercise is to validate the full spectrum of IAF capability in undertaking operations in response to likely future threats and operational contingencies, and also to exercise its latest acquisitions effectively in a network centric environment. The latest operational concepts and preparedness would be checked out.

During such exercises, exposure is also given to the young generation of air warriors in honing their skills. Along with operational requirements, maintenance as well as administrative requirements would also be tested in as close to the likely real-time scenario as possible. Communications, net centric warfare operations and reconnaissance capabilities would be checked. Joint operations with Indian Army and Navy would be practised on realistic targets, so as to synergise the Op capability of all the three Services. Liaison with Airports Authority of India has been ensured for de-confliction with civil air traffic during the exercise.

SSB/RCD/MKS  [ Business Standard  ]

Clarification by Indian Air Force (IAF) on Chattisgarh Naxal issue

The IAF has been at the helm of affairs in executing air operations in support of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in Chattisgarh for many years and has prided itself in carrying out the same in strict compliance with the authorized Rules of Engangement. However, some articles on the air operations, that have appeared in the Indian print and online media recently, refer to the recent air-to-ground practice firing in the Bastar region by IAF helicopters as a shift in strategic plan by the GoI to use IAF helicopters to strafe its own people. Such misleading articles not only tarnish the image of the IAF, but also threaten to undermine the operations being carried out by IAF in support of CAPF. Recently, the IAF had to issue a rejoinder to a prominent English daily newspaper following the publishing of a misleading article on the IAF operations.

The factually correct information as regards IAF operations is as follows:

IAF has been operating its helicopters in the Bastar region for several years. During these operations, IAF helicopters deployed in logistics support of Central Armed Police Forces have been fired upon numerous times while in air and on ground, leading to injuries sustained by personnel on board. However, there have been no retaliatory attacks by the IAF. As per the authorised Rules of Engagement, IAF personnel fire only in self defence when fired upon first. The IAF has no plans to undertake any offensive strikes.

As training of aircrew is an ongoing process, air to ground firing from helicopters is a routine training exercise and must be carried out by aircrew as a part of continuation training. Such exercises are carried out at regular intervals to hone the skills and to maintain co-ordination between the aircrew and troops. A training exercise was carried out recently on a pre-surveyed air-to-ground range area which is devoid of any population.

As far as the training exercise carried out recently and air strategy is concerned, there is no deviation from the earlier stance. In fact, use of force would be strictly in compliance with the Rules of Engagement as mandated by GoI. There is no change in strategy of the IAF.

This press release is intended to clarify the stand of the IAF to the media fraternity and to all readers regarding air operations carried out by the IAF in Chattisgarh.

SSB/MKS [ Business Standard ]

Over 500 Warriors Inducted in Air Force After 'Rigorous Training'

Air show at the Grand Air Force Day celebrations near Delhi.

Chennai:  More than 500 Air Warriors were recently inducted in the Air Force after going through a "rigorous and intensive training curriculum".

At a Combined Passing-out Parade at Air Force Station, Tambaram on October 23, 2015, 548 Air Warriors were inducted into IAF, a Defence release today said.

"The Air Warriors went through a rigorous and intensive training curriculum at the two premier institutes of the base, namely, the Mechanical Training Institute and the Workshop Training Institute, before passing out," it said.

Air Vice Marshal AK Gupta, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Eng B), who reviewed the parade, said that with the induction of the state-of-the-art aircraft, equipment and weapon system, IAF was witnessing major changes in operational philosophy, it said.

IAF today was on the path of transforming itself into a strategic force of great calibre, the Air Vice Marshal was quoted in the release as saying.

He urged the Air Warriors to make sustained efforts towards continuous enhancement of their technical knowledge and skills by keeping themselves abreast with the latest changes besides asking them to maintain exemplary conduct at all times, it added.

[ Press Trust of India ] | Updated: October 26, 2015 17:28 IST

Defence Ministry Directs Indian Army To Stop Buffalo Slaughter During Dussehra

 

Saswat Singhdeo                            

SW Staff Writer 

In a move to end an age-old tradition of buffalo slaughtering, the Defence Ministry, under Manohar Parrikar, has asked the Indian army to stop buffalo slaughter.

According to sources, an order has been issued to put an end to the practice of certain army units beheading a male buffalo (Rango) during Dussehra. This is especially a Gurkha tradition.

Source: PTI

 

"No doubt it is an old tradition but the tradition is now against Indian law. There are laws that govern slaughter and sacrificing an animal in such a manner is against the rules," a top defence ministry functionary told Economic Times.

