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Thursday 30 June 2011

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SMOKE & BE HAPPY ARTICLE LOKPRABHA

IF YOU DONT LIKE PASSIVE SMOKING ENJOY ACTIVE SMOKING 
सिगारेट
नंतर
माझा

डॉक्टर, वकील, बिझिनेस कॉर्पोरेट्स, अभिनेते, राजकारणी असा बऱ्यापकी बुद्धिवान समजला जाणारा समाज सिगारेट ओढतो, मग आपण त्यांना सांगणारे कोण?काही दिवसांपूर्वी महाराष्ट्रातील सर्वात मोठय़ा गुटखा उत्पादकांची माझी भेट झाली. मी त्यांना सहज बोलता बोलता विचारले, "तुमच्या गुटख्यांमुळे एवढय़ा लोकांना कॅन्सर होतो, त्यांचा मृत्यू होतो. याचे तुम्हाला कधी वाईट वाटते का?" त्यांनी शांतपणे मला उत्तर दिले,
"गुटखा माझ्या ग्राहकांनी स्वतहून निवडलाय. मृत्यूला कवटाळण्यासाठी त्यांना मी माझ्या मार्केटिंग स्ट्रेटेजीने राजी केले. तुम्ही डॉक्टर म्हणून त्यांचे मन वळवून दाखवा. सिगारेट गुटख्यावर स्टॅच्युटरी वॉìनग लिहिण्याच्या पलीकडे तुम्ही काय केले? त्याच्या प्रश्नाचे उत्तर आणि आपल्या चुका मला एका अमेरिकन अ‍ॅन्टी स्मोकिंग अ‍ॅड कॅम्पेनमध्ये सापडले. सिगारेट प्या, गुटखा खा, म्हणून जितकी डोकी, अ‍ॅडव्हरटायझिंगसाठी काम करतात तितकी नाही तर किमान त्याच्या निम्मी डोकी तरी लोकांनी सिगारेट पिऊ नये म्हणून काय करता येईल यासाठी काम करतात का? हा विचार मनात आला. या अमेरिकन जाहिरातीने आपल्यापकी काही मेंदूंना चिमटा काढला तर फार बरे होईल.जाहिरातींमुळे धूम्रपान कमी होण्याऐवजीया सर्व गोष्टी खऱ्या असल्या तरी आम्ही सिगारेट ओढणार, काय व्हायचे ते होऊन जाऊ दे ही बंड करण्याची भावना तरुणांमध्ये उफाळून येते आणि धूम्रपानाची इच्छा अजून तीव्र होते.क्रिस्पीन
या
हीच बॉटम लाईन ठेवून त्याने मग अशा जाहिरातींची सिरीजच लाँच केली. अशा एका जाहिरातीत एका खऱ्या अमेरिकन सिगारेट कंपनीची इमारत दाखवली आहे. इमारतीसमोरील रस्त्यावर एक ट्रक येऊन थांबतो. काही तरुण खाली उतरून त्या ट्रकमधून पांढऱ्या कंपडय़ांमध्ये बांधलेली प्रेतं खाली उतरवण्यास सुरुवात करतात. एकामागून एक ट्रक येतात आणि पाहता पाहता रस्त्यावर प्रेतांचा ढीग रचला जातो. खिडकीतून सिगारेट कंपनीचा मालक डोकावून "हे काय चाललंय" म्हणून विचारतो. "प्रेत उतरवणारे तरुण उत्तरतात - एका दिवसात सिगारेटमुळे निर्माण होणारी १२०० प्रेतं एकत्रित कसे दिसतात ते पाहा."
सिगारेट
एम.बी.बी.एस.ला असताना हॉस्टेलमध्ये धूम्रपानाचे प्रमाण खूपच वाढले पॅसिव स्मोकिंगचा आम्हाला खूप त्रास होतोय म्हणून आम्ही विद्यार्थी अधिष्ठात्यांकडे गेलो होतो. तेव्हा ते आम्हाला म्हणाले - "डोन्ट कम टू मी फॉर प्रॉब्लेम्स विच हॅव नो सोल्यूशन्स. इफ यु आर सफरिंग फ्रॉम पॅसिव स्मोकिंग बेटर शिफ्ट टू अ‍ॅक्टिव स्मोकिंग अँड एन्जॉंय". ही अमेरिकन जाहिरात पाहून प्रॉब्लेमला सोल्यूशन आहे अशी आशा पल्लवित होते. मी धूम्रपानाचे दुष्परिणाम असे लेख लिहिणे थांबवले आहे, पण एखादा क्रिस्पीन भारतात जन्माला यावा एवढी अपेक्षा जरूर ठेवतोय
कंपनीचा मालक तरुणांकडे पाहून हसतो आणि कामाला लागतो. या हास्यातले कपट जाहिरातीत खूपच छान चित्रित केलंय. आमच्या मृत्यूवर हे हसतात हा जाहिरातीतील पंच तरुणांच्या भावनेला हात घालून गेला आणि ही जाहिरात अमेरिकेत सुपरहिट ठरली. ती फक्त गाजली नाही तर वाजलीही, कारण एका वर्षांत फ्लोरिडात धूम्रपानाचे प्रमाण ४० टक्क्यांनी कमी झाले. हे अमेरिकेतील आतापर्यंतचे सर्वात यशस्वी सोशल मोर्केटिंग कॅम्पेन ठरले. प्रत्येकाने ‘The Truth - Body Bag TV AD’ या नावाने टय़ूबवर असलेली ही जाहिरात जाऊन पाहावी.
