Happy Diwali

 

 

POPE FRANCIS’ LATEST ENCYCLICAL :

FRATELLI TUTTI (BROTHERS ALL)

SAMUEL’S TAKE ON ITS SPECIAL RELEVANCE TO INDIA

 

Fratelli Tutti is of special significance to India, since it is based on the Principle of universal brotherhood, वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्, (Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam : The Universe is one family), preached in one of the earliest Sanatan texts : Mahopanishad, (4 : 41), attached with two of the four Vedas, Atharva and Sam. The text of this Upanishad is based on the Advaitik Philosophy, (One formless God), summarised in the Vedanta, to which Adi Shankaracharya swore by. The Sanatan philosophy of God, comes closest to the Catholic Trinitarian Theology of God : Three Persons in One Being. Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar, having but one Atma. In today’s India, the phrase has become a big joke.

The Wisdom of the Pope’s exhortations in his latest Encyclical cannot be disputed. The urgent necessity of its application across the world is paramount. But how? That is the million-dollar question.

It is of great significance to us in India, where the Millenniums old social fabric has been torn asunder, in the last six and a half years, by the present Regime and its Hindutva Brigade. This Govt has a single point agenda : A Hindu Rashtra of their own design.

The Country is steadily slipping into the Black Hole of chaos and oblivion. We are at the threshold of being declared a pariah Nation.

India’s economy is speedily taking on Venezualan proportions and the Government, run by half-educated immoral imbeciles, has not the slightest clue to any remedial action; rule of law is now a myth; right to descent, no matter by whom, has been snatched away by freely street-roaming goons who first declare decenters as anti-National and then bash them up in broad daylight; to criticise the Govt calls for banishment to Pakistan; right to life, a fundamental one, is said to be no more enforceable even by the largely compromised Judiciary.

The Judiciary, one of the four pillars of the Constitution and its ultimate protector, chooses to take suo motu cognizance of an eleven years old boy’s death at his own home, just because his parents had taken part in an anti-CAA protest, but follows the wisdom of the proverbial three monkeys when it comes to the daily gruesome rapes and murders taking place all around them; a number of high-profile judicial pronouncements have been widely acclaimed as ludicrous; the AG, a constitutional authority and an advisor to the Govt as well as the judiciary, is made to plead before the latter on behalf of the Govt.

The girl child’s dignity is of no consequence and rape and murder of children, some as young as just a few months, is dime-a-dozen, without any conviction.

Ninety-nine percent of the wealth of the Country is in the hands of just 1% of the population and no stone is being left unturned for the concentration of even more wealth in the hands of these chosen few; with the judiciary looking on as mute and mook spectators, bit by bit, the  Constitution of the Country is being rendered a useless junk, not worth the paper it is written on,

The reference to the visit of St Francis of Assisi, an impoverished priest, to Egypt at great personal cost, to meet the Sultan, is in stark contrast to what is happening in our Country today, where the local authorities are regularly visiting the hapless family of the recently brutally gang-raped and murdered teenager, but only to threaten them and subvert justice.

There is not just a war of words, backed up with all sorts of physical weapons, but a broad day-light en-mase murder of any form of love, which as the Papa says, is a divine gift, making it extinct like the Dodo.

Pope Francis has done his bit in emulating his namesake St by going to Abu Dhabi to meet the Grand Imam, but here in India, the head of the Government will not go to meet any Member of the Minorities unless she/he is his supporter.

SHATTERED DREAMS

Yes, our dreams have been shattered; the dreams of the freedom fighters, of makers of the Constitution of India, who spelt out in its Preamble about a country where there would be justice, equality, liberty and fraternity for the Indians in the decades thereafter only to be completely crushed into smithereens.

We are citizens of a country where a fairly large section of the majority community has been so drugged with the opium of Hindutva that they would rather starve to death because of the utter incompetence of the Government than come out of their stupor; drugged to the extent where that section, 80% of the Country, has been made to believe that a minority of 14 - 18% will endanger their so-called “Ram Rajya” with the former’s Shariya Laws; they would rather tolerate a government whose head is a universally acknowledged International lying Champion, than see a Ram Mandir not built.

Talking about peace and charity, the Pope is being rather charitable in using the term, “Certain regression”, at least as it concerns India. Here, largely, there is neither peace nor charity. Each one of us is engrossed and engulfed in quest of personal ambitions and wealth. Many of us do not give damn to the crushing of the lowest strata of our own brethren.

‘The interlinked world economy’, seen by Papa, is Utopian; it has, under the fervour of fake Nationalistic slogan shouting. Each country is hell-bent from the word go, to downsize its trading partner to have a favourable trade balance. Hunt for means to weigh down the trading partner with a high CAD, is the order of the day; you either give-in or go out into the cold. China and the USA are engaged in a tariff war; so are the USA and Europe.

Leading up to 2020, the euphoria of yore has turned into despair, with the GDP at -24%, the lowest in the free world. Exploitation is today’s art form. No Multi-National Corporation in the world is ready to sink its billions in a country unless there is a scope of ‘exploitation’.

Ours is a welfare state, but “Welfare” is not even the last word in the jargon of development, which, with soaring CAD, is Nil. Reminds me of the days when the CAD of our own family soared to an extent when we had to survive by selling our silver. The present Government is selling not just gold but even more precious “Nava-Ratnas” of the Country.

Amidst the present scenario, the Pope’s Encyclical sounds like a cry in the wilderness.

Para 13 of the Encyclical, the Pope is spot-on when he writes about the “Growing loss of sense of history” and “A kind of deconstructionism”; “Claims to creating everything from zero”;

How cruelly true is this one, “If someone tells young people to ignore their history, to reject the experiences of their elders, to look down on the past and to look forward to a future that he himself holds out, doesn’t it then become easy to draw them along so that they only do what he tells them? He needs the young to be shallow, uprooted and distrustful, so that they can trust only in his promises and act according to his plans. That is how various ideologies operate: they destroy (or deconstruct) all differences so that they can reign unopposed. To do so, however, they need young people who have no use for history, who spurn the spiritual and human riches inherited from past generations, and are ignorant of everything that came before them.”  

To be truthful, the present regime has not just ‘deconstructed’ history, but has been busy rewriting it.

Most of what the Pope has written above, sounds uncannily and disconcertingly close to home. I am reasonably sure that Papa had India in mind.

LACKING A PLAN FOR EVERYONE

In a country where sloganeering, totally devoid of content, starting at the very top, rules the roost, empty rhetoric scores big. Our own Marc Antony has outclassed Shakespeare’s character of “Julius Caesar” by miles. He has convinced his bhagats that responsibility for all the ills of the present, lie on all the past Congress Govts. If he had not done his masterclass salvaging, the situation would have been much worse.

