Also served as aide to Manekshaw in 1971 war

Lt Gen Depinder Singh, former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Southern Command, and overall force commander of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) during Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, passed away in Panchkula on Tuesday at the age of 96.

Commissioned into the 8 Gorkha Rifles in December 1950, he served as the Military Assistant to the then Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, making him a witness to high-level decision-making and key events that shaped the course of history, especially the 1971 Bangladeshi liberation campaign. He remained on Field Marshal Manekshaw’s office staff from 1969 to 1973.

He also participated in the 1965 India-Pakistan war, where he was the Brigade Major of 41 Mountain Brigade that stopped the Pakistani advance towards Akhnoor. He also commanded a Gorkha Rifles battalion in the counter-insurgency environment.

In 1975, during Sikkim’s merger into India, he was closely involved in the sensitive operation to disarm the then ruler, Chogyal’s personal bodyguard, the Sikkim Guards.

After being promoted to the Brigadier rank, he commanded a brigade in Sikkim. Following a stint as the commander of the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan, he also commanded the 36th Infantry Division as a Major General, and thereafter on promotion to Lieutenant General, he commanded 33 Corps in the North-East.

As the GOC-in-C, Southern Command, he was appointed as the overall force commander of the IPKF when the India-Sri Lanka accord was signed in 1987 to disarm Tamil militant groups like the LTTE.

Although the operation in Sri Lanka, which saw intense and bitter battles, was largely considered a tactical military success, there were heavy Indian casualties and it threw up several hard lessons.

“Lt Gen Depinder Singh’s illustrious career was marked by courage, integrity and unwavering dedication to the nation. A proud and fine embodiment of the Gorkha spirit and values of bravery, loyalty and selfless service, he led with quiet strength, dignity and inspired all,” said Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh (retd), former Military Secretary to the President and Governor of Puducherry.

“He was among the tallest figures of the Gorkha Brigade. He was gentle and kind-hearted, and his demise is a big loss to the Gorkha community as well as the service fraternity at large,” said Lily Bawa, his neighbour whose husband, Lt Col IS Bawa was decorated posthumously with the Maha Vir Chakra for showing exemplary courage during Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka.

After retiring in February 1988, Lt Gen Depinder Singh authored several books, including one on the legacy of Field Marshal Manekshaw, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw Soldiering with Dignity, and others on his Sri Lankan experiences. He also spoke at various seminars and wrote on military affairs.

Former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command and overall force commander of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) during Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, Lt Gen Depinder Singh, passed away in Panchkula on Tuesday at the age of 96.

His mortals remain were consigned to the flames with full military honours today. He is survived by a daughter.

Commissioned into the Eight Gorkha Rifles in December 1950, he has served as the Military Assistant to the then Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, making him a witness to high-level decision making and key events that shaped the course of history, especially the 1971 Bangladesh liberation campaign.

He was in Field Marshal Manekshaw’s staff from 1969 to 1973.

Having participated in the 1965 India-Pakistan war, where he was the brigade Major of 41 Mountain Brigade that stopped the Pakistani advance towards Akhnoor, he later commanded a Gorkha Rifles battalion in counter insurgency environment.

In 1975, during Sikkim’s merger into India, he was closely involved in the sensitive operation to disarm the then ruler, Chogyal’s personal bodyguard, the Sikkim Guards.

After being promoted to Brigadier, he had commanded a brigade in Sikkim. Following a stint as the commander of the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan, he commanded the 36th Infantry Division as a Major General.

As the GOC-in-C, Southern Command, he was appointed as the overall force commander of the IPKF when the India – Sri Lanka accord was signed in 1987 to disarm Tamil militant groups like the LTTE.

While the operation in Sri Lanka, which saw intense and bitter battles, were largely considered a tactical military success, there were heavy Indian casualties and it threw up several hard lessons.