The report, citing sources, further said that the instructions were sent earlier this month. The government view is that the ritual amounts to cruelty.

"It is understood that there may be some who wish to carry out this tradition but rules should not be bent. If there is such a need, rules can be followed and the animal can be taken to government authorized slaughter houses as per the law," the report quoted a source as saying.

Sourec: PTI

 

In Nepal, thousands of buffaloes, goats, ducks and other animals are ritually sacrificed annually in a ceremony called Maar which can be translated as ‘kill’ or ‘sacrifice.’ Traditionally, the sacrifice of a male buffalo is of particular importance.

During the Gadhimai festival in Nepal, thousands of animals are sacrificed in the name of prosperity. Many of the animals — most of which are babies — are brought illegally over the border from India.

In April, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi had said that it would be wrong to give a religious colour to such a move while pitching for a country-wide ban on cow and buffalo slaughter.

 

The irony is that the government is leaving no stone unturned to make slaughter illegal in India but the neighbouring country is organizing festivals where thousands of cattle are slaughtered, including the ones brought from India. And those are Hindu festivals. Can the Indian government stop this mass killing ?

 

[  Scoop Whoop ] 30 Oct 2015

OROP implementation may be deferred: PM Modi’s NDA govt must tread cautiously

There is unease in the Ministry of Finance over implementation of the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme for the armed forces.

By: Santosh Tiwari | New Delhi | October 30, 2015 11:32 AM

 

Though it will be difficult for the government to go back on One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme now as PM Narendra Modi has already accepted it, the whole exercise should not turn into an unreasonable and unbearable one. (Express photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

 

There is unease in the Ministry of Finance over implementation of the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme for the armed forces from the current financial year due to the Centre’s weak finances. This clearly signals that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have given more thought and time in analysing its impact on the government finances.

The ministry is now planning to shift its implementation to the next fiscal, but that will make it even more problematic considering the additional burden that the government will have to bear due to the Pay Commission recommendations on the salaries and pension of the Central government employees.

 

Though it will be difficult for the government to go back on OROP now as PM Modi has already accepted it, the whole exercise should not turn into an unreasonable and unbearable one.

 

It will be a good idea, therefore, to wait for the Pay Commission recommendations, which have to come by December 31, and then take a final call on the implementation date and structure of OROP, based on the capacity of the government to pay for it.

A uniform pension has to be paid under the OROP to the armed forces personnel retiring at the same rank after the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement.

The government has announced that these benefits would be applicable from July 1, 2014, with arrears to be paid in four half-yearly installments, and pensions will be revised every five years.

Besides the estimated one-time outgo of Rs 10,000-12,000 crore on pension arrears, the recurring annual additional cost is expected to be Rs 8,000-10,000 crore, and the 7th Pay Commission award will only add to this.

If the finance ministry is jittery on starting the OROP exercise this year because of the pressures from lower direct tax collections and the impending shortfall from the Rs 69,500 crore disinvestment target on the fiscal deficit target of 3.9% of GDP – what is the guarantee that the situation will be better in FY17?

It will be a good idea to do a thorough analysis of the current and future cost of the OROP first, and try and find ways to make the scheme sustainable, before it is implemented.

Avoiding this would mean government bearing this burden at the cost of other essential expenditures. OROP will become a template for other services – it is on the government to make it a good one, or a bad one.

 

[Financial Express ]  First Published on October 29, 2015 2:09 pm

OROP : Tamil Song - Lt Col CR Sundar

 

On This Day - Lt Gen Raj Kadyan

The most important relationship in your life is the relationship you have with yourself.

On this day, 30 Oct....

1502 - Vasco da Gama returns to Calicut, India for the second time.

1925 - The first television transmission was seen in London, England. John Baird built the transmitter in his attic from a tea chest, cardboard scanning discs, an empty biscuit box, old electric motors, darning needles, motorcycle lamp lenses, piano wire, glue, string, and sealing wax.

1960 - Michael Woodruff performs the first successful kidney transplant in the United Kingdom at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. (One of the earliest mentions about the real possibility of a kidney transplant was by American medical researcher Simon Flexner, who declared in a reading of his paper on “Tendencies in Pathology” in the University of Chicago in 1907 that it would be possible in the then-future for diseased human organs substitution for healthy ones by surgery — including arteries, stomach, kidneys and heart). 

1990 - Britain and France complete the "Chunnel" under the English Channel. (The Chunnel is a 50.5-kilometre   rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent, in the United Kingdom, with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, in northern France, beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is 75 m deep. At 37.9 kilometres, the tunnel has the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world).

1994 - India seeks Chinese support for Security Council membership.

