<!--emo&:thumbsup--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbup.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbup.gif' /><!--endemo--> Nukes in jihadi hands a worry: Army chief
14 Nov 2007, 0247 hrs IST,Rajat Pandit,TNN
Army chief General Deepak Kapoor says India is closely monitoring the situation in Pakistan (TOI Photo)
NEW DELHI: Holding that the terror infrastructure across the western border is still very much alive and kicking, Army chief General Deepak Kapoor says India will have to guard against a spurt in terrorist activities as a fallout of the ongoing turmoil in Pakistan.
"The terrorist training camps (in Pakistan and PoK) are intact...infiltration is being calibrated. There has been a spate of infiltration bids and violent incidents in J&K over the last two months," said Gen Kapoor, in an exclusive interview to TOI on Tuesday.
There is apprehension that Pakistan, while gunning for jihadis on its western front near Afghanistan to placate the US, may give free rein to militants on its eastern flank with India.
"We are concerned that if there is a strong crackdown on jihadis in Pakistan, one of the options for them could be to head towards India," said Gen Kapoor, adding that security forces were on a high alert along the Indo-Pak border.
While there is a feeling in the Indian security establishment that Pakistani army and ISI are finally getting their comeuppance with militant outfits turning against their erstwhile benefactors, there is also the realisation that an unstable Pakistan is not in India's interests.
Asked about General Pervez Musharraf's imposition of 'Emergency-plus' in Pakistan, Gen Kapoor said, "The situation in Pakistan is obviously of concern to the security establishment here...we need to closely monitor it."
He, however, added, "Though the current situation is an internal problem of Pakistan, the Indian government's stated desire is to see an early return to normalcy, secular democracy and elimination of terrorism in Pakistan."
What about the prospect of jihadi elements gaining access to a nuclear weapon or even some enriched uranium from Islamabad's nuclear arsenal in the ongoing chaos there?
"Well, dirty nuclear bombs falling in the hands of jihadis is definitely a worry for all stable countries and democracies...they can be used for anything, even to start an international conflict," said Gen Kapoor.
With the situation still unfolding in Pakistan, the Army chief firmly ruled out any troop cut from J&K at this stage. There has been a 50% drop in violence levels in J&K this year as compared to the corresponding period last year, with a "distinct groundswell for peace" among people, but "what has been gained should not be lost in a hurry".
"Infiltration figures are approximately at the same level as last year. Violence has not been brought down to the desired levels. This is especially true of foreign (read Pakistani) terrorists who have initiated a number of high profile albeit low-risk incidents in the past few weeks," said Gen Kapoor.
Moreover, there are Pakistan-backed terrorist 'sleeper cells' which may be activated to create trouble. "The present situation does not warrant any troop-cut. Rather, any reduction in the tempo of operations at this stage would only help terrorists regroup. Hence, it's premature to talk about any demilitarisation...may be next year," he added.
NEW DELHI : Navy has suggested to the government that India acquire the knowhow to build super tankers and seek transfer of this technology to build the same tonnage warships on the pattern of US carriers.
"We have submitted a comprehensive Plan to the government seeking rapid expansion of shipbuilding capacity. We have to graduate to the level of building super tankers and transfer the same technology to warship building," Naval Chief Sureesh Mehta said on Sunday.
To bring about this rapid expansion, Mehta said the Naval blueprint has proposed public-private partnership. So far the country's shipbuilding has been the sole preserve of public sector undertaking mainly defence shipyards.
"Urgent steps need to be taken to drastically expand the capacity of existing shipyards and more shipyards need to come up," the Naval Chief Admiral said.
The existing shipyards are hardly able to manage an increasing demand of the Navy, and if steps were not taken, the expansion of the country's maritime force would be restricted in the near future, he said.
The new Naval plan, proposes doubling the nation's gross registered tonnage from the present 8,520 million, encompasses modernisation of shipyards, induction of new technologies and enhancement of ship design know-how.
The Admiral's remarks assume significance in the context of New Delhi holding negotiations with South Korean and Singapore shipbuilders to import know-how and technologies to build ships of more than 100,000-ton displacement.
