The military’s records show that male troops average more time lost due to drunkenness, going AWOL, and other infractions of discipline than women do.
February 3, 2019Goyal made much of the defence allocation touching the Rs 300 lakh crore mark, but did not mention that Rs 298 lakh crore had been expended in the fiscal now drawing to a close ~ the increase was just nominal.
February 3, 2019The MoD, ignoring service HQs had unilaterally amended the gazette notification containing recruitment rules for the GMBOA in 2017, opening doors for a Joint Secretary-ranked bureaucrat to be appointed.
December 25, 2018Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Congress in Rae Bareli, UPA president Sonia Gandhi’s constituency, which many are reading as the start of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) 2019 campaign.
December 16, 2018The government was never in a hurry to get Christian Michel, the middleman in the AgustaWestland scam, back to India, despite the UAE court clearing his extradition.
December 11, 2018Just prior to Diwali was the ugly incident of Bomdilla involving the local police and jawans of an Infantry Battalion, 2 Arunachal Scouts. Scout battalions comprise of locals, following the home and hearth policy; hence this incident should never have occurred. While details of the incident have been in public domain, as also the various …
Continue reading "The message from Bomdilla"
November 13, 2018The armed forces like other central agencies have been created with a specific purpose. Their mission, aims and tasks are oriented towards security of the nation. These tasks spread across a spectrum of activities from provision of aid in disaster relief and enforcing law and order when other agencies have failed to battle insurgencies and …
Continue reading "Military hospitals can’t handle Modicare"
November 6, 2018It is a debilitating reality that every major defence purchase over the past three decades has been clouded by politically-induced allegations of underhand dealings ~ even though few of the alleged culprits have actually been nailed. One exemplary facet of the functioning of the armed forces had been ~ until now, anyway ~ that military …
Continue reading "Curious ‘defence’"
September 10, 2018The petitioners range from Section Commanders to Commanding Officers who lead section, platoon, company, battalion made of 10 to 1,000 men each.
August 20, 2018There are rumours afloat that Non-Functional Upgradation (NFU) for the armed forces may be released some time soon. It could be either on the orders of the court based on an appeal whose decision is awaited, or by the government prior to the elections, seeking to assuage the armed forces. This has been the demand …
Continue reading "Are armed forces ready for NFU?"
July 31, 2018Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday said the government is committed towards the welfare of the serving soldiers, ex-servicemen and their families. Himachal Pradesh government had initiated several schemes for their welfare as a token of respect for the services rendered by them for the cause of the nation, he said after performing bhoomi …
Continue reading "Himachal committed to welfare of soldiers, their families"
July 27, 2018India is in the process of inducting the first batch of its intercontinental ballistic missile system – Agni-V – which will bring targets across China within its range, and is expected to significantly bolster the country's military prowess.
July 1, 2018Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rejected reports of a shortage of ammunition in the armed forces and called Opposition allegations on the Rafale fighter jet deal “baseless”.
June 5, 2018Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday that the government is considering giving ‘Operational Casualty Certificates’ to paramilitary forces on the lines of battle casualties in the armed forces, which will entitle families of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) jawans, who die in border skirmishes or in action against militants or terrorists, to several …
Continue reading "Operational casualty certificates on anvil"
May 23, 2018The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) completed 58 years of its formation on 7 May and this takes me back in time when this piece originated from my pen. My runner brought me an invite to Holi celebrations on 29 March 2002 at 755 Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) under Project Setuk of BRO at Agartala, …
Continue reading "Where the difficult is done immediately"
May 20, 2018The Central government has acceded to Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh’s personal request not to cap the educational concession provided to children of armed forces personnel killed or disabled in action. An official spokesperson of the CM said Union defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman has written to Amarinder to convey the Central government’s decision to …
Continue reading "Amarinder welcomes Centre’s decision not to cap educational concessions"
May 2, 2018The revocation of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from Meghalaya and parts of Arunachal Pradesh has created quite a stir because this draconian law has been a subject of intense debate across the country for decades. This writer has been a member of the National Security Advisory Board for two terms. A question I …
Continue reading "Time for review"
April 29, 2018