Some of the multi-hued balloons of slogans doing furious rounds and echoing even in the remotest corners of the Country were, “Har har Modi, ghar, ghar Modi”, “Abki baar, Modi Sarkar”, “Agli baar, Modi Sarkar”, “Sab kaa saath, sab ka vikas, sab ka viswas”, “har account men pandrah laakh”. Like the piped piper, he has led the entire Country over the precipice.  

A THROWAWAY WORLD

Once again, Pope Francis has done some plain speaking by highlighting the “use and throw” policy in the modern world. Use to the hilt till it is productive and throw away, the moment it stops being so; equally applicable to the animate world as to the inanimate one.

Wastefulness by the rich is a crime of Himalayan proportions. As we were growing up, our Mothers would drum into us the importance of not leaving even a morsel on our plates for, saying, “There are millions who starve to death for the lack of even a morsel”. We were taught to leave at least 5% empty space in our stomach, each time we ate a meal. That 5% would go to the deprived hungry, doing good not only to our physical health but to our spiritual health too. In the modern consumption-driven world, such teachings sound hollow.

Not surprisingly we show more love and care towards our old and infirm pets, than for our own old parents, who had held our hands and helped us to stand on our own feet. I doubt if the clarion call of the Pope will have any effect on such young practising criminals, under 45 years of age, comprising 80% Indians. They will age at almost the same time and will need support and not banishment. Not that the young of today, do not know this plain fact, but are afflicted with the typical, “Will see” syndrome, as if they are willing themselves to remain forever young and one day depart suddenly, at the drop of a hat. Papa’s exhortations matter little to them; even among most of the young Catholic Christian faithful.

SUSTAINABLE Vs UNSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

This is another area of great and immediate concern flagged by the head of the Holy See. Every development of any kind has to be sustainable on a number of platforms, like stopping non-over-exploitation in the mining of raw material, production capacity of components, the destruction of Nature with all its components, be it green belts and its dependent living beings, (Including humans), ecological balance, water resources and so on. In India, there is a callous exploitation of each one of the aforementioned resources, with the active aid of complicit authorities. As the President of a Property Development Company, I had myself been guilty of such acts in the past.

HUMAN RIGHTS

This is an anathema to the present ruling lot and not surprisingly after six years of constant harassment, the WHRO unit of India has packed its bag and left. The Government remains unconcerned.

CONFLICT AND FEAR

Every conceivable ground of conflict are present in India; between the haves and have nots, the oppressors and the oppressed, the power centres and the marginalised, the rulers and their subjects, (both financial and non-financial), and so on. The present Government has just enacted a law, depriving the labour of their right to protest and strike, even with notice, and has given the companies to hire and fire at will. This is a dangerous seed of deep discord, which may erupt into a violent strife in the near future.

SHARED ROAD MAP

The Papa Padre has made a gross understatement in, “What reigns instead is a cool, comfortable and globalized indifference, born of deep disillusionment concealed behind a deceptive illusion.” Not only that there is no shared road map, not even the feeblest attempt towards such a goal, there are active conflict zones fuelled by National/personal ambitions, be it the Chinese, the Americans, the Russians, the Turks  in the latest conflict, between Azerbaijan and Armenia or we the Indians under the present Government, pompously aspiring to be a "Vishwa Guru", 

THE PANDEMIC EFFECT

During the last big pandemic, the H1N1 influenza spread its wing across the globe in 1918. It was 14 times more infectious than the present one, affecting one-third of the then Global Population, killing 50 million, out of which nearly 1.4% were in the USA.

Though, this time around, the total global deaths, to date, are just above 1 million, the share of USA is about 20% and about the same in the numbers of affected cases. These are based on official figures bandied around by the authorities in India, among some other countries. The actual figures, in so far as India is concerned, determined by me, (A graduate in Statistics), through statistical calculations and duly displayed on my Facebook page from time to time, are 10 times higher. With those figures, we have been leading the Globe for some time now. Even with the doctored official figures, we will be the Numero Uno in less than 20 days from now.

As we groaned under the load of the pandemic, almost everyone optimistically said, (Including our own Papa), that this pandemic, by the time it ends, will have completely and permanently changed the interpersonal and social behavioural pattern of people for a more sharing, caring and empathetic one. From what we see around us, (Latest examples are the gruesome murders of two teenaged girls after gangraping them, first at Hathrus and  then at Balarampur, U.P., in a span of two days, the follow-up actions of the State administration and the reactions of scores of BJP leaders from many parts of the Country), it does not seem that there has been an iota of change in the interpersonal attitude between people within a society and that between different societies. There is also a marked absence of one Nationhood. While young females are being brutally gang-raped on a daily basis, immoral imbeciles play politics, blaming the innocent young village girls for their own rape.

DIGNITY OF MIGRANTS ENTERING THROUGH POROUS BORDERS

I am afraid Papa Francis’ urgings may not stand the test of times.  They are unrelated to ground realities, not just in the Indian perspective, but also in his own backyard, Europe.

The World history of many millenniums, is replete with stories of mass influx of immigrants. Arians came in successive hoards into the Indian subcontinent from the steppes, over five centuries, completely obliterating the pre-existing advanced peaceful IVC of Harrappa/ Mohenjedaro, whose  Saraswati/Harappan script has yet to be deciphered even after nearly 200 years of its discovery.

The Arians infiltrated further into the Indian hinterland and today rule India by their sheer numbers. Since coming to power, a dogmatic Communal Hindutva party has been busy rewriting history and claiming to be the originals of the Subcontinent!

Exactly the same happened to the Americas, due to continuous influx of gun trotting immigrants from Europe, completely obliterating the advanced cultures of the Incas. Similar transformation, often through violent activities, is taking place in the European heartland due to massive waves of Muslim migration. Country after Country, which compassionately let-in Muslim refugees from the Middle East, are now having to suffer extreme violence from Muslim extremists generated from the same refugee population that they had let-in out of compassion. While the rest of the World sees their own relationship with God through the prism of their respective religions, the Muslims see it as “Umma”, a Nation, disruptively spread over the World in pockets. They want to see themselves in a unified “Ummma”, spread across the Globe.

No one is against allowing a suffering people to settle peacefully in a peaceful land, but the problem with Muslim immigrants is that even though they arrive of their own volition at the midst of a foreign culture, they make no effort to imbibe their way of life. There is no enculturation for them. The moment they reach a substantial number, say, 20 – 30% of the total population, through sustained multiple births, a vocal and violent minority, with the tacit unspoken support of most of the silent majority, starts demanding that their own way of life, like the Sharia courts, be made official, thus becoming a sore thumb and opening up the gates to permanent conflict. None of the silent Muslim majority will stick a neck out to start any movement against the violence being perpetrated by the goons, as they are too scared to lose their own life.

