Current Events :
The Syrian Wars of the third and second centuries BCE, between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid empires, were at their core a struggle for control of mercantile revenues and the fertile plains that fed imperial ambitions. So too were the Roman-Persian Wars that raged across centuries for dominion over the Fertile Crescent
The collapse of the Islamabad Memorandum was a predictable reckoning. The US-Iran deal promised a cessation of hostilities, an end to Iranian restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, a phased reduction of American military assets in the region, sanctions relief for Tehran, and a substantial economic commitment to Iran’s reconstruction. A 60-day deadline was set to resolve the outstanding nuclear-programme issue. By early July, that architecture lay in rubble.
The Houthis in Yemen, acting at Iran’s behest, have announced a blockade of the Bab al-Mandab strait. Saudi Arabia and 13 other nations have formed the Multinational Maritime Defence Alliance in Riyadh to counter Houthi threats in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab. In less than three weeks, a diplomatic thaw had given way to maritime warfare, proxy escalation and the crystallisation of opposing military blocs.
To understand why durable stability remains elusive across the Middle East, one must first recognise that this land has been the central corridor of the Old World. Long before oil, it was the overland and maritime crossroads connecting the Indian, Chinese and Persian civilisations with Egypt, Greece and Rome.
The Syrian Wars of the third and second centuries BCE, between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid empires, were at their core a struggle for control of mercantile revenues and the fertile plains that fed imperial ambitions. So too were the Roman-Persian Wars that raged across centuries for dominion over the Fertile
The Safavid conversion of Iran in the 16th century sharpened the divide irreversibly. The Ottoman-Safavid rivalry transformed this theological schism into an imperial struggle for legitimacy and territory. For the Sunni Ottomans, control over Iraq and especially Baghdad, with its shrine to Abu Hanifa, conferred religious authority. For the Twelver Shia Safavids, sovereignty was inseparable from guardianship of the shrine cities of Najaf, Karbala, Kadhimiya and Samarra.
The consequence was a centuries-long war that turned Iraq into a sectarian battleground. Ottomans categorised native Arab and Kurdish Shias as potential Persian subjects, issuing fatwas that condemned them as heretics and enacting laws that prohibited marriage between Ottoman women and Shia men. This state-administered framework of suspicion passed into the genetic code of the modern Iraqi state.
The two Persian Gulf Wars, the American-led dismantling of Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-dominated regime in Iraq and the mass uprisings of the Arab Spring after 2011 tore away the thin membranes of authoritarian stability, releasing the sectarian demons into civil wars in Syria, Yemen and beyond.
Yet the most enduring source of instability are the political boundaries, which were imposed on the region with almost artistic indifference to its human geography. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War presented a vacuum into which European colonial powers and local nationalisms rushed, but the outcomes were shaped far more by the former than the latter. As early as 1916, Mark Sykes and François Georges-Picot were drawing lines across the Levant, partitioning it into British and French spheres of control in five distinct entities.
The Sykes-Picot Agreement remains the original sin from which a century of conflict has flowed. Before the ink was dry, Britain compounded the betrayal. The Balfour Declaration of November 1917 pledged a Jewish national home in Palestine, directly contradicting the terms of the Sykes-Picot agreement and the earlier McMahon-Hussein Correspondence, in which the British had promised the Arab Peninsula, including Palestine, to Sharif Hussein bin Ali of Mecca in return for his revolt against the Ottomans. Britain, triple-dealing, promised the same land to the Arabs, the Zionists, and its own colonial administration.
The consequences were immediate and lasting. The 1920 Treaty of Sèvres attempted to formalise the dismemberment, but its boundaries collapsed under the weight of Turkish resistance, leading to the Treaty of Lausanne, 1923, and the emergence of a Turkish republic that repudiated the colonial carve-up, an exception that proved the rule.
In Damascus that same year, a constitutional convention of delegates from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine declared an independent Arab Kingdom under Faisal, a pluralistic constitutional monarchy forged through compromise among diverse communities. However, the French army crushed it, and Faisal fled. The suppression of that indigenous, negotiated vision of the post-Ottoman political community would haunt the region for decades.
Lebanon is another case study in the violence of well-intentioned sectarian engineering. The French created the state of Greater Lebanon as a haven for Maronite Christians but enclosed within its borders a large Muslim population, setting the stage for a confessional system that, at independence in 1943, apportioned the presidency to a Maronite, the premiership to a Sunni, and the parliamentary speakership to a Shia. Unresolved demographic and political tensions fermented until they exploded in the civil war of 1975-1990. The Syrian occupation, the rise of Hezbollah and the spillover from the Syrian civil war further hardened sectarian identities.