धूम्रपानामुळे रोज हजारो मृत्यू होत असताना येथे धूम्रपानास सक्त मनाई आहे, असे शासकीय फलक आणि कुचकामी ठरलेल्या सिगारेटच्या पाकिटांवरच्या वैधानिक इशाऱ्यापलीकडे विचार करणे गरजेचे आहे.
चित्रांमुळे, जाहिरातींमुळे धूम्रपान कमी होण्याऐवजीया सर्व गोष्टी खऱ्या असल्या तरी आम्ही सिगारेट ओढणार, काय व्हायचे ते होऊन जाऊ दे ही बंड करण्याची भावना तरुणांमध्ये उफाळून येते आणि धूम्रपानाची इच्छा अजून तीव्र होते. म्हणजे सध्या सुरू असलेली भारताची धूम्रपानविरोधी जाहिरातीचे धोरण धूम्रपान कमी करण्याऐवजी त्यात भर घालण्याचीही शक्यता आहे. जाहिरातीचा हा अ‍ॅप्रोच बदलावाच लागेल असे क्रिस्पीनने ठरवले. मग काय करता येईल? या सर्वेक्षणात क्रिस्पीनला लक्षात आले की तरुणांना आपल्याला कोणीतरी मॅनीप्यूलेट करतंय, फसवतंय, वेडय़ात काढतंय याचा जास्त राग असतो. जाहिरातीचा प्रकाशझोत, आजार, मृत्यूच्या वॉर्निगवरून सिगारेट कंपन्या फसव्या जाहिरातींच्या माध्यमातून तरुणांना कसे वेडय़ात काढताय यावर ठेवला तर काहीतरी होऊ शकते असे क्रिस्पीनला वाटले.
पोर्टर हा अमेरिकेतील भरत दाभोलकर आणि बोगूसकी या अमेरिकेतील नितीन देसाईंना जाहिरातीच्या माध्यमातून तरुणांना धूम्रपानापासून कसे परावृत्त करता येईल या विचाराने झपाटले. त्यांनी फ्लोरिडाच्या असंख्य तरुणांशी संवाद साधला. त्यात त्यांना कळले की धूम्रपानविरोधी जाहिरातीची या तरुण-तरुणींना चांगलीच माहिती होती. धूम्रपानामुळे झालेले कॅन्सर, विद्रुप चेहरे, काळे झालेले फुफ्फुस, सिगारेट पाकिटांवर असलेली खेकडय़ाची, कॉफीनचीचित्रे सगळे त्यांना माहिती होते, पण या सव्‍‌र्हेमधून पुढे आलेल्या गोष्टी क्रिस्पीन नव्हे तर आपणा सर्वासाठीही धक्कादायक आहेत.
डॉक्टर भाऊ येऊन त्या रुग्णांना सांगायचा - "खुशाल सिगारेट ओढा ! ऐश करा! चला" त्यांच्यानंतर तो माझी काऊन्सिलिंग करायचा - "तुझ्या समुपदेशनाने त्यांची सिगरेट सुटेल असे तुला वाटते का? याच्यामुळे त्यांची सिगारेट सुटणार नाही. तुझे रुग्ण सुटतील, त्यापेक्षा त्यांना त्यांचे आयुष्य जगू दे". पुढे पुढे मी धूम्रपानविरोधी लेख लिहिणे बंद केले.
साधी गोष्ट आहे , सिगारेट, तंबाखू, गुटखाचे व्यसन असणाऱ्यांना हे ठाऊक नसते का, की हे अपायकारक आहे. उलट त्याला सिगारेट ओढणाऱ्यांपेक्षा हे जास्त चांगले माहीत असते. कारण सिगारेटच्या पाकिटावर तो ते रोज वाचत असतो.
मला लक्षात आले की या लेखांचा मला प्रसिद्धी मिळण्याच्या पलीकडे काही उपयोग होत नाही. मी नवीन पॅक्टिस सुरू केली. तेव्हा धूम्रपानामुळे खोकणाऱ्या, कॅन्सरग्रस्त झालेल्या रुग्णांची बराच वेळ काऊन्सिलिंग करायचो तेव्हा मध्येच
, तंबाखू, गुटखाचे व्यसन असणाऱ्यांना हे ठाऊक नसते का, की हे अपायकारक आहे. उलट त्याला सिगारेट ओढणाऱ्यांपेक्षा हे जास्त चांगले माहीत असते. कारण सिगारेटच्या पाकिटावर तो ते रोज वाचत असतो. म्हणूनच धूम्रपानामुळे रोज हजारो मृत्यू होत असताना येथे धूम्रपानास सक्त मनाई आहे, असे शासकीय फलक आणि कुचकामी ठरलेल्या सिगारेटच्या पाकिटांवरच्या वैधानिक इशाऱ्यापलीकडे आता विचार करणे गरजेचे आहे.मी काही वर्षांपूर्वी लिहायला सुरुवात केली तेव्हा दर ३१ मे म्हणजे तंबाखूविरोधी दिनानिमित्त दरवर्षी कुठेतरी लेख लिहून अ‍ॅन्टी स्मोकिंग कॅम्पेनला हातभार लावण्याचा प्रयत्न करायचो. हे लेख म्हणजे टिपिकलधूम्रपानाचे दुष्परिणाम, ‘धूम्रपान कडक कायदा आवश्यक असे असायचे.