Much higher growth rates among the Muslims is a factor that frightens the other citizens of the Country. Lebanon is a glaring example, where a once majority Christian Country, on the way to becoming a Majority Muslim Country, suffered a ten years-long civil war, before uneasy peace could prevail between the Druz and the Muslims. Even now, with a Muslim PM, a figurehead Christian President, the Iran supported Hezbollah have a free run of the land, attacking Israel. Lebanon has to bear the brunt of Israel’s wrath.

In post-partition India, the percentage of Muslims was around 8%. As per the 2011 Census, the percentage had risen to 14+%, a rise of 75%. At the same growth rate, the population had doubled by 2016; i.e., in 69 years of post-partition communal division of India.

Though a comparison of the figures of successive Census’ shows that the growth rate of Muslim population has been steadily decreasing, the comparative increase in their population, the highest among all, rings alarm bells for the Majority Community, especially since their population has actually slightly decreased.

Though the next Census is still a year away, rough estimates place the present percentage of Muslim population to be around 18+%. By the next Census, it is reasonable to assume that the percentage would stand at around 19. This is approximately 138% increase on the 1947 post-independence figure.

Whatever the Quran may say about it, the word “Jihad” sets the back up of most non-Muslims, due to its gross misuse by the Muslim extremists, all over the World. The loss of population due to internecine conflicts with Muslim terrorists could probably be made up over years, but who can bring back the permanently destroyed cultural heritage, destroyed by these goons. Can we forget the two, millenniums old Bamiyan Buddha Statues, destroyed by the Taliban with Artillery guns! Who can remake the invaluable archaeological/ architectural artefacts in Syria-Iraq, wantonly destroyed by the ISIS?

Recounting a summary of the happenings around the world over the last 70 years, it is not difficult for the anti-Muslims to convince the majority community that their culture, which has survived the vicissitudes of almost 2 Millenniums, is now in grave danger of being obliterated by the non-indigenous Umma. Many in the Defence Forces, both serving and retired, steeped in secularism by training and oath, have also not only started believing it, but are also privately/publicly airing their fears. Such communalisation of the Indian Defence Forces would be the beginning of the end of our Nationhood. 

The Talibanis, the ISISs and their ilk, have effectively silenced even the Muslim intelligentsia into a scared silence. One of my Army course mates, who is thoroughly secular, a prolific writer and the author of many a book, despite my periodic urgings, has not written a single one in outright condemnation of the malaise in their Umma, which has become a festering wound in the World Society in general,

The openly divisive communal agenda practised by the present regime over the last six and half years, along with the presstitute media has caused havoc; hairline cracks have become unbridgeable wide gaps.

Considering the facts on the ground, whatever the Papa has exhorted in this wonderful encyclical, will not only be considered impracticable but undesirable by the people of many of the Nations suffering the backlash of their earlier generosity in letting the Muslims in. The evil forces of Muslim Umma are far more pervasive than any that the Catholic Church can muster at its best, to reform the unreformable.

Notwithstanding the above, we, who care for humanity and believe in the wonderful teachings of Papa Francis, must try our best to neutralise the evil with Love, Love and more Love, in a concerted manner. It is better to go down fighting the Evil than to passively surrender to its designs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Yoga Day

PM addresses nation on International Day of Yoga
Yoga Day is a day of solidarity and universal brotherhood, says PM
Yoga promotes family bonding: PM
Yoga boosts immune system against Covid 19 virus: PM

Posted On: 21 JUN 2020 9:43AM by PIB Delhi

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, addressed the nation today on the occasion of International Day of Yoga via video conference. Prime Minister said, International Yoga Day is a day of solidarity. This is the day of universal brotherhood. Due to COVID-19 global health emergency, this year International Yoga Day is being observed through the electronic and digital platform.

Prime Minister said, People are practising Yoga at their homes with their entire families.

He said, Yoga has brought us together.

The Huge participation of people in ‘My Life - My Yoga’ video blogging competition from across the globe reflects the growing popularity of yoga, he said.

Today, all of us should stay away from large gathering and practice yoga at home with our families. This year’s theme is 'Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family'. Yoga promotes family bonding as children, youngsters, elders in family come together to practise yoga, there is a flow of positive energy in home. Yoga also promotes emotional stability, PM added.

“Yoga boosts immune system of the body. You must include Pranayama in your daily life. Pranayama Yoga or breathing exercises strengthens our respiratory system. It is more relevant in the current times as it is the respiratory system of the body that is most adversely affected by the Covid19 virus”, Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister said, yoga has emerged as a force for unity. It deepens the bonds of humanity as it does not discriminate. It goes beyond race, colour, gender, faith and nations. Anybody can embrace Yoga. If we can fine tune our chords of health and hope, the day is not far away when world will witness the success of healthy and happy humanity. Yoga can definitely help us make this happen.

“As  conscious citizens, we will move forward  as a family and society in unison. We will try to make ‘Yoga at home and Yoga with family’ a part of our lives. We will surely succeed, we will surely win”, Prime Minister added.

Indian Air Force inducts another batch of Young Leaders at the Combined Graduation Parade held at Air Force Academy

Posted On: 20 JUN 2020 3:59PM by PIB Delhi

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria reviewed the Combined Graduation Parade (CGP) held at Air Force Academy, Dundigal on 20 June 2020. He formally conferred the ‘President’s Commission’ on 123 Flight Cadets as well as awarded ‘Wings’ to 11 officers from Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. Amongst the newly commissioned officers, 61 officers joined the Flying branch with 62 being inducted into Ground Duty Branches of the IAF. This included 19 women officers. Two Flight Cadets from Vietnam Air Force also successfully completed their flying training at AFA and were presented ‘Wings’ by the Reviewing Officer.

            On his arrival at the CGP, the ÇAS was received by Air Marshal AS Butola, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command and Air Marshal J Chalapati, Commandant, Air Force Academy. With its procedures modified suitably to cater for COVID protocols, the parade presented a general salute to the CAS prior to the ‘pipping ceremony’ in which flight cadets were conferred the rank of Flying Officers. The trainees who excelled in various disciplines were awarded trophies. Flying Officer Anurag Nain from the Flying branch was awarded the ‘Sword of Honour’ and President’s Plaque for standing first in overall order of merit in the Pilots’ Course. Flying Officer Aanchal Gangwal was awarded President’s Plaque for being first in overall order of merit in the Ground Duty Branch.

