Monthly Archives: August 2018

India-China talks making no headway

EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi have agreed to ‘redouble efforts’ through diplomatic and military channels for an early resolution of the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). It is tempting to regard this declaration as a breakthrough, but the problem is that many such averments have been made in recent years amid the prolonged standoff in eastern Ladakh. The two leaders, who met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Kazakhstan, are also apparently in agreement on the need to stabilise and rebuild bilateral relations. Yet again, peace and tranquillity are the buzzwords, but there is little inclination to go beyond the platitudes and make tangible progress on the ground.

The trust deficit is exemplified by the competitive development of border villages. India has reportedly decided to set up villages or habitations in Arunachal Pradesh ‘closer to the LAC’ in a bid to match China’s efforts. The Chinese have established over 600 ‘prosperous villages’ (Xiaokang) along the LAC to bolster their territorial claims and enhance their military readiness. India’s counter is the Vibrant Villages Programme, which was launched last year. The ambitious project aims to cover around 3,000 villages in Arunachal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh and Sikkim. The focus on improving road and telecom connectivity, housing and tourism facilities has a larger objective — to encourage more and more villagers to become the eyes and ears of the soldiers in border areas.

Amid this all-out infrastructural push and troop buildup, the periodic talks at the diplomatic and military levels have often been inconclusive. A summit-level interaction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping has remained elusive. As Asia’s largest powers, it is in the interests of both countries to engage in dialogue and address the thorny issues, including China’s unwillingness to exchange maps of the LAC.

There is an unhealthy competition and obvious stress among the Agniveers in their quest to qualify for retention.

Maj Gen GG Dwivedi (retd)

ANY systemic transformation that relies on ‘after the fact’ mechanism to rectify errors is inherently flawed. The Agnipath scheme stands out as one such example. The scheme was ceremoniously rolled out two years ago. Touted to transform the recruitment process of ‘personnel below officer rank’ (PBOR), it has sought to cut down the burgeoning pension bill and ensure a youthful profile of other ranks in the armed forces.

The scheme has faced resistance from young aspirants passionate to join the armed forces. Periodically, it has been in the news and, of late, there is a strong demand across the spectrum for its holistic review.

The Agnipath idea draws from the ‘Tour of Duty’ (ToD) concept, which is widely prevalent in Western armies to overcome the shortage of optants for the military service. It was Gen Bipin Rawat, then Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), who conceived the idea of introducing ToD in our armed forces. The original plan was to test-bed the proposal by recruiting small numbers. However, the scheme was apparently pushed through unilaterally. It is evident from the reported disclosures in the book Four Stars of Destiny by a former Chief of Army Staff, Gen MM Naravane, wherein he describes the scheme as a ‘bolt from the blue’ for the three services.

Currently, under the scheme, Agniveers in the age group of 17.5 to 21 years and with Class X/XII qualification are recruited for a period of four years after six months of training. Only 25 per cent of them are to be retained and re-enrolled for a period of 15 years on fresh terms of service, with entitlement to pension and post-retirement benefits. Those released are to be given a severance package — Seva Nidhi — of Rs 10 lakh.

The total number of defence pensioners is about 24.62 lakh; of them, armed forces veterans constitute around 19 lakh and civilians 5.62 lakh.

Going by the figures of 2022, when the Agnipath scheme was introduced, the defence budget was

Rs 5,25,166 crore, of which the pension outlay was

Rs 2,07,132 crore. While the share of defence personnel stood at Rs 1,19,696 crore, the civilian component was Rs 87,436 crore, the latter accounting for a disproportionate 40 per cent share of the pensionary budget.

The adverse impact of the scheme is evident from the fact that individuals seeking an honourable career in the armed forces, many in keeping with family traditions, are now looking for alternative avenues, with the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) being the top choice. I have witnessed this trend in my home state of Punjab. There is also a general feeling among the Agniveers that those released will bear the stigma of being discards and not be seen as proud veterans. Given the high rate of unemployment, particularly among the youth, the released Agniveers are unlikely to get a decent job; the idea of lateral placement into the CAPF is far-fetched.

Recently, there were two instances of Agniveers who made the supreme sacrifice while deployed in operational areas. Their kin were entitled to only a lump sum compensation as against those of the regular soldiers who are eligible for full pension. This discrimination stands out as a serious anomaly.

