News Analysis India

Tag: armed forces

  • Agnipath makes national security impenetrable; no legal infirmity: Centre tells Delhi HC 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Responding to petitions assailing ‘Agnipath’, the Centre has told the Delhi High Court there is no legal infirmity in the scheme for recruitment in the armed forces which was introduced in the exercise of its sovereign function to make national security and defence more “robust, impenetrable and abreast” with the changing military requirement.

    The Centre’s stand came on a consolidated counter affidavit filed in response to several petitions against the Agnipath scheme as well as pleas concerning the recruitment processes for the armed forces under certain previous advertisements.

    The Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14, provides for the recruitment of young people between 17-and-a-half and 21 years of age for only four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years. Protests had erupted in several states against the scheme.

    Later, the government extended the upper age limit to 23 years for recruitment in 2022.

    The Centre told the High Court that defending the Indian territory, which has a ‘peculiar border situation’, from external and internal threats requires agile, youthful and technologically adept armed forces and the Agnipath scheme, therefore, aims at reducing the average age profile of soldiers from the present 32 years to 26 years.

    Recruitment through the Agnipath scheme, the central government added, involves a “merit-based, transparent and robust assessment process” and a fair opportunity would be provided to all willing personnel to compete for regular cadre and ultimately “nationalist, disciplined and skilled manpower would be provided to society and exited Agniveers will be an asset for the nation and society”.

    “The policy decision to introduce the scheme was taken by the Government of India in exercise of its sovereign function to make the national security/defence arrangements of the country more robust, impenetrable and abreast with the changing military requirement of the country,” said the affidavit filed by the Centre as it asserted the present batch of petitions deserves to be dismissed at the threshold itself.

    The scheme was introduced to restructure the intake and retention processes in the three services with a view to evolving a youthful, modern and futuristic fighting force.

    The aim of the ‘Agnipath’ scheme was to achieve among other things a young combat force that is physically and mentally capable of taking up the new challenges anticipated by experts.

    The government asserted while the scheme is not an exercise aimed at reducing the budget, it will contribute towards savings after 20 to 25 years, which can be better utilised for capability development, technology infusion and making the army strong, more capable and battle worthy, and aligned to the requirements of the future.

    The government submitted with new military technologies, the conventional formations of the armed forces were ‘losing their edge’ which made structural changes in the overall organisation of the Indian armed forces a matter of necessity.

    To keep the armed forces fit and combat-ready, experts suggested reformation to achieve the golden thumb rule of armed forces being young and fit at all times, it said.

    “(There is) no legal infirmity in Agnipath scheme” The character of future wars/military engagement, in the opinion of military experts, is likely to be ambiguous, uncertain, short, swift, lethal, intense, precise, non-linear, unrestricted, unpredictable and hybrid.

    “These challenges would be exacerbated by the inherent nature of terrain along our borders which ranges from the Rann swampy marshes, jungles, deserts, riverine, hills, high altitude, mountains and glaciated regions, as well as isolated island territories. Defending such territory from external and internal threats requires an agile, youthful and technologically adept Armed Forces,” the affidavit said.

    It said India’s security environment is defined by a complex interplay of regional and global hostilities, proxy wars, infiltrations and armed aggressions.

    The nation’s land and maritime borders face both traditional and non-traditional threats.

    “Concurrently, our internal threats manifest in different dimensions including an on-going proxy war on the western front starting from the region of J&K. On the eastern front the organizations inimical to the nation’s interest are ambushing insurgencies. The Left-Wing Extremism in addition needs a strict vigil as it keeps on resurrecting intermittently,” it added.

    It also clarified that Agnipath was not linked to the ‘right-sizing’ of the Army and that an independent study on manpower optimisation was already underway.

    The affidavit said numerous consultations with stakeholders were undertaken during the past two years and the scheme envisages several benefits to the nation, including the availability of a ready pool of trained and disciplined manpower for other sectors in the government and private market.

    Besides, military discipline, physical fitness and pride in the country will be ingrained in the citizens.

    The Centre refuted the contention that the introduction of the Agnipath scheme without any amendment to the Army act is bad and void in the eyes of law.

    It also rejected suggestions that the scheme will potentially lead to militarisation of the society.