While addressing the parade, the CAS commenced by paying tribute to the brave men who made the supreme sacrifice while defending the LAC in the Galwan Valley. He congratulated the graduating officers and award winners while exhorting them to work hard for achieving requisite proficiency and attaining competency in their chosen field. He also commended the instructors and teaching staff at all IAF training establishments for timely culmination of training under very difficult conditions; while respecting the strict COVID protocols. The CAS thanked parents and relatives who supported the decision of their wards to join the Profession of Arms and encouraged the young men and women to pursue their dreams with the IAF. He reminded the officers that the security scenario prevailing in our region mandates that our armed forces remain prepared and vigilant at all times. He said that the development on the LAC in Ladakh was a small snapshot of what the armed forces are required to handle at short notice. The CAS emphasised on the spirit of jointness and asked the graduating officers to don this mantle - as proudly as they would don their blue uniforms. He concluded by reminding the graduating officers that the solemn oath taken by them should be their guiding principle while they execute their duties and responsibilities.

आकोशित पूर्व सैनिकों ने उपायुक्त कों सौपा ज्ञापन

आज पूर्व सैनिक सेवा परिषद जमशेदपुर के बैनर तले लौहनगरी के तमाम पूर्व सैनिकों के तरफ से गहरा आक्रोश व्यक्त करते हुए एकता कपूर के वेब सीरियल  को ततकाल प्रभाव से रोक लगाने की मांग करते हुए उपायुक्त महोदय कों ज्ञापन सौपा गया। पूर्व सैनिकों ने एकता कपुर को एक नकारात्मक प्रवृति कि लालची टी वी सीरियल।निर्माता बताया जो अक्सर धनोपार्जन के लिए इस तरह के अश्लीलता और कुत्सित कार्य कों समाज में परोसने का कार्य करती रहीं हैं। आज परिषद ने सेना के सर्वोच्च  कमांडर के नाते माननीय राष्ट्रपति महोदय को उपायुक्त पुर्वी सिंहभूम के माध्यम से आग्रह किया है कि शीघ्र ही इस  अश्लील वेब सीरीज से वो भाग हटाया कई जिसमें सैनिकों  उनके परिवार  और पूरे सैनिक परिवार  का नेगेटिव चित्रांनकिया गया है। साथ ही एकता कपूर जैसी औरत के खिलाफ कठोरतम कार्रवाई  की जाए। एकता कपूर को पद्मश्री मिलने पर परिषद के महामंत्री।अनिल  कु सिन्हा ने आपत्ति और आश्चयय जताते हुए शीघ्र वापस लेने के कार्रवाई आरम्भ की जाए ऐसी मांग की सरकार से यह भी आग्रह किया गया कि  सम्मान का पदक देते वक्त विचारधार मानसिकता और कृत्य का भी ध्यान रखा जाना चाहिए। भारतीय सेना सैनिक और उनके परिवार का चारित्रिक हनन निःसंदेह एक घृणित कार्य है और एकता कपूर को इसकी कीमत चुकानी  ही पड़ेगी। उसे देश और सेना से माफी।मांगी पड़ेगी और उस अश्लील सीरियल को तत्काल बन्द करना पड़ेगा। पूर्व सैनिक सेवा परिषद जमशेदपुर की इकाई इसके आगे की कानूनी कार्रवाई हेतु भी सलाह।ले रही है और उग्र।प्रदर्शन की भी योजना है। आजनके ज्ञपन सौपने वालों।में परिषद के जिला महामंत्री सूबेदार अनिल कु सिन्हा अवधेश कुमार नरेश स्वाइन नवीन कु सिन्हा अमरेन्द्र।कुमार सूबेदार मेजर जनकनदेव सिंह सत्येंद्र सिंह बिमल।कु ओझा  चंदन कु झा अजय कुं तिवारी रमेश कु शर्मा अमरदीप समद किशोरी प्रसाद सहित संगठन के कई सदस्य उपस्थित रहे।

अनिल कु सिन्हा

महामंत्री

पूर्व सैनिक।सेवा परिषद जमशेदपुर

Modernisation of infrastructure for airfields of Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and other services

Ministry of Defence signed contract for Modernisation of Air Field Infrastructure (MAFI) of 37 airfields for Indian Air Force(IAF), Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) with M/s Tata Power SED (TPSED) at a cost of nearly Rs 1,200 crore here today. The proposal has been duly approved by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh.

The MAFI Phase-II is a follow-on programme based on MAFI Phase-I that included upgradation of 30 airfields of IAF. The airfields modernised under MAFI Phase-I have been of immense benefit to both military and civil users.

The project is a turnkey project that includes installation and commissioning of modern airfield equipment like Cat-II Instrument Landing System (ILS) and Cat II Air Field Lightning System (AFLS), etc. The modern equipment around the airfield will also be directly connected to Air Traffic Control (ATC), thereby providing excellent control of the airfield systems to the air traffic controllers. The upgradation of navigational aids and infrastructure under this project would enhance the operational capability by facilitating air operations of military and civil aircrafts even in poor visibility and adverse weather condition while enhancing aerospace safety.

The contract will provide impetus to the domestic industry in the prevailing situation. The project will give a boost to over 250 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises which will be directly benefited from being involved in execution of various activities of this project. This contract would aid in infusing the much needed capital in the market and boost employment generation in such fields as communications, avionics, information technology, apart from civil and electrical equipment and construction.

ABB/SS/Nampi/KA/DK/Savvy/ADA

Posted On: 08 MAY 2020 6:25PM by PIB Delhi

IAF MIG-29 (UPG) AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT

Posted On: 08 MAY 2020 12:19PM by PIB Delhi

On 08 May 20, at 1045h, one Mig-29 aircraft airborne on a training mission from an Air Force base near Jalandhar met with an accident. The aircraft had developed a technical snag and the pilot ejected safely as he was unable to control the aircraft. The pilot has been rescued by a helicopter. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of accident.

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IN/BSK

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh approves abolition of 9,304 posts in Military Engineering Service

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has approved the proposal of Engineer-in-Chief of Military Engineering Services (MES) for optimisation of more than 9,300 posts in the basic and industrial workforce. It is in line with the recommendations of the Committee of Experts, headed by Lt General Shekatkar, which had recommended measures to enhance combat capability and rebalance defence expenditure of the Armed Forces.

One of the recommendations made by the Committee was to restructure the civilian workforce in a manner that the work of MES could be partly done by departmentally employed staff and other works could be outsourced.

