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Russia puts off Gorshkov delivery till 2013-end
Promotion rules |
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MEA to declassify papers on Pak, other nations
Punish Karnataka for stopping water release, TN urges SC
Wheat export
In India, 20 children are raped every day; 42 get kidnapped
PM: Anti-graft agencies must upgrade skills
India-Japan making progress on nuke deal
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Russia puts off Gorshkov delivery till 2013-end
New Delhi, October 10 Defence Minister AK Antony and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov met in New Delhi today for the 12th annual meeting of the India-Russia inter-governmental commission on military technical cooperation where the matter of delay in the delivery of Gorshkov was discussed. The 45,000-tonne carrier was scheduled to be delivered on December 4 this year. During the July-Sept sea trials in the Barents sea, a malfunction was detected in its boilers which is now causing the delay. The Gorshkov is being refitted at a cost of $2.3 billion for the Indian Navy that already operates seaborne aircraft carrier INS Viraat. Serdyukov said, “We have given a revised time table, sea trials shall resume in April next year. We believe the transfer (of the ship) will take place in the fourth quarter of 2013.” At present the ship is back in the shipyard at Severodvinsk, an inspection is being carried out and the reason for the malfunction was being examined. “We will work a detail schedule for elimination of the malfunction”, the Russian Defence Minister said. The Indian side made its stand clear that it was not evoking the penalty clause, but hinted that it could be considered. Antony, in response to a question on the penalty clause, said: “We are not discussing these issues now…. will be considered at latter stage, if necessary.” He went on to add: “Early delivery of the Gorshkov is an important concern of the Indian Government and the Navy. We have conveyed serious concern.” The Russian side said during the sea trials the warship covered 11,000 maritime miles. Serdyukov listed the lease of nuclear-powered submarine INS Chakra as the high point of Indo-Russian defence relations. Significant results had been achieved in case of BrahMos missile and “we are working on a new-generation missile”, he said. Later sources said the new hypersonic version of the BrahMos was discussed at the meeting. “We are looking at stepping up the intensity of the Naval exercise,” Serdyukov added. The Russian minister dismissed the talk that his visit scheduled for October 4 was postponed due to the Moscow-visit of the Pakistan Army Chief Gen Ashraf Parvez Kayani. “I have already apologised (for that). The only reason was a new project had cropped up,” he added. Asked if Russia would be supplying arms to India’s neighbours, he said, “We have not had any change in our legislation whatsoever.” Beside Gorshkov, the two sides also discussed issues of increased naval cooperation at high seas.
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Promotion rules
Chandigarh, October 10 The Tribunal’s decision implies that short service officers commissioned prior to 2006 would not only be promoted faster but would also be eligible for grant of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, which was earlier not possible for them. The order affects hundreds of short service commission officers. In 2004, the Central government had rationalised the promotional prospects of defence officers by providing time-scale promotions to the ranks of Captain, Major and Lieutenant Colonel on the completion of two, six and 13 years’ service, respectively. The earlier time-span for these promotions was five, 10 and 15-18 years. Though the order was initially also made applicable to women and short service officers, the benefits were later held back on the pretext that the service of such officers was not technically “reckonable commissioned service”. The benefits were not extended to affected officers even after the Defence Minister made a statement in Parliament that short service commission officers would be placed on a par with regular officers for promotional avenues and a government notification to the same effect issued under the Army Act. However, the benefits were later granted to short service officers commissioned after 2006 when the old terms were changed from 5+5+4 years’ service to 10+4 years’ system. In the Air Force and the Navy, however, the benefits were granted to all officers. As a result, short service officers commissioned prior to 2006 were being promoted as Captains in nine years as compared to two years for those commissioned after 2006. A woman officer, Jasreen Dhillon, had challenged the non-grant of benefits to officers who had opted to continue with the earlier terms on the ground that even the earlier existing regulations termed the service of such officers as “reckonable commissioned service” for promotion purpose and that benefits had been granted to officers under the new terms. It was averred that the Army could not deny benefits on the basis of executive orders which was in contravention of a Cabinet decision and statutory government notification.
