नक्षलवादी चळवळीला आदिवासींमधून मिळणारा पाठिंबा कमी होत चालल्याने पोलिसांना बदनाम करून त्यांचे मनोधैर्य खच्ची करण्याचा प्रयत्न गडचिरोली जिल्ह्यात नुकताच समोर आला. पण पोलिस यंत्रणा अधिक दक्ष राहिल्याने हा डाव फसला.-SAKAL EDITORIAL

भामरागड तालुक्‍यातील ताडबौलीच्या जंगलात संशयास्पदरीत्या सापडलेल्या मुलींवर पोलिसांनी अत्याचार केल्याच्या आरोपाने गडचिरोली जिल्ह्यात खळबळ उडाली. पण नंतर हा आरोप खोटा असल्याचे न्यायालयात सिद्ध झाल्याने नक्षलग्रस्त भागातील पोलिसांना बदनाम करून त्यांचे मनोधैर्य खच्ची करण्याची मोहीम सुरू झाल्याचे उघडकीस आले आहे. विशेष म्हणजे नक्षलवादी चळवळीतील ‘स्लिपर सेल्स’ यानिमित्ताने पुन्हा कार्यरत झाल्याचे दिसून आले आहे. खरे तर एका लहान घटनेतून या बदनामीच्या मोहिमेला सुरवात झाली. वीस जानेवारी रोजी हिद्दूर आणि मुरेवाडा गावाजवळ पोलिस-नक्षलवादी चकमक उडाली. त्यानंतर पोलिसांनी नजीकच्या जंगलात नक्षलवाद्यांचा शोध घेण्यासाठी मोहीम हाती घेतली. तेव्हा पोलिसांना दोन तरुणी संशयास्पदरीत्या आढळून आल्या. यानंतर जंगलात आणखीही एक व्यक्ती आढळली. हा जिल्हा नक्षलवादीग्रस्त असल्याने संशयास्पदरीत्या सापडलेल्या या तिघांनाही पोलिसांनी ताब्यात घेतले. शोधमोहीम सुरू असताना त्यांना पथकासोबतच ठेवण्यात आले. गडचिरोली येथे त्यांची वैद्यकीय तपासणी व चौकशी करण्यात आली. इथपर्यंत सारे ठीक होते. पण चौकशी सुरू असताना दुसऱ्या दिवशी गट्टा पोलिस मदत केंद्रामध्ये मुरेवाडा येथून दोन व्यक्ती या मुलींचे कथित नातलग बनून आल्या व त्यानंतर या मुलींवर पोलिस जवानांनी अत्याचार केल्याचा आरोप आदिवासी नागरिकांमधून होऊ लागला. सोशल मीडियावरही तसा संदेश फिरू लागला. पोलिसांनी चौकशीदरम्यान गडचिरोलीतील शासकीय रुग्णालयात दोन्ही तरुणींची वैद्यकीय तपासणी केली होती. त्या वेळी नियमानुसार महिला वैद्यकीय अधिकारी, कर्मचारी, या दोघींच्या आई, अन्य तीन महिला तसेच महिला पोलिस अधिकारी उपस्थित होत्या. दरम्यान, या तरुणींनी त्यांच्या कथित नातलगांविरोधात तक्रार दाखल केली. त्यामुळे पोलिसांनी या नातलगांच्या विरोधात गुन्हा दाखल केला. यानंतर सैनू व शीला गोटा या दाम्पत्याला गडचिरोली पोलिसांनी शनिवारी सायंकाळी झिरो माईल्सजवळील एका वकिलाच्या कार्यालयातून ताब्यात घेतले. हे सारे प्रकरण उच्च न्यायालयात पोचले. न्यायाधीशांनी या तरुणींची साक्ष त्यांच्या कक्षात नोंदवून घेतली. तेव्हा पोलिसांनी अत्याचार केल्याचा आरोप या तरुणींनी नाकारला आणि पोलिसांना बदनाम करण्याच्या मोहिमेतली हवाच निघून गेली. एकंदरीत ज्या गतीने या प्रकरण तापविण्याचा प्रयत्न झाला, ते पाहता यामागे केवळ काही आदिवासी संघटना असण्याची शक्‍यता नव्हतीच. पद्धतशीर कटाचा हा भाग असल्याचे जाणवत होते. ते न्यायालयात कथित पीडित तरुणींच्या साक्षीमुळे स्पष्ट झाले. ज्या तरुणींना मराठी वा हिंदी भाषा समजत नाही, ज्या केवळ त्यांच्या आदिवासी भाषेतूनच संवाद साधू शकतात, त्या निष्पाप तरुणींना बळी चढवण्याचाच हा प्रकार होता. पण हा बनाव फसू शकतो, हे या षड्‌यंत्रामागे असलेल्या सूत्रधारांच्या लक्षात आले नसेल काय? मग तरीही असा खोटा आरोप करण्याचा प्रयत्न का करण्यात आला? ज्या तरुणींना इथली भाषाही समजत नाही, त्यांच्या मदतीला थेट दिल्लीतून वकील कसे काय पोचले? अणि विशेष म्हणजे हा सारा बनाव नेमका कशासाठी करण्यात आला होता? असे प्रश्‍न पडणे स्वाभाविक आहे. गेले काही दिवसांपासून पोलिसांनी नक्षलवाद्यांच्या विरोधात अतिशय नियोजनपूर्वक मोहीम उघडली आहे. गुप्तचर यंत्रणा मजबूत केल्यामुळे नक्षलवाद्यांच्या नेमक्‍या ठिकाणांवर पोलिसांची कारवाई होऊ लागली. या कारवायांची दहशत व सोबतच पोलिसांनी सुरू केलेली ‘घरवापसी’ची मोहीम आणि त्याचवेळी आदिवासी जनतेशी सुरू केलेला सुसंवाद यामुळे नक्षलवादी चळवळीतील अनेक आघाडीचे म्होरके शस्त्रे खाली ठेवून पोलिसांना शरण येत होते. आदिवासी जनतेतील त्यांचा आधारही संपत आला होता. त्याचा नक्षलवादी चळवळीला हादरा बसला होताच. पण या चळवळीला खरा हादरा बसला त्यांचे आदिवासी जनतेतील समर्थन कमी होऊ लागल्याने. नक्षलवादी चळवळीत सहभागी करण्यासाठी गावोगावी फिरण्याची वेळ नक्षलवाद्यांवर आली होती. यातून बाहेर पडण्यासाठी पोलिसांना बदनाम करण्याचा व त्या माध्यमातून साऱ्या शासकीय यंत्रणेला हतबल करण्याचा कट रचला गेला. या दोन तरुणींच्या प्रकरणाने ती संधी साधण्याचा प्रयत्न नक्षलवाद्यांनी केला. सोशल मीडियावर ज्या माध्यमातून या संदर्भातील संदेश पाठविले गेले, त्या माध्यमांचे नक्षलवादी चळवळीशी संबंध असल्याचे सर्वज्ञात आहे. पोलिसांनीही या बदनामीमागे माओवाद्यांच्या फ्रंटल ऑर्गनायझेशनशी संबंधित कार्यकर्ते असल्याचे स्पष्ट केले आहे. या साऱ्या मोहिमेत माओवाद्यांच्या फ्रंटल ऑर्गनायझेशनसोबतच ‘स्लिपर सेल’ व ‘थिंक टॅंक’चेही लोक सहभागी असल्याचे दिसून आले. महाराष्ट्रातील नक्षलवादी चळवळीच्या इतिहासात प्रथमच खोट्या आरोपांद्वारे पोलिसांना बदनाम करण्याची पद्धतशीर मोहीम आखण्यात आली. पण पोलिस या प्रकरणात अधिक दक्ष राहिल्याने त्यांचा डाव फसला. नक्षलवादी चळवळीचे जनसमर्थन कमी होत चालल्याच्या हतबलतेतून त्यांच्या म्होरक्‍यांनी हा डाव खेळला, असेच म्हणावे लागेल.

HOW INDIAN ARMY FIGHTS WEATHER IN KASHMIR

Every few years the Indian Army deployed in all parts of Jammu and Kashmir battles extreme winter conditions, which bring heavy snowfall, avalanches and extreme cold spells. From Siachen to the Pir Panjal and from the Ladakh Range to the Shamshabari each zone or sector has its own peculiarities. The altitude may be higher but precipitation is low and vice versa in some areas, while wind and blizzard like conditions prevailing over an extended period of time accumulate huge piles of snow. Contingent upon angles of slopes, type of rock composition of the mountains and direction of the sun, different areas hold snow differently. The Shamshabari range and its adjoining ridge lines have huge snow slides and avalanches, with little predictability about the time or exact location. The Pir Panjal too does not hold its snow too well. It's Eastern Ladakh, which has high snow accumulation but few avalanches. The Siachen Glacier's Saltoro Ridge has sharp drops where avalanches are predictable. The reader will get a good idea from the fact that an area such as Uri sector is as low as 4,000 feet above sea level but it is surrounded by heights of the Line of Control (LoC), which rise to 14,000 feet within a short distance, making slopes extremely steep. On certain ridge lines in this area, snow accumulation in bowls goes up to 50 feet and on ridge lines up to 20 feet. Avalanches are a regular phenomenon here and just like the glacier permanent habitat in flat areas or bowls becomes almost impossible to occupy due to snow levels. Ridge lines are inhabitable, but full picquets are known to sometimes slide away with snow avalanches. The cycle of extreme winter usually comes once every three to four years or so. Casualties are then high and even civilian population in rural areas is affected. However, social media (not media) makes every smartphone owner an expert in winter management with doubts cast over the Indian Army's expertise, levels of commitment and training to meet the challenge. 'Knowledgeable' people advise the Army to get expertise from other organisations. It's important for the Army to explain why casualties occur in certain winters. It must be brought to public notice that the Indian Army's expertise on high altitude, glaciated and 'white shod' operations is respected the world over. Our medical proficiency to cater for such contingencies is considered even better. The government ensures clothing, equipment, boots and other paraphernalia, including heating devices, dry cell batteries and fuel for warming and drying which are are all available in plenty. The logistics preparation for stocking supplies, fuel and basic replacement equipment begins a year before the winter and its implementation goes like clockwork through the year, in fact an exercise worthy of study by management training institutions. Simultaneously, newly inducted units undergo training and each unit prepares its winter standard operating procedures (SOPs) along with training the avalanche rescue teams (ARTs). By September each year, an elaborate and updated set of instructions are issued to formations and units that carry out their checks. Fixed nylon rope which assists in movement over snow is checked for strength, relaid, tightened and made ready for snow conditions. The High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS), located at Gulmarg, has the best expertise and is often consulted by units for training of specialists in skiing and rescue. The Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) in Manali has elaborate arrangement for collection of data and issues warnings from time to time when snow accumulation becomes high. It also maintains elaborate maps with historical avalanche records, which helps in predicting extreme weather conditions. However, no amount of scientific research has been able to pinpoint occurrence in terms of time and exact place of an avalanche. Why do casualties occur in winter when sufficient training has been imparted and the best logistics are planned and implemented. As brought out prediction is well nigh impossible but avalanche prone areas are known in advance so habitat is avoided at such places. There are compulsions which force certain vulnerable areas to be occupied with risk. There are also contingencies which are human related. Let me elaborate with anecdotal references. The deployment of 10 men below the snow wall at Sonam in Siachen/Saltoro which led to them being buried under 35 feet of ice in February 2016, was a compulsion because it was the staging area with the logistics element for another crucial deployment which cannot be held without this backing. The Sonam wall was known to be firm in winter and more vulnerable in summer, but it collapsed for no explainable reason; some say a low level seismic activity preceded the collapse. Another case of a different kind will explain just how frail human existence can be in such areas. Jawans are supposed to move and perform all duties in buddy pairs in all operational areas. However, a jawan at an isolated forward LoC post, carried out clearance of snow from the running communication trench; the snow shovelled out accumulated in a soft pile on the side. He rested an hour in the afternoon due to a pending night duty on ambush. On waking he proceeded to answer the call of nature but did not sound his buddy nor did he take him along, as is customary. Outside his bunker he slipped on glass-like ice and went head first into nine-foot deep soft snow piled by him on the side of the trench. He struggled to get out but could not because his head was at the bottom. No one could find him for a few hours until his footmarks gave indication of the location where he was buried alive. He died an unfortunate death frozen and choked. It's not as if avalanches occur only once SASE gives a warning. Life cannot come to a standstill. Although posts are well stocked, mail, stores, equipment and leave parties have to move. Officers are rotated on posts and Commanding Officers like to be with the men when things get difficult. Such movements take place at night when the snow is firm. For 72 hours after a heavy snowfall all movement ceases as per SOP. However, any number of scientific factors taken into consideration cannot explain how an avalanche occurs seven days after the last snowfall and that too at midnight, just when a leave party is on its way. The Gurez valley where the current incidents have taken place this year is narrow with sharp slopes on both sides. The February 2012 avalanche which wiped out 21 lives of an Army sub unit, rumbled down the slope and had so much power that it travelled almost 400 metres on plain ground throwing lorries in the air and crushing some shelters. Jawans died while eating their food. No amount of warning from avalanche sentries could have helped them. I have been informed on social media that some concretised hardened shelters have been prepared for Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) habitat in the Joshimath area. Avalanches can actually move over such structures leaving the inmates safe. These will be extremely expensive and time-consuming to construct, but in limited numbers in extremely vulnerable stretches of Gurez or some areas around Shamshabari they may prove invaluable in saving lives. The last information necessary for the public to be aware of. Your jawans do not pull back from most areas along the LoC. If they did the sanctity of the LoC would be suspect and terrorists would risk getting through unchallenged. In some very crucial posts physically and psychologically fit jawans having availed full home leave, are inducted in December and continue at the post without relief for six months. There only connect with the outside world is a TV, radio or trunk dialling link. A sick jawan cannot be evacuated because the route is choked or avalanche prone and the helipad is 400 metres away and cannot be beaten in the prevailing weather conditions. Remember what happened in Kargil in 1999. We vacated some high altitude posts for winter but the Pakistanis risked creeping up and occupying them before we could return. Over 500 good men were lost in recovering that ground. With an untrustworthy adversary there can be no guarantee of mutual withdrawal for winter. Our officers and men have thus to grit their teeth, pray to their gods and hope that their training and inherent toughness will let them survive such contingencies. Suggestions regarding pull back and use of technology for surveillance sound good on paper and those of us experienced in this type of warfare can deduce that sensor, satellite or drone surveillance over unoccupied posts cannot prevent it from being occupied. It will still need to be recaptured at the cost of lives as response can only be reactive. The Indian Army has tremendous experience in winter management but will suffer winter casualties unless we are ready to risk Kargil like occurrences. In a nation where an inch of ground lost even for tactical reasons invites public wrath, those offering advice of withdrawal for winter must re-examine the national collective conscience. Perhaps we need to build a consensus for both Indian and Pakistani armies coming to some agreement about mutual pullback from some vulnerable areas in winter. Can that happen under present state of relations? That is a million dollar question. Get Swarajya in your in

शौर्याचा गौरव…!यंदा अशोक चक्राचा सन्मान ३५ राष्ट्रीय रायफल्सचे हवालदार हंगपन दादा यांना मरणोत्तर बहाल करण्यात आला. तो त्यांच्या वीरपत्नी चासेन लोवांग यांनी राष्ट्रपतींच्या हस्ते स्वीकारला तेव्हा उपस्थितांचे आणि संपूर्ण देशाचे डोळे पाणावले होते

