Is Army really sensitive to the needs of ex-servicemen?

Jaipur, Oct 28 (PTI) Army Chief General Bikram Singh today said the Army is sensitive to the needs of ex-servicemen and will ensure that their issues are addressed.
Gen Singh, addressing a rally of ex-servicemen in Rajasthan''s Jhunjhunu district, said the Army would take all steps to ensure that ex-servicemen and their families are cared for.
This was his first major interaction with ex-servicemen in the state during which approximately 15,000 ex-servicemen were present, according to defence spokesperson S D Goswami.
The Army Chief said a military school would be opened in Jhunjhunu and he would pursue it from Delhi, sources present in the function said.
He said whenever he visits the prime minister, he reminds him about canteen, medical and health problems and one-rank- one-pension for ex-servicemen, the sources said. On the occasion, the Army Chief recollected the glorious history of courage and sacrifices made by the people of the state and motivated youth to join the Armed forces.
He exhorted the gathering to continue their selfless service towards society and nation building by encouraging the youth to join this noble profession. The event was marked by distribution of Mobility Scooters to disabled soldiers, financial grant for education and daughter''s marriage and felicitation of Veer Naris and elderly ex-servicemen.
Different agencies from the Army, state government and private sector established stalls to render assistance and spread awareness on pension, health, education, banking, insurance, agriculture, placement, rehabilitation and recruitment to resolve concerns of ex-servicemen.
Singh''s wife and president of AWWA (Army Wives Welfare Association), Bubbles Singh, inaugurated a medical camp with doctors, including specialists, carrying out medical checkups, rendering advice and distributing medicines to large number of veterans on the occasion.
In Jhunjhunu, the Army Chief and the AWWA president were received by Army Commander Lt Gen Gyan Bhushan.
Army sensitive to ex-servicemen needs: Gen Singh
Army Chief Visits Yole and Addresses Ex-Servicemen Rally at Pathankot
Is the Chief really batting for the ESM? KRA for veterans remains only on paper
KRA- ESM Welfare- What it really means

Treating the ESM and defence force communities with courtesy, respect and sensitivity to their individual circumstances

Responding promptly to feedback, inquiries and correspondence

Demonstrating personal commitment to delivering quality service- like ECHS, CSD facilities and displaying correct and up to date Pension Entitlements

Improving the range, accessibility, quality, timeliness, consistency and coordination of services

Keeping the ESM and defence force communities informed of their full entitlements and available services- re employment and rehabilitation

Explaining welfare decisions clearly and facilitating interacion

ESM Welfare Thiruvananthapuram

State would favourably consider issues concerning ex-servicemen and service personnel:CM
Thiruvananthapuram 05-10-2012: Inaugurating the Civil-Military Liaison Conference, CM said that the State would favourably consider issues concerning ex-servicemen and service personnel.
He added that exemption in age criterion, weightage mark, and reservation for ex-servicemen would be considered in select posts apart from strengthening the functioning of ex-servicemen’s grievance redressal cells.
The Sainik Welfare Board should take up recruitment of kin of war heroes and those incapacitated during action to civilian posts in Defence establishments including the Canteen Stores Department (CSD) said the CM.
The State would ensure land for expansion activities of Army units stationed here, including handing over of 10 acres at Muttathara or Vithura for rehabilitation of ex-servicemen.
There are no hassles in handing over 70.40 acres near the Cochin international airport at Nedumbassery for the Coast Guard Air Enclave. The Army could prepare a consolidated list of land issues it faces, to be discussed in a separate meeting led by the Chief Secretary and the Collectors concerned, the CM said.
Civil Military liaison Conference

Indian Army launches campaign for ex-servicemen

Indian Army launches campaign for ex-servicemen
Lucknow: The Indian Army on Tuesday launched a campaign aimed at deepening its respect for aged and retired soldiers.

The army's Central Command launched the "Year of the Veteran" campaign in the presence of several ex-army men and serving officers.
They were drawn from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, an army official said. Lt Gen Anil Chait opened the event.
With over 300,000 ex-servicemen, the officer said two pilot projects had been taken up.
So far 911 complaints regarding issues like housing and pension have been registered with the army.
In the first phase, an officer said that army teams had fanned out in villages to obtain data about the problems faced by ex-servicemen.
Indian Army launches campaign for ex-servicemen

What lures Generals to Panchkula?:

Panchkula: 'City of Generals'
PANCHKULA: Panchkula, the satellite town of Chandigarh, seems to be fast becoming the " City of Generals" as one more war veteran has made it his post-retirement home. Army commander of Western Command Lt Gen S R Ghosh, who hung up his uniform, has decided to settle down in Panchkula, which is already home to hundreds of Army officers including Gen V K Singh, who also retired recently, and former army chief V P Malik.
Lt Gen Ghosh said he loved the area during his stint as Army commander and decided to settle here because of the atmosphere and way of life the city offers for the defence personnel. Another reason for settling down here, he added, was that his wife, a retired bureaucrat, was born and brought up here. Ghosh, nevertheless, maintained that the city lacks maintenance and that considering the number of senior officers settling here, local bodies should focus on its proper upkeep.
Panchkula already has hundreds of officers and war veterans, who remained commanders of various vital formations of Army during conventional as well as non-conventional wars, settled here. Among them are former Army chief Gen (retd) Malik, former Army vice-chief Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi, former commanders -- Lt Gen H S Panag, Lt Gen P S Hoon, Lt Gen Deepinder Singh, LT Gen T K Sapru, Lt Gen G S Sihota, Lt Gen R S Dayal (died recently), Lt Gen Daljit Singh and Lt Gen Surinder Singh among others.
Sector 12, 12-A, 6, 20 and MDC have a high concentration of top Army officers. In fact, Panchkula has become a station of choice post-retirement not only for those from the region but also those belonging to other parts of the country.
According to senior Army officers, the city is one of the best urban planned cities of the country, has spacious roads, large lung spaces and planned markets. Besides, it is strategically located -- within an earshot of Shimla to the north and New Delhi to the south. With Chandimandir Cantonment in the vicinity, officers' link to service life and a large community of retired and serving officers make it particularly attractive.
Panchkula: 'City of Generals' gets 2 more after 'farewell to arms' by Ajay Sura, TNN Jun 1, 2012, 05.01AM IST

