Simran Sodhi,Tribune News Service,New Delhi, December 29

In yet another development that should worry India, China has decided to provide Nepal with additional 1.4 million litre fuel. The decision comes in the backdrop of the continuing blockade in Nepal which has brought the Himalayan kingdom to a state of humanitarian crisis.The decision was disclosed to the media in Kathmandu today by Kamal Thapa, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Nepal, who returned home after a week-long visit to China.While the Madhesis have blocked entry points on the Indo-Nepal border for the last four months, Nepal has turned to China to look for an additional supplier of fuel. “The Chinese government has agreed to provide 1.4 million litres of fuel worth 10 million yuan to Nepal as a grant,” Thapa said in Kathmandu today.In October, Nepal signed its first-ever fuel agreement with China for the import of petroleum products. China had then provided Nepal with 1.3 million litres of fuel, giving India the first jitters. India seems to have dug itself into a hole on the Nepal issue. By publicly demanding time and again that Nepal amend its Constitution and give more rights to the Madhesis, India has lost much goodwill in Nepal and also forced its neighbour to look to China.Despite the recent commitment made by Nepal, which was welcomed by India, that it would amend its Constitution to adjust the demands of the Madhesis, the blockade has continued. While India has denied it is behind this “unofficial blockade”, many in Nepal have publicly accused India of it.

Tribune News Service
Dehradun, November 15

Members of the United Front of Ex-Servicemen (UFESM), Uttarakhand chapter, have decided to return their medals tomorrow to register their protest against the Union Government.
They are not happy with a notification on the OROP issued by the Centre recently and are agitated over the clauses added by the Union Government in the OROP.
Maj Gen Chander Nandwani (retd), president of the front, said they would gather at Parade Ground at 11 am tomorrow. Those who were willing to return their medals should submit them with their particulars like name, rank, unit etc., he added.
He said the medals would then be sent to President Pranab Mukherjee.
Major Nandwani (retd) added the medals would not be handed over to the Dehradun District Magistrate as was decided earlier.
Brig KG Behl (retd) media in charge of the front, said, “When there is no voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) in defence forces then there is no question of stopping defence personnel from taking the benefits of OROP.”

नयी दिल्ली,13 नवंबर (वार्ता)

दिल्ली के मुख्यमंत्री अरविंद केजरीवाल वन रैंक वन पेंशन (ओआरओपी) पर केन्द्र सरकार की ओर से जारी अधिसूचना के विरोध में धरना दे रहे पूर्व सैनिकों से एकजुटता प्रदर्शित करने शुक्रवार को जंतर -मंतर पहुंचे।
उन्होंने इस मौके पर पूर्व सैनिकों से मुलाकात की और उनकी मांगों के प्रति पूरा समर्थन जताया। इस मुलाकात के बाद केजरीवाल ने ट्वीटर पर लिखा ‘मैंने कई पूर्व सैनिकों से मुलाकात की । उनकी सारी मांगें जायज हैं। सरकार ने उनके साथ न्याय नहीं किया है। सरकार को तत्काल उनकी मांगें मान लेनी चाहिए।’
केजरीवाल की आम आदमी पार्टी ने कहा कि सेना में पहले से ही जवानों और अधिकारियों की 30 प्रतिशत कमी है। केन्द्र की गलत नीतियों से युवा सेना में जाने से कतराएंगे। यह सुनिश्चित करना सरकार की जिम्मेदारी बनती है कि देश की रक्षा करने वाले जवान सम्मानपूर्ण जीवन बिताएं। आप के अनुसार सरकार ने पूर्व सैनिकों की शिकायतें सुनने के लिए पांच सदस्यीय आयोग बनाने की बजाय एक सदस्यीय आयोग बनाया है जिसमें पूर्व सैनिकों का कोई प्रतिनिधि नहीं है।
पार्टी ने कहा कि जब पूर्व सैनिक सरकार द्वारा जारी अधिसूचना के कई प्रावधानों का विरोध कर रहे हैं तो सरकार यह दावा कैसे कर सकती है कि वन रैंक वन पेंशन की व्यवस्था लागू हो गयी है। सरकार ने दीपावली से ‘वन रैंक वन पेंशन’ लागू करने का वादा किया था। इसके लिए 24 लाख से अधिक पूर्व सैनिकों के लिए पिछले दिनों अधिसूचना जारी की थी लेकिन पूर्व सैनिकों का एक धड़ा इससे खुश नहीं है । इन लोगों ने अपने मेडल भी लौटाए हैं और बुधवार को जंतर-मंतर पर अपने मेडल जलाने की कोशिश भी की थी।