    In its affidavit, the Centre also clarified that as far as the recruitment under earlier schemes is concerned, there is no ‘vested right’ in the favour of the candidates and there is no bar on it to “discontinue” an ongoing process to introduce a new one.

    The government said that post-Independence, it has been its policy to not raise any new regiment on the basis of a particular class, creed, community, religion or region and the recruitment under the Agnipath scheme is open to all eligible youth irrespective of caste and religion.

    NEW DELHI: Responding to petitions assailing ‘Agnipath’, the Centre has told the Delhi High Court there is no legal infirmity in the scheme for recruitment in the armed forces which was introduced in the exercise of its sovereign function to make national security and defence more “robust, impenetrable and abreast” with the changing military requirement.

    The Centre’s stand came on a consolidated counter affidavit filed in response to several petitions against the Agnipath scheme as well as pleas concerning the recruitment processes for the armed forces under certain previous advertisements.

    The Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14, provides for the recruitment of young people between 17-and-a-half and 21 years of age for only four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years. Protests had erupted in several states against the scheme.

    Later, the government extended the upper age limit to 23 years for recruitment in 2022.

    The Centre told the High Court that defending the Indian territory, which has a ‘peculiar border situation’, from external and internal threats requires agile, youthful and technologically adept armed forces and the Agnipath scheme, therefore, aims at reducing the average age profile of soldiers from the present 32 years to 26 years.

    Recruitment through the Agnipath scheme, the central government added, involves a “merit-based, transparent and robust assessment process” and a fair opportunity would be provided to all willing personnel to compete for regular cadre and ultimately “nationalist, disciplined and skilled manpower would be provided to society and exited Agniveers will be an asset for the nation and society”.

    “The policy decision to introduce the scheme was taken by the Government of India in exercise of its sovereign function to make the national security/defence arrangements of the country more robust, impenetrable and abreast with the changing military requirement of the country,” said the affidavit filed by the Centre as it asserted the present batch of petitions deserves to be dismissed at the threshold itself.

    The scheme was introduced to restructure the intake and retention processes in the three services with a view to evolving a youthful, modern and futuristic fighting force.

    The aim of the ‘Agnipath’ scheme was to achieve among other things a young combat force that is physically and mentally capable of taking up the new challenges anticipated by experts.

    The government asserted while the scheme is not an exercise aimed at reducing the budget, it will contribute towards savings after 20 to 25 years, which can be better utilised for capability development, technology infusion and making the army strong, more capable and battle worthy, and aligned to the requirements of the future.

    The government submitted with new military technologies, the conventional formations of the armed forces were ‘losing their edge’ which made structural changes in the overall organisation of the Indian armed forces a matter of necessity.

    To keep the armed forces fit and combat-ready, experts suggested reformation to achieve the golden thumb rule of armed forces being young and fit at all times, it said.

    “(There is) no legal infirmity in Agnipath scheme” The character of future wars/military engagement, in the opinion of military experts, is likely to be ambiguous, uncertain, short, swift, lethal, intense, precise, non-linear, unrestricted, unpredictable and hybrid.

    “These challenges would be exacerbated by the inherent nature of terrain along our borders which ranges from the Rann swampy marshes, jungles, deserts, riverine, hills, high altitude, mountains and glaciated regions, as well as isolated island territories. Defending such territory from external and internal threats requires an agile, youthful and technologically adept Armed Forces,” the affidavit said.

    It said India’s security environment is defined by a complex interplay of regional and global hostilities, proxy wars, infiltrations and armed aggressions.

    The nation’s land and maritime borders face both traditional and non-traditional threats.

    “Concurrently, our internal threats manifest in different dimensions including an on-going proxy war on the western front starting from the region of J&K. On the eastern front the organizations inimical to the nation’s interest are ambushing insurgencies. The Left-Wing Extremism in addition needs a strict vigil as it keeps on resurrecting intermittently,” it added.

    It also clarified that Agnipath was not linked to the ‘right-sizing’ of the Army and that an independent study on manpower optimisation was already underway.

    The affidavit said numerous consultations with stakeholders were undertaken during the past two years and the scheme envisages several benefits to the nation, including the availability of a ready pool of trained and disciplined manpower for other sectors in the government and private market.