January 30, 2017037 भारतीय प्रजासत्ताक दिनाच्या पुरस्कारांमध्ये यंदा, पाकिस्तानात घुसून यशस्वीपणे पार पाडलेल्या ‘सर्जिकल स्ट्राईक’मध्ये भाग घेतलेल्या जवानांचा, राष्ट्रपती पुरस्कार देऊन गौरव करण्याच्या घटनेने, पुरावे द्या म्हणणार्‍यांच्या तोेंडावर चांगलीच चपराक बसली असणार! प्रजासत्ताक दिनाच्या पूर्वसंध्येला राष्ट्रपती प्रणव मुखर्जी यांनी आपल्या भाषणाच्या प्रारंभीच, आपल्या देशाच्या रक्षणासाठी धरातीर्थी पडलेल्या जवानांना श्रद्धांजली अर्पण केली. गतवर्ष व सध्या सुरू असलेले वर्ष हे अनेक कारणांनी आमच्या सुरक्षा दलांच्या कर्तृृत्वाने जसे गाजले तसेच त्यांच्या हौताम्याने देशाला वेदना देऊन गेले. दिल्लीत राजपथावर जेव्हा गणतंत्र दिनाचा सोहळा सुरू होता आणि संपूर्ण देश हा सोहळा डोळ्यांत साठवत होता, त्याच वेळी आपले जवान हिमवादळाशी मुकाबला करीत होते. अखेर निसर्ग जिंकला आणि आपले १५ जवान हिमवादळाने आपल्या कवेत घेतले. गणतंत्र दिनाच्या सोहळ्याचा आनंद सारा देश साजरा करीत असताना, ही बातमी कळताच, संपूर्ण देश हळहळला. ‘सर्जिकल स्ट्राईक’ झालेच नाही असे म्हणणारे आता, ही घटना घडलीच नाही, असे म्हणणार नाही. कारण, अतिरेक्यांच्या हल्ल्यात शहीद झालेले जवान आमचे होते ना! ते भारताचे शूरवीर शिपाई होते. त्यांच्या बलिदानामुळे त्यांना हळहळ वाटली की नाही माहीत नाही; पण भारतीय जवानांनी नियंत्रण रेषेच्या पलीकडे घुसून पाकिस्तानी सैनिकांना ठार मारल्याच्या घटनेने या नतद्रष्ट लोकांना मात्र अतीव दु:ख झाले होते. भारतीय जवानांचे अमूल्य प्राण घेणार्‍या पाकिस्तान्यांचा यांना आलेला कळवळा आपण पाहिलाच आहे. ‘सर्जिकल स्ट्राईक’ बोगस होते, असे म्हणण्यापर्यंत ज्यांची मजल गेली, ज्यांनी पुरावे द्या, असे नीच उद्गार काढले, त्यांनी माफी मागण्याचे वृत्त अजूनपर्यंत आलेले नाही. कारण, यांची औकादच नाही! बाटला हाऊस चकमक ही बोगस होती, असे म्हणणार्‍या केजरीवालांकडून आणि कॉंग्रेसवाल्यांकडून अपेक्षा करणे व्यर्थ आहे. कदाचित ते आपले तोंड लपवून बसले असावेत. प्रजासत्ताक दिनाचा सोहळा सुरू होण्याआधी, देशाच्या संरक्षणासाठी अतुलनीय कामगिरी बजावणार्‍या शूरवीर जवानांना विविध चक्र पुरस्कारांनी सन्मानित करण्याची परिपाठी कित्येक वर्षांपासून चालत आली आहे. यंदा अशोक चक्राचा सन्मान ३५ राष्ट्रीय रायफल्सचे हवालदार हंगपन दादा यांना मरणोत्तर बहाल करण्यात आला. तो त्यांच्या वीरपत्नी चासेन लोवांग यांनी राष्ट्रपतींच्या हस्ते स्वीकारला तेव्हा उपस्थितांचे आणि संपूर्ण देशाचे डोळे पाणावले होते. अरुणाचलच्या तिराप जिल्ह्यातला एक सामान्य युवक. बालवयातच त्याला लष्करात जाण्याची ओढ होती. त्यासाठी तो कित्येक किलोमीटर धावायचा. त्याला २६ मे २०१६ रोजी वरिष्ठ अधिकार्‍यांकडून आदेश आला की, नौगांव भागातील शामशबरी पर्वतांमधून येणार्‍या घुसखोरांना रोखा. हे ठिकाण १२,५०० फुटांवर होते. ३७ वर्षांचा दादा आपल्या चमूसह तत्काळ त्या भागात पोहोचला आणि दोहोबाजूंनी अंधाधुंद गोळीबार सुरू झाला. त्याने आधी दोन घुसखोरांना गोळ्या झाडून यमसदनी पाठविले. अन्य दोन पळून गेले आणि ते एका मोठ्या खडकामागे लपून बसले. त्यांचा पाठलाग करून दादाने बेछूट गोळीबार केला व एकाला लोळविलेच. पण, चवथ्याने संधी साधून दादावर गोळ्यांचा वर्षाव केला. पण, दादा एवढा धाडसी होता की, शरीरावर कित्येक ठिकाणी गोळ्या लागूनही त्याने चवथ्याला ठार मारूनच अखेरचा श्‍वास घेतला! हवालदार हंगपन दादा देशासाठी शहीद झाला. दादाच्या या शौर्याची कहाणी पुरस्कार देतेवेळी जेव्हा सांगितली जात होती, तेव्हा सोहळ्याच्या ठिकाणी नीरव शांतता पसरली होती. त्याला १० वर्षांची मुलगी आणि सात वर्षांचा सेवांग दादा हा मुलगा आहे. या सोहळ्याच्या समाप्तीनंतर दादाची वीरपत्नी चासेन म्हणाल्या, ‘‘माझ्या पतीच्या बलिदानाचा मला गौरव आहे. पण, आज ते या जगात नाहीत, याचे दु:खही बोचत आहे. मला माझ्या पतीसारखेच माझ्या मुलांनाही शूरवीर बनवायचे आहे.’’ त्यांच्या सात वर्षांच्या सेवांगला जेव्हा विचारण्यात आले की, तू मोठा होऊन काय बनणार? तेव्हा तो ताडकन म्हणाला, ‘‘मला माझ्या बाबांप्रमाणेच लष्करात जायचे आहे आणि देशाची सेवा करायची आहे.’’ दादाच्या लहान मुलाच्या मनात लष्करात जाण्याची इच्छा एवढ्या लहान वयात यावी, हेच मुळात मनाला सुखावून गेले. राष्ट्रीय रायफल्सचे कर्नल मनीष अगरवाल म्हणाले, ‘‘दादा हा काही साधासुधा जवान नव्हता. तो शत्रूवर एकदम आक्रमकपणे तुटून पडायचा तेव्हा तो कशाचाही विचार करीत नसे. आम्ही दादांच्या हौतात्म्याने एक असामान्य सैनिक गमावला आहे…’’ कोणत्याही वातावरणात आपल्या देशाच्या रक्षणासाठी आपल्या प्राणाचे बलिदान देणार्‍या या शूरवीर जवानांच्या भरवशावरच आपण मोकळा श्‍वास घेऊ शकतो. ज्या हंगपन दादाने अतिरेक्यांशी लढताना हौतात्म्य पत्करले तो भाग १२,५०० फुटांवर होता. आमचे जे शूरवीर १५ जवान हिमकड्याखाली दबून शहीद झाले, तो भागही एवढ्याच उंचीवर होता. या जवानांकडे केवळ आपल्या देशाच्या रक्षणाचीच जबाबदारी नव्हती, तर त्या परिसरात राहणार्‍या जनतेला आकस्मिक प्रसंगी मदत करण्याचीही होती. हिमवर्षावाचा त्यांनी आधी पूर्ण ताकदीने मुकाबलाही केला. पण, त्यांचे अखेरचे प्रयत्नही व्यर्थ ठरले आणि ते देशासाठी शहीद झाले. आज बर्फाळ प्रदेशातील उणे तापमानात काम करणारे जवान साधेसुधे नसतात. त्यांना अनेक खडतर चाचण्यांमधून जावे लागते आणि नंतरच त्यांची पोस्टिंग अशा बर्फाळ प्रदेशात होत असते. त्या १५ जवानांना गमावून केवळ संरक्षण दलाचेच नुकसान झाले नाही, तर या देशाचीही अपरिमित हानी झाली. परंतु, आपल्याच देशात लष्कराबद्दल काडीचीही सहानुभूती नसलेले नतद्रष्ट आणि त्यांची विधाने पाहिली की, तळपायाची आग मस्तकात जाते. असे लोक या देशात निपजले, हे या देशाचे मोठे दुर्दैवच म्हणावे लागेल. आज आपला देश चोहोबाजूने शत्रूंनी वेढला गेला आहे. पाकिस्तानने अलीकडे आपल्या जवानांचे मोठे नुकसान केले आहे. पाकिस्तानचा मित्र चीनने तर मसूद अजहरची खुली पाठराखण करीत, आपण दहशतवाद्यांच्या बाजूने आहोत, हे जगाला दाखवून दिले आहे. संसदेवर हल्ला करणारा, विमानाचे अपहरण करून कंदहारला नेणारा, पठाणकोट लष्करी तळावर हल्ला करणारा जैश-ए-मोहम्मदचा म्होरक्या मसूद अजहर हाच असल्याचे पुरावे भारताने संयुक्त राष्ट्रसंघाच्या सुरक्षा परिषदेत दिले. एकूण १५ पैकी १४ सदस्यांनी भारताच्या प्रस्तावाला मान्यता दिली. केवळ चीनने नकाराधिकार वापरून मसूद अजहरला आंतरराष्ट्रीय दहशतवादी घोषित करण्यास विरोध केला आहे. आता पाकिस्तान चीनच्या भिकेखातर चीनची मर्जी सांभाळत आहे व चीन पाकिस्तानची! हा नवा धोका भारतासमोर असताना, आज सारा देश एकदिलाने देशाच्या व लष्कराच्या पाठीशी ठामपणे उभे राहण्याची गरज आ

http://zeenews.india.com/marathi/news/bloggers-park/more-provision-need-for-defence-section/349547

EXPECTATION FROM BUDGET IN ZEE 24 TAS

Shortage of Quality Officers is a Matter of Concern for the Army- Major General Mrinal Suman

It was the month of December 1965. Much awaited commissioning ceremony at the Indian Military Academy was just a few days away. All Gentlemen Cadets (GCs) were excited at the prospect of wearing the most prized star on their shoulders. Daily rehearsals were on for the passing-out parade. During one of the short breaks, a few GCs got talking to the drill instructor Subedar Yadav. What he said that day still resonates after a gap of more than 50 years. “GCs, you have chosen the most challenging profession in the world. To command troops and lead them in battle is a great honour; but to earn their trust is a far greater attainment. Your soldiers will follow your orders unquestioningly, even staking their lives. Prove worthy of their faith through professional competence and personal conduct,” he counseled. The profession of arms is no ordinary vocation. It entails national security and personal privations. Only the most dedicated can deliver. The edifice of the Indian army is built on the twin pillars of committed leadership and motivated soldiers. Both are intrinsically linked and mutually contingent. Distortions in one cause shock waves in the other as well. Whereas our soldierly stock continues to be excellent, it is the leadership that merits attention, both on account of quality and numbers. In a written response to a question in Lok Sabha in March 2016, Defence Minister Parrikar intimated that the held strength of officers in the army was 40,525 against the authorised strength of 49,631. Thus the army was short of 9,106 officers. These figures exclude Army Medical Corps, Army Dental Corps and Military Nursing Service. While the air force faced no serious shortage, the navy was deficient of 1,265 officers. The current state of affairs is certainly a cause for major concern both for the government and the services. A number of studies have been carried out to identify reasons for under-subscription of the available vacancies. Unfortunately, most studies have concentrated on establishing linkages between tough service life and inadequate financial packages. They have concluded that the services are unable to attract suitable youth due to better emoluments offered by the corporate world. If these studies are to be believed, a massive hike in pay packets would solve the problem and attract youth in droves. But it is a terribly misplaced premise. In a country of India’s size and population, availability of young men to serve in the army should never be a problem. Is it that the army career has lost its appeal? Why are the services unable to attract enough candidates of required quality? Is the army being over-choosy about the standard? Why cannot every young man with average intellect be acceptable? With a view to draw rational inferences, the above posers have been analyzed with respect to the National Defence Academy (NDA) as it is the primary mode of induction of regular officers into the army. Quality is the Key Criteria Unlike other organisations, relationship between an army leader and his men is based on mutual trust. Soldiers willingly repose faith in a leader who possesses necessary traits of military leadership. They feel confident that their interests would be safe in his hands. It results in their unflinching loyalty. Therefore, the army needs officers of the highest caliber who can inspire their troops and earn their confidence. Indian army is ubiquitous. It recruits officers and men from all parts of the country and all segments of the society. They come with different value systems and attitudes. It is well nigh impossible to weave them into a cohesive group without bringing them on a common grid of conduct. Instead of attempting to supplant their concepts of morality, ethics and righteousness, it is considered wiser to steer their conduct through a set of organizational norms. Norms are unwritten rules which are considered essential for the continued sustenance of the army. Over a period of time, well-evolved traditions, precedents and conventions get translated into norms. Norms can be descriptive (what to do or ‘Dos’) and proscriptive (what not to do or ‘Don’ts’). Breach of norms is viewed very seriously. Norms laid down for the army officers are very challenging and only the most committed can adhere to them diligently. An army officer is called a gentleman-officer. In addition to professional proficiency and ability to take quick decisions, he is expected to possess all virtues of being a righteous, congenial, honorable, upright and competent leader. Fair and unprejudiced deportment is an essential component of an officer’s morality. Personal integrity is considered to be an indispensable trait of his character. Some of the Officer-like-Qualities considered non-negotiable are as follows:- · Effective intelligence – ability to cope with practical situations of varying complexity; capacity to evolve independent solutions of practical problems and situations; and resourcefulness (putting available means to the desired end). · Reasoning ability – ability to grasp the essentials well and arrive at conclusions by rational thinking. · Organising ability – ability to arrange resources in a systematic way so as to produce effective results. · Sense of responsibility – enables a leader to be dependable and to willingly discharge his obligations. · Dynamic qualities – it includes determination (sustained effort to achieve objectives despite set-backs), application to work, drive (inner motive power under pressure and urgency) and courage (ability to appreciate and take purposive risks willingly). · Stamina – capacity to withstand protracted physical and mental strain. · Ability to influence a group – ability to bring about willing effort from the group for achieving the objective desired by him through initiative, self-confidence and speedy decision making. As Subedar Yadav averred, to command troops in battle, leadership of a very high order is essential. That is the reason that all armies in the world seek to recruit the best talent available. Indian army is no exception. It has laid down exacting standards for selecting potential leaders. Shortage is Detrimental Group cohesiveness is a force-multiplier to win battles and is totally dependent on the degree of rapport built between commanders at various levels and their subordinates. Rapport, on the other hand, is a function of inter-personal communication in a group. Unfortunately, over the last few years, there has been a considerable breakdown of communication between commanders and their subordinates. Acute shortage of officers is the primary cause for this state of affairs. Units which are authorized 24 officers are being made to function with 7-9 officers. A company which should have 4-5 officers is being manned by a single officer. It is well nigh impossible for him either to know all soldiers in the company or to look after their welfare adequately. Shortage of officers coupled with overloaded working environment make a worrisome combination. The Indian army has been rocked by a large number of cases of suicides and fratricide Stress is a key factor that drives soldiers to take the extreme step. When stress surpasses ability to handle, it generates the ‘fight-or-flight’ response in many soldiers and becomes a threat to both physical and emotional well-being. Most cases can be averted by timely action. For that, the officers must be able to discern the warning signals. Vigilant commanders can gauge the embryonic issues of disconcert and take necessary steps to put the soldiers at ease. Similarly, collective indiscipline in a unit is a highly ominous development. Such incidents do not occur as a result of impulsive outburst but are a manifestation of simmering discontentment over a long period. Unconfirmed reports, conjectures and even rumors can give rise to antagonism against the organisation. Unfortunately, there are not enough officers in units for keeping a close watch on all the soldiers and to take necessary alleviating steps with due compassion. Reasons for the Shortage of Quality Leaders Till 1980s, NDA enjoyed the ‘first pick advantage’ and attracted the brightest youth. As Class X was the minimum qualification for entry to the NDA and the age group was 15 to 17 years, entry into NDA was the first ever career option that became available to the youth. Understandably, parents encouraged their sons to sit for NDA examination and be settled in a career at the earliest. As no other career option was available at that stage, most bright boys considered it prudent to give NDA a try. Resultantly, NDA gained and the quality of intake was always very high. In a blunder of monumental proportions, entry qualification was raised to 10+2 and consequently, the age group rose to 161/2 to 19 years. The fallout of this ill-advised move was quick and severe. As youth had the option to try other careers and avenues, NDA became one of the many choices, if not the last one. Most candidates sat for the NDA examination only after failing to make the grade elsewhere. Thus, NDA lost the unique ‘first pick advantage’. Instead of catching the bright sparks young, it ended up competing with other careers. Trainability of cadets is another key aspect that suffered. For boys, period between 15 to 21 years of age is considered to be adolescence. Adolescence is the bridge between childhood and adulthood – a period of physical, social and psychological uncertainty and turmoil. Adolescence is sub-divided into three stages – Early Adolescence (15-17 years), Middle Adolescence (17-19 years) and Late Adolescence (19-21 years). The periods of early adolescence and middle adolescence are the best for imparting training and molding trainees as per the requirements of the army. With motivational levels ruling high, young cadets of impressionable age develop necessary mental and physical robustness with ease. As the earlier average age of candidates at the time of joining NDA used to be between 16 to 161/2 years, their trainability quotient was very high. Now, with average age of over 18 years at the time of entry, cadets are near-adults. With well set mindsets, habits and behavioral traits, they resist change and are difficult to train. Another issue of importance relates to the length of service. Earlier, cadets got commission at an average age of 20 years. It kept the age profile of the army young at junior levels. Moreover, they served the services for longer period. Resultantly, for the same quantum of resources invested in training an officer, the services got better returns by way of longer service span. Since the normal age at commissioning has climbed to 22 years; service span has got correspondingly reduced. Justification given for the misguided move is laughable. It was claimed that entry qualification of 10+2 was essential to grant graduation degree to cadets at the time of passing out to help them in seeking second career after retirement. Can there be a more ridiculous reason? While selecting a young boy, imperatives of military career are being subordinated to his post retirement resettlement after 30 years or more of military service. In any case, suitable arrangements can always be put in place to help officers obtain graduation degree prior to their retirement. The Way Forward In army, a commander assumes the role of a friend, guide and mentor. Every soldier looks up to his immediate commander for support in all matters, both official and domestic. Therefore, army needs quality officers, with dedication to duty, loyalty to the nation and compassion for the troops. Shortage of officers in the services cannot be permitted to continue indefinitely as it is having a debilitating effect on the functioning of the units and taking a very heavy toll of unit cohesion. Officers are holding multiple appointments and are overworked. They cannot devote adequate time to man-management with the result that ‘bonding’ suffers. Prudence lies in filling all existing vacancies with required talent by making army career more attractive. The profession of arms has always been associated with nationalism, camaraderie and civility. Its members enjoy distinctive stature, prestige and standing in the society. That is the reason many bright young-men prefer it to other more lucrative professions. Therefore, it is essential that nothing is done to degrade the status of the service officers. It should continue to attract the best talent in the country. The services have irrationally surrendered their ‘first pick’ advantage and now have to do with what some call as ‘left-overs’. Reduction in entry age to the previous levels (15 to 17 years) will also increase trainability quotient, thereby making it much easier to cast the net wide. The objective should be to select suitable youth in early adolescence, train them during the period of middle adolescence and induct them as commissioned officers during late adolescence. The ruling mantra should be to ‘catch them early and train them young’