Recently plans were mooted by India and Singapore to form joint ventures to build warships and shipping vessels of more than 45,000 DWT.
Though shipbuilding is currently restricted to public sector shipyards, major private players like L&T have acquired capability to set up a shipyard.
The largest warships the country builds now are of 16,000-ton displacement. However, in an ambitious plan, the Kochi shipyard is building an indigenous carrier and ships of more than 45,000-ton displacement.
For this the Navy had to rope in Italian designers, as India still lacks ship design capability. The same shortcomings are coming in the way of designing the country's first-ever nuclear submarine.
Admiral Mehta said it was time India caught up with advanced nations to build ships of more than 100,000-ton displacement.
According to the government's Hydrocarbon Vision-2025, India would be importing as much as 62 million tons of natural gas by 2012, and this figure would climb up to 84 million tons by 2025.
And similarly, experts point out that crude oil import would increase from existing 101 million metric tons to 348 MMT by 2025. India does not have enough Indian-owned ships to carry these vital energy requirements.
To carry these huge payloads, India would require 25 super tankers (<b><i>Ultra Large Crude Carriers</i></b>) by 2012 and 34 by 2025.
NEW DELHI : Very soon, India will take a crucial step towards proving its fledgling ballistic missile defence (BMD) system. In the first week of December, the country plans to unleash a new "interceptor" missile to "kill" an incoming "hostile" missile over the Bay of Bengal.
This new interceptor missile, an "endo-atmospheric" one, will take on the "enemy" missile at an altitude of 15-20 km above the earth, on the lines of the American Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) system.
A year ago, on November 27, India had tested an "exo-atmospheric" hypersonic interceptor missile to successfully destroy an incoming Prithvi missile at an altitude of around 50 km, demonstrating a capability akin to the Israeli Arrow-2 BMD system.
In effect, the two tests taken together will constitute the first phase in Indiaâs quest to develop a "unique" two-tier BMD system, capable of tracking and destroying hostile missiles both inside (endo) and outside (exo) the earthâs atmosphere.
"With a two-layered system, analogous to both PAC-3 and Arrow-2, the aim is to first engage in exo and then intercept the leakers in endo to ensure a kill probability of 99.8%," DRDOâs chief controller for missiles, V K Saraswat, told TOI.
Truth of â62 is locked away
Shishir GuptaPosted online: Monday, November 19, 2007 at 0000 hrs Print EmailTo set both history and policy straight, itâs crucial to make public the Brookes-Bhagat Report on that war.
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Forty five years ago to the day, the Zhou Enlai government offered the Indian charge dâ affairs in Beijing, P.K. Bannerjee, a humiliating ceasefire to end the month-long 1962 conflict across the 4,000 kilometre-long, mountainous border. Although the war officially ended two days later, the psychological scars it caused still remain rooted in the Indian mindset. Symbolic of this manifestation is the Henderson Brookes-P.S. Bhagat Report on the operational aspects of the 1962 conflagration, which lies buried in the vaults of South Block since it was submitted to the Nehru government in May 1963.
Prepared between December 1962 and May 1963, only one copy of this three-volume report exists today and the authors, as well as all the major players except the then director, Military Operations, D.K. Palit, have passed away. Yet successive governments at the Centre have adopted a âlet the past bury its deadâ attitude â the BJP-led NDA included. There has been no attempt to make public this three-volume report (one dealing with operations, the other two, with maps/annexures) in its fading yellow binding.
As if the Report symbolises the shame of the nation, it has been tucked away in a series of lockers inside the defence secretaryâs office, and can only be accessed through a series of keys and not-so-forthcoming permission. Even though the paper of this typed report is yellow and brittle with age, there has been no attempt to either keep a photocopy of it or make it public. Perhaps the political rulers and the military establishment want this report to self-destruct or simply fade out of the public mind. But it is crucial for India that its contents be made public. It could lead to a much-needed collective catharsis over the 1962 defeat. It is time the public knew exactly what happened when political leaders played Napolean with pliant generals as their subservient sidekicks.
