The General and the labyrinth

The Hindu January 18, 2012
The controversy over the age of General V.K. Singh, the subject of an already heated and often unseemly public debate, is now threatening to get out of hand. With the Army Chief left with no resort but to challenge the Defence Ministry in the Supreme Court in order to “protect his integrity and honour,” the issue has the makings of an unseemly civilian-military confrontation that could easily have been avoided had plain common sense prevailed over bureaucratic thick-headedness. There are a slew of documents — including a birth certificate and a school-leaving certificate — that prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that General Singh, whose father as well as grandfather were Army officers, was born on May 10, 1951. This is the date of birth recorded in the office of the Adjutant General, the Army's official record-keeper. The controversy has arisen because the Military Secretary — another wing of Army Headquarters that maintains personal records relating to postings, transfers, and promotions — records him as having been born on May 10, 1950. General Singh has been at pains to explain that the latter date, gleaned from an application form for entrance to the National Defence Academy when he was only 14 years old, was a mistake committed by a teacher of his. He has also revealed that the discrepancy was raised with two predecessor Army Chiefs — but, strangely and for reasons the Defence Ministry has not yet disclosed, to no avail.

A brave and highly decorated officer, General Singh is recognised as a brilliant strategist and a reform-minded leader who is tough on corruption, as reflected in the hard line he adopted against erring officers in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam. The mudslinging and insinuations intended to portray him as someone fiddling with his birth date to hang on to the power and privileges of high office must be rejected with contempt. One major reason why his year of birth has become such a hot potato is that the date of his retirement will have a bearing on who will succeed him as Army Chief. By refusing to accede to General Singh's request to correct the official record on the basis of documented fact, the Defence Ministry has shown astonishing short-sightedness, and in the process tread on a proud soldier's sense of honour. Even now, rather than fight for a bad cause in the highest court in the land, a disputation that could have a bearing on the Army's morale, the government should backtrack and come up with a constructive solution. By conceding General Singh's just case and treating him with the respect and honour that are his due, it should be able to clear the decks for a smooth succession to the post he occupies.
The General and the labyrinth

Records to be reconciled?
Army chief age row: Government wants records reconciled

Age row: Army chief V K Singh files statutory complaint

The Haryana Police Crime Branch on Wednesday raided the residence of Lieutenant General (retd) P N Hoon, in search of Hoon’s daughter Deeksha Puri - an accused in the multicrore Citibank scam. Deeksha Puri’s son Shivraj Puri, a former banker with the Citibank, is the prime accused in the scam, which rocked the financial market last year. General Hoon is a former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command.
A team of Crime Branch reached General Hoon’s residence in Sector 6, Panchkula, where Deeksha Puri had been staying for the past many weeks now. “We searched the residence of General Hoon, but did not find her there. Further raids are yet on”, said one of the investigating officials of the case.
According to the senior Haryana police officials, Deeksha Puri’s bail was rejected by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday, after which she told the police that she would be surrendering in the Gurgaon court on Wednesday. Deeksha Puri was one of the Directors of Normans Martin Brokers, a company run by the Puri family, which is also under Crime Branch’s scanner in the Citibank scam.
Haryana police raids Lt Gen Hoon’s home: Citibank scam
Citibank scam: Deeksha Puri’s bail rejected
Sanjay Yadav, TNN Nov 12, 2011, 04.01AM IST
GURGAON: A city court dismissed the anticipatory bail application of Deeksha Puri, one of the co-accused in Citibank scam, on Friday. She had applied for bail for the second time. After hearing Puri's application, additional sessions judge Naresh Kumar rejected the application. According to sources, Shiv Raj Puri, the prime accused in the Rs 400 crore Citibank fraud, and his mother, Deeksha Puri, made a series of gold purchases worth several crores from different places before learning that they had run out of luck.
Bail Refused
Comment: Lt Gen Hoon needs to set his own house in order. His comments on probity sounds hollow. He needs to practise what he preaches as a Veteran. Shameful!

DGR Sponsored Security Agencies

Message For Security Agencies
All Principle Employers and DGR Sponsored Security agencies are requested to ensure that all provisions of Private Security Agencies (Regulations) Act, 2005 and Rules, as applicable in the state they are working in, including Licence from respective States are being strictly adhered to. Principle,(mkmk?) employers are also requested to ensure adherence to the same, before giving any contracts.
DGR Webpage
The Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005
List of defaulting Security Agencies
PIOs Nominated for RTI
DGR Demystified

Comment: Most of the DGR sponsored Security Agencies are violating all norms stipulated in the Security Act-2005. None of the directives are enforceable or punishable. Till date not one violator has been prosecuted nor imprisoned! We need to throw this ACT in the dustbin. Stricter and enforceable laws need to be drawn out so that not only money spinners do not cheat the system, but also the Retired Jawans employed as Security Personnel are not taken for a ride.