Conduct like a Soldier! Major Gaurav Arya

The safety, honour and welfare of your country come first, always and every time. The honor, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next. Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time. — Field Marshall Sir Philip Chetwode Chetwode’s immortal words are perhaps the most important thoughts that you are encouraged to imbibe on joining the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Officers Training Academy (OTA) or National Defence Academy (NDA). Importantly, a disproportionately large number of officers live and die by this code. In 2016, the Indian Army lost 86 brave hearts in action. Out of these, 10 were officers. The aim is not to put a rank to a martyr, but to bring home the point that officers comprise less than 3 per cent of the Indian Army. Yet, the rate of casualty is 11.5 per cent. If this is not irrefutable evidence of officers taking the first bullet, nothing is. The Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Bipin Rawat has spoken. As far as the Indian Army is concerned, the matter rests. Now, let’s do a detailed dissection of the social media’s reaction to the jawan’s videos over the last week. For the past few days, videos of BSF, CRPF and Army jawans have occupied a lion’s share of Indian cyberspace. The nation has been divided into two. To those who say that the jawans are absolutely right and they are oppressed, I have only one thing to say. You are wrong. To those who say that the jawans are lying through their teeth and everything is hunky dory, I have only one thing to say. You too are wrong. The truth is somewhere in between, and the truth is inconvenient. First, allow me to put things in the correct legal perspective. Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) are not para-military forces. They are Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), also known as Central Police Organisations. Structurally and administratively, they have nothing to do with the Indian Army. In certain conditions and environments, they may function under command of the Indian Army. The Indian Army is an Armed Force of the Union. The other Armed Forces of the union are the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. They functionally operate under the Defence Ministry. CAPFs are under the operational control of the Union Home Ministry. The ethos, training, function, administration, structure, capabilities, range of deliverables and equipment of the Armed Forces and the CAPFs are different and separate. This is not to say that the CAPF’s work is any less dangerous or worthy of praise. They are perhaps as important as the Armed Forces. But they are not the Armed Forces of the Union of India. Now, let’s discuss the first video, which went viral, in which the BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav had complained about the abysmal quality of food, and often the lack of it. I have operated with the BSF on the Punjab border (Asal Uttar and ahead) and lived on their Border Out Posts (BOPs). This was in 1995. In 1998, I spent time with a BSF battalion in Mendhar (Jammu & Kashmir). I found the quality of their rations to be better than ours. Maybe it was a case of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence. I don’t know. But there were no complaints about food from my troops. I am not saying that the BSF jawan was lying. I am clearly stating that the food served to him was an aberration, not the norm. To my mind, the food problem highlighted by the jawan in his video was a local issue and the problem was not the food but the leadership of the BSF battalion in question. If the food was bad due to negligence, officers must answer. And if the food was bad because condiments and fresh items did not arrive due to snow and landslides, officers must answer because in such a scenario they should have kept their troops informed. Sometimes, even in the Army, the food is bad. But in the Army the officers take minute care of such things and are overtly involved. When your officer is sitting next to you and eating the same food in an operational area, and as a jawan you know that your officer is doing his best to look after you, you will never complain. It’s really that simple. Was the BSF jawan lying about corruption and officers selling food? Maybe not. Corruption is not new. It has happened before and if that is the case, I will not be surprised. But if the jawan could show burnt rotis and dal without garnishing, he could also have shown a copy of the complaints he had filed regarding food, which his superiors did not pay heed to. That would have made his argument more balanced. Soldiers must get the best food that the country can afford. But sometimes, it is simply not possible in forward areas. Snow blocks roads and causes avalanches. Helicopters cannot land. Food is delayed. My jawans and I ate boiled rice with green chilies, salt and pickle for days at Shipki La on the Chinese border. It was 15,000 feet above sea level, it was minus 25 degrees and a wall of snow and ice had fallen on the tinned ration shed. There was no fresh food as the supply lines were choked. It happens. You shrug off such inconveniences and make the best of what you have. A CRPF soldier went on social media saying that the CRPF does exactly the same job as the Indian Army and hence, should be given the same facilities. That CRPF soldier spoke a blatant falsehood. He told a lie and since most Indians don’t know the details of how the forces are structured, they swallowed this lie hook, line and sinker. Yes, CRPF soldiers have been martyred in the line of duty. They do a job that is terribly difficult. But here is the blunt truth – they don’t do what the Indian Army does. And the Indian Army doesn’t do what the CRPF does. Now let me tell you something that most of you don’t know. Let’s discuss why the CAPFs are in such a terrible shape. The BSF is the largest border guarding force in the world. It guards a part of the LoC and borders of Rajasthan, Assam, Punjab, Gujarat, West Bengal and the North East. The CRPF does the most amazingly complex, and sometimes haphazard duties that any force in the world does. It is deployed everywhere. And it is deployed without a unified structure. A battalion consisting of about 1,000 men, divided into companies, is rarely posted together. A Commandant, equivalent to a Colonel of the Indian Army, leads a battalion. One company could be in Andhra Pradesh and another in Srinagar for internal security duties. The third company could be in Manipur and the fourth in Rajasthan, providing security to a local election. This Commandant is like a compass that does not point North. Also, when CRPF is deployed, it is under state police. Imagine a Commandant with 25 years of experience being asked to report to the SP of District who has 5-7 years of experience. Such orders shatter morale. The BSF is a border guarding force. The CRPF is an internal security force. And the Director General of the force is not someone who has grown from within the force and knows its ebbs and flows, its ethos and its role. Their Director General (DG) is always an IPS officer posted from some state cadre, who before this posting perhaps has not even seen a border. He, in all probability, has had no exposure in internal security. There are some exceptions, though, of IPS officers having spent considerable time in the CAPSs, but that is not the norm. The Director General comes in because there is a vacancy. An expert in police work with possibly not a single day’s experience in internal security or border management suddenly heads a force that is neck deep in fighting Maoists or resisting Pakistan sponsored infiltration along the LoC. For him, there is no feeling of esprit de corps, no feeling of brotherhood that is so common amongst men who have seen combat together. Above all, there is no knowledge or exposure. The force suffers because their head ends up looking at his tenure in a CAPF, as rental accommodation. To his own mind, he is not the “owner” of the house. The “house” in question is always the state cadre. Loyalty will obviously lie where a person sees his roots to be. Unless the CAPFs have their own cadre from which a young officer, through a rigorous and transparent system can aspire to rise and become Director General of the force, the dal will always be watery and the rotis will forever be burnt. I am not being needlessly flippant here. The issue is not the maltreatment of jawans or the food. The issue is leadership. In this lies the core of the problem that the BSF and CRPF jawan shared. A uniformed force must run on systems and processes. And these systems and processes must be enforced. This is not done vigorously in CAPFs. There is a lot of discretion that is allowed to the Commandant. That is why in CAPFs, the units virtually run on ‘local orders’ of the Unit Commandant. For all practical purposes, the CO of a CAPF unit is the centre of gravity of his command. The Commandant of a BSF or CRPF unit is the lord and master. What he says is law. Well, mostly anyway. In the Indian Army, ‘local orders’ are extremely limited. Everything is defined in the Army Order, Army Instructions, Defence Services Regulations, Special Army Orders and Special Army Instructions.The Indian Army has a love affair with documentation. And if a rule is laid out in any Order or Regulation, even a General does not have the authority to violate it. That is why you could visit a Kumaon unit and then stay with the Gurkhas, and you will feel certain sameness. Traditions may be different but the outlook remains the same throughout. The video of the Indian Army jawan condemning the buddy or “sahayak” system has selective merit. The buddy is an integral part of the officer, in war and peace. He carries the officer’s radio set and maps. He fights alongside him in war. There are bad apples in every basket, and the Indian Army is no different. But there is no other organisation in the country that embodies honour, courage, sacrifice and service to the Motherland like the Army does. If some officers have misused their buddies, they must be held to account and punished. It is blatantly wrong for anyone wearing a uniform to use social media to air grievances. It demoralises the force and it is an attack on the foundation of discipline. Every force has an in-built grievance redressal system. The system rarely fails, but in the rare event that it does, and one feels morally compelled to escalate to the political leadership (though I strongly disagree with this course), a letter or an email to the PM is perhaps the better way, than a very public washing of your force’s dirty linen. Individuals can be wrong, but the force itself is inviolate. A local problem of one BSF unit, largely unverified, has become a matter of international ridicule. The mainstream media and the social media are equally to blame. Without an iota of background information, sides were taken and an open media trial conducted. Within hours, heavy words like “compromising the security of the nation” were bandied about. Any officer of any uniformed force must be held accountable to the highest standards of integrity. The slightest breach deserves harsh punishment. It is criminal to abuse authority and ill treat troops. On this there can be no debate. The day is not far when a uniformed personnel will inadvertently shoot a video, without malice and in all innocence, of a patrol or an ambush, a raid or a convoy. And then people will die. The enemy never sleeps. Acceptance of politics and social media in any uniformed force is akin to pressing the self-destruct button. Discipline will be the first casualty. And without discipline, a force is nothing

MUST SEE & SHARE -THE WARRIORS SPIRIT -VIDEO FILM ON ASHOKA CHAKRA WINNER HAVALDAR HANGAPAN DADA -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVMxgF-DLdg

Published on Jan 25, 2017 Hav Hangpan Dada was born in village Borduria , near Khonsa in district Tirap of Arunachal Pradesh .Hav Dada was from Assam Regiment . He was always known as a soft spoken,God fearing gentleman with resolute will, daring courage and sharp soldierly skills to his friends.Driven by his deep calling for adventure and challenging operational life ,he volunteered to serve in Rashtriya Rifles. While deployed in High Altitude Area on a post, he while in a hand to hand combat with total disregard to personal safety , singlehandedly eliminated three terrorists and laid down his life in the highest traditions of Indian Army. For his conspicuous act of bravery and raw courage ,he was awarded with ASHOK CHAKRA (POSTHUMOUS). "The Warriors Spirit" is a movie dedicated to "National Hero in Life and Death" - Hav Hangpan Dada Ashok Chakra of Assam Regiment. President awards Ashok Chakra posthumously to Havaldar Hangpan Dada for selfless service to nation. Award is received by his wife Chasen Lowang Dada. ‘DD News’ is the News Channel of India's Public Service Broadcaster 'Prasar Bharati'. DD News has been successfully discharging its responsibility to give balanced, fair and accurate news without sensationalizing as well as by carrying different shades of opinion. Follow DD News on Twitter (English): https://twitter.com/ddnewslive Twitter (Hindi):https://twitter.com/DDNewsHindi Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/DDNews Visit DD News Website (English): www.ddinews.gov.in Visit DD News Website (Hindi): http://ddinews.gov.in/Hindi

नानासाहेब पेशवे-शत्रूला सतत झुंजवत ठेवून आपल्या अतुल पराक्रमाची शर्थ करून शेवटी आपल्या सैन्यासह नानासाहेब नेपाळमध्ये गेले. नेपाळच्या राजाची मदत मिळावी, अशी अपेक्षा होती. पण ती सफल झाली नाही आणि १८५७च्या स्वातंत्र्ययुद्धाचा हा महान प्रणेता नेपाळातच अंतर्धान पावला.