    Besides, military discipline, physical fitness and pride in the country will be ingrained in the citizens.

    The Centre refuted the contention that the introduction of the Agnipath scheme without any amendment to the Army act is bad and void in the eyes of law.

    It also rejected suggestions that the scheme will potentially lead to militarisation of the society.

    In its affidavit, the Centre also clarified that as far as the recruitment under earlier schemes is concerned, there is no ‘vested right’ in the favour of the candidates and there is no bar on it to “discontinue” an ongoing process to introduce a new one.

    The government said that post-Independence, it has been its policy to not raise any new regiment on the basis of a particular class, creed, community, religion or region and the recruitment under the Agnipath scheme is open to all eligible youth irrespective of caste and religion.

  • Theatre Command structure should not in any way compromise the IAF’s doctrine: IAF Chief

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Communicating the worries of the Indian Air Force with regards to the major reorganization exercise of the structure of the Armed Forces into theatres the Air Chief has clarified that the service was not opposing any process of integration or having theatre commands. “But we have certain reservations with respect to the structures.” said the IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari. He also talked about the situation along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh saying the best benchmark would be “complete withdrawal”.

    As reported earlier by TNIE the war fighting structure of the Armed Forces (Army, Air Force and Navy) is being reorganised into theatre commands with an aim to have the assets of all three forces under one commander responsible for all operations under his theatre.

    The IAF is in full support of the integration process but “It is only the methodology and the kind of structure that need to be future ready is what we are insisting on.” he added.

    Elaborating on his views to make the structures Future ready, “it should be shorter decision making, reduction in the layers of command and control and more importantly to synergy the core competencies. Each service has a doctrine. The doctrinal aspects of the IAF is what I am worried about, should not in any way be compromised by this new structure.”

    The Air Chief was addressing the media before the 90th Raising Day of the Force.

    The Chief, commenting on the situation in Eastern Ladakh, said, “The best benchmark would be return to status quo ante and complete withdrawal from all the points all along the LAC. That is the ideal situation that we would look for.”

    Disengagement has taken place at certain areas along the LAC. However, we keep monitoring the activities of the PLA Air Force. Infrastructure development continues to take place at a rapid pace across the LAC particularly Eastern Ladakh sector.” 

    On the increased air activity by the Chinese the air chief said “we continuously monitor it by enhancing our air defence efforts there.”

    “We have increased the presence of our radars and Surface to Air Guided Weapon (SAGW) systems. We have integrated them into the IACCS network, and appropriate non-escalatory air-defence measures are taken, always in time. We have been able to signal our intent and signal our state of readiness with the actions taken so far.” He said.

    The Integrated Air Command and Control Systems (IACCS) has been planned to provide the complete picture of the air domain to assist him with quick and informed decisions.

    As per the Chief, all preparedness in terms of infrastructure building, equipment, training and tactics is a continuous effort, irrespective of whether we see any belligerence on the part of the Chinese or not.

    “The Confidence Building Measures (CBM) between India and China are in place. We have ensured that none of the CBMs are violated. In case there is a violation, we now have an Air Force officer who represents us in the border talks. In the last border management talks, we had an Air Force officer and the various air violations cases have been communicated to them. We will use the Army hotlines for communicating any air violations.” Added the IAF Chief.

    NEW DELHI: Communicating the worries of the Indian Air Force with regards to the major reorganization exercise of the structure of the Armed Forces into theatres the Air Chief has clarified that the service was not opposing any process of integration or having theatre commands. “But we have certain reservations with respect to the structures.” said the IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari. He also talked about the situation along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh saying the best benchmark would be “complete withdrawal”.

    As reported earlier by TNIE the war fighting structure of the Armed Forces (Army, Air Force and Navy) is being reorganised into theatre commands with an aim to have the assets of all three forces under one commander responsible for all operations under his theatre.

    The IAF is in full support of the integration process but “It is only the methodology and the kind of structure that need to be future ready is what we are insisting on.” he added.

    Elaborating on his views to make the structures Future ready, “it should be shorter decision making, reduction in the layers of command and control and more importantly to synergy the core competencies. Each service has a doctrine. The doctrinal aspects of the IAF is what I am worried about, should not in any way be compromised by this new structure.”