AFNHB is akin to AWHO: Money Spinners

Adarsh scam scares Kerala govt
K P Sai Kiran, TNN Aug 26, 2012, 03.45AM IST
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ricochets of Adarsh scam seem to have rocked the Kerala bureaucracy. The state revenue department has turned down a proposal by the Air Force Naval Housing Board (AFNHB), requesting land for coming up with a housing project for serving and retired Air Force and Navy personnel, citing that "it may lead to Adarsh-like scams".
"The proposal may be turned down. The AFNHB is only a housing society which is registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860. When prime land is not available even for development purposes of the state, it need not be given for such purposes. An alternative site can be located but the government need not play the role of a middle-man for locating the land, as it may lead to Adarsh-like scams," said the revenue department's note, accessed by the STOI.
With this, fate of the ambitious project by the defence welfare organization is almost sealed.
"With the department concerned putting such an objection on record, that too expressing apprehension of another Adarsh-like scam, the housing project may not take off,'' a source said.
Union minister of state for defence M M Pallam Raju had on May 31, 2007, written to the then chief minister V S Achuthanandan requesting to allot at least 10 acres of land at a suitable location for the AFNHB "to construct residential units, community facilities, sports complexes, etc., for retired Air Force and Navy personnel of your state''.
Following this, the AFNHB put forward a proposal requesting the Kerala government to allot 10 acres from the 135 acres of land near Muttathara, close to the airport. Air Vice-Marshal K P Nair on June 14, 2012, wrote to the government that AFNHB was willing to pay for the land at prevailing government rates.
The Muttathara land, ever since the revenue department decided to develop it for housing projects, was eyed by many governmental and semi-governmental organizations given its prime location and proximity to the airport. Though the Kerala government has already given parts of the 135-acre plot to Indian Air Force, Border Security Force and Airports Authority of India, the babus developed cold feet in the case of AFNHB alone.
Adarsh scam scares Kerala govt
Comment: Wise decision taken by Kerala. Most of the AWHO houses after a few years are sold to the civilians thereby making a huge profit. In some cases complete housing colony is now owned by civilians. Transfer from Military allottee to civilians is based on paying bribes to AWHO officials at Delhi. The whole concept of Welfare Housing for the Armed Forces (like AWHO) smacks transparency under the 1860 Indian Society Act. This is a money making gimmick which should be discouraged and closed down. All state governments must be warned against allotting land to these so called welfare organisations. Only Senior Military Personnel Benefit in these clandestine welfare gimmicks. The poor Jawans are made suckers by the poor quality and sub-standard construction which starts to crumble even before occupation. This has been exposed in earlier posts on this blog on AWHO- click here.

Consumer Redressal Commission imposes Rs 10,000 fine on AWHO

Consumer body hints at ‘Adarsh-like scam’ in Army housing allotment in Panchkula
Rajni Shaleen Chopra,Rajni Shaleen Chopra Posted: Jan 08, 2012
Chandigarh Haryana Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has taken a stern view of the irregularities in allotments by Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) at its residential project at Sector 20 in Panchkula, and has said that “if enquired into deeply, this may again turn out to be another scam like Adarsh Society at Bombay”.
In a recent order, the Commission had taken note of the lack of transparency by AWHO, and “violation of rules...to accommodate their own favourites”. President of the Commission Justice R S Madan and Judicial Member B M Bedi stated, “Though the organisation was created for the welfare of serving/retired defence personnel and was expected to act in a transparent manner...allotments have been made by adopting to a system of fixing security arbitrarily”.

The order was delivered following the appeal made by the Managing Director of AWHO, New Delhi and Col Satish Kumar, Project Director of the Sector 20 project, against the order of District Consumer Forum, Panchkula. The Forum had decided in favour of the complainant, Subedar Raj Kumar Dhingra (retd) of Sector 2, Panchkula.

The Commission dismissed the appeal filed with scathing remarks against AWHO, and imposed costs of Rs 10,000 on it.

Dhingra stated in his complaint that in June 2004, he registered for the AWHO housing scheme in Sector 20 by paying Rs 90,500. The seniority of applicants was to be determined on the basis of the date of bank draft given for the registration fee.

Dhingra was given a registration number and placed at Serial Number 15. In May 2009, AWHO informed him that his waitlist seniority was ‘1’. He was told to either seek transfer to the AWHO project in Panchkula’s Sector 27 or withdraw his registration, as all dwelling units had been allotted. Dhingra complained to AWHO in this regard, but did not get justice.

In June, AWHO again informed him that all dwelling units except one had been handed over. Dhingra told the court that this was contrary to their earlier letter.

In its reply, AWHO said the seniority of applicants was fixed by a local computerised draw in July 2004. In this, Dhingra’s seniority was 723 against the availability of 348 apartments. Dhingra was given the option of changing his registration from Sector 20 to Sector 27, Panchkula, but he did not agree. AWHO said that Dhingra was ranked ‘1’ on the waiting list but no apartment was available, hence there was no deficiency of service on its part.

After considering the case, the Commission said the AWHO rules did not prescribe for any computerised draw. “AWHO has not disclosed the date of draw, the officer under whose supervision it was held, the manner of the draw etc,” said the order.