सैन्यामध्ये नाना बहाणे करून निरनिराळया ठिकाणी लोक पाठवून सैनिकांपर्यंत ते आपला हेतू पोहोचवत होते. ब्राह्मण, कीर्तनकार, प्रवचनकार, मुल्लामौलवी, फकीर असे निरनिराळे वेष धारण करून शेकडो क्रांतिदूत ते सैन्यात पाठवत होते. nanasaheb peshwaब्रिटिश सत्ता रानटीपणाने न्याय-अन्याय न बघता भारतात सर्व ठिकाणी दडपशाही करत होती. शेतक-यांपासून संस्थानिकांपर्यंत सर्वत्र जुलूमशाहीचा रणगाडा फिरत होता. त्यातही मुख्य पिळवणूक आर्थिक होत होती. असे कित्येक संस्थानिक होते की, त्यांचे वारस मान्य न करता त्यांची संस्थाने ताब्यात घेतली. संस्थानातली सगळी संपत्ती सरकारजमा केली. त्यांच्या तोंडावर निर्वाहापुरतं निवृत्तीवेतन देण्यात आलं. सैन्यात दडपशाही, न्यायालयीन चौकशीला नकार, केव्हाही अकारण बडतर्फी, भावनांचा अपमान अशी सर्व बाजूंनी गळचेपी होत होती. या अन्यायाचा प्रतिकार करण्यासाठी कोणीतरी पुढाकार घेणं आवश्यक होतं. ती जबाबदारी नानासाहेब पेशव्यांनी उचलली. श्रीमंत नानासाहेब पेशवे हे दुस-या बाजीरावांचे दत्तक पुत्र होते. वडिलांच्या निधनानंतर त्यांना देण्यात येणा-या आठ लक्ष रुपयांच्या पेन्शनवर त्यांचा हक्क नाकारण्यात आला. त्याबरोबरच पेशवे म्हणून असणारे इतर सन्मानही ब्रिटिशांनी काढून घेतले. नानासाहेबांनी आपला एक हुशार वकील अजीमुल्लाखान याला विलायतेला पाठवलं. पण त्याचा काही उपयोग झाला नाही. या स्वातंत्र्य युद्धासाठी बाहेरची राष्ट्रे काही मदत करतील का हे बघण्यासाठी त्यांनी वकिलाला रशियात पाठवलं. जागतिक राजकारणाचा अभ्यास आणि मुत्सद्दीपणा त्यांच्याजवळ होता. दिसण्यात अतिशय रुबाबदार आणि छाप पाडील असं सुंदर व्यक्तिमत्त्व होतं. ते विद्याशास्त्र संपन्न आणि युद्धशास्त्रातही पारंगत होते. उत्तम संघटन चातुर्य होतं. इंग्रज अधिक-यांना खिळवून ठेवणारं प्रभावी वक्तृत्व होतं. त्यांच्या व्यक्तिमत्त्वाची आणि कर्तृत्वाची प्रशंसा इंग्रज अधिकारीही करत. इंग्रजांविरुद्ध संघटित उठावाची उभारणी ब्रह्मावर्तातच झाली. नानासाहेब कधी केवळ एका ठिकाणी बसून पत्रव्यवहार करत होते. कधी तीर्थयात्रेचे निमित्त काढून भाऊ आणि वकील यांच्यासह दिल्ली, अंबाला, सिमला, लखनौ, काल्पी व इतर अनेक ठिकाणी जाऊन निरीक्षण करून आले. त्यांच्याविषयी लोकांच्या मनात प्रेमाची, आदराची भावना होती. सैन्यामध्ये नाना बहाणे करून निरनिराळया ठिकाणी लोक पाठवून सैनिकांपर्यंत ते आपला हेतू पोहोचवत होते. ब्राह्मण, कीर्तनकार, प्रवचनकार, मुल्लामौलवी, फकीर असे निरनिराळे वेष धारण करून शेकडो क्रांतिदूत ते सैन्यात पाठवत होते. सैनिकांची गरम डोकी अधिक भडकावीत होते. ब्रिटिशांच्या अरेरावीचा आणि पारतंत्र्याचा गळा धरायला सैनिकांचे हात शिवशिवत होते. अत्यंत शांतपणे क्रांतीचा संदेश गावोगावी फिरत होता. पाषाणाच्याही पलीकडचे पाहू शकणारे शासकांचे डोळे किंवा तिखट कान या सर्वावर मात करेल असा प्रभावी प्रचार होता. चपात्या आणि लाल रंगाचं कमळ एवढीच प्रचारसाधने होती. इंग्रज अधिका-यांनी फुलाचा वास घेतला. चपातीची चव घेतली; पण त्यांना काहीच संशय येत नव्हता. अर्थात त्यांना तो संदेश पोहोचणं अपेक्षित होतं. तो बरोबर त्यांच्यापर्यंत पोहोचत होता. नानासाहेबांच्या प्रयत्नामुळे दिल्लीचा बादशहा बहादूरशहा जाफर, बेगम झिनतमहक, झाशीची राणी लक्ष्मीबाई, जगदीशपूरचा महाराणा कुमारसिंहजी हे सर्व राजपुरुष जीवावर उदार होऊन हाती असलेल्या शस्त्रांसह एकदिलाने या क्रांतीला सिद्ध झाले होते. ३१ मे १८५७ ही उठावाची तारीख ठरली होती. पण मंगल पांडे या सैनिकाच्या अतिरेकी उत्साहामुळे एक महिना आधीच सर्व उठाव बरबाद झाला. हातात शस्त्र धरून उठावाला सिद्ध झालेले क्रांतिकारी क्रांतिकारकांच्या मार्गाने जाऊन हुतात्मे झाले. रणरागिणी लक्ष्मीबाई गेली. रणशूर तात्या टोपे, ऐंशी वर्षाचे कुमार सिंहजी गेले. शत्रूला सतत झुंजवत ठेवून आपल्या अतुल पराक्रमाची शर्थ करून शेवटी आपल्या सैन्यासह नानासाहेब नेपाळमध्ये गेले. नेपाळच्या राजाची मदत मिळावी, अशी अपेक्षा होती. पण ती सफल झाली नाही आणि १८५७च्या स्वातंत्र्ययुद्धाचा हा महान प्रणेता नेपाळातच अंतर्धान पावला. त्याचं नेमकं काय झालं हे आजपर्यंत अज्ञातच राहिलं

वाजपेयींच्या काळातही सर्जिकल स्ट्राइक झाल्याचा दावा; हवाई दलाने उडवले होते पाकिस्तानी बंकर

भारतीय हवाई दलाने पाकिस्तानी बंकर उद्ध्वस्त केले होते लोकसत्ता ऑनलाइन | January 28, 2017 7:23 PM वाजपेयींच्या काळातही सर्जिकल स्ट्राइक झाल्याचा दावा; हवाई दलाने उडवले होते पाकिस्तानी बंकर माजी पंतप्रधान अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी केंद्रात अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी यांचे सरकार असताना २००२ मध्ये भारतीय लष्कर आणि हवाई दलाने संयुक्तपणे पाकिस्तानवर सर्जिकल स्ट्राइक केले होते. मात्र ती संपूर्ण कारवाई अतिशय गुप्त ठेवण्यात आली होती. त्यामुळेच ती कारवाई करणाऱ्या अधिकाऱ्यांना आणि जवानांना सरकारकडून कोणतेही पदक देण्यात आले नाही. ‘हफिंग्टन पोस्ट’ने याबद्दलचे वृत्त दिले आहे. २००२ मध्ये करण्यात आलेल्या सर्जिकल स्ट्राइकचे नेतृत्व फ्लाईट लेफ्टनंट राजीव मिश्रा यांनी केले होते. त्यावेळी मिश्रा २९ वर्षांचे होते. ज्यावेळी मिश्रा यांना कारवाईची तयारी करण्यासाठी बोलावण्यात आले होते, त्यावेळी त्यांना कोणतीही पूर्वकल्पना देण्यात आली नव्हती. त्यांच्यासोबत कारवाईत आणखी दोघांचा सहभाग होता. २००२ मध्ये सर्जिकल स्ट्राइक करण्यात आला, त्यावेळी अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी भारताचे पंतप्रधान होते, तर जॉर्ज फर्नांडिस यांच्याकडे संरक्षण खात्याची जबाबदारी होती. २००२ च्या जून महिन्यात हे ऑपरेशन करण्यात आले होते. त्यावेळी दोन्ही देशांमध्ये तणाव निर्माण झाला होता. रशियाचे अध्यक्ष व्लादिमीर पुतीन यांनी दोन्ही देशांना समजवण्याचे प्रयत्न केले होते. मात्र यामध्ये पुतीन यांना अपयश आले होते. आधी लष्करी हल्ल्याची योजना होती भारतीय लष्कराचे जवान पाकिस्तानात घुसून हल्ला करतील, अशी पहिली योजना होती. मात्र त्यानंतर तत्कालीन लष्करप्रमुख सुंदरराजन पद्मनाभन यांनी ही योजना रद्द केली. यानंतर हल्ल्याची योजना बदलण्यात आली आणि पाकिस्तानवर जमिनीवरुन हल्ला करण्याऐवजी हवाई मार्गाने कारवाई करण्याची योजना निश्चित करण्यात आली. या कारवाईची वाच्यता कुठेही केली जाणार नाही, हे त्यावेळी ठरवण्यात आले होते. या कारवाईबद्दल कोणीही भाष्य करणार नाही, असेदेखील निश्चित करण्यात आले होते. पश्चिमेकडील सीमेवरील सर्व हवाई तळांना पाकिस्तानच्या प्रत्युत्तरासाठी तयार राहण्याचे आदेश देण्यात आले होते. या कारवाईसाठी जवानांच्या पथकाने १ ऑगस्टला श्रीनगरसाठी कूच केले होते. असा झाला होता हल्ला सर्वात आधी हेलिकॉप्टरच्या मदतीने दोन जवानांना श्रीनगरमधील सीमेवर पाठवण्यात आले. त्यानंतर हे जवान सीमा पार करुन पाकिस्तानात गेले. पाकिस्तानी बंकर्सचा ठावठिकाणा हवाई दलापर्यंत पोहोचवण्याचे काम या जवानांकडे होते. लेजर गाईडन्स सिस्टमच्या आधारे जवानांनी हवाई दलापर्यंत पाकिस्तानी बंकर्सची माहिती हवाई दलापर्यंत पोहोचवली. यानंतर फ्लाईट लेफ्टनंट राजीव मिश्रा आणि त्यांच्या टिमने कुपवाडा सेक्टरमधील पाकिस्तानचे बंकर उद्ध्वस्त केले. या हल्ल्यात पाकिस्तानचे नेमके किती नुकसान झाले, याबद्दलची माहिती हफिंग्टन पोस्टने दिलेली नाही. मात्र २००२ मधील सर्जिकल स्ट्राइकचा बदला घेण्याचा विचार पाकिस्तानने केला नाही. अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी सरकार सर्जिकल स्ट्राइकची कारवाई गुप्त राखण्यात यशस्वी ठरले. हवाई दल आणि तत्कालीन फ्लाईट लेफ्टनंट राजीव मिश्रा यांनी याविषयी भाष्य करण्यास नकार दिला. मिश्रा आता निवृत्त झाले असून ते व्यावसायिक वैमानिक आहेत.

CHINESE PROJECTS IN SHRI LANKA & PAKISTAN ECONOMICALLY UNVIABLE

January 25, 2017: Confident of victory in Sri Lanka’s prolonged and bloody ethnic conflict, President Mahinda Rajapaksa decided to develop the port of Hambantota and its neighbourhood, along Sri Lanka’s south-western coast. He was determined to make this region his impregnable political base. Taking note of Rajapaksa’s aversion to India and the western world, China obliged by offering to undertake a number of projects in and around Hambantota. Given the attention India focused on Colombo port, building and taking control of Hambantota, whose economic viability was questionable, was imperative for China. Beijing decided to acquire naval facilities in Hambantota, in the way as it has taken control of Gwadar in Pakistan. Questionable projects Funds for the Hambantota project were made available at near commercial terms by China’s Exim Bank, which extended credit of over $1.2 billion for the construction of the port, and $1.35 billion for a power plant. Assistance was also extended for a southern highway, a tele-cinema park and an airport. Rajapaksa’s ambitions for his constituency also included a sports zone for a proposed international sports meet that was never held and an international cricket stadium. Not a single international cricket match has been played in the cricket stadium. Not a single worthwhile film has been made in the tele-cinema park. All his projects in the constituency have been financial disasters. Given its location, Colombo is the natural port for transit of goods to and from India. Apart from a few vehicles that India, Japan and South Korea export to Sri Lanka, Hambantota receives virtually nothing else from international trade. Against annual interest repayment liabilities of around $ 65 million, revenues from trade shipments amount to around $1.3 million. The entire range of projects is financially unviable. Despite offering free landing facilities to foreign airlines, there are virtually no flights to Hambantota airport. The power project is also proving a white elephant. Strategic interests Unable to repay the debt incurred to build the coal-fired Norochcholai power plant, the government is now transferring its ownership to the Chinese, in a debt-equity swap. The earnings of the Southern Expressway annually are now less that one-sixth of the debt repayment bill. Between 2009 and 2014, Sri Lanka’s debt tripled. The current total debt stands at around $65 billion. Sri Lanka spends over 90 per cent of all government revenue to service its debts. Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake has announced that his government has decided to sell 80 per cent of the $1.5-billion Hambantota port to a Chinese company. China has also been offered an investment zone in the same region, in another bid to cut the country’s debt burden. China has now virtually taken over the Hambantota port, its surrounding areas and adjacent industrial park, despite widespread local protests. Reports indicate that this ‘investment zone’ will be used by China to manufacture a wide range of products for export to India. China will thus, in effect, be seeking to export its products from Sri Lanka, making use of the free-trade advantages that Sri Lanka enjoys in trade with India. What happens in and around Hambantota is of crucial strategic and economic interest to India. We need to make it clear that the use of Hambantota to berth Chinese warships and submarines, and control of the port and surrounding areas in Chinese hands, are unacceptable to India. Gwadar and Hambantota will become staging areas for the Chinese navy to operate across the sea-lanes of the western Indian Ocean, giving the Chinese the ability to interdict vital oil supplies. While Hambantota could become a crucial part of China’s Maritime Silk Route, Gwadar is fast becoming the nerve centre for a China-Pakistan nexus, to exercise maritime control over the sea-lanes used for oil/gas supplies from Iran and the Arab Gulf states. Gwadar port has been leased to China for 43 years, till 2059. China’s Silk Road Project connects with the Maritime Silk Route in Gwadar. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) connects China’s Xinjiang province to Gwadar through Gilgit-Baltistan, which India regards as its territory, as it is a part of Jammu and Kashmir. Unlike, in the case of Hambantota, the the Gwadar port project is being financed in a number of areas by zero per cent Chinese loans. The total Chinese investment in developing the port and its neighbourhood has been estimated at around $3.5 billion. The total cost of projects along the CPEC is estimated at around $51 billion. There is considerable opacity about the proportion of these investments, which will come in the form of zero interest credits, concessional credits, bank credits with near commercial rates of interest, or as foreign direct investment. Some misgivings There are misgivings even within Pakistan about who the main beneficiaries of the Chinese-funded economic vorridor will be. There is strong opposition in Baluchistan, where Gwadar is located, because the people of the province have received no benefits from Chinese-funded projects. The Saindak copper and gold mining project in Baluchistan’s Chagai district, being developed with Chinese participation, is estimated to contain copper and gold resources valued at around $70 billion. The people of Baluchistan will reportedly receive just 1 per cent of these earnings. There are also fears that outsiders will swamp the province as the CPEC and the development of Gwadar move ahead. New Delhi, like many others who are viewing the strategic dimensions of the growing China-Pakistan relationship with legitimate concern, will no doubt be closely observing these developments. The last year saw the first-ever visit by a Chinese nuclear submarine to Karachi. In more recent days, Pakistan claims to have successfully tested its first submarine-launched nuclear-capable cruise missile with a range of 450 km. Significantly, this launch came after China, infuriated by the latest launch of India’s Agni V, warned that it could transfer missile capabilities to others, to deal with India. With access to Gwadar and Hambantota, China’s navy partnered by Pakistan will have easy access to the Gulf of Hormuz, through which 30 per cent of all global maritime-traded petroleum is transported from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Iran and Iraq. Control over these maritime routes by China and Pakistan will have serious implications for energy security across Asia. The writer is a former High Commissioner to Pakistan

Military veteran GD Bakshi's book re-opens the debate on how India won freedom. Should we adhere to the Nehruvian myth that India got freedom through soft power, or do we acknowledge the role of Netaji’s INA?