    The Air Chief was addressing the media before the 90th Raising Day of the Force.

    The Chief, commenting on the situation in Eastern Ladakh, said, “The best benchmark would be return to status quo ante and complete withdrawal from all the points all along the LAC. That is the ideal situation that we would look for.”

    Disengagement has taken place at certain areas along the LAC. However, we keep monitoring the activities of the PLA Air Force. Infrastructure development continues to take place at a rapid pace across the LAC particularly Eastern Ladakh sector.” 

    On the increased air activity by the Chinese the air chief said “we continuously monitor it by enhancing our air defence efforts there.”

    “We have increased the presence of our radars and Surface to Air Guided Weapon (SAGW) systems. We have integrated them into the IACCS network, and appropriate non-escalatory air-defence measures are taken, always in time. We have been able to signal our intent and signal our state of readiness with the actions taken so far.” He said.

    The Integrated Air Command and Control Systems (IACCS) has been planned to provide the complete picture of the air domain to assist him with quick and informed decisions.

    As per the Chief, all preparedness in terms of infrastructure building, equipment, training and tactics is a continuous effort, irrespective of whether we see any belligerence on the part of the Chinese or not.

    “The Confidence Building Measures (CBM) between India and China are in place. We have ensured that none of the CBMs are violated. In case there is a violation, we now have an Air Force officer who represents us in the border talks. In the last border management talks, we had an Air Force officer and the various air violations cases have been communicated to them. We will use the Army hotlines for communicating any air violations.” Added the IAF Chief.

  • 819 cases of suicide in armed forces in 5 years: Govt tells Parliament

    The minister said various mechanisms to observe and identify armed forces personnel with problems such as depression and suicidal tendencies are in place.

  • Need to intensify war against forces challenging India’s self-confidence: PM Modi at naval seminar

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said attempts from within the country or abroad to harm India’s interests must be thwarted effectively as he cautioned the armed forces against various new challenges including “disinformation” campaigns.

    Addressing a naval seminar, Modi also batted for a “whole of the nation” approach to combat myriad security challenges, saying they are no longer limited to land, sea and sky and asserted that the armed forces must work together to bolster the country’s military capabilities.

    Highlighting the importance of self-reliance in the defence sector, the prime minister said dependence on imports for small requirements of the armed forces could pose serious strategic challenges.

    Cautioning the armed forces against new threats, Modi said contours of national security have become widespread and the challenges are moving towards space, cyberspace, social space and the economic sphere.

    “We also have to intensify our war against forces challenging India’s self-confidence, our self-reliance. As India is establishing itself on the global stage, there are constant attacks through misinformation, disinformation and false publicity, etc,” he said at the ‘Swavlamban’ seminar.

    “Keeping faith, the forces harming India’s interests, whether in the country or abroad, have to be thwarted in their every effort. National defence is no longer limited to borders, but is much broader. Therefore it is equally necessary to make every citizen aware about it,” he added.

    The prime minister said: “As we are moving forward with the ‘whole of the government’ approach for a self-reliant India, similarly, the ‘whole of the nation’ approach is the need of the hour for the defence of the nation.”

    He said that the “collective national consciousness of various people of India is the strong basis of security and prosperity”.

    The seminar was organised by the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM).

    In his address, the prime minister said his government has developed a new defence ecosystem in the country to boost domestic defence manufacturing.

    ALSO READ | Forget shortcuts, focus on duties for a stronger India: PM Modi

    In the last 4-5 years, Modi said, the defence imports have come down by about 21 per cent and the country is moving fast from being the biggest defence importer to becoming a big exporter.

    The prime minister said Rs 13,000 crore worth of defence export was achieved last year and more than 70 per cent of it was from the private sector.

    He lamented that during the initial decades of Independence, there was no focus on the development of defence production and research and development were severely limited as it was restricted to the government sector.

    “Innovation is critical and it has to be indigenous. Imported goods can’t be a source of innovation,” he said, stressing the need for a change in the mindset of “attraction for imported goods”.

    Talking about long delays in defence acquisition, Modi said most of the procurement programmes kept facing questions and abusing politicians became very easy.

    “It kept going on for years and as a result, the armed forces had to wait for modern equipment for decades,” he said.