Rehabilitation of Disabled War Veterans

REHABILITATION DISABLED WAR VETERANS AND OTHER DISABLED PERSONNEL
We had a meeting with the Executive Director of Punjab National Bank yesterday to consider the useful employment of Disabled Veterans in Villages and urban areas to enable them to earn whilst doing other jobs as well. They were very receptive to the idea and immediately asked us to initiate persons willing to undertake to help themselves. The scheme is as below.
The areas that the PNB is presently interested in is Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, UP, Madya pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. Please give this wide publicity because through this scheme persons whilst at home in Villages could earn more than Rs 3000/- per month. SEED, PNB tie up to roll out micro MFs By Ritwik Mukherjee Oct 06 2010, Kolkata SEED, one of the largest business correspondents in the country working with a number of public sector and private banks, is now well set to get into micro mutual funds across Punjab, Hariyana, Bihar and Rajasthan in association with Punjab National Bank.
SEED- PNB will target people who have already been benefited from SEED’s financial inclusion programmes and other people who don’t have any bank account or access to any banking services.
“We will guide people with the help of banking correspondents about mutual funds and other banking products. Unlike regular mutual funds, micro mutual fund is available in smaller lots like Rs 500 to Rs 1,000. Secondly, the criteria such as possessing a pan number as well the 3 years lock-in period will also have certain relaxations in this case. This is because the target in this case is the unbanked/ underbanked population,” Anirban Roy, founder & managing director of SEED, told FC.
SEED is also one of the leading providers of consultancy and implementation services in areas of resettlement & rehabilitation, CSR implementation, microfinance, financial inclusion, infrastructure development, social impact assessment, environment impact assessment and skill development.
SEED, which has so has so far created 1.5 million no frill accounts for various banks and is working towards a mandate size of more than 15 million accounts, is also introducing some microcredit schemes to offer finance to rural people to establish themselves and earn their basic requirements on their own. With the help of skill development classes and other vocational training modules, SEED is aiming at a pan-India microfinance project with several banks and companies, Roy said.
Col H N Handa
President Diwave

Seminar on Security Development

“ANDAMAN –NICOBAR COMMAND (ANC) A CATALYST IN DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARCHIPELAGO” SAYS VICE ADMIRAL VIJAY SHANKAR; SEMINAR ON SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT CONCLUDES AT PORT BLAIR ON A PURPOSEFUL NOTE.
Saturday, September 05, 2009
The two days seminar on security and development of Andaman and Nicobar islands concluded today at Port Blair on a purposeful note with the commander –in –chief of ANC, Vice Admiral Vijay Shankar, Summing up a comprehensive security plan, going hand in hand with the development.

Speaking on the occasion, vice Admiral Shankar said “Security and development of these islands are the two sides of the same coin. Security without development is point less and development without security is like an able boxer with his guards down. The ANC has always been a catalyst in the development of these islands. We will ensure that security and development is achieved while maintaining the ecological balance.”

The seminar on the island development was inaugurated yesterday by H.E Dr APJ Abdul Kalam with his visionary inaugural address. During the seminar various speakers such as Mr Shyam Saran IFS, Real Admiral Raja Menon, DIG KR Nautiyal of Coast Guard, Dr R Chidambaram Principal scientific adviser to Government of India, addressed the participants. Topics such as strategic and geopolitical overview of the region, evolution of strategic Concerns, determinants of security of Islands, Chinese and other regional powers interests, India’s foreign policy and the A & N Islands were discussed in detail.

The Andaman & Nicobar Command’s initiative of hosting such a seminar to rightly evolve ideas and transforming them into action plan is viewed as a watershed event in the history of the archipelago. The seminar rightly justifies the ANC’s mission statement- “The Nations ‘Look East Policy’ is the engine that will drive the functioning of the ANC in the near to intermediate future. Our mission begins with an assurance of

unimpeded use of the seas in our areas of responsibility. Primary to this realization is persistent an all pervasive surveillance by land, sea and air and the ability to mount rapid and punitive action against exertions inimical to our interest. Precision planning, synergy with all intelligence resources in the command’s area of interests, coalescing with the efforts of likeminded littorals, networking with all regional operational information assets an robust maintenance and logistics will be key enablers. Our abiding faith in the credo of joint ness will ensure both focus and unity to our actions.”

Maj Gen AK Chaturvedi, Chief of Staff of Andaman and Nicobar Command in his closing address said “that there is a great potential for the development of the archipelago but there also are gaps between potential and reality. Through interministerial and multi agency synergy this gap would be bridged. We shall not only provide a security environment where the development will flourish, but also contribute in ways that the look east policy achieves what it aims”
“ANDAMAN –NICOBAR COMMAND (ANC) A CATALYST IN DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARCHIPELAGO” SAYS VICE ADMIRAL VIJAY SHANKAR: SEMINAR ON SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT CONCLUDES AT PORT BLAIR ON A PURPOSEFUL NOTE.
Security, development of Andamans interlinked: Military commander

Prime Minister visit to Olympic Site Beijing

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh with the Chinese Premier, Mr. Wen Jiabao at a joint press statement, in Great Hall of People, Beijing in China on January 14, 2008.

2008 Summer Olympics National Stadium Beijing, China

The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh visited the Beijing Olympic site at 16:39 IST, 14 Jan 2008 and following is the text of the Prime Minister’s Inscription in the Visitors book.

“On Behalf of the Government and the people of India, I extend my best wishes for the success of the Olympic games in Beijing. I hope that the Olympic spirit and the traditional hospitality and warmth of the great city of Beijing will promote friendship, peace and understanding among all the Participants, and the countries they represent”

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad will be celebrated from August 8, 2008 to August 24, 2008, with the opening ceremony commencing at 08:08:08 pm at the Beijing National Stadium in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Some events, including football (soccer), sailing, and new 10 km marathon swimming events will be held in other cities of China. With the equestrian events being held in Hong Kong, this marks the second time the same edition of the Olympic Games has been hosted by two National Olympic Committees.

The centerpiece of the 2008 Summer Olympics will be the Beijing National Stadium, nicknamed the "Bird Nest" because of its nest-like skeletal structure. Construction of the venue began on December 24, 2003. The Guangdong Olympic Stadium was originally planned, constructed, and completed in 2001 for the Games, but a decision was made to construct a new stadium in Beijing. Government officials engaged architects worldwide in a design competition. A Swiss firm, Herzog de Meuron Architekten AG, collaborated with China Architecture Design and Research Group to win the competition. The National Stadium will feature a lattice-like concrete skeleton forming the stadium bowl and will have a seating capacity of 80,000 people.