“Lt Gen Depinder Singh’s illustrious career was marked by courage, integrity and unwavering dedication to the nation. A proud and fine embodiment of the Gorkha spirit and values of bravery, loyalty and selfless service, he led with quiet strength, dignity and inspired all, Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh (retd), former Military Secretary to the President and Governor of Puducherry,” said Lt Gen.

“He was among the tallest figures of the Gorkha Brigade. Despite being a real soldier he was gentle and kind hearted, and his demise is a big loss to the Gorkha community as well as the service fraternity at large,” Lily Bawa, his neighbour whose husband , Lt Col IS Bawa was decorated posthumously with the Maha Vir Chakra in Sri Lanka said.

After retiring in February 1988, Lt Gen Depinder authored several books, including one on the legacy of Field Marshal Manekshaw and others on his Sri Lankan experiences. He also remained active on the social front, speaking at various seminars and writing on military affairs.

India and Italy on Thursday took a step forward in strengthening their defence partnership and exchanged a bilateral military cooperation plan (MCP) for 2026-27.

This happened at a meeting that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto in New Delhi.

According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the newly exchanged MCP outlines a roadmap for structured military interactions between the armed forces of both nations over the next year.

The meeting focused on enhancing military engagements and expanding defence industrial cooperation between the two countries. Both ministers reaffirmed that the India-Italy Strategic Partnership is rooted in shared values of peace, stability, freedom and mutual respect.

In a post on X, Singh said, “Happy to have welcomed my Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto and held extensive talks with him in Delhi today. We discussed a wide range of regional and global issues, including the current situation in West Asia.

“We also discussed the avenues to further develop mutually beneficial defence industrial cooperation under India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat programme and Italy’s defence cooperation initiative. A bilateral military cooperation plan (MCP) 2026-27 was also exchanged regarding military engagements between the armed forces of both countries,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Crosetto paid tributes to fallen soldiers by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial. He was also accorded a ceremonial tri-service guard of honour at the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi Cantt.

Meanwhile, the Indian Coast Guard –- a force under the MoD — hosted an Italian delegation, including senior representatives from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, at Coast Guard Headquarters.

Discussions focused on collaboration with Indian shipyards for future projects, highlighting advanced design features such as resilient hulls and hybrid/electric propulsion. The dialogue also explored modular ship design to enable versatile, multi-role platforms with rapid operational adaptability.

Both sides deliberated on indigenous development and co-development of niche technologies, including dynamic positioning systems, AI-enabled decision support, counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS)/anti-drone defence and next-generation green propulsion, in alignment with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Thursday said the procurement process for India’s advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) was progressing and a request for proposal (RFP) likely to be issued soon to shortlisted private sector players.

Speaking at a security summit here, Singh said “the procurement process is on (for the fifth-generation AMCA programme), the RFP hopefully would be released soon to the shortlisted bidders who happen to be from the private sector and hopefully that will then pick up pace”.

In June last year, the Aeronautical Development Agency, under the Defence Research and Development Organisation, invited expressions of interest from Indian companies to develop and then produce the AMCA. The shortlisted entity needs to possess the capability of setting up manufacturing facility for series production. Singh said India was also exploring partnerships for developing sixth-generation aircraft.

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026, bringing changes to the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) framework and broader citizenship procedures. Amendments take force immediately.

A major overhaul involves complete digitisation of the OCI registration and cancellation system.

From now on, all applications for OCI card-holdership under Section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 must now be filed exclusively through the designated online portal ociservices.gov.in. The earlier requirement of submitting applications in duplicate has been done away with.

In a significant modernisation of the system under amended Rule 33, registered OCI cardholders will now be issued either a physical OCI card or an electronic OCI (e-OCI) registration.

The issuing authority will henceforth maintain all records electronically.

A major new provision inserted into Rule 3 of the Citizenship Rules makes it clear that a minor child holding an Indian passport cannot simultaneously hold the passport of any other country “at any time”. The proviso “at any time” has been added afresh.

Applicants are required to formally acknowledge this condition and a corresponding declaration has been added to the related form.