    Recalling the glorious maritime tradition of the country, Modi said that the defence sector of India used to be very strong even before independence.

    At the time of independence, there were 18 ordnance factories in the country, where many types of military equipment including artillery guns, were made.

    He said India was an important supplier of defence equipment in World War II.

    “Our howitzers, machine guns made at the Ishapur Rifle Factory, were considered the best. We used to export a lot. But then what happened that, at one point in time, we became the world’s biggest importer in this field?” he asked.

    He said like the countries who capitalised on the challenge of the World War to emerge as big arms exporters, India too turned adversity into opportunity during the COVID-19 period and made strides in economy, manufacturing and science.

    Referring to the importance of oceans and coasts in India’s economy, Prime Minister Modi said that the role of the Indian Navy is continuously increasing and therefore self-reliance of the force is of critical importance.

    In the last eight years, Modi noted, the government has not only increased the defence budget, “we have also ensured that this budget is useful in the development of the defence manufacturing ecosystem in the country itself.”

    “Today, a large part of the budget earmarked for the purchase of defence equipment is being spent on procurement from Indian companies,” he said and complemented the defence forces for preparing a list of 300 items that will not be imported.

    The seminar was attended by NSA Ajit Doval, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar among others.

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said attempts from within the country or abroad to harm India’s interests must be thwarted effectively as he cautioned the armed forces against various new challenges including “disinformation” campaigns.

    Addressing a naval seminar, Modi also batted for a “whole of the nation” approach to combat myriad security challenges, saying they are no longer limited to land, sea and sky and asserted that the armed forces must work together to bolster the country’s military capabilities.

    Highlighting the importance of self-reliance in the defence sector, the prime minister said dependence on imports for small requirements of the armed forces could pose serious strategic challenges.

    Cautioning the armed forces against new threats, Modi said contours of national security have become widespread and the challenges are moving towards space, cyberspace, social space and the economic sphere.

    “We also have to intensify our war against forces challenging India’s self-confidence, our self-reliance. As India is establishing itself on the global stage, there are constant attacks through misinformation, disinformation and false publicity, etc,” he said at the ‘Swavlamban’ seminar.

    “Keeping faith, the forces harming India’s interests, whether in the country or abroad, have to be thwarted in their every effort. National defence is no longer limited to borders, but is much broader. Therefore it is equally necessary to make every citizen aware about it,” he added.

    The prime minister said: “As we are moving forward with the ‘whole of the government’ approach for a self-reliant India, similarly, the ‘whole of the nation’ approach is the need of the hour for the defence of the nation.”

    He said that the “collective national consciousness of various people of India is the strong basis of security and prosperity”.

    The seminar was organised by the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM).

    In his address, the prime minister said his government has developed a new defence ecosystem in the country to boost domestic defence manufacturing.

    ALSO READ | Forget shortcuts, focus on duties for a stronger India: PM Modi

    In the last 4-5 years, Modi said, the defence imports have come down by about 21 per cent and the country is moving fast from being the biggest defence importer to becoming a big exporter.

    The prime minister said Rs 13,000 crore worth of defence export was achieved last year and more than 70 per cent of it was from the private sector.

    He lamented that during the initial decades of Independence, there was no focus on the development of defence production and research and development were severely limited as it was restricted to the government sector.

    “Innovation is critical and it has to be indigenous. Imported goods can’t be a source of innovation,” he said, stressing the need for a change in the mindset of “attraction for imported goods”.

    Talking about long delays in defence acquisition, Modi said most of the procurement programmes kept facing questions and abusing politicians became very easy.

    “It kept going on for years and as a result, the armed forces had to wait for modern equipment for decades,” he said.

    Recalling the glorious maritime tradition of the country, Modi said that the defence sector of India used to be very strong even before independence.

    At the time of independence, there were 18 ordnance factories in the country, where many types of military equipment including artillery guns, were made.

    He said India was an important supplier of defence equipment in World War II.

    “Our howitzers, machine guns made at the Ishapur Rifle Factory, were considered the best. We used to export a lot. But then what happened that, at one point in time, we became the world’s biggest importer in this field?” he asked.