The Brookes-Bhagat Report is, in fact, a scathing indictment of the then prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and his then defence minister, V.K. Krishna Menon, for a poorly strategised âforward policyâ towards Tibet and interference in the Indian armyâs operational affairs. The report is raw in its verbal expression. It minces no words in criticising then army chief, General P.N. Thapar, his then newly-created Tezpur Corps commander, B.M. Kaul, the then director, Military Operations, D.K. Palit, and a host of other army officers in the conduct of war operations. Laced with quotes from victorious generals from the west and quotes from leading war strategists, it is also harsh on then director, Intelligence Bureau, B.N. Mullick.
It is not for scoring points in a Parliament debate that this report must be made public, but for the Indian establishment to overcome its defensive mindset towards China which remains to this day. It is nobodyâs case that India should start flexing its muscles on the Line of Actual Control or be bitter about the past. Simply put, Indiaâs management of its relations with China should be firmly rooted on ground reality and not on illusions of Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai. But the facts are to the contrary. The Chinese ambassador to India, Sun Yuxi, recently patted the Indian government for sending written instructions to its Cabinet ministers not to attend any function of the Dalai Lama. While he has openly said that Tawang and Arunachal Pradesh are coveted by China, his consul-general in Mumbai took on the senior-most minister in the government last year over the latterâs interpretation of the 1962 war.
If this is the attitude of small-time career diplomats, one can well understand the mental framework of the Chinese leadership towards India. Despite this, the Manmohan Singh government still stands accused by the Left â some of whose leaders had sided openly and unapologetically with China over 1962 â of collaborating with Americans to encircle China. In fact, the political debate over the Indo-US nuclear deal is about how India is either being used by America or China or Russia, as if India is not confident enough to act independently in its own interest.
The overall trade China has with the SAARC nations stands at $9 billion; Indiaâs with SAARC countries comes second with $7 billion. China has an overall trade of $160 billion with ASEAN countries, as compared to Indiaâs $30 billion. Yet it is New Delhi that is seen to be building economic leverage in an effort to encircle Beijing and not the other way round.
The India-China Special Representative dialogue on the boundary dispute is a work in progress, Chinese incursions into the Indian side of the LAC have become frequent and the exercise to exchange the western sector maps has been put on the back-burner. In the meantime, China has tripled its military deployment capability in Tibet through the new railroad to Lhasa and road infrastructure to the Indian border. The only positive out of this is that India-China trade now stands at over $20 billion. It is time that New Delhi got out of its defensive mindset and built up infrastructure and capability to deal with any situation that may possibly be thrown up by China. A step in this direction would be to identify the vital areas on the Indian side of the LAC, and build presence and capability through road infrastructure and revival of the advanced landing grounds that are lying in disuse since the border conflict.
Remember the idea is to be confident and not subservient or complacent towards our northern neighbour. But this can only happen if Indian strategists overcome the scars of 1962. This is illustrated by a meeting of the hush-hush China Study Group in 2004, when the Indian army opposed the plan of constructing 12 strategic roads in Arunchal Pradesh, saying that these would be used by Chinese Peoples Liberation Army to come into India. At this point, the then home secretary testily told the then director-general, Military Operations, that if the army was so afraid of meeting the PLA on the foothills, it should prepare to meet it in Delhi.
It is this need for clarity that demands the Brookes-Bhagat Report to be made public. It could ensure that the 1962 failure gets translated into some positive action. In the late eighties, then minister of state for defence, Arun Singh, tried unsuccessfully to ask the defence secretary, S.K. Bhatnagar, to lend the Report to the army chief, General K. Sundarji, so that he could read it, but to no avail. In 1997, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, N.N. Vohra, was successful in accessing the Report, with a deputy secretary of the defence ministry waiting inside his office to ensure that there was no attempt made at photocopying it!
The consequences of this policy of denial is clear: the true history of 1962 war will remain buried. It will be the Chetan Anand film or some coloured war accounts of then serving generals which will serve as the public record of that war, unless the âHaqeeqatâ of the Brookes-Bhagat Report emerges.