Recent years have seen an increase in the biographies of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, but these have failed to examine his contribution as a military leader and strategist, and tacitly treat him as a failure because the Indian National Army’s (INA) fate was intricately linked with that of Japan, which lost in the Second World War. Major General GD Bakshi has filled this vacuum with his book, Bose: An Indian Samurai. Netaji and the INA: A Military Assessment (Knowledge World, 2016); Netaji’s anniversary (b January 23) is an appropriate occasion to evaluate this legacy. The INA grew on the motivational power of “militant nationalism” like that of the German Wehrmacht and the Imperial Japanese Army. Created out of prisoners-of-war, captured by the Japanese Army, Netaji Bose abolished the British caste/religion-based Regimental model for an all-India model, including all groups and officered by Indian officers, something the British had never permitted. In pre-independence India, this was revolutionary. Examining a wealth of combat records and memoirs, Bakshi shows that even in highly adverse circumstances, the INA units performed exceedingly well. In the Imphal-Kohima campaigns, Netaji’s units matched the hard-marching Imperial Japanese Army in its infiltration and envelopment manoeuvres. The INA retained combat cohesion even when units were decimated to the extent of 60 per cent to 80 per cent. The book re-opens the debate on how India won freedom. Should we adhere to the Nehruvian myth that India got freedom through the soft power of ahimsa (non-violence) and satyagraha (soul force), or do we acknowledge the role of the INA? As Germany and Japan were defeated in World War II, it is inexplicable why Britain, which thrived on its colonies, especially India, should retreat before pacifists like Gandhi and Nehru. The colonies could have helped Britain rebuild her economy. Bose believed that the British would never depart of their own volition and that World War II offered an opportunity to solicit support from Britain’s enemies, Germany and Japan, and fight. This led him to part ways with the Indian National Congress, evade house arrest and escape to Germany, from where he made a perilous submarine journey to Japanese territory and raised his legendary fighting force. Nehruvian court historians have underplayed the psychological impact of the INA trials which triggered military mutinies in February 1946. The possibility of disloyal Armed Forces unnerved the British and in less than a year they announced their decision to quit India, with the parting kick of a bloody partition. The partition gave the Muslim League the new country of Pakistan, the demand for which was mooted only in 1940 and was not sought in the regions that became Pakistan. Even setting aside the betrayal of non-fundamentalist Muslims of the North West Frontier Province and the refusal to help beleaguered Muslims of Balochistan, the partition represents the Gandhi-Nehru combine’s grand failure to understand the consequences of loss of strategic territory. But for the British, the decision to humiliate the valiant INA by putting nine officers on trial at Delhi’s Red Fort was a political miscalculation which boomeranged, as until then, the activities of the INA had been a war secret. But now, the colonial power itself revealed that a sizeable Army had been raised to liberate the country; that Indians of all castes and creeds had united and fought bravely alongside the 15th Japanese Army and narrowly lost in Manipur and Nagaland. The public outrage over the public trial forced the Congress, which was virtually pulverised after the brutal suppression of the 1942 Quit India movement, to set up a Legal Defence Committee to defend the undertrials. Netaji Bose’s nationalist army hit the foundations of British rule in India, and unnerved the Raj. Indian troops in the British Indian Armed Forces felt enraged at the INA trials as the undertrials were former colleagues who had been captured by the Japanese and converted by Netaji. Bakshi reveals that almost 20,000 sailors of the Royal Indian Navy, on board 78 ships, mutinied and went around Mumbai with portraits of Netaji, forcing the British to shout Jai Hind and other INA slogans. They brought down the Union Jack on their ships and refused to obey their British officers. Similar rebellions broke out in the Royal Indian Air Force and the Army units in Jabalpur. On the one hand, the White troops were fed up of war and wanted to go home, not fight to subdue 2.5 million battle-hardened Indian soldiers who had acquitted themselves well in all theatres of war and had seen the British officers routed by the Japanese in Malaya, Singapore and Burma. Quitting was not an option; the haste is questionable. It will remain a matter of enduring shame that the Anglophile elite that inherited the country treated the INA and military mutineers as traitors and refused to integrate them with the Indian Army and give them their richly-deserved wartime pensions. Far more scandalous is the recently revealed fact that independent India collaborated with British Intelligence and kept tabs on Netaji’s family and the released INA personnel, till the early 1970s. Historians must thoroughly investigate the nuts and bolts of the transfer of power to the Government led by Jawaharlal Nehru to throw light on this astonishing matter. Tormenting questions remain about the disappearance of Netaji Subhas Bose. Emerging evidence indicates that he did not die in an air crash in Taihoku, Taiwan, on August 18, 1945, and may have been imprisoned by Josef Stalin for collaborating with Russia’s (and Britain’s) war-time enemies — Germany and Japan. Amidst rumours that Bose was incarcerated in a Soviet Gulag (Camp no 48 in Lezhnevesky district, 50 km from Suzdal in Siberia), it is unclear if he was ever handed over to the British as their war criminal. Interestingly, two secret agreements between the NKVD (USSR) and MI-6 (Great Britain) regarding intelligence sharing and cooperation in covert operations were signed in December 1941 and March 1944. Many Indians suspect that the Nehru Government connived to spread the falsehood that the hero had died in an air crash. The puerile story of Netaji Bose living as Gumnami Baba in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, must be seen as part of an attempt to exonerate the then Indian Government. Bakshi writes with passion and verve. The book is a mine of information for the millions of Netaji fans in India and abroad

जम्मू काश्मीरमधील हिमस्खलनात महाराष्ट्राचे तीन जवान हुतात्मा

काही जवान बर्फाच्या ढिगाऱ्याखाली अडकले होते. नवी दिल्ली | January 27, 2017 4:08 PM 1.4K SHARES FacebookTwitterGoogle+Email जम्मू काश्मीरमधील हिमस्खलनात महाराष्ट्राचे तीन जवान हुतात्मा जम्मू काश्मीरला जोरदार बर्फवृष्टीमुळे सोनमर्गजवळ लष्कराच्या छावणीवर हिमस्खलन झाल्याची दुर्दैवी घटना बुधवारी दुपारी घडली होती. जम्मू काश्मीरला जोरदार बर्फवृष्टीमुळे सोनमर्गजवळ लष्कराच्या छावणीवर हिमस्खलन झाल्याची दुर्दैवी घटना बुधवारी दुपारी घडली होती. या दुर्घटनेत १४ जवान हुतात्मा झाले असून यात महाराष्ट्राच्या तीन सुपुत्रांचा समावेश आहे. यामध्ये माना (ता. मुर्तिजापूर, जि. अकोला) येथील शिपाई संजू सुरेश खंदारे (वय २६), अकोल्याचे आनंद गवई (वय २६)व गंजपूर (ता. धारूर, जि. बीड) येथील विकास समुंद्रे (वय२६) अशी त्यांची नावे आहेत. त्यांचे पार्थिव लवकर त्यांच्या गावी आणण्यात येणार आहे. भारत – पाकिस्तान सीमारेषेजवळ सोनमर्गमध्ये भारतीय लष्कराची छावणी आहे. या छावणीवर बुधवारी दुपारी हिमस्खलन झाले होते. या घटनेत काही जवान बर्फाच्या ढिगाऱ्याखाली अडकले होते. यातील सहा जणांची सुटका करण्यात यश आले होते. तर एका जवानाचा मृतदेह बाहेर काढण्यात आला होता. त्यानंतर उर्वरित बेपत्ता जवानांचा शोध घेण्यात येत होता. या शोध पथकाला उर्वरित जवानांचे मृतदेह आढळून आले. काश्मीरमध्ये प्रत्यक्ष ताबा रेषेवर गुरेझ क्षेत्र एकाच कुटुंबातील चार जण हिमस्खलन होऊन मरण पावले होते. गुरेझ येथील तुलैल भागात पहाटेच्या वेळी हिमस्खलन झाले होते. गेल्या वर्षी फेब्रुवारीमध्ये मद्रास रेजिमेंटचे १० जवान हिमस्खलनात हुतात्मा झाले होते.

शहीद हवालदार हंगपन दादांनी 4 दहशतवाद्यांना कंठस्नान घातले होते, अशोक चक्रने सन्मान

दिव्य मराठी वेब टीम | Jan 26, 2017, 12:56 PM IST +4 शहीद हवालदार हंगपन दादांनी 4 दहशतवाद्यांना कंठस्नान घातले होते, अशोक चक्रने सन्मान शहीद हवालदार हंगपन दादा त्यांची पत्नी चासेनसोबत (फाइल) नवी दिल्ली - शहीद हवालदार हंगपन दादा यांनी जम्मू-काश्मीरमधील एका एन्काऊंटरमध्ये चार दहशतवाद्यांना कंठस्नान घातले होते. हंगपन दादा यांना गुरुवारी प्रजासत्ताक दिनी अशोकचक्र या सर्वोच्च शौर्य पुरस्काराने गौरवण्यात आले. राजपथावर राष्ट्रपती प्रणव मुखर्जी यांनी त्यांची पत्नी चासेन लोवांग यांना सन्मानीत केले. अशोकचक्र हे शांतीकाळातील सर्वोच्च शौर्य पुरस्कार आहे. परमवीर चक्रच्या बरोबरीचे ते आहे. - उत्तर काश्मीरमधील कुपवाडा येथे 27 मे रोजी 12500 फूट उंचावर दहशतवादी घुसखोरी करण्याचा प्रयत्नात होते. - 36 वर्षांच्या हंगपन दादा यांनी दहशतवाद्यांसोबत दोन हात करत बहादूरीचे दर्शन घडविले. - त्यांनी तीन दहशतवाद्यांना ठार केले. या हल्ल्यात ते गंभीर जखमी झाले होते, मात्र त्यांनी हार मानली नाही. चौथ्या दहशतवाद्यालाही त्यांनी यमसदनी धाडले. हंगपन दादा हे अरुणाचल प्रदेशातील बोदुरिया गावचे रहिवासी होते. हंगपन यांना त्यांचे टीम मेंबर दादा नावाने संबोधत होते. - गेल्या वर्षी ते हाय माऊंटन रेंजमध्ये तैनात होते. - हंगपन 1997 मध्ये आसाम रेजिमेंटमध्ये भरती झाले होते. त्यानंतर 35 राष्ट्रीय रायफल्समध्ये त्यांची नियुक्ती झाली होती. हंगपन यांच्या नावाने ब्लॉकचे नाव - गेल्या वर्षी नोव्हेंबरमध्ये शिलाँग येथे आसाम रेजिमेंट सेंटर येथे प्लॅटिनम ज्यूबली साजरी झाली. या उत्सवात एका अॅडमिनिस्ट्रेटीव्ह ब्लॉकला हंगपन यांचे नाव देण्यात आले. - हंगपन यांच्यावर एक माहितीपट (डॉक्यूमेंटरी) तयार करण्यात आला आहे. - अॅडिशनल डायरेक्टर जनरल ऑफ पब्लिक इन्फर्मेशन यांनी प्रजासत्ताक दिनी या माहितीपटाचे उद्घाटन केले.

नक्षलविरोधी धोरणाचा मार्ग-नक्षलवाद संपवायचा असेल तर सुरक्षा व विकास या दोन मुद्दय़ांभोवती फिरणारे धोरणच यशस्वी होऊ-देवेंद्र गावंडे | January 26, 2017

नक्षलवाद संपवायचा असेल तर सुरक्षा व विकास या दोन मुद्दय़ांभोवती फिरणारे धोरणच यशस्वी होऊ शकते, हे आंध्रने सिद्ध केले. आपल्याकडे जुनीच धोरणे राबवली जात आहेत. छत्तीसगड सीमेवरच्या दुर्गम भागात खासगी संघटनेने बांधलेल्या पुलाच्या निमित्ताने नक्षली भागातील सरकारी धोरणलकव्याची ही चिकित्सा.. राज्याच्या टोकावर असलेल्या व छत्तीसगडच्या सीमा परिसरात विखुरलेल्या २१ गावांच्या विकासाची वाट अडवून धरणारा जुवी नाला. भामरागड ते नेलगोंडा रस्त्यावरच्या या नाल्यावर स्वखर्चाने पूल बांधण्याची घोषणा या भागात विकासासाठी धडपडणारी भूमकाल ही संघटना करते. भूमकालचे अरविंद सोहनी व दत्ता शिर्के नक्षल्यांच्या विरोधाला न जुमानता या भागात तळ ठोकतात, लोकांना एकत्र करतात. नक्षलवाद्यांच्या धमकीमुळे काही जण समोर येतात, तर काही माघार घेतात. तरीही खचून न जाता ही संघटना वर्गणी गोळा करते. उधारीवर बांधकाम साहित्य आणते. नक्षल्यांच्या दबावामुळे वारंवार पळून जाणारे मजूर परत परत गोळा करते. त्यांची ही धडपड बघून या भागात तैनात असलेले पोलीस व सुरक्षा जवान मदतीचा हात समोर करतात. त्यामुळे अनेकांना धीर येतो आणि १७ दिवसांत ८ लाख रुपये खर्चाचा पूल या दुर्गम भागात तयार होतो. जे काम सरकारी यंत्रणांचे ते ही संघटना जिद्दीच्या बळावर करून दाखवते. इच्छाशक्ती असली आणि त्याला सामूहिक प्रयत्नांचे बळ मिळाले की काहीही घडू शकते, हे वाक्य सार्थ ठरवणारी ही घटना अनेक नव्या प्रश्नांना जन्म घालणारी आहेच, शिवाय नक्षलवादाच्या विरोधात गेल्या चार दशकांपासून लढा देणाऱ्या सरकारी यंत्रणांच्या कार्यक्षमतेवर प्रश्नचिन्ह उभी करणारी आहे. सामाजिक व आर्थिक विषमतेतून जन्म घेतलेला नक्षलवाद संपवायचा असेल तर सुरक्षा व विकास या दोन मुद्दय़ांभोवती फिरणारे धोरणच यशस्वी होऊ शकते, हे शेजारच्या आंध्रने चमकदार कामगिरी करून सिद्ध केले असताना इतर राज्ये या धोरणाच्या अंमलबजावणीच्या मुद्दय़ावर अजूनही चाचपडत असल्याचे अनेकवार दिसून आले आहे. समाजकार्याची ऊर्मी अंगी बाळगणाऱ्या धडपडय़ा तरुणांनी बांधलेल्या या पुलामुळे सरकारच्या या भागातील धोरणलकव्याचा पुन्हा एकदा आढावा घेण्याची गरज निर्माण झाली आहे. नक्षलवाद्यांविरुद्ध कसे लढायचे हे निश्चित होऊन दोन दशके लोटली असतानासुद्धा या दंडकारण्य भागात अनेक ठिकाणी विकासाचे वारे पोहोचलेलेच नाही. काही ठिकाणी विकासाचे ठिपके दिसतात व त्याचा उदो उदो करणारी सरकारी यंत्रणा दिसते, पण र्सवकष विकास कधी होणार, त्यासाठी पुढाकार कोण घेणार, या प्रश्नाचे उत्तर कुणीच देऊ इच्छित नाही. समस्येची जखम कुरवाळत बसायची की बरी करायची, याच द्वंद्वात सारी सरकारी यंत्रणा अडकलेली दिसते. गेल्या तीन वर्षांत नक्षलवाद्यांचा हिंसाचार झपाटय़ाने कमी झाला. अनेक राज्यांत नक्षल मोठय़ा संख्येत मारले गेले, चळवळीची ताकद कमी झाली, जनाधारात घट झाली, अशी कबुली खुद्द या चळवळीचा प्रमुख गणपतीने दिली. सरकार व सुरक्षा दलांच्या दृष्टीने ही परिस्थिती आशादायक आहे. या आशेला विकासाच्या प्रक्रियेत बदलण्यासाठी मात्र कोणतेही प्रयत्न होताना दिसत नाहीत. उदाहरणच द्यायचे झाले तर गडचिरोलीत राज्य तसेच केंद्राचे मिळून १३ हजार जवान नक्षलविरोधी मोहिमेत तैनात आहेत. राज्यांच्या जवानांचे ५७, तर केंद्रीय जवानांचे १७ असे एकूण ७४ तळ दुर्गम भागात कार्यरत आहेत. या सर्व जवानांकडे अत्याधुनिक शस्त्रे आहेत. पुरेशी रसद पुरवणारी सक्षम यंत्रणा आहे. या जवानांकडून वर्षांकाठी दहा हजार शोधमोहिमा (लांब व लघू पल्ल्याच्या) हाती घेतल्या जातात. या शोधमोहिमांचे चकमकीत रूपांतर होण्याचे प्रमाण महाराष्ट्रात एक टक्काही नाही, तर शेजारच्या छत्तीसगडमध्ये तीन टक्के आहे. हे प्रमाण वाढणे किंवा कमी होणे हे बऱ्याचदा परिस्थिती व मिळालेल्या माहितीच्या कौशल्यपूर्ण हाताळणीवर अवलंबून असते, हे गृहीत धरले तरी हे जवान ‘एरिया डॉमिनेशन’च्या नावाखाली केवळ भटकत राहतात हे स्पष्ट आहे. आता नक्षलवाद्यांच्या बाजूचा विचार करू या. गडचिरोलीत १३ हजार जवानांच्या तुलनेत नियमित फिरणाऱ्या, बैठका घेणाऱ्या नक्षलवाद्यांची संख्या पाचशेपेक्षा जास्त नाही. त्यांचे दोन डिव्हिजन, तीन कंपन्या व क्षेत्रनिहाय काम करणारे दलम यात ही संख्या विभागली गेली आहे. यातील बरेच जण छत्तीसगड व आंध्रमध्ये ये-जा करीत असतात. या नक्षल्यांकडून गेल्या तीन वर्षांत मोठी हिंसक कारवाई झाली नसली तरी जाळपोळ व निरपराध आदिवासींच्या हत्या नेमाने घडत असतात. याच नक्षलवाद्यांमध्ये नर्मदा व जोगण्णा हे जहाल नक्षल आहेत. हे दोघेही साठी गाठलेले आहेत. गेली तीस वर्षे ते याच भागात फिरत आहेत. आता ते वृद्धापकाळाकडे झुकले तरी या हजारो जवानांना त्यांना एकदाही पकडता आले नाही किंवा चकमकीत ठार मारता आले नाही. हे दोघेही ज्येष्ठ व चळवळीत वरच्या पदावर असल्याने चकमकीच्या वेळी ते समोर राहात नाहीत, हा सुरक्षा दलांचा युक्तिवाद ग्राह्य़ धरला तरी त्यांना हे जवान एकदाही गाठू शकले नाही हे सत्य आहे. ही वस्तुस्थिती या जवानांच्या कार्यशैलीवर व त्यांचे नेतृत्व करणाऱ्या अधिकाऱ्यांच्या कार्यक्षमतेवर प्रश्नचिन्ह उभी करणारी आहे. अशी स्थिती आता असेल आणि भविष्यात त्यात काही बदल होणार नसेल तर या हजारो जवानांना विकासाच्या प्रक्रियेत का गुंतवले जात नाही, हा खरा प्रश्न आहे व त्याचे उत्तर कुणीच द्यायला तयार नाही. आता भूमकालच्या पूलबांधणीनंतर हाच प्रश्न समोर आला आहे. केंद्र शासनाने ग्रीनहंट मोहीम सुरू करताना सुरक्षा व विकास हेच तिचे उद्दिष्ट असेल, असे स्पष्ट केले होते. मात्र, आज आठ वर्षांनंतरही ही मोहीम सुरक्षेच्या भोवतीच फिरत आहे व त्यातही म्हणावे तसे यश मिळत नाही. चारही बाजूला तळ असताना नक्षल ८० वाहने जाळतात तेव्हा या उद्दिष्टावरच प्रश्नचिन्ह उभे ठाकते. अशा स्थितीत या जवानांना विकासाच्या प्रक्रियेत का सामील करून घेतले जात नाही? ही प्रक्रिया या मोहिमेच्या उद्दिष्टातच समाविष्ट असताना जर हे घडत नसेल तर मग कोटय़वधी खर्च करून ही फौज बाळगण्याच्या हेतूलाच अर्थ उरत नाही. विकासासाठी कंत्राटदार तयार नसेल तर स्वत: पुढाकार घेत, लोकांना सहभागी करून घेत विकासकामे करवून घेता येऊ शकतात, हे या पूलनिर्मितीने सिद्ध केले आहे. तरीही सुरक्षा यंत्रणा ते करायला तयार नाही. उदाहरण द्यायचे झाल्यास गडचिरोलीत कसनसूर ते कोटमी रस्त्यावर एक पूल दहा वर्षांपासून अर्धवट आहे. या दोन्ही गावांत जवानांचे तळ आहेत. एटापल्ली तालुक्यातील हालेवाराच्या आजूबाजूची गावे रस्त्यांनी जोडण्यासाठी या गावात चार वर्षांपूर्वी तळ उभारण्यात आला. अजून एक इंचही रस्ता तयार झाला नाही. नक्षलग्रस्त भागातील रस्तेविकासासाठी केंद्राने रस्ते निर्माण योजना सुरू केली. त्यासाठी पहिल्या टप्प्यात २१०० कोटी राखून ठेवण्यात आले. त्याचा फायदा महाराष्ट्राला घेता आला नाही. दुसऱ्या टप्प्यात राज्याने काही कामे प्रस्तावित केली, पण ही सर्व कामे नक्षल्यांची दहशत जिथे कमी आहे अशा मुख्य मार्गाची आहेत, दुर्गम भागातील नाहीत. आता मुख्यमंत्र्यांनीसुद्धा तशीच एक योजना सुरू केली. त्यातून प्रस्तावित करण्यात आलेली कामेसुद्धा दुर्गम भागातील नाहीत. गडचिरोलीचा विचार केला तर ९ लाख लोकांपैकी ४ लाख लोक दहशत जास्त असलेल्या भागात राहतात, तर ५ लाख लोक दहशतीचा लवलेश नाही अशा ठिकाणी राहतात. नक्षलग्रस्त विकास कार्यक्रम या पाच लाख लोकांसाठीच आजवर राबवला गेला आहे. हा प्रकार समस्या एकीकडे व उपाय भलतीकडे असाच आहे. शेजारच्या छत्तीसगड, ओडिशा व आंध्रने केंद्राच्या योजनांचा फायदा घेत दुर्गम भागात रस्तेविकासाचा कार्यक्रम प्रभावीपणे राबवणे सुरू केले आहे. आंध्रमध्ये तर संपर्कव्यवस्थेचे प्रमाण ९९ टक्के आहे. छत्तीसगडने सुरक्षा दलांच्या मदतीने अबूजमाड परिसरात रस्त्याचे जाळे विणण्याचा महत्त्वाकांक्षी कार्यक्रम हाती घेतला आहे. बादसूर ते कुरूसनार हा रस्ता थेट महाराष्ट्राच्या बिनागुंडापर्यंत येऊन ठेपणारा आहे व आपल्याकडे आजही बिनागुंडाला जायला रस्ता नाही व त्याचे नियोजनसुद्धा नाही. छत्तीसगडने जागरगोंडा व ओडिशाने बालिमेला या चारही बाजूंनी संपर्क नसलेली ठिकाणे रस्त्याने जोडण्याचे काम हाती घेतले आहे. ही कामे करताना काही ठिकाणी चकमकी झाल्या. जवान शहीद झाले, पण काम थांबलेले नाही. आम्ही सरकारशी युद्ध पुकारले आहे, असे आव्हान नक्षलवादी अगदी उघडपणे देत असतात. त्याला प्रत्युत्तर देण्यासाठी युद्धाचीच भाषा योग्य आहे व सुरक्षा यंत्रणांचे जाळे या भागात विस्तारताना तोच विचार करण्यात आला होता. हे युद्ध लढताना बचावात्मक पवित्रा घेतला, की नक्षलवाद्यांचे फावते. त्यातून मग अशी जाळपोळीची प्रकरणे घडतात व जवानांना हात चोळत बसावे लागते. नक्षलवाद्यांचे आव्हान युद्धाचे असले आणि सरकारची प्रत्युत्तराची भाषा युद्धाची असली तरी त्याला समकक्ष अशी विकास प्रक्रिया उभी करणे हेही सरकारचे काम आहे व तो नक्षलविरोधी धोरणातला महत्त्वाचा घटक आहे. नेमका त्याचाच विसर या यंत्रणेला पडला आहे, हे या पुलाच्या निर्मितीमुळे पुन्हा एकदा अधोरेखित झाले आहे