The Commission further added: “One of the registrants against whom the complainant has a grievance (a Brigadier) was not even a member of the scheme till August 2004 while the complainant had registered in June 2004 and the draw was held in July 2004.” Hence, Dhingra was high up in the seniority list.

After considering other aspects of the case, the Commission observed that allotment was not done fairly by AWHO. The Commission upheld the order of the Forum that AWHO must allot a flat to Dhingra at Sector 20 or 27, Panchkula or at Sector 114 in Mohali at the same price.
Consumer body hints at ‘Adarsh-like scam’ in Army housing allotment in Panchkula

Five steps: How to steal Army land

Sandeep Unnithan
What with defense land scams getting rampant, it seems it is too easy to cheat the Army these days.
In just three years, 1,073 acres of defence land-equal to 412 football fields-has been swallowed up through encroachments by builders and private developers. The Government admitted this blandly in the Lok Sabha in March 2011, noting that encroachments in military areas have increased from 3,510.16 acres to 4,583.588 acres. The Directorate General of Defence Estates (DGDE) reported these encroachments on the 66,000 acres of land it held directly. DGDE is the department in the Ministry of Defence which is responsible for audit, accounting and financial management.
Over 17 lakh acres of defence land worth Rs.20 lakh crore is vulnerable to encroachment. Of this, nearly 11,000 acres have been stolen, and no one cares. Records for land worth thousands of crores of rupees are maintained in tattered paper registers instead of secure electronic databases. The land is not demarcated. Worse, a corrupt nexus of army brass, defence estates officials and builders continue to bite large chunks out of this land bank.
The DGDE has 1,251 officials to administer defence land, but no one has been held accountable for failing to protect it. The defence ministry is yet to table its proposed Defence Land Management Bill in Parliament. If there was a scamster’s manual for looting defence land, it would read something like this:

1. IDENTIFY PLIABLE DEFENCE AND ARMY OFFICIALS
Nexus between the officials has been found in most land scams that have been unearthed.
On January 31, the CBI raided the Pune home of former army vice chief Lt-General (Retd) Nobel Thamburaj for his alleged involvement in a land scam. An army press release said that Lt-General Thamburaj had arrived at an outof-court settlement with a builder that resulted in the government losing 0.96 acres of prime defence land worth Rs.45 crore in the Pune cantonment area.
In most military land scams unearthed over the past few years, defence estates officials have been found to be hand-in-glove with army officials and private developers. The reasons are not far to see. The DGDE is represented by defence estates officers in military stations. These officials are custodians of defence land. The army uses the land. A General Officer Commanding of a military area heads the local administration in all of the 62 cantonment boards across the country. The board issues sanctions for construction of buildings within the cantonment area.

2. TARGET LAND NOT IN MILITARY RECORDS
Land sharks take advantage of loopholes in land documentation.
Roughly 25 per cent of all defence land has not been ‘mutated’ or not transferred to the land records of the defence estates department.
Bureaucratic lethargy is to blame for this. When the land-holding is ambiguous, it becomes ripe for exploitation by land sharks. In the Adarsh scam for instance, the housing society that was formed by retired military officials and defence estates officials homed in on a football fieldsized plot of prime land in Colaba, South Mumbai. The land was held by the army but owned by the state government. No records were available. The combination of defence estates and armed forces officials moved in to build a commercial residential tower.

3. SURREPTITIOUSLY ENCROACH DEFENCE LAND
Builders encircle defence land after buying private plots around it.
Unused defence land is sometimes not even fenced. At times, corrupt land sharks are known to buy private land around vacant defence land and then gradually encircle it. This happened in the case of the Srinagar air force land scam uncovered in 2009.
Nearly 200 acres of prime defence land worth over Rs.1,500 crore was quietly sold over the years. The defence estates officials issued no-objection certificates to show that the land never belonged to the defence ministry despite having bought it in 1966.
Camping grounds, another colonial relic located on the outskirts of military areas, are also considered fair game. The DGDE is meant to conduct land audits to assess the state of its land bank. The last major audit was carried out in 2000. Each year the department presents shrinking estimates of its landholding. The encroachments are termed ‘a complex socio-economic problem’. Surveys of disputed land holdings, ordered to buy time, are carried out with the state government and can take over five years.
Responsibility for the protection of the land is diffused and the landholding opaque. Guilty officials are punished only if a hue and cry is raised in public. The CBI is now investigating three defence land scams- Adarsh, Kandivli and at Lohegaon, Pune. In the Lohegaon land scam unearthed in 2011, three scamsters prepared fake documents claiming ownership of about 69 acres of defence land worth Rs.800 crore.

4. TARGET OLD GRANT BUNGALOWS
Buyers propose tearing down old houses and constructing a new residential building on it. Old grant bungalows are Britishera dwellings on prime government land. These bungalows dot most military stations and cantonments. They are now valuable for their land which is owned by the government. The modus operandi is for the builder to approach the original tenants and buy them out.
The bungalows are ‘dehired’- the process by which the government stops collecting lease. The builder then approaches the cantonment board with a proposal for demolishing the ‘dilapidated’ building and constructing a new residential building on it. An audit done by the Comptroller and Auditor General in 2011 mentions 16 such bungalows in military areas of Lucknow, Almora, Kanpur, Ranikhet and Bareilly as being illegally sold for Rs.150 crore. Several other such cases are under the scanner of audit authorities. In the Meerut cantonment, schools, colleges and residential properties have been built on old grant bungalows. A CAG report of 2010 mentions how the Residency Club was built on an old grant bungalow in the Pune cantonment.