Government may make classified war records public
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Though the government has come out with an official history of the 1948 Indo-Pak war, it is yet to make public the classified records of 1962 war with China and 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak conflicts.
If the government takes a positive decision then it would be for the first time that the Henderson Brook report which went into the 1962 war would be thrown open to public scrutiny.
Recently, former Army Chief General JJ Singh before laying down office had suggested that histories of the conflict with China and Indo-Pak wars should be made available to military strategist and other stakeholders to draw the right lessons from them.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
In Defense matters two serious developments have been reported in the media during the last one week. The first is that the Russian Government has asked for a huge price escalation for the aircraft carrier that India has committed to purchase from that country. The second news relates to the fact that out of the 30 Sea Harrier jets inducted in the Indian Navy, only 15 age left as rest of them have crashed.
Both these developments should not be taken as isolated incidents. They reflect the pitfall of delayed decision making by the Government in matters of defense supplies and up gradations. The same is the case with the plan to induct modern artillery guns and the plan to acquire 125 combat aircrafts.
Since the Bafor scandal , every Government has been shying away from taking quick decisions on any case of defense procurements. There is too much deliberation and leaks in the press which in the long run is bound to hamper the defense preparedness of our forces. It is high time that the political leadership should put in place some mechanism so that these procurements are speeded up and cuts & commissions are brought to the minimum.
One has to remember that there is intense competition between defense suppliers and as such many stories of corruption or likely corruption are often planted in the media. Of course, a few of them have been proved to be based on actual facts , so all such reports need not be completely ignored. At the same time, there is no need to unnecessary get into a panic and to cause delay in taking decision on matters of urgent defense procurement. I do not think, the situation in India has come to such a state that we cannot line up two dozen honest armament and financial experts to select and finalize defense deals.
The Defence Requirements, Purchases etc. are controlled by the Babus - the same Babus who do not have to go through Indian Air Portsâ Security Checks but Armed Forces Officers even the Chiefs of Staff have to go through these Security Checks.
All Defence Officersâ Requisitions as also their Recommendations for Defence Policy in respect of External Threats from Bangladesh, China, Pakistan etc. are Filed by the âConcernedâ Babu(s) and then an assessment is made. This Assessment is then passed on to the Defence-Prime Minister or the Defence Parliamentary Committee.
The Defence-Prime Minster or the Defence Parliamentary Committee never get to read the Requirement or Views or Apprehensions of the Defence Chiefs of Staff.
As such blame the Babus for the Delays and not anybody else!
As regards Corruption : Having been in International Trading of Commodities like Grain, Coal, Iron Ore, Fertilizers, Steel etc. especially in the negotiations of Bulk Purchase Contracts I have also access to the "Defence Brokers".
Believe me that 90% - if not more - Corruption in respect of India's Defence Procurement is centred with the Political Leaders and Babus.
Babus are biggest chor in Indian System and second are political leaders. Now Babus are getting worst because today's graduate gets better pay in private sector in first year of job then Babu near retirement.
This is disgusting to know that Babu and Vadra don't have to go through security check but three chief of Indian Army had to go through all checks.
Babus as usual can smuggle anything.
Delay is always a strategy to gets big hafta from dealers.
Regarding stories in media, majority of media is on foreign payroll and paid by outsider. Highest bidder gets front page.
Regarding Russian deal, India just got a nice slap because of Moron Singh's look 10 Janpath policy, he is hands down worst PM India ever had.
<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Nov 28 2007, 11:31 AM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Nov 28 2007, 11:31 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Moron Singh... is hands down worst PM India ever had.
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<!--emo&:omg--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/omg.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='omg.gif' /><!--endemo--> Mudyji, what are you saying!!!
he is the leading figure in CNN IBN Man of The Year 2007!
the man with something like whizon.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->he is the leading figure in CNN IBN Man of The Year 2007!<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
If you remember I took snap shot of that poll and he had just 2% and Modi with 78% but miracle happened in CNN-IBN poll. next day result, Moron Singh suddenly became leader. I will search that poll snap in my hard Disk.