2000 - The 160-page CBI's report on cricket match-fixing names Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Ajay Sharma, Manoj Prabhakar and former physiotherapist Dr. Ali Irani for their deep-rooted nexus with betting syndicates. It virtually gives a clean chit to Kapil Dev.

Born....

1909 - Homi Jahangir Bhabha, famous nuclear scientist.

RIP....

1883 - Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of Arya Samaj. (The Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement of the Vedic tradition. He was a profound scholar of the Vedic lore and Sanskrit language. He was the first to give the call for Swarajyaas "India for Indians" – in 1876, later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak).

Good morning. Have a nice day.
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan

Indian Navy Chief Admiral RK Dhowan Calls for 'High Combat Readiness'

Indian Navy chief Admiral RK Dhowan also reviewed the progress of various infrastructure projects in the pipeline.

New Delhi:  Indian Navy chief Admiral RK Dhowan today urged commanders to maintain highest combat readiness at all times.

Speaking at the conclusion of the Naval Commanders' Conference, Admiral Dhowan emphasised upon India's geographic location and the prevailing security situation.

The navy chief said it "demands continuous vigil and readiness to respond to any contingencies in our area of interest" and urged the commanders to "maintain highest combat readiness of our platforms and diligent monitoring of developments in the maritime domain."

He also lauded the navy's efforts for its focused action in deterring piracy attempts off the Gulf of Aden and closer to Indian islands in the Arabian Sea.

This comes in the light of the recent decision by Contact Group of Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) to shift the eastern limit of High Risk Area from 78 Degrees East to 65 Degrees East.

Admiral Dhowan highlighted that not even one India-owned ship has been hijacked since October 2008 due to the Indian Navy's proactive anti-piracy stance.

The conference, which started on Monday, saw top commanders of the navy deliberate on several issues related to operation, combat readiness, administration and modernisation and indigenisation of the navy.

Key technological enablers for transformation of the navy was one of the issues on agenda, and the navy chief called for continued and sustained efforts with progressive substitution of imports by 'Make in India'.

An official statement said that the discussions in the conference will serve as a roadmap for the future navy till 2030 and indigenisation, in line with the 'Make in India' initiative is the key driver for this roadmap.

Currently, the navy has 47 ships currently under construction at Indian shipyards.

Among other issues, the conference discussed e-governance and induction of manpower.

The navy chief also reviewed the progress of various infrastructure projects in the pipeline and stressed on the need to adopt sustainable green technologies, recycling and waste management to reduce carbon footprint of naval bases.

He also reviewed the 'coastal security construct', and preparations for upcoming International Fleet Review (IFR), set to take place in February 2016.

Consolidation and strengthening of the rapidly expanding aviation arm of the navy was also discussed, as was infrastructure and manning requirements for new induction aircraft, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and enhancement of surveillance.

Story First Published: October 28, 2015 16:52 IST

Arrears WEF 01 01 2006 - Col SS Sohi

​From: Ss Sohi <sadhusohi@gmail.com>
Date: 28 October 2015 at 11:21
Subject: Fwd: Arrears wef 1 1 06 by HQ WC Chm dt 14/9/15 fwd of
To: sahayta@wcesm.com, Veterans Cell <armyveteranscell@gmail.com>

Sir,

 

1. Please ref to the att L/dt 15/9/15 by Sahayta Kendra HQ WC Chandimandir to Banking authorities/SBI for release arrears amt to JCO ORs as per the att Charts please. Copy was circulated to all ESM. 

2. The general complaint from Pb & other places, Bankers say that they have not received Instructions to this effect. Kindly have it expedited so that lower ranks may enjoy during this Diwali celebrations. Most of the Offrs have already got the money, so it looks like discrimination with lower ranks, please.

3. DPDOs are giving complete blank look on the arrears case. And simply reply let we get instrs from PCDA. It looks as letters are not reaching them.

4. As per RBI Cir dt 13/4/2012 (cop att), Govt/Banks are suppose to pay interest @8% for the delayed payments. You may kindly help us in this case.

5. Kindly do this favour please.

Regards.

Lt Col SS Sohi, Retd,

M: 9815107744.

President.

Ex-Servicemen Grievances Cell (Regd) Mohali.  