In line with the recommendations made by the Committee, based on the proposal of E-in-C, MES, the proposal of abolition of 9,304 posts in MES out of the total 13,157 vacancies of the Basic and Industrial staff has been approved by Raksha Mantri.

The recommendation was aimed at making MES an effective organisation with a leaner workforce, well equipped to handle complex issues in the emerging scenario in an efficient and cost effective manner.

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ABB/SS/Nampi/KA/DK/Savvy/ADA

Posted On: 07 MAY 2020 1:06PM by PIB Delhi

Indian Navy’s Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) clears certification by INMAS (Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences)

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 07 MAY 2020 7:39PM by PIB Delhi

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) designed and produced by Indian Navyhas been tested by INMAS (Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences) Delhi, a DRDO organization tasked with the testing and certification of PPE and is certified to be mass produced and used in clinical COVID situations.

Shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is of serious concern as it imperils the well-being and availability of the Healthcare Workforce, apart from adversely impacting their security and morale.

The PPE is required to meet stringent criteria on testing and the benchmarks of the same are setby  the ICMR and the MoHFW.

The Indian Navy has risen to this challenge of making available this critical resource in the fight against COVID. A team formed by the Innovation Cell, Institute of Naval Medicine, Mumbai and the Naval Dockyard Mumbai collaborated to design and produce PPE. The PPE has been tested by INMAS (Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences) Delhi, a DRDO organization tasked with the testing and certification of PPE.

The PPE passed with 6/6 Synthetic blood penetration resistance test pressure. (GoI mandates minimum 3/6 and above level as per ISO 16603 standard) and is thus certified to be mass produced and used in clinical COVID situations.

The outstanding features of the PPE are its simple, innovative and cost-effective design; thus it can be made by basic gown manufacturing facilities. The PPE is noteworthy for the innovative choice of fabric used, which gives the PPE its 'breathability' and penetration resistance rendering it both comfortable and safe for the user.

The cost for this PPE is significantly lower than those commercially available.

Only online applications accepted to obtain MoD NOC for aerial surveys

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 05 MAY 2020 4:23PM by PIB Delhi

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh had launched the Ministry of Defence (MoD) No Objection Certificate (NOC) web portal https://modnoc.ncog.gov.in/login for undertaking aerial surveys. Only online applications submitted on the portal are now being accepted for processing by MoD since 01.03.2020.

Nine applicants have already registered for making online applications. All those interested in undertaking aerial surveys and require NOC from MoD are requested to make use of this fully online facility.

GENERAL MM NARAVANE, COAS VISITS FORMATIONS IN EASTERN THEATRE

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 05 MAY 2020 8:23PM by PIB Delhi

General MM Naravane, Chief of Army Staff visited various field formations in Eastern India from 04 to 05 May which included Sukna, Binnaguri and Panagarh.

During his two days visit, the Chief of Army Staff was briefed in detail by the formation commanders on the operational readiness of the formations and other important training and logistics issues. The Chief of Army Staff interacted extensively with the troops deployed on ground and took stock of the situation along the borders. During his visit he also inspected various facilities set up by Indian Army in its effort to contribute significantly to the nation's fight against COVID-19. He complimented the high state of operational preparedness as well as training standards and exhorted all ranks to continue the good work in these difficult times.

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Col Aman Anand

PRO (Army)

HOMAGE TO HANDWARA MARTYR COLONEL ASHUTOSH SHARMA

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 05 MAY 2020 8:35PM by PIB Delhi

The mortal remains, of Handwara martyr, Colonel Ashutosh Sharma, arrived from Srinagar, J&K at Jaipur. On 05 May 2020, the brave martyr was accorded full military honours. Wreaths were laid by the Chief Minister Shri Ashok Gehlot and Army Commander, Sapta Shakti Command, Lt Gen Alok Kler, PVSM, VSM. On the occassion also present were, Member of Parliament Shri Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Shri Khachariyawas, Minister for Ex- Servicemen Welfare Rajasthan, Shri Sandeep Verma, Revenue Secretary, Shri Anand Srivastava, Police Commissioner, Jaipur and Shri Jogaram, DC Jaipur.

Speaking on the occassion, General Kler, saluted the bravery and ultimate sacrifice made by Colonel Ashutosh Sharma,  as also by his other four comrades in arm, including Maj Anuj Sood, in the cause of our great nation. He highlighted, that Col Ashutosh Sharma, represents every gallant soldier in operations and assured that the Indian Army will always remember the martyr and also his family in the years to come. He also interacted with the family members of the martyr and expressed his condolences to them.

Colonel Ashutosh Sharma was commissioned on 01 Sep 2001 into 19  Batallion Brigade of The GUARDS. He was Commanding officer of 21 Rashtriya Rifles, deployed in the sensitive North Kashmir. Always leading from the front Colonel Ashutosh Sharma was recipient of two Sena Medal, the officer along with his comrades, Maj Anuj Sood, Naik Rajesh Kumar, Lance Naik Dinesh Singh and Sub Inspector Shakeel Qazi of J&K Police were martyred during fierce encounter in Handwara on the night of 02 May 2020, with Pak sponsored terrorists.

Colonel Ashutosh Sharma is survived by his wife Mrs Pallavi Sharma and a 12 year old daughter Tamanna, who reside at Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur. The martyrs mother Mrs Sudha Sharma and brother, Piyush Sharma who also reside in Jaipur. After paying homage with full military honours, the last rites were performed at the Sodala cremation ground, in presence of his family members and friends.

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Col Aman Anand

PRO (Army)

Minor Incident of an IAF Dornier Aircraft

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 30 APR 2020 7:49PM by PIB Delhi

On 30 Apr 20, a Dornier aircraft was planned to undertake routine flight from Palam Air Base. During the take off roll, aircraft experienced a tyre deflation. The captain of the aircraft took prompt and correct actions of aborting the take off. The aircraft and crew on board are safe and there has been no damage to any property. The aircraft was towed off runway by the technical crew of the IAF promptly.

IAF’s support towards fight against COVID-19

Posted On: 27 APR 2020 6:19PM by PIB Delhi

Indian Air Force (IAF) has stepped up its efforts to meet all the emerging requirements of the Govt of India during the ongoing novel corona virus pandemic. IAF continues to airlift essential supplies of medicine and ration along with medical personnel within the country, to equip state governments and supporting agencies to combat the contagion effectively.

On 25 Apr 20, IAF's transport aircraft landed at Lengpui Airport in Mizoram with 22 tonnes of medical supplies meant for combating Covid-19. The supplies were airlifted for the governments of Mizoram and Meghalaya. Till date, IAF has transported approximately 600 tonnes of medical equipment and support material.