5. CHALLENGE THE TITLE OF DEFENCE LAND IN COURT
Court proceedings can drag on for decades because ofweak legal defence.
Among the weakest links in the DGDE is its inability to protect encroached defence land in court. There are an estimated 13,000 pending cases relating to defence land in various courts. The way these cases are handled causes concern. The Government does not file its replies in time and court proceedings drag on for decades. A report prepared by the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) suggests that the defence estates department get a separate legal department to fight their cases. This suggestion has gone unheeded.
“Defence estates officials pose as victims of the situation. It suits corrupt officials to have a weak legal defence put up by the Government so that they lose in court,” says a defence ministry official. CGDA officials say land worth “thousands of crores” is locked in legal disputes all over the country. A case in point is a six-acre plot of defence land in Secunderabad on which the defence accounts department built houses. A private firm won a favourable verdict from the high court in 2002. The case continues in the Supreme Court after the defence ministry appealed against this verdict.
The options for the ministry are grim in this case. They have to either demolish all the buildings, hand the land back to the private society or cough up an estimated Rs.100 crore, the market value of the land.
Five steps: How to steal Army land

The defenders of our country and its borders are fighting a secret enemy, which has threatened their dignity and integrity - greed. And at the centre of greed is the humongous amount of land that has been given to the Indian Army by the government for the purpose of establishing its cantonments, offices, residential property, etc. In fact, the Ministry of Defence is the biggest landholder in the government with a holding of 17.31 lakh acres of land across the country.
Read more at:
Land Sharks and Senior Officers in the Land Grab Mode

Noida Sector 29 AWHO colony: Civilians become majority

Sec 29 club slams door on civilians
The writer has posted comments on this article TNN | Dec 27, 2011, 06.48AM IST
NOIDA: Civilians living in the defense sectors of the city are a miffed lot. Being denied membership at a neighbourhood club, a large number of residents of sectors 28, 29 and 37 are up in arms against the club management, accusing it of high-handedness and discrimination. However, office-bearers of the club claim they are not bound by any rules mandating them to allot membership to residents .

Located in Sector 29, Arun Vihar Institute (AVI) boasts of 3,000 permanent and 1,000 associate members. The Army Welfare Housing Organization (AWHO) has developed residential units for its defense personnel in the same sector. With more than 10,000 residents occupying the sectors, office-bearers of AVI say they "cannot accommodate any fresh members". However, civilians claim all serving and retired defense officers with flats in these sectors are eligible for an AVI membership.

"These sectors were developed by AWHO and meant for the Army officers, but over the years flats have changed hands and today a majority of the owners are civilians. Even the children of most Army officers are civilians, but the control of AVI still rests with ex-defense officers," said a resident of sector 28. " Though currently serving and retired officers automatically become members of the club, civilians are being denied membership," said Sanjeev Malhotra, a resident of sector 28. "We are ready to go through the selection procedure if required but we must be considered," Malhotra said.

"We should be allowed to become members on the lines of cantonment areas in other parts of the country. This is absolute high-handedness on the part of the management," said Umesh Jain, a resident.

Office-bearers say that space crunch is limiting the number of members. "Our guidelines do not mandate us to provide membership to residents of these sectors. It's the management's prerogative," said NB Singh, president, AVI.
Sec 29 club slams door on civilians
Comment: AWHO housing units have become big game money spinners and with the real estate business booming and thriving in black money and money laundering- many senior officers are becoming agents and victims of it. The main attraction of Army clubs is the cheap liqour. The civilian members should be charged the market rate with local taxes and excise duty as admissible (5 star rates). The taxes so occrued be remitted to government treasury. This will to a large extent dissuade civilians urge to become members of the AVI club.

Armed Forces Covenant Bill

The Sunday Standard> A Bill that arms the supreme sacrifice by Ritu Sharma Last Updated : 18 Dec 2011 09:37:37 AM IST
NEW DELHI: A soldier’s sacrifice may no longer be in vain. A Bill on military covenant— the nation’s promise that soldiers and their families will be cared for in return of their sacrifices— will soon be introduced in Parliament.
The Indian armed forces are among one of the largest volunteer forces in the world. With their life so fraught with risk, the Armed Forces Covenant Bill plans to honour the “unique service” given by the members of the armed forces and their families.
The British Armed forces got its Military Covenant law this year. The Indian Armed Forces Covenant Bill is awaiting Parliament to resume normal functioning to be introduced.
“The country needs to demonstrate its commitment to the well-being of the members of our armed forces and their families. This Bill underlines the country’s commitment and moral obligation towards them,” Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who will pilot the Bill, told The Sunday Standard.
The proposed Bill envisages “pledging of commitment” that soldiers— both retired and serving —and their families will be provided with medical support, education; good quality and affordable accommodation; a comprehensive compensation system; maintenance for disabled soldiers and bereaved families; reservation in civilian jobs particularly related to security and more. It also entails the government set up the Armed Forces Grievances Redressal Commission, comprising senior judges and top army brass to oversee that the provisions of the law are fulfilled.
“The Bill will also require the Minister of Defence to present an Annual Covenant report to Parliament every year on the progress of improvements in key areas including healthcare, housing and education,” Chandrasekhar added.
The serving officers see the idea of making military covenant a law as a distant dream but hope that the legal pledge on the part of the country will go a long way in buoying the spirits of the soldier.
“In the present scenario where corporate culture is taking toll on the recruitment in the armed forces, the legalisation of military covenant will boost the trust of army men that his family and loved ones will be taken care of if he is gone. This would enable him to discharge his duties with ultimate fearlessness,” a serving officer said.
A Bill that arms the supreme sacrifice

AWHO sets standards of low transparency

Allotment of Army Flats in Panchkula
Consumer panel sees Adarsh-like scam
Vijay Mohan/TNS Monday, January 2, 2012, Chandigarh, India
Chandigarh, January 1
Holding that the allotment of some dwelling units made by the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) in its project at Sector 20, Panchkula, was in violation of rules, the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has observed that the exercise was done “presumably with a view to accommodate favourites and everything does not appear to have been done in a transparent manner.”