In another change, the amendments add a new consent clause to the application and allows OCI applicants to share their biometric data for automatic or application-based registration under the Fast-Track Immigration Programme. The aim, officials said, is streamlining future immigration processing.

Amendments also make OCI renunciation process online and says declaration of renunciation of OCI card-holdership under Section 7C must now be filed electronically via the online portal. Where a physical card was issued, the original must still be physically surrendered to the Indian Mission, Post or Foreigners Regional Registration Officer concerned.

The new norms strengthen OCI card cancellation provisions. The revised Rule 35 empowers the Centre to treat an e-OCI registration as cancelled by direction, even without physical card surrender. “If a physical card is not delivered upon notice, the government may similarly direct it to be treated as cancelled,” the rules state.

The amended Rule 42 restructures the appellate process. Citizenship applicants aggrieved by an order may now approach an authority one rank higher than the original deciding authority. For OCI-related grievances, the Centre will designate the revision authority. A new Rule 42A separately provides for review of orders under the newly inserted Section 15A of the Act.

The notification signed by Nitesh Kumar Vyas, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, has been made under the principal Citizenship Rules originally notified in February 2009 and last amended in March 2024.

Domestic LPG prices remain unchanged despite steep commercial hike

The price of commercial LPG was hiked by the steepest ever Rs 993 per 19-kg cylinder on Friday, marking the third straight monthly increase due to rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.

A 19-kg commercial LPG – used by establishments such as hotels and restaurtants – now costs a record Rs 3,071.5 in Delhi as against Rs 2,078.50 previously.

Rates were last increased by 195.50 per cylinder on April 1. Prior to that, prices had gone up by Rs 114.5 per 19-kg cylinder on March 1.

In three increases, commercial LPG rates have gone up by Rs 1,303.

Prices of domestic cooking gas LPG – the one used in household kitchens – remained unchanged. Domestic LPG rates were last hiked by Rs 60 per 14.2-kg cylinder on March 7. It costs Rs 913 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi.State-owned Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum revise ATF and LPG prices on the first day of every month based on international benchmarks and the exchange rate.

Global oil prices have shot up almost 50 per cent after the war in West Asia disrupted energy supply chains.

Petrol and diesel prices continue to remain frozen after a Rs 2 per-litre reduction in March last year; petrol currently costs Rs 94.72 per litre in Delhi and diesel Rs 87.62.

West Asia tensions keep currency under pressure

The rupee on Thursday gained four paise to settle at 94.84 against the US dollar after touching a record intraday low of 95.34, tracking a correction in global crude prices which hit $122.11 per barrel amid volatility in West Asia that kept the currency under pressure.

However, the local currency was negatively impacted by the uncertainty surrounding the US-Iran negotiations, which restricted gains.

The rupee opened the day at 95.01 in comparison to the US dollar on the interbank foreign exchange market, but it lost further ground to hit an all-time intraday low of 95.34 before ending at 94.84, up four paise from the previous day. The local currency fell 20 paise against the US dollar on Wednesday, closing at its previous all-time low of 94.88.

Meanwhile, the US Fed maintained interest rates despite significant inflation pressure driven by rising oil prices. Anil Kumar Bhansali, head of treasury and executive director, Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, said the main effect on the rupee was of the rising oil prices, which touched $122 per barrel and looked headed for further upside as the US continued with its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran did not allow any ship/tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, the exchange data stated that foreign institutional investors sold stocks valued at about Rs 2,460 crore on Wednesday.

About half of India’s natural gas demands and 88 per cent of its crude oil needs are fulfilled by imports, with the Strait of Hormuz being the main route. The rupee has dropped by almost 5 per cent so far in 2026, following a similar decline last year.

Honoring Comdt 167 MH for rendering excellent medical services to ESM,Group Capt PS Pathania and Col Balkar Singh for attaining more than 90 years of age at Pathankot.More than 300 ESM Participated
Warm Regards
Brig Prahlad Singh Veteran

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