A 15 member team of Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) Rapid Response had been sent to Kuwait on 11 Apr 20 in response to the request from state of Kuwait to the Govt of India On completion of the task, the team was airlifted back from Kuwait in a C-130 aircraft of IAF on 25 Apr 20. During the return, a six-year old girl suffering from cancer, requiring immediate emergency surgery was also evacuated along with her father

IAF continues to maintain op preparedness, while following all the guidelines issued by the Government of India ensuring social distancing measures to prevent the spread of the novel corona virus in IAF work places. As the nation takes big strides in its fight to contain and defeat the contagion, IAF reaffirms its commitment to meet all emerging needs in a professional manner.

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IN/BSK

Ex-Servicemen play their part in providing succour to people in their fight against COVID-19

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 07 APR 2020 12:04PM by PIB Delhi

As the nation continues to battle Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Ex-Servicemen (ESM) belonging to Army, Navy and Air Force are assisting the civil administration and providing their services voluntarily and selflessly.

It is being coordinated by Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW), Ministry of Defence (MoD). The Veterans are being contacted through the Kendriya Sainik Board and a network of 32 Rajya Sainik Boards at state level and 403 Zila Sainik Board all over the country.

Karnataka

Brig Ravi Munniswamy (Retd) who is coordinating the effort across Karnataka is spearheading a team of 45 veteran bicycle riders in Bengaluru, who through a WhatsApp group are providing medicine and essential supplies to old and infirm in the city. Besides, several Ex-Servicemen volunteers in Dharwad, Davanagere, Shivamogga, Hassan, Mysuru and Kodagu are assisting in distribution of food and lock-down management. 

Andhra Pradesh

Around 300 Ex-Servicemen volunteers are assisting the State Police in Andhra Pradesh. Some of the Ex-Servicemen associations like Tadepalligudem, West Godavari district association and 28 Air Defence Regiment ESM organization at Mangalagiri are distributing food and essential commodities among the poor. Shri Chaitanya ESM Association, Bheemunipatnam is assisting the Police in ensuring lock-down measures.

Uttar Pradesh

According to Brig Ravi (Retd), the Zila Sainik Boards in 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh are assisting with a team of ESM in monitoring of ration distribution, community surveillance and running of community kitchen for the needy besides assisting the senior veteran ESM also. They have already identified and contacted 6,592 ESM from Army Medical Corps in the state and put them on standby for any contingency.

Punjab

Brig Satinder Singh (Retd), Director Rajya Sainik Board, Punjab has informed that they have employed 4,200 Ex-Servicemen as Guardians of Governance who are present in every village of Punjab for data collection and community surveillance.

Chhattisgarh

Air Cmde A N Kulkarni, VSM (Retd) who is coordinating the response in Chhattisgarh has informed that so far only a handful of ESM have been employed to provide assistance to State Police in Bilaspur, Janjgir and Korba.

North-East

Brig Narain Dutt Joshi, SM (Retd) is ready with 300 ESM volunteers to assist in 19 Districts of Assam. Whereas Col Gautam Kumar Rai (Retd) at Shillong has 79 volunteers ready to assist the civil administration. Brig JP Tiwari (Retd) from Tripura has reported that the list of ESM volunteers has been shared with the State and district administration and they are on standby for any task assigned to them.

Jharkhand, Haryana, Uttarakhand

Similarly Brig Pathak (Retd) from Jharkhand, Col Rahul Yadav (Retd) from Haryana and Brig KB Chand (Retd) from Uttarakhand have done the same in their respective states. At a time when entire nation is under lockdown, the response from retired personnel of Army, Navy and Air Force as well as volunteer community service by Ex-Servicemen association, is very praiseworthy.

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ABB/SS/Nampi/KA/DK/Savvy/ADA

NCC cadets start serving people during COVID-19 pandemic under Exercise NCC Yogdan

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 06 APR 2020 3:58PM by PIB Delhi

Civil and police administration have started requisitioning for services of senior division National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets in fight against Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Some of them have started giving service from today. Ministry of Defence (MoD) had allowed temporary employment of NCC cadets last week under ‘Exercise NCC Yogdan’ and guidelines were also issued in this regard. These cadets will give a helping hand to state and municipal authorities to augment relief efforts.

Union Territory of Ladakh has requisitioned for employment of eight cadets in supply chain management. Neemuch Superintendent of Police has requested Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh Directorate for services of 245 cadets in supply chain and traffic management. Sixty four senior division cadets including seven women have already been employed. Collector of Bilaspur has requested for service of NCC volunteer cadets for training in COVID-19 preventive measures. These cadets are being imparted training for the job ahead.

Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh (PHHPC) Directorate has received requisition by Deputy Commissioner of Kangra district in HP for services of 86 cadets  till April 14, 2020 to assist Police in ensuring social distancing in the city localities.

District Police of Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu (TN) has approached district nodal officer on COVID-19 for services of NCC cadets. Fifty seven cadets including two women have assembled and are being employed. In all, TN, Puducherry & Andaman Nicobar Directorate has provided services of 75 cadets in Tamil Nadu and 57 in Puducherry.

Balrampur district administration in Uttar Pradesh has also asked for services of volunteer cadets from NCC Group Headquarters Gorakhpur. Some cadets are being employed for the purpose.

Eighty cadets in East Khasi Hills district are assisting the Meghalaya Police in monitoring of ration distribution and sensitisation between April 06-08, 2020.

The types of tasks envisaged for cadets include manning of helpline/call centres; distribution of relief materials, medicines, food/essential commodities; community assistance; data management and queue & traffic management and manning of CCTV control rooms.

According to the employment guidelines, state governments/district administration has to send the requisition of employment of volunteer cadets through State NCC Directorates. Details will be coordinated at Directorate/Group Headquarters/Unit level with state government/local civil authority. It should be ensured that ground conditions and laid down requirements are met before the cadets are deployed for the duty. 

ABB/SS/Nampi/KA/DK/Savvy/ADA

AWWA provides 3,700 food packets to the needy in Delhi

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 31 MAR 2020 2:12PM by PIB Delhi

Army Wives Welfare Organisation (AWWA) today handed over 2,500 food packets to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi for distribution to the needy people during lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 1,200 food packets were handed over yesterday. The food packet distribution free of charge will continue for five days.

The food packets were prepared under Army’s AWWA Lunch project by families of Officers, Junior Commissioned Officers and Other Ranks at their houses in various colonies of Delhi.

One of the largest voluntary organisations in the country, the AWWA aims for the holistic development and well-being of Army Wives, including their children, rehabilitation of war widows and differently-abled children. It also takes active participation in the activities of Central and State Governments towards improving the living conditions of the poor.