Ruling that the system adopted to fix the seniority of applicants was arbitrary, the Commission held that if enquired into deeply “this may again turn out to be another scam like Adarsh Society at Mumbai.”

AWHO, the Commission observed, is an organisation created for the welfare of serving and retired defence personnel and expected to act in a transparent manner.

A resident of Sector 2, Panchkula, RK Dhingra had earlier moved the District Consumer Forum against the non-allotment of a flat in AWHO’s colony or failing which, in another similar project in Panchkula or Mohali. The forum had granted him relief following which the AWHO authorities appealed against the order before the commission, which dismissed the appeal.Dhingra’s prime grievance was that some senior officers who were much junior registrants in the scheme by virtue of their date of registration, were later placed higher in the waiting list. Dhingra, with registration number 98,248 was placed at serial number 15 in the waiting list, where as a Brigadier with registration number 1,04,727 was placed on top of the list.

The seniority in the list was to be determined on the basis of the date on the bank draft and allotment thereafter on the basis of a draw of lots.

The complainant, however, had been told by the AWHO authorities that he was the senior-most applicant on the waiting list. When he came to know that some allotments were made “illegally”, he approached the authorities and was told that his present position in the list was No. 1. He could either seek transfer or withdraw his registration as all dwelling units stood allotted and had been handed over.

On pointing out discrepancies, he was told that all but one unit had been handed over and formalities and paperwork were in process for the lone remaining unit.
AWHO: Consumer panel sees Adarsh-like scam

Greedy Generals Subvert Military Land Titles

Generals Vij and Deepak are they the perpetuators of this Puzzle?
Puzzling land title system behind Adarsh scam: Jaipal Reddy
New Delhi, Nov 27 (PTI)
Against the backdrop of Adarsh scam, the Union government today blamed the complex land title system for increasing number of such cases and favoured urgent reforms in the sector to make it transparent and effective.
"The recent scandal relating to Adarsh housing society is a classic example. Nobody knows to whom the land belongs," Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy said here at a seminar on Guaranteed Land and Property Certification system.
He said, "Can there be a more sorry example of land titling. I am not talking of misuse by the people belonging to every important walks of life -- politicians, defence forces, bureaucrats...I am not referring to the scandal part of the thing. Today nobody knows to whom the property belongs."
The seminar was organised to discuss ways for introducing property certification system in the country. He said the system is being exploited by people like Haji Mastan (land mafia) and there is a nexus between politicians and officials.
"Thanks to the problem of urban land titling, we have Haji Mastans (land mafia) in every towns. Most of the politicians, policemen, officials... are hand in glove when it comes to urban land," Reddy said, adding, "In the last ten years, mining land and urban land have become best source of money making. It is difficult to find a non-disputed land."
He said, "Land titling is a ticklish question not only in urban area, but also in rural areas. Even in pre-Independent India it took decades to settle the land suit and that situation remains (till today)." Since urbanisation is growing apace it is difficult to distinguish rural and urban land, he said.
Referring Nandigram, the minister said there is need for a comprehensive law for guaranteed land titles. "We saw the problem in Nandigram where land owners were in Kolkata and somebody else was the tenant. Today no body knows to whom the property belongs. In my view, land titles pose most legal puzzle to our system."
Hoping that there will be a way forward, he said, "The subject is with the state government and not with the Centre. Let us find a solution. Let us take a few small steps." The Centre has already set up a working group and is developing a model land title for the states. The model will be provided to the state so that they can adopt a modern, effective and transparent land title certification system, Urban Development Secretary Navin Kumar said.
Puzzling land title system behind Adarsh scam- Deccan Herald Report

Tailpiece
Court-martialled officer not to get post-retirement benefits
Army sacks guilty General in Sukhna scam
New Delhi/Guwahati, Dec 3, DHNS:
Former military secretary Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash was on Saturday dismissed from service after he was found guilty on three counts in a land scam at the Sukhna military station in West Bengal in 2008.
Sixty-one-year-old Prakash is the third Lt Gen rank officer to be court-martialled and the second to be sacked.
As Prakash has already retired from service on January 31, 2010, as per the Army Act, the dismissal means he will not get any post-retirement benefits like pension, medical facility and provident fund or be able to retain the rank and status of Lt General. He also automatically stands stripped off all his medals.
The order by the military court will be sent for confirmation to the eastern army commander, the convening authority of the General Court Martial in the case.
The order has to be signed by the Army chief to come into effect and Lt Gen Prakash can appeal against it in the civilian higher judiciary
Sukhna Scamster dismissed

AWHO- Whose Welfare?

AWHO- Whose Welfare?
July 19, 2011 vsbrar

Living room water seepage

AWHO FLAT No I-C–602 GURJINDER VIHAR Greater Noida

Seepage in bedroom walls>

Tiles and batthroom fixtures- sample shoddy work
The AWHO – acronym meaning Army Welfare Housing Organisation is an organisation looking after the housing needs of the man in uniform staffed by the organisation at its own cost. The organisation should function as a non-profit organisation. But the facts and figures show that the cost of a house by AWHO is costlier than what is available in the civil.
I got a house in Greater Noida and for time being only posting some of the photos of the house for your information.
AWHO- Whose Welfare?
Related Reading
Salunke Vihar residents seek transparency: AWHO Pune under scanner
Related Post
AWHO Dream Projects

Can Canteen Profits be used for Welfare of Veterans?