In the units today, there are two categories of soldiers: the regulars and the Agniveers. There is an unhealthy competition and obvious stress among the Agniveers in their quest to qualify for retention. It is indeed detrimental to the camaraderie and esprit de corps, the bedrock of unit culture and regimentation, the cutting edge of our armed forces as against the better-equipped adversaries. Incidentally, the performance of ‘tourist soldiers’ has been found wanting — be it Americans in Vietnam and Afghanistan, Israelis in Gaza and troops in the Russia-Ukraine war. Even the Chinese army conscripts have performed poorly in Ladakh during the ongoing standoff.

Agnipath has led to an acute shortfall in manpower; while the yearly retirement count is around 70,000, the Agniveer intake is just 42,000. With 25 per cent retention, the deficiency is set to grow further. The recruitment of Gorkhas has taken the maximum hit as 60 per cent of the manpower of 39 Gorkha battalions comes from ‘Nepal Domicile Gorkha’. The Nepal Government’s rejection of Agnipath has serious implications. Chinese overtures to recruit Gorkhas can’t be ruled out. Indian youth joining foreign militaries is a worrying trend; the case in point is the recent reports of some persons lured to join the Russian army.

There are reports that the Agnipath scheme is under review and there is likelihood of an increase in the percentage of retentions and extension of the years of service for the Agniveers. Given that the scheme suffers from serious drawbacks, minor tweaking isn’t going to serve a worthwhile purpose. It is prudent that the previous system be fine-tuned, making the recruitment process more scientific and stringent. The fallacy of bringing down the age profile from around 32 to 26 does not hold ground as fitness encompasses both physical and mental health. It takes six-seven years to produce an all-round soldier; besides individual ruggedness tends to peak towards the late 20s and early 30s. Incidentally, the fitness of the CAPF personnel who are manning the disputed borders with median age over 42 years has never been questioned.

The pension bill can be considerably reduced by resorting to rightsizing of the armed forces and defence civilian organisations. For example, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has a strength of around 30,000 alongside 10,000 contractual workers and 50-odd labs. The recent recommendations of the Vijay Raghavan Committee to restructure and downsize the DRDO is a step in the right direction. A similar exercise is required for the 41 ordnance factories, employing around 80,000 workers.

The resilience of a system lies in its ability to undo a wrong. Hope the military hierarchy will scrap the Agnipath scheme in the larger organisational interest, setting aside all other considerations.

Clarity & transparency hold the key amid chaos

THE three new criminal laws came into effect on Monday amid a verbal duel between the ruling BJP and the main Opposition party, the Congress. The former described the laws as a symbol of India’s progress and resilience, while the latter accused the government of getting them forcibly passed in Parliament after the suspension of 146 MPs. The Congress has declared that the INDIA bloc will not allow such ‘bulldozer justice’ to prevail in the parliamentary system. The government has repeatedly stressed that these statutes — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam — will give priority to providing justice and protecting rights, arguably in contrast to the draconian colonial laws which laid emphasis on penal action. However, the Opposition is not convinced. Nor are some legal experts, who have raised concerns over possible misuse of the laws.

There are also apprehensions about a surge in litigation in the form of appeals seeking re-evaluation of the existing cases (registered before July 1, 2024) or a review of the new legal framework. Even as a chaotic rollout is only to be expected, the government will find itself under increasing pressure to pay heed to suggestions made by various stakeholders and consider amendments to fine-tune the laws. Calls to scrap the statutes altogether will also get shriller.

The push for reforms to replace the British-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act seems well-intentioned, but it will be an onerous task for the BJP-led government — now a shadow of its former all-powerful self — to get everyone on board. Implementing the new laws is a huge challenge for law enforcement agencies, judicial officers and legal professionals. Litigants, too, will have to confront new complications. Clarity and transparency hold the key to reducing uncertainty as well as confusion. The powers that be will have to work very hard to prevent the fiasco of the three farm laws, which were repealed after a year-long protest by farmers. 

Victim Tejpal Singh (left). – File photo

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, July 3

The family of Tejpal Singh, who died fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine, has been running from pillar to post to bring back his mortal remains and due compensation as per the Russian army norms.

Related News

• Rejected by Indian Army, love for olive green led Amritsar’s Tejpal to fight & die for Russia
• Amritsar man dies fighting for Russian army, family comes to know of it months later

Will also knock on Prime Minister’s office

She appeared before the Russian Embassy in New Delhi for help last month. After being made to wait for hours, embassy officials guided her to approach Indian embassy officials in Moscow. Unable to find any positive response, the family is now planning to knock the door of the Prime Minister’s office.