<b>WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI : Pakistan, a country about a sixth of India in size, population, economy and several other metrics, has for the first time outstripped India in purchasing military hardware and software, notching up arms deals worth $5.1 billion in 2006, as compared to $3.5 billion by India, to be ranked the worldâs largest arms shopper, according to a Congressional study released Monday.
According to the report, âConventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nationsâ, produced by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, Pakistan concluded $5.1 billion in agreements to buy arms in 2006, well ahead of second placed India with $3.5 billion in agreements and third placed Saudi Arabia with $3.2 billion, in the developing world. Venezuela ($3.1 billion), Algeria and Israel ($2.1 billion each), and Brazil ($1.1 billion) were the other leading arms purchasers.
India, however, figures right at the top if the 1999-2006 timeframe is taken, with agreements worth a whopping $ 22.40 billion. In this timeframe, China ranks second ($17.40 billion), followed by Saudi Arabia ($16.40 billion) and Egypt ($13.30 billion), with Pakistan coming seventh with $10.90 billion.</b>
As reported by TOI earlier, India has topped the list in both 2004 and 2005, with agreements worth $5.7 billion and $5.4 billion, respectively, even overtaking China for the first time.
But while India still continues to spend just about 2.5% of its GDP on defence, a trend witnessed since 1991-92 despite the armed forces consistently demanding it be raised to at least 3%, the figures for Pakistan and China hover around 4.5% of their GDPs.
Pakistan, of course, has gained ground in recent years, taking full advantage of the US quid pro quo for its support in the so-called war on terrorism in Afghanistan.
<b>The study also shows that Pakistan, viewed in many quarters as the most dangerous country on earth and a terrorist swamp, received top of the line armaments which seem to have little relevance in the war on terror. Instead, critics say Washington appears to be arming an unstable Pakistan to the teeth amid prospects of it going even more extremist. US sales to Pakistan in 2006 included the $1.4 billion purchase of 36 new F-16C/D fighter aircraft and $640 million in missiles and bombs. The deal included a package for $890 million in upgrades for Pakistanâs older versions of the F-16.</b>
The two main armament suppliers to Pakistan are, of course, the US and China, while itâs Russia, Israel and France for India.
The United States maintained its role as the leading supplier of weapons to the developing world in 2006, followed by Russia and Britain, according to the study. In 2006, the United States agreed to sell $10.3 billion in weapons to the developing world, or 35.8% of these deals worldwide, according to the study. Russia was second with $8.1 billion, or 28.1%, and Britain was third with $3.1 billion, or 10.8%.
Overall, weapons sales to developing countries in 2006 reached $ 28.8 billion, a modest drop from the 2005 figure of $31.8 billion. The combined value of arms sales worldwide to both developed and developing nations in 2006 reached $40.3 billion, a decline of nearly 13% from 2005. When combining totals for arms sales to developed and developing nations, the ranking of world arms sellers remained the same. The United States led with $16.9 billion, followed by Russia with $8.7 billion and Britain with $3.1 billion.
The 2006 sales figures for all three nations were higher than their totals in 2005. While commentaries accompanying the study focused on Russiaâs arms supply to Iran, Venezuela and other countries Washington considers inimical, there was little by way of analysis of US sales to unstable Pakistan, where the army has long been accused of supporting Taliban and other extremist elements.
<b>Real Scenario :</b> Pakistan is One Fourth the Area as India, has One-Seventh the Population and has One-Seventh the GDP.
However at its latest Annual Arms Deals at USD 5.1 Billion is 45% Higher than India's corresponding figure of USD 3.5 Billion. Thus the headline "Pakistan Pips India" is a Gross and Unrealistic Statement.
With One Seventh the Economy as India's, Pakistan should have spent USD 0.5 Billion against India's USD 3.5 Billion but has spent USD 5.1 Billion which is 10.2 Times the Per Capita Spending as compared to India.
This does indicate where Pakistan is heading to i.e. <!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->This does indicate where Pakistan is heading <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They are heading for head on collision with India, and India led by Moron Singh is sleeping now after giving first right to Muslims in India.