Unified Command Would Sharpen Indian Military’s Edge-Harsha Kakar -

January 23, 2017, The Prime Minister will be addressing the Combined Commanders’ Conference in Dehradun on 21 January. As per reports, the army is scheduled to give a presentation on the establishment of ‘unified commands’ during the conference. This has immense significance for ensuring defence and national security, as it changes the very nature of the manner in which future wars would be fought. For the uninformed, a unified command signifies that all resources in a sector, irrespective of the service, would be under the command of one single entity, who would be called the theatre commander. This system has been in place for a long time in the US and has recently been adopted by China. Maximising Combat Potential The US has adopted it for a specific reason. Their military has always been an expeditionary force, since they have never fought a battle on their soil. Since the First World War, the US has fought wars in other continents. Hence, it needed a pattern of command which could integrate different branches of the military and marines into one cohesive fighting force. China has realised that one commander coordinating operations would maximise combat potential, rather than each service conducting operations. This change in concept came about in its recent military restructuring. Further, in the long term, it visualises itself as playing a larger role in the international arena, mainly to protect its investments and interests spread across the globe. Theatre Command is the Future India at present has four army, two air force and one naval command solely dedicated for operations against Pakistan. Hence, seven commands are deployed against one enemy. Simultaneously, against China, there is one command each from the army and the air force. The air force, for example, considers counter-air operations its priority, rather than providing support to the ground troops. Coordination between commands of the same service as also among different services is lacking, hence resources are never employed optimally. Wars of the future would be short and intense and would therefore demand simultaneous employment of maximum combat potential. In this scenario, the operations would never be single-service specific. The ideal organisation would be a theatre command, wherein all the resources deployed in a theatre of operations would function under one commander, irrespective of the service to which he belongs. Further, the number of HQs could reduce, saving manpower for better employment. How Many Commands Does India Need? The system was being considered post Kargil, but faced maximum resistance within the services itself. In our existing scenario, the service chiefs are almighty. They command and control their respective service, including allocation of resources as also coordination between different services, hence simultaneously functioning as force providers and force employers. In the case of the unified system, the operational commanders would be the theatre commanders, who would have a mix of resources specific to the area of operations and would therefore become force employers. The service chiefs’ role would then only remain as force providers. This would dilute their power. The present leadership of the military is now in the hands of mature leaders, who have participated in the Kargil war in different roles and have realised the importance of joint operations and maximum employment of combat potential. Hence, they support this concept. They have accepted the necessity of joint operations against individual service power. In India’s context, there could be as few as four to five theatre commands, mainly due to terrain restrictions, apart from the already existing Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) and the Strategic Forces Command. Two among them can be against Pakistan, with the northern one only comprising of the air force and army and the southern comprising of all the three services. China could have one with elements of the army and air force. Ideally, the nation could create an ‘overseas operational command’ with all services integrated. Its role could involve conduct of operations overseas to protect Indian assets and to support friendly nations. UN operations could also come under its purview. Resources of the navy from the eastern command could be reallocated to the ANC. Appointing Chief of Defence Staff The command and control of theatre commanders would also undergo a change. Unlike the present system, where the senior commanders function under the service HQs, these would need to be directly under the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and his HQs, the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS). The CDS, if correctly planned and implemented by the government, would be a part of the Ministry of Defence. Hence, the theatre commanders would function under the defence ministry. While the presentation may be made, taking major decisions in restructuring the management of defence implies determination and clarity in the eyes of the government. It would need to bring about changes in a sequential manner. Thus, the first step to be undertaken would be appointing a CDS, after which it could consider creating theatre commands. Management of defence in India needs to evolve with time, especially as the nature of war undergoes a change. We cannot aim to fight a war in present times with outdated concepts. The author is a retired army officer based in Lucknow.

COLD START DOCTRINE INDIAN ARMY-सुरक्षेचे पुनरुत्थान हवे-भारताच्या सुरक्षेला अंतर्गत आणि बाह्य़ पातळीवर गंभीर धोके भेडसावत असताना ही चर्चा होत आहे. अॅभडमिरल अरुण प्रकाश (निवृत्त)