Audit finds lapses in defence canteen operations
New Delhi, Aug 13 (IANS) India's audit watchdog has found lapses in financial and business operations and the pricing and quality of goods of the Canteen Stores Department (CSD) that sells household products at cheaper than market rates to armed forces personnel and their families.
The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, tabled in the Lok Sabha Friday, says the 3,600 unit-run canteens (URCs), or retail outlets, of the CSD across the country have been kept out of the "purview of parliamentary financial oversight as they are considered to be regimental institutions".
This despite the fact that these URCs get soft loans and quantitative discounts through the CSD from the Consolidated Fund of India, it says.
"Neither the budget documents nor the proforma accounts of CSD reflect the operations of the (URCs) that are also not subject to the accountability regime for operations funded by the Consolidated Fund of India," the report says.The CAG said it was denied access to the URC records by the Army Headquarters in Delhi "in spite of repeated requests".
The matter was taken up at the level of the defence minister too but to no avail.
In the interest of transparency, the operational results of the units should be disclosed in the proforma accounts of CSD after ensuring that the units follow uniform accounting principles, the CAG has recommended.
This would enable the financial statements of CSD to provide a "true and fair view of the complete operations of the organisation".
Praising the CSD for its 55 percent increase in gross turnover (Rs. 6,955 crore in 2008-09 from Rs. 4,481 crore in 2003-04), the report says the gross and net profit however had not shown commensurate increase during this period.
"This was mainly due to increase in cost of goods purchased for sale as also increase in quantitative discount given to the units."
It says that evidence indicated that grants given to various organisations of the armed forces out of CSD profits did not follow the provisions of General Financial Rules (GFR) of the government.
"Grants were given to organisations without even insisting on application for funds. Statement of accounts was never sought before sanctioning the grants. Receipt of utilisation certificates was not watched, as required under GFR. Utilisation certificates were never insisted from major recipients namely the army, navy or air force for the grants provided."
The proforma accounts prepared by the CSD did not follow the generally accepted regimen of financial reporting, it said.
During the six years from 2002-2003 to 2007-08, Rs. 883.46 crore was transferred in the form of quantitative discount from the Consolidated Fund of India to the URCs.
Evidence also indicated that benefit of quantitative discount (QD) has never been passed to the consumer.
"Such discount could not be viewed as a trade discount as units operated in a captive market with pricing determined in accordance with the existing policies. QD was in fact another way of transferring money from CFI to non-public fund without conforming to the provisions of the GFR," the report says.
Audit finds lapses in defence canteen operations
Related Reading
Forces, CAG lock horns over audit of unit run canteens
Canteen Stores Department (India) Demystified

Army welfare Housing Organisation: Chennai Project

ByDeepti | Published August 16, 2011

AWHO- Chennai
Comment: Can Jawans who form 95% of Veterans afford such houses built as a welfare measure. It suits and benefits money spinners, real estate developers and agents. Do not rush for lucrative/dream offers. Remember greed traps you...

Army College of Medical Sciences: Admission Procedure Violates Equality

“Private non-minority colleges can't have 100% reservation” The Hindu New Delhi, May 15, 2011
Private non-minority unaided veteran educational institutions can't have 100 per cent share or a right to acknowledge students of their choice from usually a sold amicable group, incompatible all other students from being deliberate for admission, a Supreme Court has held.

A Bench of Justices B. Sudershan Reddy and S.S. Nijjar was environment aside a process of a Army College of Medical Sciences (ACMS), New Delhi, to distribute all seats to wards of stream and late Army crew and widows of Army personnel, supposing they compete in a Common Entrance Test controlled by suitable authorities for acknowledgment to medical colleges in a National Capital Territory of Delhi.
The Bench hold that a grant postulated by a Delhi supervision permitting a ACMS to fill 100 per cent seats with wards of Army crew “violates a simple beliefs of approved governance.”
Justice Reddy, essay a judgment, said: “It is now a well-settled component of a inherent jurisprudence that Article 14 does not merely aspires to yield for a adults small grave equality, though also equivalence of standing and of opportunity. The goals of a nation-state are a securing for all adults a companionship assuring a grace of a sold and a togetherness of a nation. If a publicly offering use follows a sold order that achieves a same or identical consequences as a restricted discrimination, and tends to continue a effects of such discrimination, afterwards it would violate a component of concrete equality.”

The Bench said:
“In a box of admissions to colleges, it is an concurred fact that a basement of supposed comprehensive abilities, we would finish adult selecting some-more students from improved amicable and educational backgrounds, thereby foreclosing or almost truncating a probability of people in such disadvantaged groups from being means to benefit entrance to a critical component of complicated life that grants grace to a individuals, and thereby to a organisation as a whole, both in this generation, and in destiny generations.
“If a immeasurable infancy of a youngsters, generally those belonging to disadvantaged groups, is denied entrance in a aloft educational institutions in a private sector, it would meant that a immeasurable infancy of youngsters, notwithstanding a naturally equal placement of talent and ability, belonging to disadvantaged groups, would be left but entrance to aloft preparation during all. That would consecrate a state of amicable puncture with a intensity for flame that would be on an unthinkable scale. The fact that non-minority unaided educational institutions insist on ‘social disadvantages blind’ acknowledgment policies is explanation that they are not recognising a loyal purpose of preparation as an occupation.”