Likewise, the Kurds sit astride the fault lines left by Sykes-Picot and Lausanne, their aspirations repeatedly instrumentalised and betrayed.
If this sweep of history teaches anything, it is that peace in the Middle East must be foundational. What is required is nothing less than a Westphalian moment for the Middle East. A durable peace demands a comprehensive set of political and social rearrangements that the international community has historically lacked the patience and the regional powers the trust to pursue.
The fires engulfing the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab today are not anomalies; they are the latest chapter in a story that will not end until the region’s peoples and the powers that meddle in their affairs muster the wisdom to address the fundamental, unresolved issues that have kept the Middle East suspended between war and a mirage of peace for the entirety of its recorded history.
To commemorate Independence Day, the Indian Air Force Band will perform at the Public Plaza, Param Yodha Sthal, National War Memorial in Delhi on Sunday evening, an official said. The one-hour performance from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. promises a spectacular display of musical patriotism aimed at fostering national pride through public engagement while celebrating 150 years of the National Song ‘Vande Mataram’, the official said. A team of musicians comprising 32 Airmen and 8 Agniveervayu (including three women) shall be performing at the venue, he said. The musicians are set to take the stage with a performance that promises to be an unforgettable experience for the audience.
With a repertoire of patriotic and soulful numbers, the IAF Band is set to raise the patriotic spirit with an energetic performance, said an official statement. The principal conductor of the event will be Master Warrant Officer A Srihari. He will be assisted by Junior Warrant Officer Moon Deka, Junior Warrant Officer Abhishek Paul, and Sergeant NT Singh, it said.
A 50 per cent increase in the monthly allowance paid by the UT Administration to Armed Forces gallantry and distinguished service award winners from Chandigarh has been recommended by the Zila Sainik Board (ZRB).
The allowance is applicable to those personnel who were conferred gallantry awards before 2009. Subsequently, gallantry awards recipients are entitled to a one-time lump sum payment.
At present, a Param Vir Chakra recipient is entitled Rs 41,580 per month, while Maha Vir Chakra and Vir Chakra recipients are entitled Rs 31,600 per month and Rs 18,295 per month, respectively. The monthly allowances were last revised in 2013, sources said.
Recipients of the Ashok Chakra, Kitri Chakra and Shaurya Chakra, the peacetime equivalents of the aforementioned awards, are also entitled monthly payments which are a little lower. Similarly, other awards for distinguished service are also granted monthly payments. These are also being increased.
For post-2009 recipients, a Param Vir Chakra is entitled a lump sum payment of Rs 2 crore, Maha Vir Chakra Rs 1 crore and Vir Chakra Rs 50 lakh. These rates were last revised in 2022 and brought at par with the policies of Punjab and Haryana.
At present, there are about a 100 pre-2009 beneficiaries in Chandigarh, amongst whom the Kirti Chakra is the highest. Though recipients of higher awards like the Maha Vir Chakra have resided in Chandigarh, some of them were granted benefits by the Punjab government owing to their domicile. State governments have their own policies on giving benefits to gallantry awardees from their respective state as a mark of respect.
At a meeting of the, held under the chairmanship of Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner-cum-President ZRB, it was also proposed to hike the one-time payment from the Sena Medal from Rs 14 lakh to Rs 21 lakh, bringing it at par with Haryana.
Further, grant of one-time financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh out of the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund to next of kin of defence personnel who die in harness and are declared as “Physical Casualty (Fatal)”, and increasing the Rashtriya Indian Military College Scholarship from Rs 33.000 to Rs 50,000 per cadet per annum has also been mooted.
Briefing the meeting, Col HS Ghuman (retd), Secretary ZRB, said that the UT Administration has approved 20 percent horizontal reservation for ex-Agniveers of Chandigarh domicile in direct recruitment posts of posts of constable in the Chandigarh Police, jail warden in the Prison Department and forest guard in the Forest and Wildlife Department.
He added that a sum of Rs 2.07 crore has been sanctioned for the repair and renovation of the Sainik Rest House, Chandigarh and the improved facilities, work on which has started, will benefit veterans and their families visiting Chandigarh from across the country.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday said its contingent at the multi-nation exercise ‘Pitch Black’ in Australia had “accomplished the mission” and “mastered” the skies, while several partnerships were “strengthened”.