In a communiqué to the Immigration Department at the Russian Embassy, New Delhi, “I have no source of income and at present, am looking after my family and seek payment of his dues from the Russian Government and request for sending back the dead body of my husband and also issue a death certificate.”

She appeared before the Russian Embassy in New Delhi for help last month. After being made to wait for hours, embassy officials guided her to approach Indian embassy officials in Moscow.

Unable to find any positive response, the family is now planning to knock the door of the Prime Minister’s office. Parminder said her family has already prepared a letter, but they have not posted it yet.

She said through her contacts with Punjabi boys enrolled in the Russian army, she was told to come to Moscow to get the body and the compensation. Subsequently, she applied for the renewal of her passport to fly to Moscow.

A distant family relative of her rang up the Indian Embassy in Moscow and was informed that the Russian Government had issued a list of those who were killed in the war, which included the name of Tejpal. However, she said, it mentioned Tejpal’s date of birth as of October 12, 1994, which, she says, is wrong. Tejpal was born on October 2, 1994. She said her family has been trying to rectify the mistake.

Still unable to come to terms with the loss of her husband, she is gearing up to raise her two children — 6-year-old Armandeep Singh and 3-year-old Gurnaazdeep Kaur. She said so far, her efforts to bring back her husband’s mortal remains have failed to bear fruit.

On March 12, Tejpal Singh, 30, was killed, thousands of kilometres away from his home in Amritsar. Before the tragedy, he had last spoken to his family on March 3 and told his wife that he wouldn’t be able to call often here onwards because he was going to the frontline. But Parminder Kaur was not aware of her husband’s death until she called his friend in his unit who broke the news.

A day after landing in Moscow, Tejpal had joined the Russian army after clearing the physical and medical tests on January 13, 2024.

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, July 3

Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi reviewed the security situation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, exhorting the troops to remain steadfast to meet all security challenges.

This was the maiden visit of General Dwivedi to J&K after becoming the Army Chief. In the past, General Dwivedi had served as the GOC-in-C of the Northern Command which guards the borders of the country with Pakistan and China.

The visit holds importance as it comes amid the ongoing Amarnath pilgrimage and the recent spate in terror acts in the UT. General Dwivedi also held a coordination meeting with Director General of Police RR Swain and other senior officials of the Jammu region which has witnessed multiple attacks by trained ultras recently.

The Army Chief was accompanied by Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar, GOC-in-C, Northern Command, and Lt Gen Navin Sachdeva, GOC, White Knight Corps. He chaired a meeting of commanders in Poonch before taking an aerial review of forward areas.

An official statement by the Army read, “Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of Army Staff, along with the Northern Army Commander, visited the forward locations of White Knight Corps and reviewed the security situation along the Line of Control. ” Sources said the Army Chief was informed about the anti-terror operations being conducted in different parts of the region.

Tribune News Service

Mohali, July 3

CISF constable Kulwinder Kaur, who allegedly slapped Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut at the Chandigarh airport on June 6, has been shifted to Bengaluru pending a disciplinary inquiry, sources said.

A native of Kapurthala, Kulwinder would remain under suspension till the completion of the inquiry. Her husband, who too was in the CISF at the Chandigarh airport, has also been transferred. An FIR was lodged against Kulwinder Kaur under Sections 323 and 341 of the IPC.

India says complete disengagement along Line of Actual Control is needed

Tribune News Service

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, July 4

India and China on Thursday agreed that prolonging the current situation along the border areas was “not in the interest of either side”. India reiterated that disengagement of militaries along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was the way to remove “obstacles” in the way of normalcy in bilateral relations.

Related News

• The Tribune exclusive: India to set up villages, boost infra near LAC in Arunachal Pradesh

The Ministry of External Affairs put out a statement after a meeting the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the SCO Summit at Astana, Kazakhstan.  

It said: “The two ministers had an in-depth exchange of views on finding an early resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh to stabilise and rebuild bilateral relations”.

“The two Ministers agreed that the prolongation of the current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side”, the Indian statement said

Jaishankar highlighted the need to “redouble efforts to achieve complete disengagement from the remaining areas in eastern Ladakh and restore border peace and tranquillity in order to remove obstacles towards return of normalcy in bilateral relations”.

