News Analysis India

Tag: armed forces

  • Bihar govt seeks help of doctors from armed forces to run COVID hospital

    Express News Service
    PATNA: Amid a shortage of doctors and beds in various Patna-based hospitals owing to the rising COVID-19 cases, the state government, on Monday, sought the help of doctors from the Armed Medical Services of the Indian Army to run hospitals. 

    The requisition for doctors was sent to the Defence Secretary in the backdrop of a shortage of beds emerging in many hospitals in Patna.

    According to sources from the health department, all the 115 beds at AIIMS were occupied with COVID-19 patients, while out of the 112 beds in PMCH, more than 90% beds are being occupied by COVID positive patients.

    And at the NMCH, out of the existing strength of 100 beds, more than 90% beds are filled with patients infected by Coronavirus.

    Confirming this, principal health secretary Pratyay Amrit said that the requisition for 50 doctors was sent to the secretary of defence in New Delhi.

    “The doctors from the armed forces medical services have been sought to take care of the 500-bed ESI hospital at Bihta,” he said.

    He said that all arrangements are being made by the health department to tackle the challenges posed by the pandemic in the state.

    On Wednesday, the situation turned worse with 4786 more positive cases reported taking the total count of active case to 23724.

    Bihar’s four IAS officers including principal secretary of Home Chaitnaya Prasad and principal secretary of finance department S Siddhartha are among those who tested positive for the virus.

    Chaitanya Prasad is admitted at AIIMS while other infected IAS officers are under home isolation. So far, more than dozens of bureaucrats including police officers and 50 doctors have been infected with the virus. 

    Nitish Kumar’s Social Welfare Minister Madan Sahani along with one of his security guards was also found to be COVID-positive.

  • CAF jawan in Chhattisgarh shoots himself dead with service weapon

    By PTI
    RAIPUR: A 36-year-old jawan from the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service weapon in the insurgency-hit Narayanpur district on Thursday, police said.

    Constable Dharmendra Gabel from the CAF’s 9th battalion allegedly shot himself with an Insas rifle at his unit’s camp in Aadmdai Ghati under Chhote Dongar police station limits, Narayanpur superintendent of police Mohit Garg said.

    When the other personnel heard the gunshot from the victim’s barrack, they rushed to the spot and found him lying in a pool of blood, he said.

    The victim was taken to a local hospital, where he was declared brought dead, the official said.

    The deceased jawan was a native of Janjgir-Champa district, he said, adding that the reason for the extreme step is yet to be ascertained.

    A case has been registered in this regard and further probe is on, the official said.

    (If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call AASRA’s 24×7 Helpline: +91-9820466726 for assistance)

  • More fiscal powers for command & deputy chiefs

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved enhanced delegation of financial powers under capital procurement to deputy chiefs and command chiefs of the armed forces. This will make upgrades, modernisation and refit quicker in the armed forces.

    This is the first time that financial powers have been devolved below the vice chief level for specified items of capital nature to meet emerging security challenges, said the Ministry of Defence.Orders up to Rs 200 crore have been delegated to Deputy Chief of Army Staff (CD & S)/ MGS (Master General Sustenance), COM (Chief of Material), Air Officer Maintenance, Deputy Chief Integrated Defence Staff and Additional Director General Indian Coast Guard.

    Financial powers up to Rs  100 crore have been delegated to General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Services Command and regional commanders, Coast Guard.

    There are a total of seven commands each in Army and Air Force and three commands in the Navy. The Coast Guard has two regional commands. The defence ministry had enhanced the financial powers of the three vice chiefs from Rs 100 crore to Rs 500 crore in 2018.

    Both serving and retired officers called it a good step. “Commands will not be required to reach the headquarters. The directorates will be able to process the cases up to the mentioned limits. Earlier, these needed approvals once the cost crossed a certain limit, leading to delays,” said an Army officer.

  • Govt rejects service pay hike demand, Army to seek review

    The Army is upset over the Government’s decision to reject a long-pending demand for enhanced Military Service Pay (MSP) for more than one lakh personnel and will seek a review.

    The MSP is given besides salary in recognition of the condition and hardship faced by the armed forces while performing their duties. This concept was introduced in India in the Sixth Pay Commission.

    Many European countries have implemented MSP to boost the morale of its armed forces.

    The armed forces this time round had sought a hike from Rs 5,500 as recommended by the Seventh Pay Commission in 2016 to Rs 10,000 per month in MSP for Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO) and other low-ranking officers in Army, IAF and Navy. The proposal was turned down by the Finance Ministry thereby impacting 1.12 lakh personnel, including 87,646 JCOs and 25,434 of the same ranks in IAF and Navy, sources said here on Tuesday. If the proposal had gone through, the financial spending would have amounted to Rs 610 crore, they added.

    The MSP has two categories, including one for officers and another for JCOs and jawans. The Seventh Pay Commission had fixed Rs 5,200 as MSP per month for JCOs and jawans. This special allowance was fixed at Rs 15,500 for officers between Lieutenant-rank and Brigadier-rank.

    Elaborating upon the Army’s anguish over the rejection of hike in MSP for JCOs, sources said JCOs perform a crucial role in the overall command structure and are link between officers and men. Appreciating their relevance, the Government had granted JCOs the status of gazetted officers (Group B) last year. Officials said it was not the right thing to treat the JCOs on a par with the jawans as regards granting MSP since JCOs are gazetted officers with long years of service.

    Pointing out that the Army had taken up the issue strongly with the Defence Minister, they said the matter was discussed also among the three services and the Defence Ministry were on the same page on the issue.

    On the rationale for MSP, they said soldiers and their civilian counterparts in Central Government services cannot be compared given the fact the nature of duties performed by jawans and JCOs are more difficult. It is in this context that the armed forces for long were demanding a separate MSP for JCOs.

    The MSP was introduced in India to provide special allowances keeping in view intangible aspects of military service.

    Army operates in all kinds of terrain and weather conditions ranging from Siachen where temperatures range from minus 10 to minus 30, hot deserts of Rajasthan, inaccessible areas along the 750-km long Line of Control with Pakistan and 4,000-km Line of Actual Control facing China from Ladakh in the north to Arunachal Pradesh in the east. Similarly, Navy and IAF perform operational duties in tough conditions, they added.