The IAF, in a post on social media platform X, said the exercise had concluded, adding: “Mission accomplished. Skies mastered. Partnerships strengthened.”
During the intense multinational air operations, the IAF operated alongside partner air forces, the post on X said, adding that the exercise elevated interoperability, exchanging hard-earned expertise and refining combat readiness under realistic conditions.
“Every mission and interaction delivered mutual gains in tactics, procedures, and professional excellence,” it said.
The IAF contingent comprised four Rafale jets, two C-17 transport planes and 120 personnel. The IAF’s Rafales made their debut at the exercise, which featured 20 countries, including the Quad partners — the US, Japan, India and Australia.
More than 100 jets were part of the exercise, named ‘Pitch Black’, which was held from July 20 to August 7 along the northern coast of Australia.
At the start of the exercise, the IAF had set its goals and described it as a unique platform to enhance interoperability and strengthen operational cooperation.
The Australian Defence Ministry had said the exercise would “strengthen regional and global interoperability”. This was the Royal Australian Air Force’s largest international exercise, featuring complex, combat-like scenarios across one of the largest military training areas in the world over a three-week period, it said.
Up to 100 jet aircraft joined the exercise, along with 2,500 personnel from 20 nations across air bases at Darwin, Tindal and Amberley, the Royal Australian Air Force said.
‘Pitch Black 2026’ included aircraft from Australia, the US, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, India, Singapore, Germany, France and Spain. Military personnel from New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, Brunei, Malaysia, Finland and Sweden were part of the drills.
An Indian Air Force Wing Commander, who was posted along the western front, has been arrested on the charges of sharing sensitive military Defence information with a Pakistani woman.
The IAF official and the woman had allegedly been in touch on social media.
An IAF spokesperson in New Delhi said: “The officer was under active surveillance and was handed over to the suitable law enforcement agencies.”
Sources said the officer was not posted in the national capital but was posted in the field air base of the Western Air Command that is headquartered in New Delhi. The western command has a vast area of responsibility, including air bases in Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Western Uttar Pradesh and north-western parts of Rajasthan.
The sources said the IAF Intelligence unit had noticed unusual activity and had proactively placed the Wing Commander under surveillance.
Due to these proactive measures, he was caught, official sources told the Tribune.
The IAF had handed the officer to the Special Cell of the Delhi Police more than two months ago on May 31 and was booked under the Official Secrets Act. After the arrest, he was first questioned in police custody, and later was sent to judicial custody. The Wing Commander is currently lodged in Tihar Jail and it is suspected to be a case of ‘honey trapping’.
It was being ascertained if the Pakistani woman, who ‘honey- trapped’ the Wing Commander, was in touch with anyone else from the IAF.
The Wing Commander reportedly had begun chatting with a woman on social media while going through a “tough phase” in his personal life. The conversations had gradually turned into regular video calls, and that was when the IAF unit picked up the trail.
The woman first gained his trust and then began asking for information related to military activities. The officer is alleged to have shared details about the movement and deployment of military units with the woman.
Sources explained that in military espionage, even ‘bits’ of information are like a ‘gold mine’. Even an innocuous thing like addition of a fuel bouser, or a visit by an operational commander, or even a power failure can be collated to understand the changes, if any. These small things don’t show-up on enemy surveillance satellites hence ground-based information is collected.
The woman reportedly asked the officer to share photos, videos and other details related to the movement and deployment of military units. It is also alleged that the officer sent some important documents and data to the woman through digital medium.
The scope of the leak was being studied and what could be its intended use is being analysed by the IAF.
Another aspect being probed is that the Wing Commander had allegedly asked a colleague to install a specific ‘communication app’ on his mobile phone.
That app was also part of the probe, if it had a spyware or remote-access malware. This software can be used to steal mobile data, track locations or gain access to conversations. As matter of precaution, mobile phones are not permitted inside any IAF operational area, or the commands headquarters, or the IAF headquarters. However, officers and airmen are allowed to use mobile phones in their homes with very strict policy on social media usage.
The Ministry of Defence has informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence that it has “initiated efforts in a concerted manner” to partner with France in the upcoming sixth-generation fighter aircraft development programme, which in military terminology is known as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS).
The French Government is spearheading the programme
The Committee, in its report tabled in Parliament on Friday, said that the “Ministry of Defence has initiated efforts in a concerted manner to co-join the sixth-generation fighter aircraft development programme, spearheaded by the French Government.”