18 children die in 48 hours in mamtaS wet bengal

कोलकात्यात राज्य सरकारतर्फे चालवण्यात येणा-या मुलांच्या हॉस्पिटलमध्ये गेल्या ४८ तासांत १८ नवजात बालकांचा मृत्यू झाल्यानं खळबळ उडाली आहे. डॉक्टरांच्या निष्काळजीपणामुळेच लहानग्यांना जीव गमवावा लागल्याचा आरोप मृत बालकांचे नातेवाईक करत आहेत. त्याची गंभीर दखल घेऊन पश्चिम बंगालच्या मुख्यमंत्री ममता बॅनर्जी यांनी या प्रकरणाच्या चौकशीचे आदेश दिलेत.

बी. सी. रॉय हॉस्पिटलमध्ये गेल्या ४८ तासांत १८ बालकांचा मृत्यू झाल्याचं हॉस्पिटलच्या प्रमुख मृणाल कांती चॅटर्जी यांनी मान्य केलं. राज्याच्या आरोग्य विभागानंही या वृत्ताला दुजोरा दिला आहे. परंतु, या बालकांचा मृत्यू डॉक्टरांच्या चुकीमुळे किंवा निष्काळजी कारभारामुळे झाला नसल्याचं अधिक्षक डी. पाल यांनी स्पष्ट केलंय. काही अर्भकांची पूर्ण वाढ झाली नव्हती, तर काहींचं वजन जन्मावेळी अगदीच कमी होतं. काही बालकांना अगदी शेवटच्या क्षणी हॉस्पिटलमध्ये आणण्यात आलं होतं आणि अशावेळी डॉक्टरांच्या हातात खरोखरच फार काही नव्हतं, अशी बाजू त्यांनी मांडली.

परंतु, सरकारच्या वतीनं करण्यात आलेला हा दावा मृत बालकांच्या नातेवाईकांनी फेटाळून लावला आहे. डॉक्टरांच्या दुर्लक्षामुळेच हा प्रकार झाल्याचा त्यांचा आरोप आहे. हॉस्पिटलच्या मुख्य इमारतीत घुसून त्यांनी तिथल्या व्यवस्थेचा जोरदार निषेध केला. काही निदर्शकांनी हॉस्पिटलसमोरचा रस्ताही रोखून धरला होता. परंतु, पोलिसांनी त्याला तिथून हुसकावून लावलं.

दरम्यान, मुख्यमंत्री ममता बॅनर्जी यांनी या प्रकाराची गंभीर दखल घेऊन चौकशीचे आदेश दिलेत. हॉस्पिटलच्या बाहेरच्या दोन डॉक्टरांना घेऊन एक चौकशी समिती स्थापन केली जाईल आणि २४ तासांत ते आपला अहवाल सादर करतील, असं त्यांनी स्पष्ट केलं. त्यात हॉस्पिटलकडून निष्काळजीपणा झाल्याचं निदर्शनास आल्यास मोठा गहजब होण्याची शक्यता आहे

BRIG HEMANT MAHAJAN NATIONAL SECURITY: MY ARTICLE ON GUARDING NEPAL BHUTAN BORDER IN LOKP...