    He said like the countries who capitalised on the challenge of the World War to emerge as big arms exporters, India too turned adversity into opportunity during the COVID-19 period and made strides in economy, manufacturing and science.

    Referring to the importance of oceans and coasts in India’s economy, Prime Minister Modi said that the role of the Indian Navy is continuously increasing and therefore self-reliance of the force is of critical importance.

    In the last eight years, Modi noted, the government has not only increased the defence budget, “we have also ensured that this budget is useful in the development of the defence manufacturing ecosystem in the country itself.”

    “Today, a large part of the budget earmarked for the purchase of defence equipment is being spent on procurement from Indian companies,” he said and complemented the defence forces for preparing a list of 300 items that will not be imported.

    The seminar was attended by NSA Ajit Doval, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar among others.

  • DAC gives approval for acquisition of Make in India equipment of over 13,000 crore for armed forces

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Keeping the thrust on Make in India, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Tuesday gave initial approval for acquisition proposals of the Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force amounting to a total of Rs 13,165 crore. 

    The Defence Ministry in its press release said, “The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in its meeting of 29 September 2021 accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for Capital Acquisitions proposals for modernization and operational needs of the Indian Armed Forces amounting to approx. Rs.13,165 crore. Of the total amount approved, procurement worth Rs. 11,486 crore. (87 per cent) is from the domestic sources.” The meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

    Key approvals accorded included helicopters, guided munition and rocket ammunition to cater to the need of the armed forces.

    Among the major procurements, 25 ALH Mark III helicopters will be bought at a cost of Rs 3,850 crore under the Make in India provision.

    The other approval includes the procurement of Terminally Guided Munition and HEPF/RHE Rocket Ammunition under the Buy category at a cost of Rs 4,962 crore under the Make in India plan.

    Other proposals worth Rs. 4,353 cr. were also accorded AoN by the DAC.

    Besides, the Defence Acquisition Council also gave its go-ahead to making amendments to to the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2021 that would ensure further ease of doing business for the industry and increase efficiency.

  • Jointness of three armed forces important amid changing nature of war: Navy chief Karambir Singh

    By PTI
    PUNE: Naval Chief Admiral Karambir Singh on Saturday said the nature of war is changing where there is a need to engage adversaries in all domains like land, sea, air, space and cyber, and stressed on the increased importance of “jointness” among the country’s three services.

    Admiral Singh was speaking at the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla here after reviewing the Passing Out Parade of the 140th course of the academy.

    “The nature of war is changing and it is important to engage adversaries in all domains, like land, sea, air, space and cyber. It is for this reason that the jointness among the three services is far more important than in the past,” he said.

    The armed forces are seeing landmark defence reforms with the establishment of the Department of Military Affairs, institution of Chief of Defence Staff(CDS) and soon to be formed theatre commands, the Navy chief said.

    “Traditions, identity, uniforms and customs of each service matter as do the requirements generated by the distinctive role of the three services. But jointness in the armed forces is paramount for more synergised and effective application of force in today’s complex battlefield.”

    ALSO READ| Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh performs push-ups with National Defence Academy cadets

    The NDA has been a symbol of jointness for 72 years and its existence enforces the core values of jointmanship, which are the founding principles of the academy, Admiral Singh said.

    “All of you must remember that no matter how future warfare evolves, few personal abilities and attributes remain the key for effective leadership. Leadership, as you know is the essence of an officer,” he said in his address to the cadets.

    Admiral Singh, an alumnus of the NDA’s 56th course, arrived at his alma mater on Friday, after which he visited his parent squadron “H” (Hunter Squadron) and interacted with the cadets.

    He presented a memento for the squadron to the cadets, an official statement said.

    During his visit, the Navy chief got down on his hands and did push-ups with the cadets, as is the tradition followed in the squadron, it said.

    The entire staff of the Admiral, NDA Commandant and other officers present there also joined him, the statement added.

  • Armed Forces focusing on managing medical personnel for Covid care facilities

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The Armed Forces are working on meeting the rising requirements of medical personnel at various Covid care centres across the country. While government decided to defer the retirements of the Military Doctors for seven months, 110 newly commissioned doctors joined on May 14 and forces are training support staff too.A senior Army officer told, “We have been posting our personnel as per the requirements. But the new setups were raised quickly and we have met the on ground requirements.”While keeping the primary duty of looking after the serving personnel, veterans and their families in mind, Armed Forces have deployed the medical personnel, doctors and support staff at various facilities created by DRDO including those at Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi and Ahmedabad.