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The Committee’s report was on the ‘Action Taken by the Government on the Observations and Recommendations contained in the Twentieth Report of the Standing Committee on Defence’.
The Committee was informed by the MoD that two consortia are working on sixth-generation aircraft. One is a consortium comprising the UK, Italy and Japan, while the other comprises France and Germany, with both developing next-generation fighter aircraft.
The Committee was also informed that the Indian Air Force will try to join forces with one of the consortia and begin considering a sixth-generation fighter at the earliest, with a view to ensuring that India does not lag behind.
The 31-member committee, headed by BJP MP Radha Mohan Singh, has asked the Ministry of Defence to provide a detailed status report on the development and acquisition of sixth-generation aircraft, along with a roadmap, if any, and a tentative timeline for acquisition.
The Standing Committee, in its report, said it had asked the MoD to chalk out a trajectory for the technical upgradation of aircraft on top priority to enhance their combat capability, while expediting the planning process for the development and acquisition of sixth-generation aircraft. This, it said, would eventually enhance India’s air-domain capabilities in today’s highly air-centric modern warfare.
The Committee has also sought a status update on the indigenous fifth-generation aircraft, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). The MoD has asked three consortia to submit proposals for manufacturing five AMCA prototypes.
The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) has been designed, and discussions on its production are currently underway. The Committee also said that, in view of technological advancements in fighter aircraft and to meet the present security scenario, technical upgradation of aircraft is required on top priority to enhance their combat capability.
A ‘generation’ of aircraft is defined by the capabilities that allow a pilot to maintain decision superiority over an adversary. Onboard sensors and technologies make it difficult for enemy radars to track a fifth-generation aircraft, which is backed by millions of lines of software code.
The classification of a generational shift occurs when a technological innovation cannot be incorporated into an existing aircraft through upgrades and retrospective fit-outs.
First-generation subsonic jet fighters emerged from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s; second-generation jets from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s; third-generation jets from the early 1960s to 1970; and fourth-generation jet fighters from 1970 to the late 1980s. Fourth-and-a-half-generation jet fighters followed, while fifth-generation fighters emerged in the 2000s, with the US F-22 Raptor entering service in 2005.
L-R) Sqn Ldr Shraddha P Raju (Deputy Skipper), Lt Col Anuja Varudkar (Skipper), Sqn Ldr Vaishali Bhandari, Lt Cdr Priyanka Gusain, Maj Prajakta Nikam, Sqn Ldr Aruvi Jayadev, Wg Cdr Vibha Singh, Maj Omita Dalvi and Maj Karamjeet Kaur. The photograph was clicked after the successful circumnavigation mission aboard IASV Triveni. Photos courtesy: Ministry of Defence
When nine women officers of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force stepped ashore from the Indian Army Sailing Vessel (IASV) Triveni after successfully circumnavigating the globe, the historic 314-day voyage sparked jubilation. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Anuja Varudkar, the world’s first all-women tri-services Samudra Pradakshina expedition was back in Mumbai after sailing nearly 25,500 nautical miles across four major oceans.
The feat has added another feather in the cap of women officers of the Indian armed forces. In May last year, Naval officers Lieutenant Commander Dilna K and Lieutenant Commander Roopa A became the first Indian women to sail the earth in a double-handed, wind-powered voyage spanning 239 days and more than 25,400 nautical miles in INSV Tarini. The same vessel had been witness to another achievement in 2017 when the Navy’s first all-women crew of six sailed around the world for eight months under Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi.
ArmyAboard the indigenously built 50-foot yacht IASV Triveni — named after the confluence of the three services — the crew also included Squadron Leader Shraddha P Raju (Deputy Expedition Leader), Wing Commander Vibha Singh, Squadron Leader Aruvi Jayadev, Squadron Leader Vaishali Bhandari, Lieutenant Commander Priyanka Gusain, Major Karamjeet Kaur, Major Omita Sanjiv Dalvi and Major Prajakta P Nikam.
At any given point, six officers sailed actively on the vessel, with the rest relaying from the control room. They crossed the Equator twice, all 360 degrees of longitude and rounded the Three Great Capes — Cape Leeuwin (Australia), Cape Horn (South America) and the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa). By sailing around Cape Horn, they earned entry into the elite Cape Horners fraternity. The team also made four international diplomatic port calls at Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and South Africa.