BRIG HEMANT MAHAJAN NATIONAL SECURITY: MY ARTICLE ON GUARDING NEPAL BHUTAN BORDER IN LOKP...: "http://www.loksatta.com/lokprabha/20110708/suraksha.htm"

MY ARTICLE ON GUARDING NEPAL BHUTAN BORDER IN LOKPRABHA

Lokpal and defence procurements
IN recent weeks, the Lokpal Bill has dominated public discourse. There seems to be a naïve belief that a strong Lokpal will root out all corruption. However, a law to establish a Lokpal is unlikely to be more effective than the existing laws to prohibit dowry or untouchability. To make a significant dent on the all-pervasive malaise of corruption, reforms will be needed at different levels of governance and in different sectors, particularly those prone to corruption.  One sector needing special attention is defence. John Githongo, Kenya’s former Permanent Secretary for governance, has called defence “the last refuge of grand corruption”. Fortunately, over the past few years, the defence sector in India has remained untainted by any major scandal. But the world over defence is rated as the most corruption-prone of all international businesses. According to Transparency International’s (T.I’s) Bribery Payers’ Index, defence has the dubious distinction of ranking among the top three most corrupt sectors, along with oil, construction and engineering.  A US Department of Commerce report asserts that the defence sector alone accounts for 50 per cent of all graft allegations. Experts estimate that bribes amount to nearly 15 percent of expenditure on arms acquisition. Hence, ministries of defence can never afford to be complacent. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that in his recent address to the top brass of the Army and Air Force, Defence Minister A.K. Antony had cautioned them about “the danger of falling prey to corrupt practices perpetrated by vested interests in the garb of aggressive marketing” and urged them to “stand guard with resolve against any such overtures”.  Corruption in defence hurts the nation’s vitals. It makes defence more costly and diverts scarce resources from development. Corrupt practices dramatically impact operational effectiveness and in turn the credibility of the defence forces.  Corruption scandals erode public trust, create insecurity and demoralise the armed forces.  National security is treated as sacrosanct. Why is then defence so corruption prone? Transparency International offers some answers. First, defence contracts are large, technically complex and extremely difficult to comprehend fully. Understanding technical specifications of highly sophisticated equipment like a modern-day multi-role aircraft can be a daunting task. Technical specifications are more specific in defence than in other sectors and hence vulnerable to manipulation. Second, defence contracts involve huge  sums of money with all their attendant risks. All transactions are carried out under a cloak of secrecy, on the ground of national security. However, secrecy works more in favour of companies and officials rather than public interest. Third, the task of developing technology-intensive weapon systems requires huge investment in research and development over a number of years. The arms export market is highly restrictive in nature. The supply side of the market is controlled by government and multilateral export regimes. On the demand side is generally the government or a government agency. The nature of the market is such that the equilibrium of demand and supply is hardly ever achieved. Most sellers are desperate to recover their huge investments and profiteer, whenever an opportunity arises. This desperation leads to unscrupulous practices. Fourth, the use of agents and middlemen in defence business is widespread; they flourish despite all types of bans. Agents act as the conduits for bribes. Information about agents is, therefore, treated as commercially sensitive. Fifth, because of the very nature of defence business, there are only a handful of suppliers. This situation leads to lack of competition. An analysis of the available data shows that more than 50 per cent purchases in defence are from a single source, making price discovery a complex task.  Finally, offsets, which are additional investments made by suppliers over and above their sales, are a large and unregulated area, which pose a special challenge in terms of transparency. Economists see offsets as highly problematic and inefficient. The World Trade Orgranisation has banned offsets in other sectors, but the practice of offsets in defence transactions is common. In India too, offsets are now a mandatory requirement in large contracts. Assessing a fair value of offsets from the preferred supplier is never easy.  Can an effective Lokpal make defence corruption-free? The answer is obviously no. But such an institution can help the process of investigation and prosecution of the corrupt. This has to be done in a manner that it does not hamper decision-making for defence procurements, which is already painfully slow. What can then be done to deal with corruption in defence? One major area needing reform is the formulation of technical specifications or ‘Qualitative Requirements’.  Either on account of inadequate technical knowledge and data or due to deliberate design, these are often worked out in such a manner that only a couple of vendors or sometimes just a single vendor can meet them. This practice virtually eliminates competition and renders price — negotiations an infructuous exercise.  Unless qualitative requirements are designed broadly, by specialists, with a view to consciously encouraging competition, defence transactions will remain vulnerable to corrupt practices. According to an International Monetary Fund paper on the subject, “The natural policy prescription to attack corruption in military spending/procurement should be to introduce competition and reduce patronage at the level of officials receiving bribes”.  This calls for greater transparency regarding defence requirements. Sharing of information regarding future defence requirements, however sanitized, is essential for providing prospective vendors leads for the future.  Defence budgets are often approved by parliaments without detailed scrutiny. Disclosure of costs and expenditures associated with defence purchases and stricter parliamentary oversight can help promote greater transparency. In the process of reforming procurement procedures, defence suppliers should be fully engaged through a consultative process. While agents and middlemen are banned in India, if in actual practice they continue to operate, it is better to disclose their identities, payments and terms of their contracts. Offsets should be subjected to rigorous standards and supervision. They should also be fully disclosed to enhance transparency and facilitate monitoring.  No one should be under an illusion that the Lokpal law alone can effectively fight corruption. Equally vital will be the role of systemic reforms which prevent opportunities and incentives for corruption.  The writer is Director-General, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi

BRIG HEMANT MAHAJAN NATIONAL SECURITY: Indian cold start nuked by Pakistan? IN THE beginn...