| January 25, 2017 3:39 AM प्रजासत्ताक दिन संचलनात आपले लष्करी सामथ्र्य दिसेलच, पण राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा सुनिश्चित करण्यासाठी व्यापक संरक्षण तंत्रज्ञान–उत्पादन मंत्रालयाच्या स्थापनेची व अन्य सुधारणांची तातडीने गरज आहे.. भारताचे माजी संरक्षणमंत्री जसवंत सिंग यांनी २०१२ साली टॉम हंडले या अमेरिकी वार्ताहराला असे सांगितले होते म्हणे- ‘‘कोल्ड स्टार्ट डॉक्ट्रिन अस्तित्वात नाही.. ते एका माजी लष्करप्रमुखाने सहज, फारसा विचार न करता केलेले वक्तव्य होते. मी देशाचा संरक्षणमंत्री होतो, मला माहिती असले पाहिजे.’’ (‘कोल्ड स्टार्ट’ जर काहींना माहीत नसेल, तर त्याचा अर्थ पुढे स्पष्ट होईलच) ‘कोल्ड स्टार्ट’ संकल्पनेभोवती दशकभराहून अधिक काळ असलेले शांतताप्रेमाचे वलय धैर्याने धुडकावून लावून तसेच अन्य काही संवेदनशील विषयांवर मतप्रदर्शन करून भारताच्या नव्या लष्करप्रमुखांनी देशाच्या संरक्षणविषयक वाटचालीत ‘ग्लासनोस्त’चा (खुलेपणाचा) काळ सुरू केला आहे.. त्याने प्रलंबित सुधारणांतून राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षेच्या पुनरुत्थानाचा (रेनेसाँ) मार्ग प्रशस्त होईल, अशीही आशा बाळगायला हरकत नाही. सन २०१५ मध्ये चीनने राष्ट्रीय लष्करी धोरण जाहीर केले, ऑस्ट्रेलियाने संरक्षणविषयक श्वेतपत्रिका प्रसिद्ध केली आणि अमेरिकेने लष्करी तसेच सागरी सुरक्षाविषयक धोरण जाहीर केले. या खुलेपणाच्या काळात भारतीय राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा यंत्रणेने मात्र गेल्या ७० वर्षांपासून मौन बाळगले आहे. या सावधगिरीसाठी दिली जाणारी वरवरची सबब म्हणजे ‘या विषयावर जाहीर, खुली चर्चा केल्याने राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षेला बाधा पोहोचेल’ ही होय. मात्र प्रत्यक्षात टोकाची गोपनीयता आणि त्याच्या जोडीला सत्तेच्या केंद्रीकरणामुळे सुरक्षाविषयक कोंडी निर्माण होते. अशा परिस्थितीत एका देशाने स्वत:च्या सुरक्षेसाठी उचललेल्या पावलांना अन्य देशांकडून तशाच पद्धतीने उत्तर दिले जाते आणि त्यातून तणाव व संघर्षांची शक्यता वाढते. भारत-चीन-पाकिस्तान यांच्या तिहेरी घातक शत्रुत्वाच्या मुळाशी असेच सुरक्षाविषयक संभ्रम आहेत आणि ते सध्या सुरू असलेल्या आण्विक आणि पारंपरिक शस्त्रास्त्रांच्या अघोषित स्पर्धेतून निर्माण झाले आहेत. फेरमांडणी करू इच्छिणाऱ्या दोन शेजाऱ्यांच्या मध्ये अडकलेली आणि आहे ती स्थिती कायम राखू पाहणारी शक्ती म्हणून पारदर्शिता वाढवणारी, विश्वासाचे वातावरण निर्माण करणारी आणि विशेषत: अण्वस्त्रांच्या बाबतीत तणाव कमी करणारी दुहेरी व तिहेरी सुरक्षाविषयक चर्चा प्रक्रिया सुरू करणे हे भारतासाठी हितावह आहे. ‘कोल्ड स्टार्ट’ विषयाला स्वत:चे असे खास महत्त्व आहेच, पण भारताच्या सुरक्षाविषयक यंत्रणेतील प्रलंबित सुधारणांवरही त्याचा मोठा परिणाम होणार आहे आणि या विषयावर सध्या लक्ष देण्याची गरज आहे. या संकल्पनेचा उगम डिसेंबर २००१ मध्ये भारतीय संसदेवर झालेल्या दहशतवादी हल्ल्यात आहे. कधी नव्हे इतकी दृढनिश्चयी आणि धैर्याची भूमिका घेऊन तत्कालीन सरकारने आडमुठय़ा पाकिस्तानला वठणीवर आणण्याच्या अपेक्षेने आपल्या दहा लाखांहून अधिक सामथ्र्यवान लष्कराची सीमेवर जमवाजमव करण्याचे आदेश दिले. तथापि सैन्याच्या लढाऊ पथकांना सीमेजवळील हल्ला सुरू करण्याच्या ठिकाणी पोहोचण्यासाठी लागलेल्या तीन आठवडय़ांच्या विलंबातून भारताच्या हालचालींमधला व योजनेतला ढिम्मपणा तर उघड झालाच पण पाकिस्तानलाही प्रतिहालचाली करण्यास, दक्षिण आशियातील या स्फोटक प्रश्नाकडे आंतरराष्ट्रीय समुदायाचे लक्ष वेधण्यास आणि भारताचा लढाऊ पवित्रा उधळून लावण्यास अवसर मिळाला. ‘कोल्ड स्टार्ट’ची जबाबदारी त्यानंतर लष्करी योजनाकारांनी सैन्याचे लढाऊ दस्ते सीमेच्या जवळ तैनात करण्याची योजना आखली जेणेकरून कोल्ड स्टार्ट डॉक्ट्रिन अमलात आणण्याचे ठरवताच ४८ ते ७२ तासांत सैन्याच्या जलदगतीने हालचाली करून त्यांना हल्ल्यासाठी सज्ज करता येईल. पाकिस्तानने काही आगळीक केल्यास अण्वस्त्रयुद्धाचा भडका उडू न देता विद्युतवेगाने मर्यादित हल्ला चढवू शकतील, असे ‘इंटिग्रेटेड बॅटल ग्रुप्स’ स्थापित करणे हा लढाऊ दस्त्यांच्या (स्ट्राइक कोअर) फेररचनेच्या संकल्पनेचा गाभा होता. ‘इंटिग्रेटेड बॅटल ग्रुप्स’कडे स्वत:ची चिलखती दले, तोफखाना आणि हवाई हालचालींची सोय असणे आणि ते आटोपशीर व गतिमान दस्ते असणे अपेक्षित होते. कोल्ड स्टार्ट धोरणाला होणारा राजकीय विरोध तर सोडाच, पण त्याच्या अंमलबजावणीसाठी अद्याप दुसऱ्या महायुद्ध काळातील जुनाट युद्धतंत्राच्या मानसिकतेत अडकलेल्या आणि वरिष्ठ पातळीवरील व्यवस्थापनातील त्रुटीने पंगू बनलेल्या लष्कराला अत्यंत कष्टप्रद सुधारणांना सामोरे जावे लागेल. ‘इंटिग्रेटेड बॅटल ग्रुप्स’ने अत्यंत गतिमान युद्ध लढणे अपेक्षित आहे आणि चपळता व लवचीकता हा त्याचा आत्मा असेल. त्यासाठी लष्करी नेतृत्वाच्या प्रत्येक पातळीवर प्रेरक नेतृवाची गरज भासेल आणि पुराणमतवादी लष्करातील काही जुनाट पद्धती व प्रवृत्ती मोडून काढाव्या लागतील. कदाचित या आव्हानाचा आवाका माहीत असल्यानेच लष्कराने आजवर कोल्ड स्टार्ट संकल्पनेच्या अंमलबजावणीची जबाबदारी घेण्यास कुचराई केली असावी. या अनुषंगाने नव्या लष्करप्रमुखांनी प्रश्नाला थेट भिडण्याचे धैर्य दाखवले असून कदाचित कोल्ड स्टार्टकडे नव्याने लक्ष देण्याचा त्यांचा विचार असावा. कोल्ड स्टार्ट हे दबावाचे धोरण असून सीमापार दहशतवादाला पोसून भारताच्या सार्वभौमत्वाचा भंग करणाऱ्या पाकिस्तानवर वचक बसवणे हा त्याचा हेतू आहे. तथापि पाकिस्तानच्या कावेबाज लष्करी नेतृत्वाने त्याचा जाणीवपूर्वक विपर्यस्त अर्थ लावला असून त्या निमित्ताने हत्फ-९ क्षेपणास्त्रासारखी कमी क्षमतेची अण्वस्त्रे विकसित केली आहेत. ही धोकादायक युद्धनीती असून शीतयुद्धाच्या काळात अण्वस्त्रधारी देशांनी तिचा निरुपयोगी म्हणून त्याग केला होता. एकीकडे कोल्ड स्टार्ट धोरणाचा अवलंब करण्यासाठी लागणारी सर्व व्यवस्था उभी करत असतानाच, भारतीय लष्कराने सप्टेंबर २०१६ मध्ये केलेल्या सीमेपलीकडील कारवायांनी हे सिद्ध केले आहे की, कोल्ड स्टार्ट हा एक व्यवहार्य पर्याय आहे आणि त्याचा खुल्या मनाने स्वीकार करण्याची गरज आहे. कोल्ड स्टार्टबाबत अधिक खुलेपणातून शत्रूवर धाक निर्माण होऊन त्याला कोणतीही आगळीक करण्यापासून परावृत्त करण्यास मदत होईल तर ‘इंटिग्रेटेड बॅटल ग्रुप्स’च्या स्थापनेमुळे आपल्या मोठय़ा चिलखती दलांचे स्थित्यंतर होऊन ती दले आक्रमक मानसिकतेत राहतील. तथापि, कोल्ड स्टार्टच्या अंमलबजावणीत दबावाची रणनीती निष्फळ ठरून र्सवकष युद्धाचा भडका उडण्याची शक्यता आहे ही बाब राजकीय नेतृत्वाने स्पष्टपणे समजून घेणे आवश्यक आहे. या सर्व शक्यतांचा गांभीर्याने विचार करून त्यांना तोंड देण्यासाठी सज्ज राहिले पाहिजे. भारताच्या सुरक्षेला अंतर्गत आणि बाह्य़ पातळीवर गंभीर धोके भेडसावत असताना ही चर्चा होत आहे. मात्र जोपर्यंत भारत आपल्या जुनाट राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा यंत्रणेचे कोल्ड स्टार्टच्या अनुषंगाने तीन प्रमुख अंगांनी पुनरुज्जीवन करीत नाही तोपर्यंत हे प्रयत्न केवळ तात्त्विक पातळीवर राहतील. इथे बदल हवे आहेत.. पहिला मुद्दा म्हणजे संरक्षण मंत्रालयातील निर्णयप्रक्रिया सुस्तावलेली आणि लहरी आहे, कारण तेथे प्रामुख्याने सतत बदलत राहणाऱ्या आणि सर्वसामान्य विषयांचे साधारण ज्ञान असलेल्या आणि कोणत्याही विषयात तज्ज्ञ नसलेल्या नोकरशाहीचा भरणा आहे. या नोकरशाहीला संरक्षणविषयक प्रश्नांची जाण नसून त्या संदर्भातील गुंतागुंतीचे निर्णय घेण्यास ती सक्षम नाही. यावरचा उपाय म्हणजे तिन्ही सेनादलांची मुख्यालये आणि संरक्षण मंत्रालय यांची सांगड घालणे. जेणेकरून या विषयावरील माहीतगार एकत्र येतील आणि नोकरशहा व सेनादलांतील अधिकारी खांद्याला खांदा लावून सामोपचाराने काम करतील. तसे केल्याने निर्णयप्रक्रियेत आपोआप नाटय़मय परिवर्तन झाल्याचे दिसून येईल. दुसरी बाब म्हणजे तिन्ही सेनादलांचे एकसूत्रीकरण करण्याची गरज आहे. त्यातून केवळ कोल्ड स्टार्टसारख्या आधुनिक युद्धसंकल्पनेची अंमलबजावणी सुकर होईल एवढेच नाही तर प्रशिक्षण, नियोजन, साधनसामग्री मिळवणे आणि प्रत्यक्ष युद्ध लढण्यात एकजिनसीपणा येईल. जगभरातील अनुभव आहे की, हा एकजिनसीपणा आणण्यासाठी चेअरमन चीफ्स ऑफ स्टाफ किंवा चीफ ऑफ डिफेन्स स्टाफ यांसारख्या यंत्रणेची किंवा पदाची निर्मिती करून ती कार्यान्वित करणे आणि त्यामार्फत तिन्ही सेनादलांच्या प्रमुखांशी सल्लामसलत करून संरक्षणमंत्री आणि पंतप्रधानांना सुरक्षाविषयक सल्ला देणे ही त्याची पूर्वअट आहे. ते त्यांचे समकक्ष असलेल्या संरक्षण सचिवांच्या समन्वयाने काम करतील आणि संरक्षणमंत्री व पंतप्रधानांना संरक्षण धोरणांवर सल्ला देतील. तातडीने लक्ष देण्यासारखा तिसरा महत्त्वाचा मुद्दा म्हणजे भारताचा अपुरा आणि अर्धवट शस्त्रसंभार आणि त्याच्या पूर्ततेसाठी देशातील संरक्षणसामग्री उत्पादनयंत्रणेची मोठी फेररचना करावी लागेल. ज्या बेजबाबदार आणि विफल नोकरशहा आणि शास्त्रज्ञांवर गेल्या ७० वर्षांत संरक्षणसामग्रीच्या संशोधन, विकास आणि उत्पादनाची जबाबदारी सोपवली होती त्यांनी शस्त्रास्त्र पुरवठय़ाबाबतीत देशाला परावलंबी बनवून टाकले आहे. त्याबाबत भल्याथोरल्या घोषणा करून सुरू केलेल्या योजना आणि संरक्षणसामग्री विकत घेण्याच्या पद्धतीत वरवर केलेल्या सुधारणा यांनी काहीही साध्य होणार नाही. याबाबतीत तातडीने मोठय़ा शस्त्रक्रियेची गरज आहे. राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा सुनिश्चित करण्यासाठी व्यापक संरक्षण तंत्रज्ञान आणि औद्योगिक उत्पादन मंत्रालयाच्या स्थापनेची तातडीने गरज आहे; ज्यात लष्कर, नौदल व हवाई दलासाठीच्या शस्त्रास्त्रप्रणालींच्या विकास आणि उत्पादनासाठी तीन स्वतंत्र विभाग असतील व त्यांची जबाबदारी तीन राज्यमंत्र्यांकडे असेल. यातील प्रत्येक विभागाकडे संरक्षण संशोधन आणि विकास संस्थेच्या (डीआरडीओ) आधिपत्यातून काढून दिलेल्या काही प्रयोगशाळांचा तसेच संरक्षण उत्पादन कारखान्यांचा समूह असावा. प्रत्येक समूहात सरकारी व खासगी उद्योगांची भागीदारी असावी व गरज भासेल तेथे थेट परकीय गुंतवणूक मिळवावी. समित्या आणि कृतिगटांची वेळ केव्हाच निघून गेली आहे, कारण पुढील रस्ता स्पष्ट आहे. प्रस्थापित सनदी आणि लष्करी नोकरशाहीकडून होणारा विरोध मोडून काढून हे पुनरुत्थान पुढे रेटण्यास दृढनिश्चयी राजकीय नेतृत्व समर्थ असावे, ज्यातून भारताच्या राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षेचा पाया भक्कम होईल आणि देशाचा अवाढव्य संरक्षण खर्च समर्थनीय ठरेल. लेखक भारताचे नौदलप्रमुख होते. हा लेख त्यांच्या ‘द इंडियन एक्स्प्रेस’मधील लेखाचा अनुवाद आहे.

Surgical strikes: On eve of Republic Day, gallantry awards for heroic jawansthe commanding officers of the 4 & 9 Para Special Forces which took part in last year's surgical strikes+ were awarded Yudh Seva medals.-

TNN & Agencies | Updated: Jan 25, 2017, 07.55 PM IST HIGHLIGHTS Commanding officers of the 4 & 9 Para Special Forces were awarded Yudh Seva medals. Major Mohit Suri of the 4 para was awarded the Kirti Chakra, and five personnel who were part of the operation were awarded the Shaurya Chakra. Reuters file photo for representationReuters file photo for representation NEW DELHI: On the eve of Republic Day, the commanding officers of the 4 & 9 Para Special Forces which took part in last year's surgical strikes+ were awarded Yudh Seva medals. G Major Mohit Suri of the 4 para was awarded the Kirti Chakra, and five personnel who were part of the operation were awarded the Shaurya Chakra. The Kirti Chakra and the Shaurya Chakra are peacetime gallantry awards, while the Yudh Seva medal is a wartime award. Top Comment So nice of the government. Para Special Force is for special tasks and they had shown their talent, accuracy and braveness in recent surgical strike in PoK. They deserve such honour. Narendra Mertia SEE ALL COMMENTSADD COMMENT The Army conducted surgical strikes on terror launchpads+ across the Line of Control in September last last year, after a terrorist attack on an army camp in Uri+ , Jammu and Kashmir, claimed the lives of 19 jawans. The strikes was widely hailed by as a strong move against Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism, and the Army's new chief General Bipin Rawat has said it is prepared to use the tactic again if needed.

list of initiatives of Home Ministry in 2016 Out of the other initiatives taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the major ones were bringing in the first ever National Disaster Management Plan prepared in 2016 and strengthening border protection and vulnerability in border fencing.