DDCA CONTROVERSY The twin proceedings that Jailey has charged Kejriwal with are unheard of in most parts of the world

NEW DELHI: Finance minister Arun Jaitley may have accused Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of slander, invoking both civil and criminal jurisdiction to defend himself from corruption charges, but the twin proceedings are unheard of in most parts of the world.

Unlike many countries in the West and some near home, such as Sri Lanka, defamation in India is both civil and criminal offence. One can take recourse when defamed either by words spoken or in writing. When spoken, it amounts to slander and if printed, it is libel.

Under the civil law, the person defamed can move either the high court or trial court and seek damages in the form of monetary compensation from the accused. The remedy sought is covered under the Law of Torts, a rare and slow course of relief witnessed in India.

On the other hand, the Indian Penal Code gives an opportunity to the defamed individual to also move a criminal court, asking the latter to take cognizance of his complaint. It’s a bailable, non-cognizable and compoundable offence, which means no police can register a case and start investigation without the court’s permission.

Under sections 499 and 500 of the IPC, a person found guilty can be sent to jail for two years. The Supreme Court has already reserved its verdict on a clutch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the two penal provisions.

Since the law is compoundable, a criminal court can drop the charges if the victim and the accused enter into a compromise to that effect (even without the permission of the court).

CONDITIONS TO BE SATISFIED IN CIVIL SUIT

Law defines defamatory content as one “calculated to injure the reputation of another by exposing him to hatred, contempt or ridicule.” This is the first condition required to be fulfilled under the civil remedy.

Second, the claimant should be identified in the defamatory statement. It must address a particular person and no broad based classification is acceptable.

And lastly there must be publication of the defamatory statement in either oral or written form. A civil defamation law would stand once these conditions are attained. The defendant then has to plead his defense.

CONDITIONS TO BE SATISFIED UNDER CRIMINAL LAW

In a criminal suit, the complainant should be able to prove the accused intended to defame him. In the absence of intention it must be established that the alleged offender had knowledge that the publication was likely to defame the person. Normal stand of proof in criminal cases, which is to prove the offence beyond reasonable doubt, should also be placed before the court.

चंडीगढ़, 13 नवंबर (ट्रिन्यू)