BRIG HEMANT MAHAJAN NATIONAL SECURITY: Indian cold start nuked by Pakistan? IN THE beginn...: "Indian cold start nuked by Pakistan? IN THE beginning of May, Just about the time when Indian Army’s major war game in Thar Desert, testing ..."
Indian cold start nuked by Pakistan?
IN THE beginning of May, Just about the time when Indian Army’s major war game in Thar Desert, testing and refining its new concept of war against Pakistan ‘The Cold Start’, watched by top Indian political dignitaries was concluding, Pakistan announced that it has developed a short range tactical nuclear missile NASER basically to deal with this Indian Cold Start Concept.  Pakistan has developed two short range (60km) nuclear capable missiles Hataf-9 and NASER. They are easy to transport and are capable of launching small yield plutonium tipped nuclear warheads. These missiles are basically called tactical nuclear missiles. They are meant to be used in close ranges in actual battlefield against attacking enemy armoured columns and ground troops. Actually these have been supplied to Pakistan by China. In other words, China is also accepting the fact that it is part of this game of tactical nuclearisation of battle field.  Cold Start concept has been developed after the lessons learned during the mobilization of Indian Army in 2001 against Pakistan, following the Pakistan sponsored Jehadi attack on Indian Parliament. Indian Army took three weeks to fully get mobilized. When it was finally ready to get into Pakistan from its launching pads, the Indian political hierarchy chickened out.  For almost one year the entire Indian Army remained deployed on the launch pads and then was tamely called back. In the bargain all our top secret plans and launch pads were disclosed on a platter to Pakistan.  Learning from this fiasco, Indian Army since has come out with a new concept by the name Cold Start. This concept does not require large scale mobilization. Self contained fast moving Battle Groups of Brigade Strength based on tanks and armored personal carriers start from where they are so located in peace time and get into Pakistan for surgical strikes suitably supported by Indian Air Force. The entire operation from word go takes very little time.  At the height of the Cold War, when two nuclear superpowers America and Soviet Russia were breathing down each others neck. Russia had its hundreds of Armored Divisions ready to drive into Europe at an instant notice , even at that time nobody banked on tactical nuclear weapons to blunt Russian Armored thrust because it was thought that once started, the dynamics of these tactical nuclear strikes will give way to Strategic Nuclear strikes that nobody will be able to control . To blunt Indian Cold Start concept, Pakistan in its stupidity is ready to cross this nuclear threshold from the word go. It simply means that Pakistani Army wants to play with fire in the belief that they will be able to scare Indian political masters from ordering surgical strikes within Pakistan in the event of another Mumbai type attack.  If we abandon our Cold Start concept in view of this new development or give any impression to Pakistan that their missiles have made us rethink about our proactive policy of surgical strikes, then we should be ready to face many more Mumbai type of attacks. So what is the answer? If we have not faced another 26/11 after November 2008, the credit to a large extent also goes to our Cold Start concept and Pakistani belief that Indian public pressure will force Indian Government to react militarily.  India also needs to immediately develop tactical nuclear missiles with clear cut policy that will be used if Pakistan is foolish enough to use them in the battle field. India should also go for total mechanization of its battle groups to be used in cold start because only mechanized groups can survive this new threat on battle field. It is also necessary that Indian Army must start giving extensive nuclear warfare training to their battle field troops.  At strategic level India must go all out to make operational its nuclear powered Submarine Arihant at the earliest and produce them in numbers. Pakistan’s biggest strategic weakness is that in its entire length it is nowhere more than 350km broad. So even the short range Indian nuclear capable missile Prithvi can cover entire Pakistan. Apart from producing and ringing Pakistan with Prithvi and Agni 1 (700 km range) missiles India should at any time have three to four nuclear submarines hiding under water in Arabian Sea ready to launch their nuclear missiles at an instant notice.  Indian Nuclear submarines hiding deep under in Arabian sea will pose a existential threat to Pakistan. India should then tell Pakistan that if they use tactical nuclear missiles in battlefield against India’s Cold Start, India will not only use its tactical nuclear missiles but also its submarine-based Strategic Nuclear missiles which will wipe out Pakistan. It is important that India now must think of all options including military, to neutralize Pakistan. The growing China-Pakistan nexus is dangerous for India.