In collaboration with the National Institute of Oceanography, the crew carried out scientific research and studied micro-plastics, besides documenting ocean life and raising awareness about marine health.
The journey was a culmination of years of rigorous training, beginning with smaller offshore expeditions on Class B vessels and advancing to IASV Triveni, a Class A yacht with modern communication and navigation gear. The preparatory voyages along India’s western coast were followed by an international expedition from Mumbai to Seychelles and back, gradually building the crew’s endurance, seamanship and confidence.
Sharing her experience of rounding Cape Horn, often described as the ‘Mount Everest’ of sailing, Lt Col Varudkar says, “It was the greatest feat of our lives. To round Cape Horn is not merely to pass a point on a chart — it is to earn the respect of the sea”.
Recalling the sail through the notorious Drake Passage, where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans collide, she says, “The day is etched in my memory. We were facing towering waves, screaming winds and unforgiving weather. And suddenly, the ocean surprised us. For a fleeting moment, the winds softened. The waves settled. The sky opened just enough to let sunlight spill across the water. It was a pause so brief and so unexpected that it felt almost sacred. At that moment, we saw Cape Horn. Within seconds, we gathered on the deck to absorb the sight. Even today, whenever I look up at the night sky or hear the sound of the wind, a part of me returns to that moment — to the sailors, the Indian flag and the end of the world.”
Sqn Ldr Shraddha P Raju remembers another defining test near Tasmania. “In heavy winds, our foresail had been torn, forcing us to head towards Hobart. At the same time, our engine failed due to water ingress, leaving us in a dangerous situation. The strengths of all three services came together at that critical juncture. While some Army officers worked to secure the damaged sail, the Air Force officers focused on restoring the engine. The Naval officer analysed the weather, sea conditions and tidal currents, and advised that we should drop all sails and drift with the ebbing current to avoid being pushed towards a mountain barely 2 nautical miles away. Together, we safely navigated the crisis.”
For Lt Cdr Priyanka Gusain, the most frightening phase came midway to Cape Town. “It had been raining continuously and our wind instruments failed due to water ingress. For a considerable stretch, we were fighting poor visibility, sailing just by the feel of the wind. That’s when doubt hit me. No wind data, bad weather, middle of the ocean… there’s no turning back now. But then I reminded myself that we had trained for this. The boat was handling, the crew was together, and we had already crossed the Drake Passage. I focused on what we could control — sail trim, watch-keeping and trusting the feel of the boat. The moment taught me that when instruments fail, you fall back on training and faith”.
Military Nursing Service officer Maj Karamjeet Kaur, who belongs to Sirsa in Haryana, shares how everyone in the team contributed in a disciplined manner, “No one had to be detailed for the task — each crew member had a sense of belongingness. An unspoken rule which we all followed was the judicious use of scarce resources like water, ration and satellite phone units. We always helped each other in waste disposal, routine maintenance, cooking and cleanliness.”
Sqn Ldr Shraddha P Raju, Maj Karamjeet Kaur and Maj Prajakta Nikam lowering the jib sail.
“We are all from the uniformed services, so teamwork and discipline come naturally. Living on a small yacht for months, the mission always came first. We shared responsibilities, talked things through, and found joy in simple moments like watching the beautiful sunrise, dolphins, seabirds, or a great catch. Those little moments kept our spirits high,” shares Sqn Ldr Aruvi Jayadev.
On the yacht what they craved the most for, besides family, shares Wg Cdr Vibha Singh, was a comfortable bed that didn’t move. “Sleeping without the constant vibration, engine noise, or rolling of Triveni is a luxury many don’t appreciate until they’re at sea,” she says. To this list, Sqn Ldr Vaishali Bhandari adds spontaneity: being able to decide “I’ll grab a coffee”, “Let’s watch a movie”, or “I’ll go for a drive”, without being confined to a limited space. “There was no scope for privacy on a small yacht with six women, their luggage and spares. If someone wanted privacy, they’d head to the bow of the boat… only to be drenched by heavy swells,” she adds.
“It’s incredible how women officers from the three services came together to complete this historic feat. It will encourage more women to take on different roles in the defence services and challenge perceptions that women don’t have enough endurance for tough roles,” says seasoned sailor, artist and filmmaker Dhanya Pilo, who mentored the crew for a couple of months.
Daughter of a Naval officer, Pilo has been sailing since 1997. She was a crew member of the all-women sailing team Maiden, which won the Ocean Globe Race 2023-24.