‘Illegal, ultra vires’
The Supreme Court said: “The acknowledgment procedures devised by a Army College of Medical Sciences, Delhi Cantonment, for revelation students to a initial year MBBS march from a pre-defined source, forged out by itself and a primogenitor society, are bootleg and ultra vires a Delhi Act 80 of 2007.”
It destined a authorities to acknowledge a command petitioners to a initial year of MBBS march in ACMS “if a command petitioners still so desire, for they have been deprived of their legitimate right of acknowledgment to a march for no error of theirs, notwithstanding a arrange cumulative by them in a CET by formulating supernumerary seats. However, we make it transparent that a admissions already done by a Army College of Medical Sciences are saved and shall not be influenced in any demeanour whatsoever.”
The Indian Medical Association and some students challenged a acknowledgment process of a ACMS. After a Delhi High Court inspected a policy, appeals and command petitions were filed in a Supreme Court doubt a policy.
“Private non-minority colleges cannot have 100% reservation”
Read comments by Navdeep / Maj Navdeep Singh

Adarsh scam: Court of inquiry indicts ex-army chiefs Deepak Kapoor, NC Vij

Headlines Today Bureau | New Delhi, March 24, 2011 | Updated 09:43 IST
An army court of inquiry (CoI) into Mumbai's Adarsh Housing Society scam has indicted former chiefs Gen Deepak Kapoor and Gen N.C. Vij.

The CoI also indicted four lieutenant generals and three major generals. The officers indicted include Lt Gen G.S. Sihota, Lt Gen P.K. Rampal, Lt Gen Shantanu Choudhry, Lt Gen Tejinder Singh, Maj Gen Ram Kanwar Hooda, Maj Gen A.R. Kumar, Major Gen V.S. Yadav and Maj Gen Tej Kishen Kaul.

The CoI found the conduct of the officers blameworthy. It said that prima facie culpability had been exposed and it was now for the CBI to probe the matter.

The army submitted its CoI report to the defence ministry last week.

In December last year, Defence Minister A.K. Antony had ordered a CBI probe to fix responsibility of the armed forces and defence estates officers in the Adarsh scam, in which a private housing society got NOC to construct a 31-storey complex on a plot in Colaba.

The plot was meant for Kargil war heroes but they did not get homes in the complex. The scam also cost then Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan his job.
Adarsh scam: Court of inquiry indicts ex-army chiefs Deepak Kapoor, NC Vij
Comment: Sad Commentary on the state of Military Affairs. Ex Servicemen need to hang their heads in shame who were primarily responsible for favouring corrupt officers when penning ACRs whilst in Service!

Army lands in land row in Hastings, Kolkata

Headlines Today Bureau | Kolkata, March 21, 2011 | Updated 17:51 IST

Even as the Indian Army faces heat over serious land scams, another scandal has come to light in Hastings, Kolkata, where a 5-star hotel has been under construction for the past one-and-a-half years.
Hastings is a restricted zone where no building of any kind can come up without an NOC from the General Officer Commanding, Bengal Area. But according to documents available exclusively with Headlines Today, the 5-star hotel came up without the requisite NOC from the Army. It is to be noted, that even after the irregularity came to the Army's notice, the GOC in an internal report, recommended that a one-time exception be made for the construction of the 5-star hotel despite guidelines, which clearly state that such buildings should be demolished.
After Headlines Today started investigating the matter, the Army GOC made an about-turn, seeking the immediate demolition of the 5-star building.
The 14-storey 5-star hotel was 70 per cent complete when the demolition order came. The property in Hastings is right next to the military area which houses the Bengal Area Head Quarters as well as the Eastern Command HQ of the Army.
There has been no reply to the question, which Headlines Today posed to the Army, as to how this structure came up right under the Army's nose without an NOC till now.
Kolkata: Army lands in hotel row

NEW RULES FOR DEFENCE LAND USE- Military Powers to be degraded?
Defence minister AK Antony told parliamentarians the management of 17 lakh acres under his Ministry has been in focus following several scams. A new policy is being crafted that will address the issue of noc (no objection certificates) in cases where the local laws require consultation with Local Military Authorities for allowing construction of buildings on land adjacent to defence installations. In cases where the local laws do not provide for it, the local Military authorities will not directly issue noc, especially to private builders. Admitting ‘gaps’ in the system, Antony said the Ministry was according top priority to computerise land records. He said that the government would amend the Works of Defence Act, 1903, which provided for restrictions on building activity around defence installations so that it was made relevant to present day situations. The Act had not been amended for the last over 100 years.

CM gets proficiency certificate from GOC

'Modi has qualities of successful Army commander'
Press Trust of India, Updated: March 14, 2011 18:50 IST
Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has all the qualities of a successful Army commander, said General Officer Commanding (GOC) Major General I S Singha of the Golden Katar Division here today.
He was speaking at the inauguration of three-day 'Know Your Army' exhibition organised by the Golden Katar Division of the Army.
"Chief Minister Modi has all the qualities of a successful Army commander. His programmes are aimed at development of both the state and the nation," Singha said.
"Like in the Army, he (Modi) keeps deadline for completion of work, and ensures that target is achieved by the set time," he added.
Singha praised Modi and his government for the developmental work in the state.
The Golden Katar GOC also sought land for ex-servicemen housing scheme.
"I would like to request the Chief Minister to provide land to the Army for setting up housing welfare societies for the ex-servicemen in Ahmedabad. Such schemes are available in all other states," Singha said.
The inaugural ceremony saw brilliant performances of Malkhamb, Lazium and Khukri dance by the Army personnel.
The Dare Devils gave a spell-binding performance with stunts on motorcycles.
'Modi has qualities of successful Army commander'

Army Officers assets will be in public domain: Army setting national standards

Army to get vigilance wing to curb scams: Gen VK Singh
New Delhi: Stung by a series of land scams and corruption cases, the Indian Army is now planning to set up an internal vigilance wing to keep a tab on its men and prevent such instances from recurring.

Army Chief General V.K. Singh said at the annual Army Day-eve press conference on Friday that one of his thrust areas since he took over office on March 31 last year was 'improving the internal health' of the force to stop corruption among its personnel.