The Indian statement said all bilateral agreements have to be respected. It quoted Jaishankar as saying “reaffirmed the importance of fully abiding by relevant bilateral agreements, protocols, and understandings reached between the two Governments in the past. The Line of Actual Control must be respected and peace and tranquillity in the border areas always enforced”.

Both Ministers agreed to continue and step up meetings of the diplomatic and military officials of the two sides to take forward their discussions to resolve the remaining issues at the earliest. The two agreed that the Working Mechanism on Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) should hold an early meeting. EAM reiterated that India-China relationship is best served by observing the three mutuals – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests.

Earlier, Jaishankar put out a post on X saying that he met with Chinese Communist Party Politburo member and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Astana this morning.

“Discussed early resolution of remaining issues in border areas. Agreed to redouble efforts through diplomatic and military channels to that end,” Jaishankar said.

The Indian and Chinese Armies are locked in military stand-off along the LAC in eastern Ladakh since April 2020.

India has maintained that restoration of status quo as on April 2020 was a prerequisite for any forward movement in bilateral relations.

Chandigarh, June 29

The Indian Army D5 Motorcycle Expedition commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Kargil conflict was flagged in at the Chandimandir Military Station today after it arrived from New Delhi on its way to Kargil.

The expedition is a set of three teams comprising Army men, who commenced their journey from Dinjan in the east, Dwarka in the west and Dhanushkodi in the south, traversing diverse and challenging terrains.

The expedition will help reconnect with the Kargil gallantry awardees, war widows and ex-servicemen, besides interacting with the local populace enroute and create an awareness about the Army among the youth. It will converge at Kargil on July 10 after proceeding along two routes from Delhi — one via Ambala, Jammu and Srinagar and the other via Chandimandir, Manali, and Leh.

On arrival at Chandimandir, the team interacted with Lt Gen Manoj Kumar Katiyar, GOC-in-C, Western Command, Gen VP Malik (retd), who was the Army Chief during the Kargil conflict, and other senior officers of the Western Command.

Mere 15-20 tourists daily | Lack of promotion, poor upkeep of surroundings to blame

Tribune News Service

PK Jaiswar

Am

The summer palace of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh that had been converted into a museum and opened for the public after 14 years of conservation work has been longing for visitors.

Despite the fact that it was thrown open to the public two years ago, it has an average footfall of just over 15-20 visitors daily, sometimes even less. In winters, it reaches double figures.

Even the 20-minute light and sound show introduced by the district administration to mark Rangla Punjab Mela in February this year failed to bring it on the tourist map. The light and sound show has been witnessing just about five visitors daily.

Though the historical building is in possession of Archaeological Survey of India, the museum is being run by Punjab Heritage and Tourism Department.

The continued apathy of the government and the authorities, the museum in the heritage building never got the limelight it deserved. The government failed to promote the structure and the museum as a tourist destination.

The sources in the museum, wishing not to be named, said that when the museum was opened for public, the government promoted it as a major tourist destination and initially, a large number of people visited the site. However, later, the numbers started dwindling.

“There has been absolutely no advertising for bringing Maharaja Ranjit Singh Museum on the holy city’s tourist destination map,” a museum staffer said.

“Crores of rupees were spent on restoration of the structure and exact recreation of the palace as it used to exist during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. An amount of Rs 2 crore was spent separately on the light and sound show, aimed at promoting the state’s rich heritage. However, without any promotion and failure to upkeep the surroundings, the museum has turned into a white elephant for the government,” said a local resident Rajneesh Khosla.

With the authorities turning a blind eye towards maintaining the historic Ram Bagh garden where the palace is located, there has been high wild growth around the entire complex.

The light and sound show highlights the history of Sikh Gurus, warriors and the significant events that shaped the socio-cultural landscape of the state. In the museum, artefacts and weapons, including swords and rifles of that era have been displayed for public.

The multimedia touch panels in Punjabi, Hindi and English language have also been installed inside each gallery, from where visitors can get information about the artefacts kept in the respective galleries.

At the entrance, visitors can see the mannequin of Maharaja Ranjit Singh seated on his throne (replica of original throne) and his coterie. The original artistically-carved roofs have also been fixed, which further adds to the attraction.

“The department has put up a ticket for entering the museum, Rs 10 for adults and Rs 4 for children,” said an official. With this amount, we cannot even maintain the surroundings, he added.