Upgradation of T-72 tanks begins in Jaisalmer
JAISALMER: The Army with the help of a team of Russian scientists are performing summer trials for the modified version of Russian tank T-72 in Jaisalmer's Lathi Field Firing Range. The summer trials will continue for one week. By the end of 12th Five Year plan, some armoured regiments will replace the T-72 with T-90 tanks. The rest of armoured regiments having T-72 tanks will undergo major modification such as introduction of an upgraded 1000 BHP engine and thermal imaging fire control system, said a defence laboratory official based at Jodhpur.  The Army recently commenced a project to upgrade its T-72M1 Main Battle Tanks. Over the past two decades, the T-72M1 has provided yeoman service to the Army. It is well liked by the Army for its ruggedness, low silhouette and weight (41.5 tons) as well as firepower. The T-72M1 is the backbone of the Indian armoured fleet with over 1700 tanks believed to be in service. Licence production of the tank was undertaken at the Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi, Tamil Nadu. To keep the tank fleet viable, an upgrade plan was drawn up by the Army. But during the early 1990s, the economy went through a tumultuous phase and the resulting fiscal problems forced these plans into abeyance.  Now the economy is on an upswing and the Army has hence been allocated funds to pursue this critical modernization. The tank upgrade will proceed in stages. The upgradation has begun by bringing 250 tanks to the DRDO's (Defence Research & Development Organisation) 'Combat Improved' Ajeya standard. (The T-72M1 has been renamed 'Ajeya' in India).  Defence spokesman Col S D Goswami said: "At present the main stay in terms of the number of India's armoured regiments is the T-72 tanks followed by T-55 tanks. The T-90 and Arjun provide the cutting edge. However, by the end of the 11th plan, all T-55 tanks will be replaced by T-90 tanks.  The original Russian engine in T-72 tanks had performed well in all climatic conditions.
Army may be left with just seven firing ranges in 3 yrs

While over 60 per cent of the Army’s field firing ranges (FFRs) remain non-operational for training purposes due to non-notification by state governments, the number of such ranges is forecast to dwindle down to just seven in the next three years. According to official documents, there are 92 notified FFRs in the country, out of which notification for 57 ranges has expired. This figure was 54 two years ago. Non-availability of ranges has an adverse impact on training and operational preparedness as it restricts mechanised manoeuvres under simulated battle conditions as well as prevents live firing by tanks and artillery that is vital for battle inoculation of troops and testing equipment. This raised serious concerns in several quarters as it has a direct impact on national security. The situation with the Air Force too, is far from happy. Its seven ranges for firing air-to-ground munitions are severely constrained due to restrictions imposed by civilian air traffic as well as mushrooming habitation and industry around them. One of the important reasons attributable to the depleting number of FFRs is reported to be the clearances required to be obtained by state governments from the Ministry of Environment and Forests to permit use of forest land for non-forest activities in accordance with the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and a Supreme Court judgment of 2002. At present, only four ranges are under active consideration of state governments for re-notification. The latest report by Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence has stated that while the Ministry of Defence has launched a process of consultations with all stakeholders in order to find a mutually acceptable solution to the problem, it is high time that the ministry initiated "expeditious and concrete steps" to resolve this issue in a time-bound manner. Besides notified ranges, where land is made available by the state government for specific periods, the Army has 12 "acquired" ranges, where the Defence Ministry owns the land. A comprehensive three-year study undertaken by a special task force some time ago had recommended that to meet the Army’s "bottom-line requirement", six ranges in various parts of the country be "acquired on priority". It had also recommended a long-term notification of some FFRs for a minimum period of 25 years. In fact, a recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had revealed that inadequate critical infrastructure and facilities, including firing ranges and simulators, had compromised the training standards of recruits. These deficiencies, CAG observed, resulted in poor standards of firing of troops and non-achievement of excellence in battle-efficiency tests and physical-proficiency tests.