By Sandhya Dangwal | Updated: January 3, 2017 3:54 PM IST FollowEmail 1 Shares Facebook share Twitter share Share on Google+ Comments Rajnath Singh From border sealing to ease in visa norms, here are list of initiatives of Home Ministry in 2016 New Delhi, Jan 3: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has seen major developments during 2016. Right from approval of 33% posts at Constable Level for being filled up by women to easing Tourist Visa norms, the Ministry constantly strived hard and has worked for the betterment of people of India. The government brought in the first ever National Disaster Management Plan prepared in 2016. The plan was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 1 last year with a vision to make India disaster resilient, achieve substantial disaster risk reduction and to maximizing the ability to cope with disasters at all levels of administration as well as among communities. Moreover to strengthen border protection and address the issue of gaps and vulnerability in border fencing along Indo-Pakistan border, the Ministry of Home Affairs has constituted a Committee under the Chairmanship of Madhukar Gupta, Retd. Home Secretary. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the Inter-State Council meeting in New Delhi (16.7.2016). The Union Ministers participated in the meeting along with the Chief Ministers and Administrators of States and Union Territories. For the first time a meeting of the Inter-State Council had covered wide ranging topics of common interest to the Centre and the States. Previously Inter-State Council meetings focused on just one or two sectors. It is also important to add here that this meeting had been held after a gap of 10 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the DGPs Conference in Hyderabad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the three-day conclave of DGPs at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) in Hyderabad from November 25-27, 2016 and discussed issues ranging from terrorism to cyber crime. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016, held in New Delhi (3.11.16). This is the first major inter-governmental event after the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR). This Conference paved the way towards implementation of this Framework in the Asian region. It also devised a mechanism for monitoring its progress. Narendra Modi released National Disaster Management Plan, 2016 in New Delhi (1.6.2016). This is the first ever national plan prepared in the country. The NDMP has been aligned broadly with the goals and priorities set out in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The Vision of the Plan is to “Make India disaster resilient, achieve substantial disaster risk reduction, and significantly decrease the losses of life, livelihoods, and assets – economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental – by maximizing the ability to cope with disasters at all levels of administration as well as among communities. Civilian victims of cross border firing gets a compensation of Rs 5 lakh. (12.7.2016). Rajnath Singh approved that the civilian victims of cross border firing along the border will be given a compensation of Rs 5 lakh. Any civilian who dies anywhere in the country due to terror attack, naxal violence, firing from across the border, shelling or IED explosion, will be given Rs 5 lakh as compensation uniformly. Union Home Minister approved New Prison Manual 2016 (21.1.2016). Rajnath Singh has approved the new Model Prison Manual, which aims at bringing in basic uniformity in laws, rules and regulations governing the administration of prisons and the management of prisoners all over the country. Enhancement of representation of women in CAPFs (5.1.2016). Rajnath Singh had approved the 33% posts at Constable level for being filled up by women. Enhancement of Honorarium in respect of SPOs of Jammu & Kashmir to Rs. 6000 per month (1.1.2016). The Ministry of Home Affairs has enhanced the honorarium of Special Police Officers (SPOs) of Jammu and Kashmir upto Rs. 6000 per month from Rs. 3000 per month. The enhancement of honorarium is effective from 1.1.2016 Cabinet approved the facilities being extended to persons residing in India on Long Term Visa (13.7.2016). The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved the following facilities being extended to persons from Minority communities of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians staying on Long Term Visa (LTV) in India. The move is aimed at easing out the difficulties being faced by them and includes the following benefits:- opening of bank account, permission for purchase of property for self-occupation and suitable accommodation for carrying out self-employment, permission to take self-employment, issue of driving licence, PAN card and Aadhaar number, allowing free movement within the State /UT where they are staying, transfer of LTV papers from one state to other etc. MHA constituted Committee to strengthen border protection. The Ministry of Home Affairs has constituted a Committee under the Chairmanship of Madhukar Gupta, Retd. Home Secretary, in order to strengthen border protection and address the issue of gaps and vulnerability in border fencing along Indo-Pakistan border. The Committee presented its report to the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on 29.8.2016. Union Home Minister chaired meeting for sealing Indo-Pak border, held in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan (7.10.2016). Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting of Chief Ministers/ Home Ministers of Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir for sealing of Indo-Pak border in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Inaugurating the meeting, Rajnath Singh sought the active participation of the states to secure the International Border with Pakistan by putting physical and non- physical barriers by December, 2018. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed Border Management (2.6.2016). The Rajnath Singh along with Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju reviewed the Border Management. Rajnath Singh directed that complete Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam should be sealed. Home Minister level bilateral talks between India and Bangladesh, held in New Delhi (28.7.2016). The Bangladesh delegation was led by the Home Minister Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan and Indian delegation by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Speedy operationalisation of three bilateral MoUs; Effective implementation of coordinated border management plan; Bilateral Extradition Treaty amended to make it more effective Signing and Ratification of the BIMSTEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (10.3.2016). The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the signing and ratification of the Bay of Bengal Initiative on Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. The Ministry of Home Affairs has been designated as the Central Authority under Article 15 of the Convention. The BIMSTEC comprises of seven countries viz., Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the 7th Meeting of SAARC Ministers of Interior/Home, held in Islamabad, Pakistan (4.8.2016). Rajnath Singh addressed the 7th Meeting of SAARC Ministers of Interior/Home, in Islamabad, Pakistan. The prominent items on the Agenda were terrorism, smuggling of narcotic drugs, cyber crime and human trafficking. Most of the participating nations strongly condemned terrorism in all its manifestations. “On India’s behalf, I laid special emphasis on the scourge of terrorism. I am sure all the members of this august house would agree with me that the biggest challenge to the peace and prosperity of South Asia is terrorism. I called for hardening our resolve to eradicate this menace of terrorism. I also stressed on the need to ensure that terrorism is not glorified and is not patronized by any State.” (HM’s statement in Parliament on 5.8.2016) 2nd Anti-Drug Working Group meeting of Heads of Drug Control Agencies of BRICS countries, held in New Delhi (8.7.2016). Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 2nd Anti-Drug Working Group meeting. The Narcotics Control Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs organized the 2nd anti-drug Working Group meeting of Heads of Drug Control Agencies of BRICS countries. Delegates resolved to enhance capacity building to prevent and counter illicit drug trafficking. The meeting assumed significance as India hosted the eighth BRICS summit in Goa in October, 2016. Union Home Minister addressed the 4th Ministerial Meeting of SAIEVAC, held in New Delhi (11.5.2016). Rajnath Singh addressed the 4th Ministerial Meeting of the South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC). Chairing the meeting Rajnath Singh said that the safety, security, dignity and wellbeing of our children and young people will determine the wellbeing and strength of our countries. Inter State Council (ISC) and Standing Committee of ISC Reconstituted (28.10.2016). The Government has reconstituted the Inter State Council (ISC) and the Standing Committee of the Inter State Council. Rajnath Singh chaired 22nd meeting of Eastern Zonal Council at Ranchi (27.6.2016). The Eastern Zonal Council, consisting of the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal, discussed the issues like modernisation of State Police Forces, measures to curb communal tension and Left Wing Extremism (LWE), curbing of drug trafficking, measures for bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India, issues relating to fisheries, productivity of livestock and poultry to usher Blue Revolution. 22nd meeting of Western Zonal Council held in Mumbai (21.10.2016). The 22nd meeting of the Western Zonal Council consisting of the States of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli was held at Mumbai, under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The Council took up issues related to coastal security, internal security, issuance of bio-metric identity cards to fishermen & issue of card readers, formulation of plans for countering terrorism, modernization of police force etc. Other important issues discussed were Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Urban) Mission, surplus lands of Central Government for ‘Housing for All : 2022’ and providing shelters to the urban homeless. Constant monitoring of situation in Manipur following blockade in December, 2016. Rajnath Singh on December 22, 2016 wrote separate letters to Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang to bring the security situation in Manipur under control and ensure that there was no disturbance in movement of vehicles going through Nagaland. MoS (Home) Kiren Rijiju on December 23, 2016 met Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in Imphal over the economic blockade by Naga groups, and said the Centre will extend all assistance to restore normalcy in the state. Rijiju visited the state with senior MHA officials to review the law and order situation in the wake of the economic blockade by the Nagas, who are opposing the creation of new districts from areas inhabited by Naga people. Government of India and NSCN issue Joint Communique (12.8.2016). The political initiative of the Government of India and NSCN to amicably resolve the Naga political issue has received a new urgency and impetus during the last two years. The talks have become more purposeful, less ritualistic, more forthright and far more frequent. Suspension of Operations Agreement with NDFB (P) Extended. (23.6.2016). A meeting of Joint Monitoring Group consisting of representatives of Government of India, Government of Assam and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Progressive) was held. After discussions, it was agreed to extend Suspension of Operations for a period of six months upto December 31, 2016. MHA held first round of tripartite talks with Govt. of Manipur and Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF) of Manipur in New Delhi (15.6.2016). Union Home Minister chaired Southern Zonal Council meeting at Thiruvananthapuram (28.12.2016). Rajnath Singh said that all possible steps will be taken to preserve and strengthen the integrity and safety of our country, be it either from external or internal threat. Rajnath Singh chaired a review meeting on NATGRID (31.8.2016). The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh emphasized the importance of NATGRID in assisting the Intelligence and Law Enforcement Agencies in countering national and transnational crimes. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet had approved the appointment of A.K. Patnaik, Additional Director, Intelligence Bureau as Chief Executive Officer, National Intelligence Grid, the first to head the agency. (13.8.2016) The NATGRID framework is to be hosted on the infrastructure being constructed at New Delhi and Bengaluru. The NATGRID framework is expected to be implemented by September 30, 2018. Hansraj Gangaram Ahir assumed charge as the Minister of State for Home Affairs (11.7.2016). Hansraj Gangaram Ahir reviewed the developmental projects in Daman & Diu during his visit to the Union Territory on December 17, 2016. During the visit, MoS (Home) Ahir inaugurated the Coastal Police Station at Kadaiya. He directed the officials to expedite work on setting up the Coastal Police Station at Diu. Ahir called upon the UT Administration to fill up the vacancies immediately so that the Coastal Police Station can operate at its full capacity at the earliest. Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the BRICS meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), held in Udaipur (22.8.2016). Kiren Rijiju said India was willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with other BRICS nations and explore all possible areas of collaboration. He added that DRR is a high priority area for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Cabinet approved Rehabilitation Package for Displaced Families from Pakistan occupied Jammu &Kashmir and Chhamb under the Prime Minister’s Development Package for Jammu & Kashmir, 2015 (30.11.2016). The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had approved Central Assistance of Rs. 2000 crore for 36,384 displaced families from Pakistan occupied areas of Jammu & Kashmir (POJK) and Chhamb following an announcement of Prime Minister’s Development Package for Jammu & Kashmir-2015 in November, 2015. As per the package, Rs. 5.5 lakh cash benefit per family will be disbursed to the displaced families to enable them to earn an income and subsist their livelihood. The amount will be released to the State Government of J&K to be disbursed to eligible families through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). MHA sanctioned additional 10,000 SPOs for J&K (21.9.2016). Union Ministry of Home Affairs has sanctioned the engagement of additional 10,000 Special Police Officers (SPOs) in the Police Department of Jammu and Kashmir. The additional SPOs will be utilized especially for the security related requirements. Cabinet approved raising of 17 Indian Reserve Battalions by J&K and LWE States. (27.1.2016). The Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the raising of 17 India Reserve Battalions (IR Bns) by Jammu & Kashmir and Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected States. Local youths will be recruited. To achieve this, the States will relax the age and educational criteria, if required. In respect of the 05 IR Bns to be raised by J&K, 60% of the vacancies will be filled from the border districts of J&K for the posts of constables and class IV. For LWE states, 75% of the vacancies of constables will be filled up from 27 core districts under Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme. Rs.1000 crores allocated to LWE affected states (6.1.2016). Rajnath Singh approved the State wise allocation of Additional Central Assistance of Rs.1000 crores to 35 worst LWE affected districts in seven states. Enemy Property Ordinance, 2016 promulgated (8.1.2016). The President of India promulgated the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance, 2016 on January 07, 2016 to make amendments to the Enemy Property Act, 1968. The amendments will plug the loopholes in the Act to ensure that the enemy properties that have been vested in the Custodian remain so and they do not revert back to the enemy subject or enemy firm. Cabinet approved grant of Permanent Residency Status to Foreign Investors (31.8.2016). The Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the scheme for grant of Permanent Residency Status (PRS) to foreign investors subject to the relevant conditions as specified in the FDI Policy notified by the Government from time to time. The scheme is expected to encourage foreign investment in India and facilitate Make in India Programme. Under the Scheme, suitable provisions will be incorporated in the Visa Manual to provide for the grant of PRS to foreign investors. Short term Yoga programmes included in Tourist Visa and e-Tourist Visa (2.6.2016). The Ministry of Home Affairs has taken a decision to include short term yoga programmes in Tourist Visa and e-Tourist Visa. Realizing the spread and importance of yoga world over, the Government has decided to include “attending a short term yoga programme” in the list of permissible activities under Tourist Visa. Besides, the Government has decided to include “attending a short term yoga programme” and “short duration medical treatment under Indian systems of medicine” in the list of permissible activities under e-Tourist Visa. Visa on Arrival for Japanese nationals from March 1, 2016 (29.2.2016). As announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Visa on Arrival for Japanese nationals launched from 1st March, 2016. This facility can be availed for the purposes of business, tourism, conference and medical. Validity of this visa after entry will be for a period of 30 days. About 1.80 lakh Japanese nationals visit India every year on various kinds of visas. Business and Tourist Visas constitute around 78% of these. Tourist Visa norms eased for people of Bangladesh above 65 years of age (19.8.2016). The Government of India has decided to increase the duration of tourist visa from one year to five years having multiple entry facility for the people of Bangladesh above 65 years of age. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired high-level meeting in Srinagar on strategic issues (1.7.2016). A High Level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was held in Srinagar. The meeting was also attended by the Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Ms. Mehbooba Mufti and several Senior Officers from the Centre and the State. The meeting deliberated upon the strategic issues pertaining to situation in the state with particular reference to development projects of the state. Union Home Minister concluded visit to Srinagar (24.7.2016) The Home Minister Rajnath Singh concluded his 2 day visit to Srinagar on July 24, 2016. During the visit about 30 delegates including 8 from different political parties met the Home Minister. He also visited Anantnag and met civil society delegations. This wide ranging consultations has given the Union Home Minister an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and the views of a cross section of society. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh met wide spectrum of political parties in Srinagar on August 24, 2016 (24.8.2016). Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh held a series of meetings with a wide spectrum of political parties in Srinagar. Rajnath Singh also chaired a meeting of Senior Officers of Security Agencies and State Government to review the security situation in the Kashmir Valley. He appealed to the J&K people to help maintain law & order and restore peace. All Party delegation led by Rajnath Singh concluded its visit to J&K (5.9.2016). An All Party delegation visiting Jammu and Kashmir concluded its 2-day visit on September 5, 2016. The Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said that the delegation’s talks with the various sections in J&K had been fruitful. Expert Committee for exploring other possible alternatives to Pellet Guns as Non-lethal Weapons constituted (26.7.2016). The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh approved the constitution of a seven-member Expert Committee under the chairmanship of T V S N Prasad, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs for exploring the other possible alternatives to Pellet Guns as Non-lethal Weapons. The Committee submitted its report to the Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi on August 29, 2016. Union Home Minister met different delegations at Leh (3.10.2016). The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh met over 15 political parties, religious communities and civil society groups at Leh on October 3, 2016. They presented a joint memorandum for grant of UT status with legislature to Leh-Ladakh region. Creation of a cell in MHA to address grievances of Jammu & Kashmir people (30.8.2016). The Ministry of Home Affairs nominated Director in J&K Division as the Nodal Officer for grievances relating to J&K persons, particularly students residing outside the State. Text of the Joint Statement issued after the conclusion of Union Home Minister’s 3-day visit to Bahrain (25.10.2016). The two sides agreed that the exchange of high level visits has contributed to the implementation of important agreements between the two countries. The two sides agreed to actively implement the counterterrorism agreement, for which a joint committee was formed that held its first meeting in the sideline of the visit. Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval to India-Bahrain Agreement on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organized Crime and Trafficking in Illicit Drugs, Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances and Precursors Chemicals, and ratification of the same (6.1.2016). The MoU shall come into force from the date of exchange of the instruments of ratification. MoS (Home) Kiren Rijiju addressed the First Asian S&T Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), held in Bangkok, Thailand (24.8.2016). Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, a UN designated Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Champion for the Asia Region, attended the First Asian Science and Technology Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction held at Bangkok in Thailand. Second Meeting of the High Level Group of Eminent Experts to strengthen the SAARC Anti-Terrorism Mechanism, held in New Delhi (22.9.2016). The Director, Intelligence Bureau, Dineshwar Sharma has asked the SAARC nations to strictly enforce internationally mandated sanctions against terrorist entities and individuals. Sharma also called upon the eight member States to ratify and enable various Conventions enacted by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) grouping, including the Convention on Suppression of Terrorism and Additional Protocols and the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. Meeting concluded on 23.9.2016. Exchange of terrorist screening information Arrangement between India and USA signed in New Delhi (2.6.2016). An Arrangement between the authorized Governmental agencies of the Government of India and the Government of the United States of America for exchange of terrorist screening information was signed. As per this Arrangement, both sides shall provide each other access to terrorism screening information through the designated contact points, subject to domestic laws and regulations. Three agreements between India and Switzerland on Mutual Visa Exemption, Return of Illegal Migrants and Arrangement for Dependent Persons of Diplomatic and Consular Mission to Perform Gainful Employment signed in New Delhi (6.10.2016). The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh met the visiting Minister for Justice and Police of Swiss Confederation, Ms. Simonetta Sommaruga. Rajnath Singh stated that the two countries have made significant contributions to strengthen peace and prosperity based on their shared vision of a peaceful and progressive future. MoU between India and United Arab Emirates on cooperation in preventing and combating of Human Trafficking (13.4.2016). The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and United Arab Emirates on cooperation in preventing and combating of Human Trafficking. The MoU will strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two countries and increase the bilateral cooperation on the issues of prevention, rescue, recovery and repatriation related to human trafficking especially women and children expeditiously. Indo-Maldives talks on Terrorism (11.4.2016). During the visit of the President of Maldives to India, the Government of Maldives highlighted the need for capacity building in view of their concerns on counter terrorism. Both sides reiterated their commitment to coordinate efforts to counter terrorism and radicalization and enhance cooperation in counter terrorism operations, intelligence sharing and capacity building. Kiren Rijiju participated in the Symposium on ‘Shared Values and Democracy in Asia’ in Tokyo (19.1. 2016). The Minister of State (Home) Kiren Rijiju underlined that Samvad/dialogue holds the key to good relations and that for the 21st Century to be the Asian century, democratic societies must work together to preserve and promote non-conflicting traditions and democratic values. Union Home Minister reviewed relief operation in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (13.12.2016). The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh held a high level meeting to take stock of the situation of the relief operations following the landfall of cyclone Vardah in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. NDRF had deployed its 19 flood and rescue teams in various parts of Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu affected by cyclone Vardah. NDMA coordinated response and relief after Manipur Earthquake (4.1.2016). An earthquake of 6.7 magnitude occurred in District Tamernglong, Manipur state on 4.12016. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) immediately took action and started coordinating with the State Governments, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defence, NDRF, Ministry of Telecom and other concerned Government departments and agencies for search & rescue and relief. On 5.1.2016, the Cabinet Secretary P. K. Sinha chaired a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee to take stock of ongoing Relief operations in Manipur. Flood rescue and relief operation by NDRF (22.8.2016). The rescue and relief operations by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in the flood affected various districts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh were in full swing. 56 flood rescue teams of NDRF were operational in various flood prone areas of the different states to assist the respective state administration in rescue and relief work. NDRF teams had evacuated/rescued more than 53,000 persons and provided medical assistance to 12,200 needy persons in this monsoon season. Flood rescue and evacuation operation by NDRF in Maharashtra’s Raigad District (5.8.2016). Massive search operations were carried out by NDRF and other agencies in Maharashtra’s Raigad District. Four NDRF teams had been pressed into action to trace the missing victims in the Savitri River and its surroundings. NDRF deployed in rain affected areas of Hyderabad, Karnataka and Telengana (25.9.2016). Continuous heavy rains lashed several districts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telengana where normal life had been thrown out of gear due to flood-like situation. NDRF teams were in touch with the local administration and monitored the situation round the clock. NDRF rescued 54 injured from the mangled bogies in Kanpur (20.11.2016). 05 search and rescue teams of NDRF were relentlessly engaged to extricate victims, trapped in the mangled bogies of Patna-Indore Express. Due to prompt response by NDRF, 54 passengers including 16 critically injured had been rescued and 31 bodies retrieved from the mangled bogies of derailed train. Government approved subsidized helicopter services in J&K and Himachal Pradesh (9.9.2016). The Government accorded its approval for operation of helicopter services in the State of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh on a pilot basis in 10 sectors, as per the stipulation that the most inaccessible destination points should be chosen. 7th National Conference on Women in Police (6.1.2016). Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 7th National Conference on Women in Police. The Home Minister said that the women’s representation is not adequate and the Government is committed to give adequate representation to them. Enhancement of Pension for Freedom Fighters under the Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme (18.8.2016). The existing pension scheme for Central freedom fighter pensioners and their eligible dependents has been restructured. The revised scale introduced with effect from 15.8.2016. Outcome of probe by JIT on Pathankot (27.4.2016). A Five member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) from Pakistan had visited India to collect, review and document physical evidences and to interview key witnesses and victims through the NIA in connection with the Pathankot Airbase terror attack. The Pakistan JIT shared with NIA the results of investigations carried out by them in Pakistan. The case is under investigation in both the countries. The Government is in touch with the relevant Pakistani Authorities in the matter.