 

One Rank, One Pension (OROP) likely to be deferred: Top 5 reasons why

Reports indicate that the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme implementation, at least, may well get deferred. Here are top 5 reasons why: By: FE Bureau | New Delhi

 

 

                                     

One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme: "We have the fiscal space to be able to absorb this without having any impact on the fiscal deficit target, which is 3.9 per cent. So, we have taken that into account as we have prepared the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme,” Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha has said. (Reuters)

The PM Narendra Modi-led NDA government of India had decided to implement OROP (One Rank, One Pension) and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday said the notification on OROP will be issued before Diwali. “Notification on OROP will be issued once Election Commission (EC) code in Bihar polls gets over. I will try to issue notification before Diwali,” Parrikar has said. However, reports now indicate that the OROP scheme, the implementation part at least, may get deferred. Here are top 5 reasons why:

1. The Centre’s weak finances may force it to defer the implementation of the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme for the armed forces to the next fiscal year.

2. Under OROP, a uniform pension will be paid to armed forces personnel, who retire at the same rank after the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement. Additionally, the government announced that these benefits would be given retrospectively from July 1, 2014, with arrears to be paid in four half-yearly installments, with pensions re-fixed every five years. All of that adds to costs, and it is causing govt to pause for thought.

3. The OROP scheme will add to the government’s fiscal burden due to a higher pension outgo. It estimated that the one-off hit due to arrears could be Rs 10,000-Rs 12,000 crore in FY16, if the scheme is implemented this year. The recurring annual additional cost will be in the region of Rs 8,000-RS 10,000 crore, and could increase in the future after pay structure is revised based on the award of 7th Pay Commission. The Pay Commission report, which is due by December end, would reset the salaries and pensions of central government employees.

4. With a potentially lower divestment proceed (possibly half of the target of Rs 69,500 crore) and an anticipated shortfall in tax collections of about Rs 50,000 crore putting the FY16 fiscal deficit goal of 3.9% of GDP difficult, the government seems to have made up its mind to shift OROP implementation to next year.

5. The government is yet to set up a one-member judicial committee to examine the interests of retirees of different periods, different ranks and address inter-service issues of the three armed forces for OROP. The panel is supposed to give its report in six months.

First Published on October 28, 2015 1:28 pm

 

 

By: FE Bureau | New Delhi |

[   Financial Express     ]      October 29, 2015 9:02 AM

Modernise - Lt Col CR Sundar

 

On this day - Lt Gen Raj Kadyan

Real life is not like a boxing bout where they take us to a corner and dab mercy on our beat-up face.

On this day 29 Oct 2015

 

1390 -  Jehenne de Brigue becomes the first person put on trial in a secular court for witchcraft in Paris, France. (Jehenne de Brigue is known to be skilled in divination and finding lost objects, but she is taken into custody along with Macette de Ruilly because the two have been exchanging recipes for love potions. Macette de Ruilly wanted a spell to torment her husband, while Jehenne de Brigue wanted a spell to get the father of her children to marry her).

 

1675 - Leibniz makes the first use of the long s, ∫, for integral.

 

1863 - International Committee of Red Cross forms as a result Geneva held conference (Nobel 1917, 1944, 1963). {The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland and a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signatories) to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 (Protocol I, Protocol II) and2005 have given the ICRC a mandate to protect victims of international and internal armed conflicts. Such victims include war wounded, prisoners,refugees, civilians, and othernon-combatants}.

 

1872 - J S Risdon patents metal windmill. {It shouldn't be imagined that aerodynamic lift (the force that makes airplanes fly) is a modern concept that was unknown to the ancients. The earliest known use of wind power, of course, is the sail boat, and this technology had an important impact on the later development of sail-type windmills. Ancient sailors understood lift and used it every day, even though they didn't have the physics to explain how or why it worked.The first windmills were developed to automate the tasks of grain-grinding and water-pumping and the earliest-known design is the vertical axis system developed in Persia about 500-900 AD}. 

 

1945 - First ball point pen goes on sale, 57 years after it is patented. (László Bíró, a Hungarian newspaper editor frustrated by the amount of time that he wasted filling up fountain pens and cleaning up smudged pages, noticed that inks used in newspaper printing dried quickly. He decided to create a pen using the same type of ink. Bíró enlisted the help of his brother György, a chemist, to develop viscous ink formulas for new ballpoint designs. Bíró's innovation successfully coupled ink-viscosity with a ball-socket mechanism which act compatibly to prevent ink from drying inside the reservoir while allowing controlled flow.  In 1941, the Bíró brothers and a friend, Juan Jorge Meyne, fled Germany and moved to Argentina, where they formed Bíró Pens of Argentina and filed a  patent in 1943. Their pen was sold in Argentina as the Birome, which is how ballpoint pens are still known in that country. This new design was licensed by the British, who produced ballpoint pens for RAF aircrew as the Biro. Ballpoint pens were found to be more versatile than fountain pens, especially at high altitudes, where fountain pens were prone to ink-leakage).