    There is a pressure on the medical staff admitted, the officer quoted above.Coming as a big relief was the commissioning of 110 freshly pass out Medical Officers into the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) from Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. Ninety-four cadets were commissioned into the Indian Army, 10 in the Indian Air Force and six in the Indian Navy.AFMS is integrated medical organisation in the country. The commissioned Medical Officers would be leaving immediately to join as interns in 31 AFMS hospitals across the country, which are also designated for COVID care of Armed Forces personnel as well as civilians.The steps taken by Ministry of Defence to meet the requirement includes an order for recruitment of 400 Ex-Army Medical Corps (AMC)/Short Service Commission (SSC) officers released between 2017 and 2021, are expected to be recruited on contract basis for a maximum period of 11 months.MoD has also granted extension to the Short Service Commissioned doctors of AFMS till December 31, 2021 which has augmented the strength by 238 more doctors.Additional contractual staff has also been temporarily hired in 51 high pressure ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) polyclinics for night duty for three months to cater to the veterans and their dependents.Meanwhile, the Dhanvantri COVID Hospital at Ahmedabad has emerged as an example of CIVIL – MILITARY cooperation and holistic health care. An officer posted there told, “On an average about 30 discharges a day is taking place from 05 May onwards with the patient strength varying from 427 and peaking up to 600.”The hospital started on 23rd April with about 40 doctors and today it has 140 doctors along with more than 400 highly qualified Medical Staff. The hospital has state of art infrastructure like CT Scan, X Rays, Lab Test, Dialysis and Tele Consultation – all are being provided to patients free of cost.Beside medication, multipronged approach towards holistic health care involving Yoga, Pranayam, Ayush, counselling by professional psychiatric & personal touch.

  • COVID-19: Rajnath Singh grants emergency financial powers to armed forces to set up health facilities

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh invoked special provisions and granted Emergency Financial Powers to the Armed Forces on Friday to empower them to meet requirements of the current COVID-19 situation in the country, on April 30, 2021. In addition, the Armed forces have augmented their support.

    Bharat Bhushan Babu, Spokesperson, Ministry of Defence stated, “Under these powers, Vice Chiefs of Armed Forces including Chief of Integrated Defence Staff To The Chairman Chiefs Of Staff Committee (CISC) and General Officer Commanding-in-Chiefs (GOC-in-Cs) and equivalents of all three services have been given full powers, whereas Corps Commanders/Area Commanders have been delegated powers up to Rs 50 lakh per case and Division Commanders/Sub Area Commanders and equivalents have been delegated powers up to Rs 20 lakh per case.”

    “These powers will help Formation Commanders to establish and operate quarantine facilities/hospitals and undertake procurement/repair of equipment/items/material/stores, besides provisioning of various services and works required to support the ongoing effort against the pandemic,” said Babu. 

    Initially, these special powers are applicable for a period of three months from 1st May to 31st July 2021.

    These are in addition to the emergency powers delegated to the Medical Officers of the Armed Forces last week. As per the delegated financial powers Director General Medical Services (Army/Navy/Air Force) – Rs 5 crore, Major General and equivalent – Rs 3 crore, Brigadier & equivalent – Rs 2 Crore.

    The emergency powers were sanctioned to the Armed Forces last year too when the COVID-19 pandemic first broke out.

    Fulfilling the COVID Care infrastructure 39 Cantonment Boards (CB) are maintaining 40 general hospitals with 1,240 beds with the CB hospitals at Pune, Kirkee, and Deolali with 304 beds have been designated as dedicated COVID hospitals. Cantonment General Hospitals (CGHs) of Kirkee, Deolali, Dehuroad, Jhansi and Ahmednagar have been designated as COVID care centers with 418 beds. More are being readied.

