Air Force to finally get AJT
By Pritam Bhullar

MERCIFULLY, the Ministry of the Defence (MoD), after dragging its feet on the issue of the acquisition manufacturing of an Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) for the past 14 years, has now taken a decision to purchase at least two squadrons of the British Hawk.

The fact that it has finally dawned on the MoD that the Indian Air Force (IAF) badly needs an AJT, is a landmark achievement in itself. But what is sad is that this realisation has come to the bureaucrats after the IAF has lost about 220 pilots and over 556 aircraft in accidents, the majority of which occurred because of the lack of proper training of pilots on an AJT.

It was in 1991, that the choice of an AJT was short-listed to two aircraft — the British Hawk and the Franco-German Alfa Jet. Soon after that, the IAF had opted for the British Hawk because it was felt that this trainer would be better suited to the structure of the IAF. There was hardly anything that the MoD had to do after that except to give the final nod.

Why has this delay been caused then, resulting in the loss of so many precious lives and aircraft? Because in India politicians and bureaucrats are not accountable to anyone. What a wonderful system of governance!

Hero of Jessore

The passing away of Maj Gen Dalbir Singh (retd) at his farm house in Ambala on August 22, brings back to memory the honour that he earned for his formation (9 Infantry Division), the Army and the country in the 1971 war.

On December 6, Gen Dalbir Singh’s division was given the task of advancing along the axis of Bojra-Jessore-Khulna to capture Jessore and Khulna. The former was not only heavily fortified and well defended by a brigade — size force but it also housed Headquarters 9 Infantry Division of the enemy commanded by Maj Gen Idris.

Expecting stiff resistance from the enemy, the General planned to punch a hole through Jessore’s defences at Durgabati, 15 km west of the former. The Indian division moved so swiftly that by December 8, Jessore was captured. This brought to Gen Dalbir Singh the title of the "Hero of Jessore".

Thereafter, the enemy fell back in great confusion to Khulna, 40 km south-east of Jessore. Moving on the heels of the enemy, 9 Infantry Division captured Khulna on December 16. And on December 17, the Pakistani Brigade Commander surrendered to Gen Dalbir Singh. Gen Dalbir Singh’s action in the Bangladesh War brought him the Param Vashisht Seva Medal (PVSM). He also commanded the famous 1 Jat (Light Infantry). He retired in August 1976.

Justice through court

The Supreme Court, in a recent judgement, has ruled that the Army personnel who become disabled when travelling at their own expense while on leave will be entitled to disability pension.

A Division Bench comprising Justice S.P. Bharucha and Justice N. Santosh Hegde said: "If the journey was authorised, it should make no difference whether the fare for the same came from the public exchequer or the Army personnel himself. The object of the rule, as we see, is to provide relief to a victim of an accident during the travel. If that be so, the nature of expenditure incurred for the purpose of said travel is wholly alien to the object of the rules".

The ruling was given by the Supreme Court against the Rajasthan High Court order on the appeal of Sawar (horse rider) Madan Singh Shekhawat, who had lost his right hand in an accident while travelling to his home.

This judgement should leave no doubt in any mind that the armed forces personnel who sustain injuries resulting in their disability while travelling to their homes on annual, casual or sick leave are entitled to disability pension.

Paradoxically, the medical benefits that the armed forces personnel are entitled to are much lower in scale than what their civilian counterparts get. Though our politicians don’t get tired of singing songs in praise of the defence personnel at the time of war, when it comes to giving them the same benefits as the bureaucrats enjoy, they become tight-fisted.

Unlike the civilian Central Government pensioners who can get treatment for any disease after retirement at government expense, the defence pensioners who are members of the Medical Benefit Scheme (MBS) can get treatment for only a few specific diseases; for which a part of the cost of treatment is reimbursed. Why this step-motherly treatment to the faujis?

Scourge of security

Security is an important factor both in peace time and in war; more so in war. But if taken too far, security measures cause great inconvenience to the public at large.

For instance, take barring access to the Army telephones net-work from the civil lines even in peace stations during the Kargil conflict; the restriction that continued for almost two months.

Granted that you do not want to bother a soldier who is fighting at the front even if there is a tragedy at his home. But there is no reason to stretch this restriction to such an extent that a soldier who is serving in a static establishment in a peace station e.g. a training centre, cannot be informed about the death or serious accident of his father or a close relative on the telephone. There were several cases of this nature during the period when the military telephones were barred.

An example from Chandigarh is of ex-servicemen who, in case of an emergency, could not contact the Command Hospital for a cardiac van, a funeral van or a field ambulance. Should the military hospitals’ telephones also be barred? What purpose does this serve?

In any case, the telephone service is not a secret service. So why impose any restriction on it in a peace station? What would have adequately met the requirement was issue of instructions within the armed forces that nothing will be divulged to anyone on the telephone.