वित्त मंत्री कैप्टन अभिमन्यु ने कहा कि वन पेंशन-वन रैंक की अधिसूचना जारी कर पीएम नरेंद्र मोदी ने अपना वादा निभाया है। उन्होंने कहा कि लोकसभा चुनाव से पहले रेवाड़ी में भूतपूर्व सैनिकों की रैली में मोदी की ओर पूर्व सैनिकों को वन रैंक-वन पेंशन देने का वादा किया गया था। अब इसके पूरे होने से देश के 30 लाख भूतपूर्व सैनिक परिवारों को लाभ मिलेगा। इसमें 7500 करोड़ रुपये का भुगतान किया जाएगा। वे शुक्रवार को चंडीगढ़ में प्रेस कांफ्रेंस में बोल रहे थे। उन्होंने पूर्व सैनिकों से अपील की कि वे विवेक से काम लें और किसी के बहकावे में न आएं। कुछ सैनिकों द्वारा मैडल वापसी करने के पीछे व्यक्तिगत, राजनीतिक व अन्य कारण हो सकते हैं। अभिमन्यु ने पंजाब के पूर्व सीएम कैप्टन अमरेंद्र सिंह द्वारा वन रैंक वन पेंशन पर केंद्र को लिखे पत्र पर हैरानी जताई। उन्होंने कहा कि बेहतर होता कि अमरेंद्र वन रैंक-वन पेंशन देने के लिये केंद्र धन्यवाद करते। कांग्रेस की सरकार में इंदिरा गांधी ने 1971 के भारत-पाक युद्ध जीतने के बाद 1972 में वन रैंक वन-पेंशन को बंद कर दी थी। उन्होंने कहा कि अगर किसी को आपत्ति है तो वह न्यायिक आयोग में अपील कर सकता है, जो अधिसूचना का हिस्सा है।
सैनिक हमेशा मान-सम्मान, गौरव व कर्तज्ञता के लिये जाने जाते हैं और सरकार ने उनकी इन्हीं भावनाओं को समझते हुए पूरा मान-सम्मान दिया है।
हरियाणा सरकार के एक वर्ष के कार्यकाल के सम्बन्ध में पूछे जाने पर वित्त मन्त्री ने कहा कि एक वर्ष में सरकार ने अनेक महत्वपूर्ण निर्णय लिए हैं और सरकार की ईमानदारी से कार्य करने की मंशा को प्रदेश के 2.5 करोड़ लोगों के समक्ष रखा है। एक प्रश्न के उत्तर में कै़ अभिमन्यु ने कहा कि मोदी के पीएम बनने के बाद विश्व के देशों में भारत का गौरव बढ़ा है और हर छोटे-बड़े राष्ट्र का निवेशक भारत में संभावनाएं देख रहा है। 200 वर्षों तक भारत में राज करने वाले ब्रिटेन ने पीएम मोदी को अपने देश की संसद को सम्बोधित करने के लिए आमंत्रित किया है। इससे बड़ी बात और क्या हो सकती है।

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria,Tribune News Service,Jammu, December 21

In a major step forward, over 1,200 traders from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) have unanimously decided to constitute a joint federation of traders from Poonch and Anantnag in J&K and Rawalakote and Chakoti in PoK.In the absence of travel permits from New Delhi and Islamabad, traders from both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) met in Dubai on December 16 and 17.“It is a big achievement for traders from PoK and J&K. The joint federation exclusively meant for trans-LoC traders from Poonch, Anantnag, Rawalakote and Chakoti will be put in place by March 31,” said Pawan Anand, president of the Chakan-da-Bagh LoC Traders’ Association.“Once such a federation comes up, we will be able to efficiently thrash out trade-related disputes and, at the same time, think of more measures to streamline trade,” he added. He admitted that in the absence of travel permits to trans-LoC traders, they had to hold their third meeting in Dubai.“Two years ago, we held our second meeting in Kuala Lumpur. The first meeting took place in Istanbul. Had traders been sanctioned travel permits, there would have been no need for us to meet abroad,” said Anand.YV Sharma, president of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Rakesh Gupta, president of the Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mushtaq Wani, president of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Hilal Turki, general secretary of the Cross LoC Traders’ Federation, attended the meeting.“Being purely a meeting of traders from PoK and J&K, we discussed opening more trade routes via the LoC, more tradable items in the trade list, travel permits and banking facilities to take trade to another level,” said Anand.Traders from both sides felt the need for providing direct ISD facility to traders from J&K. They urged their respective governments to reopen the Kargil-Skardu road, which was part of the once flourishing Silk Route.Traders from PoK could call up traders in J&K on their cell phones, but there was an embargo on ISD facility from J&K to PoK.Trans-LoC trade was started in 2008, but the absence of basic facilities continued to hamper its growth. The trade was a brainchild of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in 2002 during the PDP’s alliance with the Congress.