GOOD JOB MUMBAI POLICE DEY MURDER

पोलीस डायरीएन्काऊंटर बंद सुपारीकिलिंग सुरू
शनिवार ११ जून रोजीमिड डेचे ज्येष्ठ पत्रकार ज्योतिर्मय डे यांची हत्या झाल्यानंतर सार्‍या क्राइम ब्रँचची झोप उडाली होती. मुंबई क्राइम ब्रँचमध्ये डिटेक्शनची १२ पथके आहेत. त्या युनिटमधील सर्वच्या सर्व अधिकारी कर्मचारी कामाला लागले होते. प्रत्येकाला कामे वाटून नेमून देण्यात आली असतानाच एका खबर्‍याने जे. डेवर हल्ला करणार्‍या दोन संशयितांची नावे पोलिसांना जे. डे हत्येनंतर दोन दिवसांनी दिली. पोलिसांनी त्यांना उचलून पवई पोलीस ठाण्यात नेले, दरडावून, फटके देऊन चौकशी केली. त्यावेळी एका संशयिताने जे. डेवर आपणच हल्ला केल्याची कबुली पोलिसांना देऊन टाकली तेव्हा पोलिसांचा आनंद गगनात मावेनासा झाला होता. कुणी पोलीस आयुक्तांना, कुणी गृहमंत्र्यांना, तर कुणी मुख्यमंत्र्यांनाही केस डिटेक्ट झाल्याचे कळवून टाकले. परंतु पोलीस आयुक्त अरुप पटनायक यांना संशय आला. त्यांनी स्वत: पवई पोलीस ठाण्यात जाऊन संशयितांची चौकशी केली असता एक आरोपी विसंगत माहिती देऊ लागला. ज्यावेळी त्याची आस्थेवाईकपणे विचारपूस करण्यात आली तेव्हा त्याने आपण पोलिसांच्या थर्ड डिग्रीच्या भीतीने खोटी कबुली दिल्याचे आपण जे. डे हत्येप्रकरणी कोणताही संबंध नसल्याचे पोलीस आयुक्तांना सांगितले. त्यामुळे एक बोगस अटक टळली. बर्‍याच वेळेला पोलिसांचा मार वाचविण्यासाठी आरोपी केलेल्या गुन्ह्यांचीही पोलिसांना कबुली देऊन मोकळे होतात आणि खरे आरोपी नामानिराळे राहतात. जे. डे हत्येबाबतही तसेच होण्याची शक्यता वाटल्याने जे. डे हत्येची सीबीआय चौकशी व्हावी अशी न्यायालयात मागणी करण्यात आली, परंतु मुंबई गुन्हे शाखेचे सहपोलीस आयुक्त हिमांशू रॉय, देवेन भारती, निसार तांबोळी यांच्या पथकाने मुंबई क्राइम ब्रँचची बूज राखली, लौकिक टिकविला आणि जे. डेवर हल्ला करणार्‍या खर्‍या आरोपींना गजाआड केले. त्यामुळे जे. डे हत्येचा तपास करणारी सारी क्राइम ब्रँच कौतुकास पात्र आहे. गृहमंत्री आर. आर. पाटील यांनी जे. डेच्या मारेकर्‍यांना अटक करणार्‍या क्राइम ब्रँचच्या पथकाला १० लाखांचे रोख बक्षीस जाहीर केले आहे. ते बक्षीस केस डिटेक्ट करणार्‍या अधिकार्‍यांना जाहीर केल्याप्रमाणे लवकर मिळाले तर त्यांचे मनोबल वाढेल. कारण जाहीर झालेली सरकारी बक्षिसे वर्षांनुवर्षे पोलिसांना मिळत नाहीत. ती लाल फितीत अडकून राहतात. जे. डेंच्या मारेकर्‍यांना अटक करणार्‍या क्राइम ब्रँचच्या अधिकार्‍यांबाबत तसे होऊ नये अशी अपेक्षा करण्यात येत आहे.जे. डेची हत्या छोटा राजनच्या इशार्‍यावरून रोहित जोसेफ ऊर्फ सतीश काल्या या खतरनाक गुंडाने केली. छोटा राजनने सतीश काल्याला पाच लाखांची सुपारी दिली. छोटा राजनला जे.डेची सुपारी कुणी दिली हे स्पष्ट झालेले नाही आणि अखेरपर्यंत होणारही नाही. छोटा राजन कुठे आहे हेच जर कुणाला माहीत नसेल तर मग जे. डे हत्येमागचा खरा हेतू तरी कसा कळणार? आणि जरी पोलिसांना कळला असला तरी मुंबई पोलीस जे. डेच्या हत्येचे खरेखोटे कारण सांगून जे. डेच्या चारित्र्यावर कशाला शिंतोडे उडवतील? त्यामुळे झाकली मूठ सवा लाखाची. जे. डे अमर रहे! गुंड हे कुणाचेच नसतात. त्यांच्याजवळ जाणे म्हणजे स्वत:वर संकट ओढून घेण्यासारखेच आहे. जे. डेनी ती चूक केली आणि त्याचे प्रायश्‍चित्त त्यांना भोगावे लागले. एक हुशार, धडपड्या पत्रकाराचा नाहक बळी गेला. मुंबईत तरी गेल्या दोन दशकांत अंडरवर्ल्डकडून पत्रकारावर असा हल्ला झाला नव्हता. छोटा राजनने इतके मोठे धाडस का केले याचे गूढ आज ना उद्या उकलेल, परंतु पत्रकारांचा छोटा राजनवर आता विश्‍वास राहिलेला नाही. छोटा राजनने एका बड्या पत्रकाराची हत्या करून अंडरवर्ल्डमध्ये एक नवा पायंडा पाडला आहे तो तरुण क्राइम रिपोर्टरना भयभीत करणारा आहे.छोटा राजनने जे.डेची हत्या करून अंडरवर्ल्डमध्ये पुन्हा एकदा आपल्या नावाचा दबदबा निर्माण केला आहे. शूटर मुबलक झाल्यावर आणखी काय होणार? पोलीस आताएन्काऊंटर करीत नाहीत, तर पकडतात, जेलमध्ये टाकतात असे सर्वश्रुत झाल्याने संघटित टोळ्यांना आता पानाच्या गादीवरही पाच-दहा हजारांत शूटर मिळू लागले आहेत. त्यामुळे छोटा राजनसारखे व्यावसायिक गुंड सुपार्‍या घेऊन जे. डेसारख्या पत्रकारांनाही भाड्याच्या शूटरकडून मारू लागले आहेत. खुलेआम खून, रक्तपात करणार्‍यांना यापूर्वी पोलीसएन्काऊंटर करून जशास तसे उत्तर देत होते. परंतु आता त्याच गुंडांना जिवंत पकडण्याची पाळी पोलिसांवर आल्याने यापुढे या मुंबईत पुन्हा एकदा सुपारी किलिंगचे प्रकार सुरू झाले आहेत आणि ते आता कुणीही रोखू शकणार नाही, हे छोटा राजनने दाखवून दिले आहे