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MEA to declassify papers on Pak, other nations
New Delhi, October 10 These records cover Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Iran and Sri Lanka, East Asia, Eurasia and America, he said addressing an international seminar on ‘Early Years of Nuclear Cooperation and Non-Proliferation: A Dialogue on Nuclear Historicities’. Talking about the declassified 70,000 files, Chakravarty said of these 12,388 have been physically handed over to the National Archives. “We have also indexed these files, based on subject matter and the whole classification scheme was brought into an online format. There is searchable index available on our website indiandiplomacy.in, where you can search for any declassified file giving a search word. Once you choose the file you want to see, you have to approach the National Archives for viewing it physically. The detailed procedure for getting access to files at the National Archives is also available on the website,’’ the official added. Chakravarty said this was the first time in many years that the ministry has taken the initiative to declassify such a large number of files from its archives. “We hope this will lead to renewed academic interest and greater understanding of the evolution of India’s foreign policy.” Throwing light on India's nuclear policy, Chakravarty said it “remains firmly rooted in the basic tenet that our country's national security, in a world of nuclear proliferation, lies either in universal, non-discriminatory disarmament or in the exercise of the principle of equal and legitimate security for all”, adding that “India’s nuclear doctrine, therefore, includes ‘no first use’ of nuclear weapons and non-use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states”. Vital record
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No revival of militancy in Punjab: Shinde New Delhi, October 10 To a question on attempts to revive militancy in Punjab and the challenge it posed, Shinde, who was addressing a press conference, said: “There is information that there are some instances (of Punjab militant activity) not only in the state but also abroad. We are monitoring it.” However, it could not be termed revival of militancy, he added. On the upcoming memorial at the Golden Temple complex to mark Operation Bluestar and if the Home Ministry had any objection to it, Shinde said: “Some institutions are doing that. We do not want to override their rights. It is not a question of matter of objection or no objection. It is a matter of rights given to them under the Constitution.” He clarified that by “institutions” he meant the SGPC. Experts on Sikh matters cited Section 144 of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, which limits the “government interference in gurdwaras”, as the basis for the Home Minister “rights under the Constitution” comment. On why he could not object to the memorial, Shinde said: “I do not want to overstep the rights (of the SGPC)…. I leave it to them. It is their (Sikh) institution. We cannot interfere unless someone raises an objection in court.” Shinde, without naming the SGPC, said: “They must understand that the country has been hurt in the past. That is why the other day, on a visit to Amritsar, I had advised them to ‘self-introspect’.” On the possibility of a common denominator between the militant groups in Kashmir and Punjab, Shinde said: “There was some information that Kashmir and Punjab groups were in communication with each other.” He said he would visit Kashmir to take part in a meeting soon. Besides, he would also visit Jammu along with border posts. On providing security to Army and police personnel who took part in Operation Bluestar and other anti-militant activities, Shinde said it was obligatory of the police to review the security of such people and give them protection. Soni on memorial Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni on Wednesday criticised the plan to build the Operation Bluestar Memorial at the Golden Temple Complex in Amritsar. She said: “Nothing should be done which glorifies terrorism and also helps in killing of innocent people.” She also flayed the recent felicitation of the kin of the assassins of General AS Vaidya, the architect of Operation Bluestar. She was in Amritsar to attend a one-day programme of AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
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Punish Karnataka for stopping water release, TN urges SC
New Delhi, October 10 In the contempt petition, TN named Karnataka Chief Minister Jagdish Shettar, Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai and five top officials as respondents. “The respondents appear to believe that they can defy with impunity the orders of this Hon’ble Court and treat it with contempt. It would indeed be a sad day for the democracy and the rule of law in the country if they can get away with such disregard and defiance,” TN said in the petition. The state also prayed that Karnataka should be directed in the meanwhile to release 9,000 cusecs daily till October 15 as contained in the September 28 order of the SC. The other respondents include the Chief Secretary and the Water Resources Secretary. TN contended that while it was taking recourse to constitutional remedies to prevent the arousal of the “emotions and passions” of its residents, “several protests, rallies/bandhs were instigated and orchestrated by partisan and parochial interests in the Cauvery Basin districts of Karnataka opposing the release of water.”
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Wheat export
New Delhi, October 10 Iran has complained about the presence of fungal disease Karnal bunt in samples sent from Punjab and Haryana, which was also confirmed by Pawar. Addressing the Economic Editors Conference yesterday, Pawar said the effort would be to try to export wheat from areas where Karnal bunt was not present and “Madhya Pradesh is one such state”. Iran is expected to finalise an order for importing two to three million tonnes of wheat every year. An Indian delegation is currently visiting Iran, aiming to clinch the deal at around $ 300 a tonne free on board (FOB). Karnal bunt, a fungal disease, is named after Karnal district of Haryana from where it was first reported in 1931.
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In India, 20 children are raped every day; 42 get kidnapped
New Delhi, October 10 The figure is alarming as it translates into 90 crimes against children in India every day. In 2010, the country saw 26,694 cases in this category. For the first time, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has analysed crime data involving child victims to flag major gaps to ministries. The analysis of data given out by the ministry in its latest compilation “Children in India 2012” shows that majority of children are being subjected to the heinous crimes of rape and abductions for ransom.