Manish Sirhindi
Tribune News Service
Ambala, November 12
Cabinet Minister for Health and Sports Anil Vij today said former Army men should try to resolve the remaining issues of One Rank One Pension through dialogue instead of returning their medals.
He said the Union Government had made an earnest effort to resolve the issue, which had not been addressed for the last 42 years. But some of the ex-servicemen were feeling that it was not enough.
Vij claimed that the Union Government had already provided Rs 10,000 crore to implement One Rank One Pension scheme for the ex-servicemen.
Making an appeal to the ex-servicemen, the Health Minister said the previous governments at the Center had only made false promises on the issue and the veterans should take this into consideration before returning their medals.

 

The operational capabilities of the Indian Army’s mechanised forces could be severely hampered given the state of the BMP infantry fighting vehicles in the Army. The latest report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has brought out that only 53 per cent of these vehicles were available for use by the Army.

The CAG report says that the MoD also accepted that the acute shortage of BMP would have an adverse impact in the 12th Army plan as five more Mechanized Infantry Battalions were planned to be raised.

“The shortfall in production and overhaul of BMP vehicles affected the operational preparedness as only 53 per cent of authorised vehicles were available with Army,” the report says.

The BMP is a Russian origin tracked infantry vehicles which is the mainstay of the Army’s mechanised infantry battalions. These vehicles can carry seven to eight soldiers and are presently manufactured by the Ordnance Factory, Medak. The mechanised infantry battalions form an integral part of the armoured brigades and are expected to be a crucial part of any strike formation of the Army which has to carry the battle into enemy territory.

The CAG report has brought out that the Army has a shortage of 47 per cent in holding of BMP vehicles. The main reason for shortfall was the delay in supply of 389 BMPs by Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) which not only adversely affected the operational preparedness of Mechanised Forces but also entailed a minimum extra liability of Rs 270.97 crore due to cost escalation.

The current production capacity of the Ordnance Factory Medak is 100 BMP vehicles per year, which includes variants of BMP like Carrier Mortar Tracked (CMT), Armoured Ambulance Tracked (AAT), Mine Protected Vehicle (MPV) and Bullet Proof Vehicle. Apart from the Mechanised Infantry, the Corps of Engineers and Corps of Signals of the Indian Army too are authorised for BMP vehicles to provide support elements to combat troops. The CAG report says that against the authorisation of 2,827 BMPs and 323 BMPS respectively, the Mechanised Infantry and the Corps of Engineers are holding 2521 and 170 numbers of vehicles only.

In order to meet the deficiency of BMP vehicles in Mechanised Infantry and Corps of Engineers, the Army HQ placed two indents on Ordnance Factory Medak in 2009 and 2011. Against the indents for 389 numbers of BMPs placed on the OFM in 2009, the delivery for Mechanised Infantry was to be completed by 2011-12 and for Corps of Engineers by 2013-14. The CAG, however, found that only 179 numbers were only delivered till January 2015. Further, against production capacity of 600 BMPs (100 BMPs per year x 6 years) OFB could produce only 265 BMPs during the last six years resulting in shortfall of 55 per cent of assessed capacity and thereby impacted operational preparedness of the Army.

The audit scrutiny of the case further revealed that out of the total number of 2,691 BMPs held, 1,025 numbers of vehicles were due for overhaul up to 2014-15. As a result only 1,666 vehicles were effectively available, which indicates that only 53 per cent of the authorized vehicles were available for use. On being pointed out by audit (September 2012) regarding supply status and impact on operational preparedness of Army due to delay in supply of BMP vehicles, Ministry of Defence/Army HQ replied in November 2012 that the indents were placed considering the urgent operational requirement and acute deficiency within the field units. They further stated that as per the current production capacity of the OFM, six to eight years would be taken to meet the projected requirement as OFM was not dedicated to production of BMP vehicles only.

– See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/shortfall-of-bmp-infantry-fighting-vehicles-affecting-operational-preparedness-of-army-cag/#sthash.U5iFmXph.dpuf