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ABB/SS/Nampi/KA/DK/Savvy

Appeal to generously donate to ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund)’

The pandemic of COVID-19 has engulfed the entire world and has posed serious challenges for the health and economic security of millions of people worldwide. In India too, the spread of coronavirus has been alarming and is posing severe health and economic ramifications for our country. The Prime Minister’s office has been receiving spontaneous and innumerable requests for making generous donations to support the government in the wake of this emergency.

Distress situations, whether natural or otherwise, demand expeditious and collective action for alleviating the suffering of those affected, mitigation/control of damage to infrastructure and capacities etc. Therefore, building capacities for quick emergency response and effective community resilience has to be done in tandem with infrastructure and institutional capacity reconstruction/enhancement.  Use of new technology and advance research findings also become an inseparable element of such concerted action.

Keeping in mind the need for having a dedicated national fund with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected, a public charitable trust under the name of ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES Fund)’ has been set up. Prime Minister is the Chairman of this trust and its Members include Defence Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister.

PM Narendra Modi has always believed and shown in actions that public participation is the most effective way to mitigate any issue and this is yet another example. This fund will enable micro-donations as a result of which a large number of people will be able to contribute with smallest of denominations.

Citizens and organisations can go to the website pmindia.gov.in and donate to PM CARES Fund using following details:

Name of the Account     : PM CARES       

Account Number            : 2121PM20202                                                                               

IFSC Code                     : SBIN0000691                                                                       

SWIFT Code                   : SBININBB104                                                                        

Name of Bank & Branch : State Bank of India, New Delhi Main Branch                                       

UPI ID                      : pmcares@sbi

Following modes of payments are available on the website pmindia.gov.in -

1. Debit Cards and Credit Cards
2. Internet Banking
3. UPI (BHIM, PhonePe, Amazon Pay, Google Pay, PayTM, Mobikwik, etc.)
4. RTGS/NEFT

Donations to this fund will be exempted from income tax under section 80(G).

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VRRK/KP

(Release ID: 1608851)

Posted On: 28 MAR 2020 4:36PM by PIB Delhi

Armed Forces working on war footing with civil authorities in fight against COVID-19

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 27 MAR 2020 7:11PM by PIB Delhi

1,073 people evacuated from affected countries presently under quarantine in Armed Forces facilities

Armed Forces have been working relentlessly to provide medical and logistics support to civil authorities in the country’s fight against COVID-19 pandemic. The Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) has deployed all resources at its disposal to aid the civilian authorities, shouldering responsibility in the time of extraordinary crisis.

Six quarantine facilities run by the Armed Forces are currently operational at Manesar, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Chennai, Hindan and Mumbai. So far, a total of 1,463 people, including foreigners, evacuated from COVID-19 affected countries have been housed and observed at these centres. Of them, 1,073 persons are presently under quarantine and being provided proper care. These include evacuees from Iran, Italy, Japan and Malaysia, besides the IAF and medical crew. Three hundred ninety evacuees from China, Japan and IAF evacuation flight crew have been discharged following completion of their mandatory quarantine period.

Three positive COVID-19 cases have been reported, so far – two from Hindan and one from Manesar. They were referred to Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi for further treatment.

In addition to the active quarantine centres, more facilities have been readied and may be made operational within 48-72 hours, if needed. These facilities are at Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Kochi, Dundigal near Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kanpur, Jaisalmer, Jorhat and Gorakhpur.

Interacting with media here today, Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) Lt Gen Anup Banerji said, 28 Service Hospitals have been earmarked as COVID hospitals for managing purely Corona virus cases. This will include Armed Forces as well as civilian patients transferred from state health authorities, in case their capacity is overwhelmed. He added that as of now, there are five hospitals across Army, Navy and Air Force which can carry out COVID test. These include Army Hospital Research and Referral, Delhi; Command Hospital Air Force, Bangalore and Armed Forces Medical College, Pune; Command Hospital (Central Command) Lucknow; Command Hospital (Northern Command) Udhampur. Six more hospitals are being equipped shortly with the resources to begin testing.

Lt Gen Banerji also informed that as of now, only one serving soldier has been tested positive of COVID-19. He was on leave at his home in Leh, taking care of his father who had returned recently from Iran and suffering from COVID. The soldier has recovered. The DG AFMS added that isolation wards at peripheral hospitals have been activated at Army formations along Line of Control and Line of Actual Control. “Intensive information, education and communication campaigns are going on for serving personnel. Leave extension of those on leave as well as curtailment of leave to bare minimum have been imposed. Segregation facilities have been set up to observe troops already back from leave from various states,” he said.

A 14-member team of medical officers and paramedical staff of Army Medical Corps was sent to the Maldives for capacity building measures and assist in setting up their own testing, treatment and quarantine capacities. The team stayed in the Maldives for 10 days and returned back on March 23, 2020. Lt Gen Banerji said, apart from the Maldives, AFMS is ready to dispatch a Rapid response Team to Nepal for assisting them with the COVID situation there. He added that other assistance for other countries will be provided as and when required.

On the availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the DG AFMS said, it is a challenge at national as well as global level, adding that advisory for rational usage of PPE has been issued to the Services. “The AFMS is presently geared up with adequate PPEs for use in our hospitals. Additional procurement is also being planned to tide over crisis foreseen during the coming weeks and months since the Armed Forces have been directed to augment medical resources for the civil health set up also,” he added.

The AFMS has suggested setting up of medical facilities within train coaches in case of any eventuality. Various advisories have been issued by AFMS on social distancing, cancellation of courses and training, use of masks, preventive measures to be taken at workplace and guidelines on COVID surveillance and contact tracing.

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Balakot airstrikes Message

Ministry of Defence

Balakot airstrikes was a message that cross-border terrorism will not be a low-cost option for the adversary, says Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh;
Diplomatic and financial pressure is working but Pakistan has to do more: Rajnath Singh

Posted On: 28 FEB 2020 2:52PM by PIB Delhi

The surgical strike of 2016 and Balakot airstrikes of 2019 were not just military strikes but a strong message to the adversary that terror infrastructure across the border cannot be used as safe haven to wage low-cost war against India. This was stated by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh while addressing a seminar titled “Air Power in ‘No War No Peace’ Scenario”, organised by Centre for Air Power Studies on the first anniversary of Balakot airstrikes, here today.

Recalling sacrifices of Armed Forces in the service of the country and paying tributes to the martyrs of Pulwama attack, he said the Nation will never forget their sacrifices.