During Kargil, India was in same situation, defense establishment was starved of basic equipments by previous government, India end up doing major shopping at last minute which delayed assault on Pakistan. Current fascist Indian government against Hindus is doing same. First no purchase for Defense, secondly, lock military nuke in storage to appease Moron Singh's master in west.
Pakistan is doing good, problem are with fools ruling India, any day Chinki will march straight into West Bengal and commies will burn tri color in sec, will raise Red flag and declare Mandarin as new colony language.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Govt scraps Rs 2,400-cr chopper deal </b>
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
The Government has decided to cancel the ongoing selection process for acquiring 197 helicopters for the Indian Army worth over Rs 2,400 crore following major deviations in the approved parameters of the helicopter and procedures. The process of inviting fresh tender and short-listing process will start shortly.
Two helicopters including the Eurocopter (European consortium of four countries) and Bell (US) were in the race for this big contract. The decision to call for fresh tenders came nearly at the final stage with the Defence Ministry officials carrying out price negotiations with France-based Eurocopter.
<b>Defence Ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar said here on Thursday, "The Government has decided to cancel the ongoing request for proposal (RFP) for procurement of 197 helicopters for the Indian Army." He also informed "a fresh RFP for the same will be issued shortly."</b>
This decision was taken as it was felt that the field trials, which were on for the last two years, were vitiated by the fact that the European consortium European Aerospace and Defence Systems (EADS), which manufactures the Eurocopter had offered the AS 550 C3 model with an Arriel 2B engine in their RFP, it was learnt.
Sources said the EADS, however, sent another model namely AS 350 B3 model powered by Arriel 2B1 engine. They pointed out the Defence Ministry had given permission for the trial of AS 550 C3 model with an Arriel 2B engine adding no clearance was taken for the trial of the other model.
"In fact, such a deviation can be approved only by the defence minister after it goes through the Defence Procurement Board(DPB) which was not done in this case," they said.
As per the RFP, 6O helicopters were to bought in fly-away condition and the rest would have been manufactured by the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under a transfer of technology agreement.
The procurement of a helicopter other than the one approved by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is not permissible under the Defence Procurement Policy-2006, which specifies, "a technical offer once submitted should not be materially changed subsequently."
Sources said one the discrepancies and deviations came to the notice of the Defence Ministry, it decided to refer the matter to the Central Vigilance Committee (CVC). The CVC concurred with the views of the Defence Ministry in terms of both engines and platforms. Consequently, the Government has now directed the Army to float a fresh RFP for the helicopters.
A majority of these helicopters were to be procured for flying in the high altitude including maintaining the lifeline and logistical support in the Siachen glacier, the world's highest battlefield. The helicopters were required to be rugged and able to fly at such heights ranging from 18,000 to 24,000 feet and in adverse weather conditions and air currents.
<b>This is the second major Defence deal to be scrapped this year. Earlier, the Defence Ministry had cancelled international tenders for the Rs 4,000 crore deal to purchase 400 upgraded 155 mm .52 calibre guns for the Army.</b>
<b>It had taken more than seven years for the helicopter deal to get almost finalised and scrapping it at the last stage would mean that procurement of the urgently-needed light helicopters would take another four to five years, sources said. </b>The Defence Ministry might call for explanations of senior Army officials who supervised the field trials of the helicopters, they added.
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This is an excellent example of how babus and COngress party collect hafta, frequent flier miles and gifts from ofcourse dalals for wife/mistress.
They give damn to country.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Wheeler Island (Orissa): India on Thursday demonstrated its capability to defend itself against ballistic missile attacks by successfully testing a hypersonic interceptor missile. The missile destroyed an incoming target missile in a direct hit over the Bay of Bengal. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The very next related media story is that Indian Government has scrapped the deal to purchase 177 Eurocopters.This is another example of how effectively our system operates.
<!--QuoteBegin-Ravish+Dec 7 2007, 10:58 AM-->QUOTE(Ravish @ Dec 7 2007, 10:58 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->The very next related media story is that Indian Government has scrapped the deal to purchase 177 Eurocopters.This is another example of how effectively our system operates.