"Though this (internal health) is a very vast subject, what we are looking for is a vigilance mechanism. We do not have this (vigilance) in the Army. We now looking at having one. Of course, we do take suo motu action on a lot of issues (corruption and scams) that come up," Singh said.

He was replying to a question on the numerous land scams and the action he had taken in the last nine months as army chief on improving the internal health of the force.

On the action against his predecessor, Gen. Deepak Kapoor, whose name figures in the last three land scams that the Army has faced, the army chief said that the former being a retired officer, the cases have been handed over to the defence ministry for appropriate action.

Kapoor's name figures in the Sukna episode in West Bengal, the Adarsh Housing Society in Colaba and and land adjacent to the Central Ordnance Depot Kandivali being handed over to a private developer. The last two cases are in Mumbai.

"We (the Army) do not have the means to do investigation on these matters, such as checking out some bank accounts. The defence ministry will decide on the action needed in these cases," Singh said.

With regard to serving officers involved in the Adarsh Housing Society episode, he said the Army would initiate action against them as per the service rules and the army law. "We have a legal system in the army which will take care of this," he added.

To a query if he would be the first army chief to declare his assets in the public domain and set a precedent for others to follow, Singh said there existed an internal system under which officers filed their movable and immovable property returns every year and on all occasions when they bought or sold property.

"I am sure at some point in time, the assets details of serving officers will come into the public domain," he said indicating he would not mind such open declaration of his property details.

In the last two years, the Army has been hit by a series of land scams beginning with the Sukna military station in West Bengal, Adarsh Housing Society in Colaba in 2009 and Central Ordnance Depot land in Kandivalli.

In all these cases, army officers had given No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to private builders to construct educational institution or highrise housing complex.

Taking note of these instances, Defence Minister A.K. Antony had announced Thursday that his ministry would make stricter rules for NOCs so that lower level officers could not misuse it and that the Defence Estates land would be computerised for maintaining proper records.
Army to get vigilance wing to curb scams: Gen VK Singh

Consequences of Corruption in the Armed Forces

Building integrity and reducing corruption risk are important parts of building strong, capable, and affordable defence and security structures and forces.
Corruption undermines the defence and security capabilities of every country. Corruption causes waste of money, bad allocation of resources, and the purchasing of inadequate or low-quality equipment. This may endanger the life of personnel and decrease operational effectiveness. Corrupted personnel cannot be trusted. They can be paid the next time by vendors, organised criminals, terrorist organisations, or by potential enemies.
Corruption in the defence sector reduces public trust and acceptance of the military in general and may erode public support for peace-keeping missions. It also reduces resources for civilian sectors of the economy, and can infect other parts of government. Corruption slows down the development and growth of a nation.
Integrity
Integrity has both a technical and a moral meaning.

In a technical sense, we say that ‘the hull of this ship has integrity’. This means that the whole system works properly – the outer skin of the ship does not leak, and that all the various systems that make up and support the hull are sound and function correctly.

In a personal and moral sense, it means that the work has been done honestly and sincerely, and is uncorrupted.
Here, when we say “integrity”, we mean the following:

An individual has integrity if he/she is doing their work competently and honestly, and completely.

A process has integrity if it works as it is intended to, and fits seamlessly into the larger system of which it is a part.

An organisation has integrity if its work is done within proper accountability, competently, to completion, and without diversion of output or resources to corrupt or dishonest ends.
Corruption
Corruption is “the abuse of entrusted office for private gain”.
Countries themselves will often have formal definitions written into their laws. For example, the definition may read like: “The illegal action or inaction by an individual (either human or legal body) authorized to perform State functions directed at illegally obtaining any advantages, benefits, influences, privileges of material or non-material for themselves, or for third parties or groups”.
Whilst there are many definitions, general experience is that most people know what it is, even if there is no formal description. For example in the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, which is the principal international convention on the subject, there is no formal definition of corruption; instead they give full definitions of what constitutes a public official.
What is more important is to be clear that there are different types of corruption in defence. Measures to address the risks will be effective only where there is an understanding of which particular aspect of the problem is being addressed. The following questions assists that understanding.
Anti-corruption policy in defence and security
1. What are the areas of greatest risk in bribery and corruption for Ministry of Defence and armed forces personnel? (for example, small bribes, expenses, travel, postings, commission on local purchases, ACRs, Issue of NOC, misuse of canteen facilities)? List the top 6 areas.
Areas to explore:

How do you determine the areas of greatest risk?

How are these areas of potential bribery and corruption risk mitigated? Describe the measures currently in place.

What are the sanctions which can be applied to personnel if they are found to have taken part in these top 6 areas of bribery and corruption?
2. Describe the level of commitment to anti-corruption and integrity measures within MoD, Commands, Area HQ as declared by the Defence Minister and the COAS. How do they publish their policy and guidance internally?
Areas to explore:

Do the RM and COAS talk publicly on integrity issues? If so, describe.

What is the level of awareness within the Defence Ministry and across the armed forces of integrity and corruption risk matters?

Give examples of steps taken to address integrity and corruption risk within the Defence Ministry and in the armed forces.
3. Describe the measures in place within the Defence Ministry and armed forces to address integrity and corruption issues, and any major reforms underway to ensure that these issues are tackled. Please list all measures being taken.
4. If there is an anti-corruption policy, describe who is responsible for its enforcement.
Areas to explore:

Is a specific department or individual is responsible for ensuring that this occurs?

What is the effectiveness of this?
5. What institutions exist with the aim of building integrity, and combating and preventing corruption in defence? Describe recent successes.
Areas to explore:

What are the roles of anti-corruption and ethics advisers, external and internal auditors, inspections, prosecutors, etc?