HELPING THE HOMELESS


Folks,

It is fact that diesel and petrol prices in India are subsidised.  This subsidy benefits the middle and upper class and the poorer classes indirectly.

Governance by subsidy is a debatable policy.  The price of these fuels is Rs 100 to 105 in the whole of Europe and that is the market regulated price.  I am in favour of removing all forms of subsidy.  This will stimulate a healthy growth untrammelled by corrupt practices.  People will automatically use public transport which the Government will have to augment, farm produce prices will go up and the farmer  will be better compensated.  he will therefore exercise more austerity; the jugaads will be consigned to trash; electricity will be saved etc.

Subsidy is a political expedient. It can never contribute to better earnings.  The common man will earn more and spend wisely.
Liquid Stimulus
By Christian A. DeHaemer | Monday, June 27th, 2011
In its latest brilliant move, the International Energy Agency is planning to release 60 billion barrels of crude oil — half of which is slated to come from American emergency reserves — to electronic bidding, starting this coming Wednesday.
This made big news when it was announced last week as a stopgap remedy to the supply disruption stemming from turmoil in Libya, instantly sending crude prices plunging to a four-month low of just under $91/barrel.
Now, I’m not about to start ranting and raving about the logic in releasing over $2.1 billion worth of our emergency national supply (about 4% of the total) in order to compensate for political turmoil in a country which we’re also, by no coincidence, bombing...
To me, it’s just another multi-billion stimulus Band-Aid, bought and paid for by the U.S. taxpayer, ultimately doomed to failure in the long run.
What I did want to point out is these latest fluctuations in the price of crude may be the very last moments the price per barrel falls below the triple-digit mark.
And this is a problem that neither the IEA nor any other committee or multinational force or collective will be able to solve with last-second infusions of funds or resources.
GOI has gone in for fuel price increase when the global oil market is falling. the GOI often professes to increase prices to be in tune with the global oil market. It also professes to be with the AAM ADMI , however it is the AAM ADMI's pocket that the GOI is merrily pick pocketing/cutting into while its honchoes-politicians, bureacrats, are busy salting away the national wealth in overseas bank accounts.,

Helping the Homeless
Choosing Not To Look Away
Homeless people in our communities are a fact of life, especially in big cities. Many of us don’t know how to interpret this situation or what we can do to help. We may vacillate between feeling guilty, as if we are personally responsible, and feeling angry, as if it is entirely on their own shoulders. The situation is, of course, far more complex than either scenario. Still, not knowing how to respond, we may fall into the habit of not responding at all. We may look over their heads not making eye contact, or down at the ground as we pass, falling into a habit of ignoring them. Each time we do this, we disconnect ourselves from a large portion of the human family, and it doesn’t feel right.

Most of us know in our hearts that the homeless and the poor are not so very different from us. They may be the victims of poor planning or an unavoidable crisis. Some of them are mentally ill, some are addicted to drugs or alcohol, and some are choosing to be homeless for reasons we may never understand. We can imagine that, given their lives, we would likely have ended up in the same place. This does not mean that we are meant to rescue them, as they are on their own learning path, but it does remind us that we can treat them as equals, because that is what they are. Even if we aren’t able to offer food, shelter, or money, we can offer a blessing as we pass. We can look them in the eye and acknowledge our shared humanness, even if we don’t know just how to help them. This simple act of kindness and silent or spoken blessings can be so helpful to those living on the street.

If you want to help with information, you can learn about the services in your area and share the locations of food banks, shelters, and other resources. Perhaps your family would like to have a plan ahead of time, talking with your children about how as a family you would like to handle these situations. Whatever you decide to do, you will feel much better when you make a conscious choice not to simply look away.