Sailing a boat requires physical endurance as well as mental strength, more so if you are a woman. “You’re dealing with your periods, body fatigue due to heavy lifting, etc, but then it also gives you a lot of confidence. Sailing teaches you that while strength matters, it is mental resilience that ultimately carries you through. The Triveni crew was a mix of different branches of armed forces like nursing, engineering, communications, etc. The confidence they have gained will influence how they approach their careers over the next decade,” adds Pilo.
Lt Cdr Priyanka Gusain carrying out daily engine checks.
A distinction cannot be made when women are on the boat because everybody has to be equally capable, says Kirti Chakra awardee Commander Abhilash Tomy (retd), who was the first Indian to complete a solo, non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation of the globe during his historic 2012-13 voyage aboard the Indian Navy sailboat INSV Mhadei. His mentor, Captain Dilip Donde (retd), was the first Indian to sail solo around the world, but with four stops.
“Circumnavigating the earth is a huge challenge. The women officers accepted it and completed it, which is remarkable. Going around the globe in a boat requires years of serious training. Life at sea is uncomfortable but deeply rewarding. You experience a kind of freedom that you can never find on land.” Those who want to attempt circumnavigation, advises Commander Tomy, should have the willingness to learn, patience, physical and moral courage, emotional stability, and the ability to be comfortable with themselves.
Among the expedition’s biggest cheerleaders was a WhatsApp group of 183 defence veterans, mostly from the Navy Foundation, Mumbai. Says 90-year-old Vice Admiral IC Rao (retd), “We started following their journey when IASV Triveni sailed from the Gateway of India on September 11, 2025. Our WhatsApp group included many experts, and we had our own navigation and satellite apps to monitor their journey. We had a good sense of what they were facing each day, and everyone would share their observations in the group. We were not in touch with the crew, but they knew they had a huge group cheering for them.”
Maj Omita Dalvi navigates the sea.
Sharing how the group came about, Admiral Rao says, “In 2022, Commander Abhilash Tomy was competing in the Golden Globe Race for the second time. During his first attempt, he met with a serious accident in the Southern Ocean and had undergone a spinal surgery. After relearning to walk, he returned to race again and we were all eager to follow his journey. People wanted to know what was going on, so I started explaining and soon our group evolved. Tomy finished second. We realised how much we enjoyed ourselves. As armchair sailors, we analysed every development. Our group has grown manifold and we follow every major sail”.
The cheer group was also among the first to felicitate the IASV Triveni crew back in Mumbai. As the women officers rested both their feet on the table at the United Services Club, Colaba — a privilege reserved for those who have rounded both Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn — they knew they had broken more than just records.
“Life aboard IASV Triveni gave us memories that we will cherish forever. On a good sailing day, we would wake up to see the rising sun. On one of these beautiful mornings, a school of 100 dolphins swam by our side. I was mesmerised,” shares Maj Omita Sanjiv Dalvi.
When the team stepped onto solid ground at the Gateway of India on July 22, they were overwhelmed. Maj Prajakta P Nikam recalls the day, “We were home… and Triveni had brought every one of us back. Our boat had sailed out carrying hope and returned with stories, scars and an unbreakable sisterhood forged by salt water and shared
The exemption from paying income tax on disability pension granted to Armed Forces personnel continues to be in forces, the Ministry of Defence had told the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence.
The Finance Bill, 2026 had proposed to bring disability pension under the tax ambit except in cases where an individual has been invalided out of service due to a physical disability attributable to or aggravated by military service. This had drawn an adverse reaction from the service community.
“Although, the matter of taxation comes under jurisdiction of Ministry of Finance, however, the Committee would like to recommend that since the Ministry of Defence is one of the stake-holder in the matter, the Ministry may take this important issue up to an appropriate level to examine the proposal of bringing disability pension under the ambit of Income Tax,” the Committee had recommended in an earlier report.
In its report of August 8, the Committee, however, expressed concern over the amendments involving exemption of income tax on disability pension and asked the Defence Ministry to take up this matter with the Ministry of Finance at the appropriate level so that financial concerns of the ex-servicemen, particularly the disabled personnel, are duly addressed in an upright manner.
Disability pension is paid to members of the Armed Forces who suffer medical or physical impairment that is attributable to or aggravated by military service. It consists of service element, that is, pension for the length of service rendered and the disability element, that is, compensation for injury or disease. Income Tax exemption on disability pension was first introduced in 1922.