    ​Cantonment boards are the civic body under the Ministry of Defence across the country. As part of the Armed Forces contribution to civil administration in combating the current COVID crisis, a 57-member naval medical team consisting of four doctors, seven nurses, 26 paramedics, and 20 supporting staff has been deputed to Ahmedabad on 29 Apr 21. The team will be deployed at the ‘PM Cares COVID Hospital’, a special hospital set up to manage the COVID crisis.

    The major thrust is being given to meet the massive demand for Oxygen.

    Indian Navy launched Operation Samudra Setu-II on Friday to augment the efforts for meeting the Oxygen requirements (Oxygen Express).

    Indian Navy Spokesperson said, “Two ships INS Kolkata and INS Talwar have entered the port of Manama, Bahrain for embarking and transporting 40 MT of liquid oxygen to Mumbai.”

    INS Jalashwa is en route to Bangkok and INS Airavat to Singapore for similar missions added the spokesperson.

    DRDO arranged 115 big-sized O² cylinders, each can store 10,000 Litres of oxygen, to fulfill the requirements of hospitals. Seventy-five such cylinders were given to the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of NCT of Delhi on Thursday. On Friday, 40 cylinders were handed over for utilization at Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre at Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), Chhatarpur, New Delhi.

  • Armed forces recall retired medical staff to work to battle Covid-19 pandemic in India

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took stock of the preparations made by the Indian armed forces to assist the civil administration in Covid management. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat said retired medical professionals and those who had availed of pre-mature retirement from the forces in the past two years were being recalled to beef up the numbers.

    An official statement from the PMO said the forces had recalled the retired personnel “to work in Covid facilities within proximity of their present place of residence”. On Friday, the Defence ministry had announced it was extending the tenure of SSC doctors in the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) to “ tide over the current surge in medical services”. This will augment the strength of AFMS by 238 more doctors.

    The CDS told the PM that nursing personnel were being employed in large numbers to complement the doctors at the hospitals. PM was also briefed that oxygen cylinders available with armed forces in various establishments would be released for hospitals and wherever possible, military medical infrastructure would be made available to civilians.

    Modi reviewed the operations undertaken by IAF to transport oxygen and other essentials in India and abroad.  Further, Kendriya and Rajya Sainik Welfare Boards, and officers posted in various headquarters in veterans’ cells might be instructed to coordinate the services to expand the reach to remote areas.

  • More than 90 per cent personnel of Armed Forces administered first dose of COVID vaccine

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The administration of COVID-19 vaccine to the those serving in the Army, Navy and Air Force is going in full swing, with half of the Armed Forces having completed the full schedule of the vaccine. 

    A senior officer said to The New Indian Express, “Being the frontline workers and health care workers, personnel of the services have been vaccinated irrespective of age. More than 90 percent of serving personnel have received one dose and more than 50 per cent of the personnel have received the complete schedule of vaccine.”

    Of the 14-lakh-strong armed forces more than 12.5 lakh have received the first dose whereas the full vaccine schedule has been completed for more than 7 lakh soldiers.

    Covishield is the vaccine used in the Armed Forces and extra care is being taken to pay attention to the serving personnel, veterans and their dependents.

    Meanwhile, noting the rush at the Base Hospital Delhi Cantt (BHDC), the Army decided to convert the building into an exclusive COVID-19 facility for the Indian armed forces and veterans, with effect from April 22, 2021.

    “As on date, there are 258 oxygenated beds at BHDC which are fully occupied. Nearly 400 plus COVID positive cases with mild symptoms are in home isolation, who otherwise would have been admitted in BHDC,” told a source.

    “Majority of the cases in BH are of the family members and serving personnel. All OPDs will shift to and function at the Army Hospital Research and Referral,” told the officer.

    The Defence Services have stepped up resources in areas where COVID patients are arriving in increasing numbers.

    “Even veterans who are members of ECHS and are equired to be managed by nominated civilian hospitals are being entertained at Military hospitals to the extent possible,” said the sources after speaking to some officers managing the COVID cases for service personnel and veterans and their dependents in the Base Hospital, Delhi.

    Keeping the anticipated surge in mind further steps have been taken,

    Adding that the steps were taken anticipating a surge, the source said, “concerted efforts are being made to increase the oxygenated beds in the coming days. The capacity enhancement should materialise in a few days.”

    “All our efforts are being made to ensure health care of all serving and veteran army persons during these trying times,” the source added.