 

1958 - Dr F Mason Sones is first doctor to perform a coronary angiogram.

 

1961 - New All India Muslim League was established.

 

1964 - Star of India & other jewels are stolen in New York.

 

1971 - The first successful use of electricity to repair a bone fracture is reported by surgeons at the University of Pennsylvania. Electrical currents have been used to heal bone since the mid-1800s, and the effect of electrical stimulation on bone has been long studied and well documented.When human bone is bent or broken, it generates an electrical charge.  This low level electrical charge stimulates the body's internal repair mechanism.

 

2004 - The Arabic news network Al Jazeera broadcasts an excerpt from a video of Osama bin Laden in which the terrorist leader first admits direct responsibility for the September 11, 2001 attacks and references the 2004 US presidential election.

RIP....

1971 - Cyclone and tidal waves struck Orissa state claiming 10,000 lives.

1990 - Vinod Mehra, famous Hindi film actor.

Good morning. Have a nice day.
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan

सशस्त्र सेना ध्वज दिन संकलन केलेल्या मुख्याध्यापकांचा पालकमंत्र्यांच्या हस्ते सत्कार

मुंबई : देशाच्या सीमेचे रक्षण करण्यासाठी सैनिक कायम कार्यरत असतात. या सैनिकांच्या मदतीसाठी ध्वज दिन निधी संकलन करणे हे एक मोठे देशकार्य आहे. त्यामुळे मुंबईतील शाळांच्या मुख्याध्यापकांनी जास्तीत जास्त जनतेपर्यंत पोहोचून सैनिकांसाठी भरघोस निधी जमा करावा, असे आवाहन उद्योगमंत्री तथा मुंबई शहराचे पालकमंत्री सुभाष देसाई यांनी केले. माजी सैनिक कल्याण विभागाच्या वतीने सेंट झेवियर्स कॉलेज येथे सशस्त्र सेना ध्वज दिनानिमित्त निधी संकलन केलेल्या शाळांच्या मुख्याध्यापकांचा श्री. देसाई यांच्या हस्ते सनद व स्मृतिचिन्ह देऊन सत्कार करण्यात आला, त्यावेळी ते बोलत होते. यावेळी आमदार राज पुरोहित, मुंबई शहर जिल्हाधिकारी ए. शैला, संचालक कर्नल (नि) सुहास जतकर, थेट भरती केंद्राचे कर्नल परमजित सिंह, जिल्हा सैनिक कल्याण अधिकारी लेफ्टनंट कमांडर मीनल पाटील, दक्षिण मुंबईचे शिक्षण निरीक्षक व्ही. बी. चव्हाण, विविध शाळांचे प्राचार्य व मुख्याध्यापक आदी उपस्थित होते. श्री. देसाई म्हणाले, मुंबईतील शाळांनी सैनिकांसाठी निधी संकलन करणे हे समाजकार्यातील मोठे योगदान आहे. प्रत्येक मुंबईकरांपर्यंत पोहोचून जास्तीत जास्त निधी संकलनासाठी प्रयत्न करावेत. ध्वज दिन निधीसाठी सहकार्य करणाऱ्या शाळांचे आभार मानून श्रीमती शैला म्हणाल्या, सैनिकी ध्वज दिन दरवर्षी पालकमंत्री महोदयांच्या हस्ते साजरा करण्यात येणार आहे. ध्वजनिधीसाठी पैसे संकलन करणे हे मोठे समाजकार्य आहे. श्री. जतकर म्हणाले, सैन्यामधील 90 टक्के सैनिक हे 35 ते 40 या वयात सेवानिवृत्त होतात. त्यांचे देशाच्या संरक्षणामध्ये मोठे योगदान आहे. तसेच हा संकलित केलेला निधी सैनिक, माजी सैनिक, सैनिकांच्या विधवा आणि मुलांच्या शिक्षणासाठी खर्च करण्यात येणार आहे. महाराष्ट्र शासनातर्फे सन 2014 ध्वजदिन निधी संकलनाकरीता मुंबई शहर जिल्ह्यास 2 कोटी 47 लाख 50 हजार रूपयांचे उद्दिष्ट देण्यात आले आहे. दक्षिण विभागातील शाळांच्या मार्फत यावर्षी 1 कोटींपेक्षा जास्त इतक्या मोठ्या रकमेचा निधी संकलन केला आहे. जास्त निधी संकलन केलेल्या 23 शाळांच्या मुख्याध्यापकांचा यावेळी गौरव करण्यात आला.   'महान्यूज' बुधवार, २८ ऑक्टोंबर, २०१५