The rise in kidnappings and rapes has been 43 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively, between 2010 and 2011. The country saw 7,112 rapes of children in 2011 as against 5,484 in 2010. This means around 20 children are sexually violated every day. The rising crimes can be attributed to an abysmally low conviction rate of 34.6 per cent. Kidnapping cases rose from 10,670 in 2010 to 15,282 in 2011. Most of child kidnappings took place in Uttar Pradesh (3,739 cases) and Delhi (3,528 cases). Together, the two made up 47.6 per cent of all kidnappings of children in that year. Madhya Pradesh led the graph in child rapes. It accounted for 1,262 of the total 7,112 such cases in India. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra reported 1,088 and 818 cases, respectively. Foeticide showed an increase of 19 per cent over 2010 with 132 cases being reported across India and MP, Chhattisgarh and Punjab accounting for more than half of all. Buying and selling of girls for prostitution (85 pc of this crime is still concentrated in Maharashtra) and infanticide were the only areas that witnessed some drop in rate. This was due to the fact that the highest conviction rate among all crimes against children was witnessed in cases of infanticide where 46. 9 pc of the registered cases resulted in convictions.
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PM: Anti-graft agencies must upgrade skills New Delhi, October 10 “The economic reforms initiated in the early 1990s greatly reduced many old forms of corrupt practices associated with controls and the licence-permit raj. They resulted in faster economic growth and newer areas of economic activity. This, in turn, led to newer opportunities for corruption, ones associated with specialisation and expansion of our economy. As our economy grows and becomes more integrated with the evolving global economy, the big challenge before our anti-corruption agencies is to keep pace with these rapid developments,” Dr Manmohan Singh said while inaugurating the annual conference of the CBI and state anti-corruption bureaux here. The government has taken two initiatives to minimise corruption in the Indian economy and polity - transfer resources directly to the individual beneficiaries and amend the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA). — TNS
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India-Japan making progress on nuke deal
This became quite clear today at the end of the sixth round of the India-Japan energy dialogue in Tokyo. The Indian side at the meeting was led by Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia while the Japanese delegation was headed by Yukio Edano, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. In a joint statement, the two countries emphasised the importance of civil nuclear cooperation between them. “Based on the experience of the accident at Fukushima and the lessons learned from it, both sides confirmed the need to cooperate in enhancing the safety of nuclear power plants,” it added. The Indian side, which included senior MEA officials, made a presentation on India's plan for expanding nuclear energy generation in the coming years. The talks on the nuclear pact were expected to gain momentum during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Tokyo towards the end of the year for the annual India-Japan Summit. However, the trip might get delayed this time because of the impending elections in Japan. India, which is planning to increase the number of nuclear plants in the country to ensure power supplies, is eager to sign the civil nuclear cooperation pact that would allow it to import nuclear technologies from Japan. The two countries started negotiations on the nuclear accord in June 2010. Three rounds of talks had been conducted between them. A nuclear deal with India has been a sensitive issue in Japan, the only country, which suffered a nuclear holocaust 66 years ago. The Fukushima disaster last year had put a question mark over a civil nuclear pact between the two countries. However, Japan reassured New Delhi that it was committed to the nuclear deal with India. Fully aware of Japan’s sensitivity on the issue, Indian officials say New Delhi is in no hurry for the deal to fructify. “We want all issues between the two sides to be resolved to mutual satisfaction before the deal is concluded,’ an official explained. However, it has been made quite clear to Tokyo that India would not sign the NPT or the CTBT as a precondition for entering into nuclear cooperation with Japan. Tokyo is also not insisting any longer on India signing the two treaties but wants New Delhi to stick to its commitment to moratorium on further testing at the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG).
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Unmanned aircraft to keep tabs on Assam rhinos
Guwahati, October 10 This was announced by Union Minister for Environment and Forest, Jayanthi Natarajan today during her maiden visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park was was in the news recently because of a spurt in the killing of rhinos and damages caused to it by devastating flood. She also announced a grant of Rs one crore for taking immediate measures to repair the damages caused to terh park. “The un-manned remote-controlled aircraft and the electronic surveillance system will strengthen the wildlife protection measures in Kaziranga,” Assam Forest Minister Rakibul Hussain said. He said the electronic surveillance system that was going to be provided to the KNP would include a series of towers with remote-controlled electronic cameras, including night-vision and thermal imaging devices in and around the 850-sq km park. “We will then have real-time images of any suspicious movement inside the Park which will further help in checking poaching of rhinos,” Hussain said. Natrajan today visited the Kaziranga Park and reviewed the existing measures in the park.
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The Indian plan to provide its Navy with two seaborne aircraft carriers has been delayed by a year. Russia today informed India that Admiral Gorshkov, India’s second carrier, cannot be delivered till the 2013-end due a “malfunction” in its propulsion system and boilers. India has been pressing for early delivery of the carrier, side-stepping questions if it could evoke the penalty clause for delay.
New Delhi, October 10