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<b>Ravish Ji :</b>
Our Defence is in the capable hand of the Indian Government Babus!
I am sure that as in every other case they will make a âHash of itâ!!
Such is the capabilities of our Indian Government Babus!!!
<b>A Request :</b> Since you are India-based do let us know if you hear anything "On the Grapevine".
Karnataka Governor on Friday announced the establishment of single window agency for the benefit of ex-servicemen.
Addressing a gathering of ex-servicemen on the occasion of âArmed Forces Flag Dayâ, Mr Thakur said, the Government will in a monthâs time set-up the agency - for addressing the grievances and also for providing job avenues to the sainiks post-retirement. âWe will establish the centre within a month which will exclusively cater to the needs of the sainiks. Their demand for exemption from property tax will also be looked into,â he added.
Earlier Chief Secretary P B Mahishi said, the gap between corporate world and Armed Forces has reduced, as the Armed Forces is now being considered as a good career alternative. âThe Government is contemplating to introduce welfare schemes for ex-servicemen who continue to be our national assets,â Mr Mahishi said.
Later, the Governor released the Flag Day souvenir and Armed Forces flags, on the occasion. Four ex-servicemen Dr M P Ganesh from the Corps of Signals, Capt S Raja Rao, an ex-army engineer, Capt S Ravi from the Artillery Regiment and M R Jain from the IAF were honoured for their contribution to the Forces in various fields by the Governor.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The French Government has lodged a protest with the Indian Government on the scrapping of the Euro copter deal according to the media reports.The Germans have suggested a Govt to Govt negotiation of the deal. Given the fact that there is an urgent need for these machines, it would be appropriate fro the Government to consider some immediate action so that the defence forces do not feel the shortage.
<b>Defence funds remain unspent under shadow of past scams </b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->New Delhi, Dec 25: Modernisation of the armed forces suffered as Rs 21,000 crore remained unspent in the past five years with procurement deals slowed down by past controversies about defence kickbacks.
Defence contracts in the pipeline have also been held up as returned funds lapse from the defence budget at the fiscal end and fresh proposals are required, officials and defence analysts say.
A senior defence procurement department official admitted there are "slippages" in finalising contracts and acquisition plans which in turn lead to surrender of funds.
"Sometimes we face the problem of spacing out expenditure because of time needed for finalising procurement procedures," he said.
Former army chief General V P Malik said unspent money returning to the Finance Ministry after March 31 "has been happening for a long time. A wide gap exists between project planning and execution because of which defence forces are suffering".
Sometimes the procurement procedure gets delayed because of "fear of being accused of accepting kickbacks", former Institute of Defense Studies and Analysis director Jasjit Singh said.
The report of the parliamentary standing committee on defence this year says despite introduction of the defence procurement policy in 2006 to bring transparency and lay down parameters for speedy clearance of defence proposals, the ministry of defence has not been able to increase the pace of expenditure.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Those who takes kick backs never gets punished, only poor Armed forces suffers.
The Indian Air Force has given the go ahead for induction of the indigenous surface-to-air Akash missile.
To start with, a squadron of these missiles, comprising 16 launchers would be inducted into the force, in what could be a happy new year tidings for the missile scientists, after repeated rejections by IAF experts earlier, according to Air Chief Fali Homi Major.
The IAF decision comes after a recent string of successful trials of the missile undertaken at the country's interim test range at Balasore in Orissa.
"The trials of the Akash missile have gone pretty well. We will get a squadron of these missiles once the trials are over," Major told newsperson on the sidelines of a function in Delhi, where he also outlined that IAF was acquiring more advanced radars for a "gap free" coverage of the country's vulnerable areas like the southern peninsula.
He also said that the IAF had undertaken joint exercises in the region to test reaction to threats from the sea as well as to finetune synergy for increasing civil air traffic in the region.
"We just carried out an exercises in the southern peninsula to activate forces in the area and ensure integration of all air defence assets in the area," he said.