Raksha Mantri said India’s out-of-the-box response reflected in the Balakot airstrikes forced the rewriting of many doctrines across the LoC and the adversary has to think 100 times for any future misadventures. He added that the responses displayed India’s defence capability and affirmed its right to defend itself against terrorism.

Shri Rajnath Singh described Balakot airstrikes as a singular event of military precision and impact, saying that it teaches the leadership to think strategic rather than tactical. “Our approach to terrorism was and will remain a judicious combination of clinical military action and mature and responsible diplomatic outreach,” he said. Raksha Mantri assured the nation that the Government will respond appropriately to any threat to India’s national security in the future as well. He said, the Government has initiated major structural changes to tackle any future threats and it will take some time for the entire set up to be fully operational. He urged all stakeholders to contribute in making these changes effective and efficient.

Raksha Mantri highlighted that the world stands shoulder to shoulder with India in fighting the terrorism. Stressing the importance of collective diplomatic and financial pressure to thwart cross-border terrorism, he said, “We have recently seen the impact of collective diplomatic and financial pressure on Pakistan. Terrorists like Hafiz Saeed who were treated like VIPs and heroes, have been put behind bars. We realise that this is not enough and unless Pakistan is made accountable, it will continue with its previous policy of duplicity and deceit. All attempts are being made to work in this direction.”

Shri Rajnath Singh termed hybrid warfare a reality, saying that a mix of kinetic and non-kinetic tools is a genuine threat. He emphasised the need to reorient the training of soldiers to meet the challenges posed by hybrid warfare, assuring Government support in this regard. Referring to various aspects of hybrid warfare, namely expanding battle space, time compression and technology infusion, he said, “In such a scenario, artificial intelligence, high-speed weapons and space-based sensors & tools will have a significant impact.” He stressed on the need to imbibe new technologies and use existing capabilities in innovative ways.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said, geopolitics around the globe is changing and India is witness to a number of skirmishes in the region. He called for maintaining credible deterrence in land, air and at sea at all times, saying that the three Services must work together concurrently to deal with any potential threats. “Credible deterrence comes from the will of the military leadership and intent of the political class while taking tough decisions. This was amply shown after Kargil, Uri and Pulwama attacks,” he added.

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria said, in 2019, the Government took bold decision to strike at the heart of terrorist training camps inside Pakistan. Use of air power in a sub-conventional scenario was a paradigm shift, he said. He lauded the political and diplomatic efforts to quickly deescalating the situation. He described Pakistan’s response after 30 hours as an effort to satisfy the domestic audience. Appreciating the coordination among various organisations in carrying out the successful airstrikes, he said, there was a calibrated effort to ensure that there were no civilian casualties. He lauded the political leadership for equipping the Indian Air Force with latest technology in recent times. “We had an edge over Pakistan Air Force in terms of Beyond Visual Range Missile capability at the time of Kargil. We allowed that to slip and thereafter it took a decade and half in our struggle to acquire better capabilities,” he said. He also stressed on building indigenous capabilities.

The focus of the seminar was on employability of the air power in situations that necessitate exertion of national will against an adversary, in a no war no peace scenario. Secretary Department of Defence and R&D Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Director General of Centre for Air Power Studies Air Marshal K K Nohwar (Retd), former Chiefs of Air Staff, scholars, serving and retired officers attended the event.

ABB/SS/Nampi/KA/DK/Savvy/ADA

First Anniversary of Balakot Air Strikes

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 26 FEB 2020 8:28PM by PIB Delhi

On the first anniversary of Balakot air strikes, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria PVSM AVSM VM ADC, Chief of the Air Staff flew a five aircraft mission at Srinagar Air Base along with aircrew from Squadrons that had participated in the operations on 26^th and 27^th February last year. The CAS flew a MiG-21 Type 69 aircraft along with the Commanding Officer of 51 Sqn, Gp Capt Kamran Nazeerin a formation comprising of one MiG-21, two Mirage-2000s and two Sukhoi-30 MKIs.

26 February 2019 was a momentous day as it bore testimony to the professionalism and operational preparedness of men and women of the IAF who successfully executed a very complex mission and achieved their objectives under extremely challenging conditions.

On this day, the IAF salutes the spirit, tenacity and sacrifice of its brave Air Warriors and assures the Nation of its unstinted resolve.  The IAF stands shoulder to shoulder with other Defence Services   in discharge of its sacred duty of defending the nation’s sovereignty and integrity.

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AB/THANGA/JAI

ON THE WORLD DAY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

47 Squadron of Indian Air Force Celebrates Diamond Jubilee

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 16 FEB 2020 3:50PM by PIB Delhi

No. 47 Squadron of Indian Air Force currently stationed at AF Station, Adampur, completed 60 years of its glorious service to the nation. To commemorate the occasion, Diamond Jubilee celebrations were organised at Air Force Station Adampur on 14-15 February 2020. On this historic occasion, the aerial display by the Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team, IAF vintage Flight, Air Devils and performance by the Air Warriors Drill Team enthralled the audience. A large number of serving officers, dignitaries and veterans were part of the celebrations.

The Squadron was formed on 18 December 1959 at Air Force Station Halwara. It has operated Toofani, MiG-21 FL and MiG-29 fighter aircraft. The crest of the unit is a figure of a kneeling ‘BLACK ARCHER’ with a drawn bow, depicting poised readiness. The motto of the unit, “Karmani Vyapurutham Dhanuhu” is translated as “My bow is always stretched for its task”.

The Squadron took part in both 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars and won numerous accolades. The Squadron continues to maintain its operational edge and has actively participated in Op Safed Sagar, Op Parakram and the operations post Balakot Strike in Northern sector. The Black Archers are the proud recipients of the Presidents Standards in 2009 and are ever ready to face any challenge, to achieve greater heights in service to the nation.     

Production of Tejas Fighter Planes

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 05 FEB 2020 3:47PM by PIB Delhi

In addition to 40 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas aircraft [20 in Initial Operation Clearance (IOC) and 20 in Final Operation Clearance (FOC) version with 16 fighters & 4 trainers in each], Government has planned to manufacture improved 83 LCA Mk-1A aircraft with enhanced capabilities for Indian Air Force (IAF).

The production of 16 fighters in IOC has been completed in March, 2019 and the production of 16 fighters in FOC and 8 trainers has been undertaken by HAL.

Several new features have been included in LCA Mk1A aircraft to enhance the combat capabilities in terms of avionics, radar, weapons, air to air refuelling etc.Flight testing of Tejas Mk1A fighter aircraft has been planned to be completed by 2022.

This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Shripad Naik in a written reply to Shri S. Muniswamy in Lok Sabha today.

ABB/SS/Nampi/Savvy