CAG Report: Can the Generals deliver if they are indicted?

Root out corruption to improve standard of administration: CAG
Shillong, Nov 6, 2012 (PTI)
India will not be able to raise the standards of efficiency in administration unless corruption in high places is not destroyed and nepotism and black marketing is rooted out, Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Vinod Rai said today.
The CAG also noted that citizen groups have become very discerning and more demanding.
"Unless we destroy corruption in high places, root out every trace of nepotism, love of power, profiteering and black marketing which have spoilt the good name of this country in recent times, we will not be able to raise the standards of efficiency in administration as well as in the production and distribution of the necessary goods of life," he said quoting the speech of first Vice President S Radhakrishnan on the eve of India's Independence, towards midnight on August 14, 1947.
The CAG was addressing the 20th convocation of the North Eastern Hills University here which conferred degrees to 8,035 students including 94 who received doctorate degrees in various disciplines.
Reminding the students that there are great opportunities ahead in their career, Rai warned that "when power outstrips ability, we will fall on evil days." He said, today the issues of ethics, accountability, probity and transparency have come at centre stage.
"Citizen groups have become very discerning and more demanding. What was earlier the silent and hence probably the suffering majority has begun to speak up," the CAG said, adding, "Time has come when we will all be held responsible for our actions, the way the foundation of an ideal society are laid."
Maintaining that ethical management and leadership is the corner stone for any business enterprise, Vinod Rai said, one "cannot compromise" with integrity whether in public administration or in corporate administration.
Stating that while the world is emerging from a severe economic stress and resetting itself to face newer economic realities, Rai said "India is becoming a major economic power."
The CAG urged the graduates to ingrain integrity and honesty in their subconscious and not to compromise under any circumstances despite the testing times and temptations.
"History tells us that many countries have been destroyed not by external aggression but by internal malfeasance," he said.
Expressing concern that the country’s performance in events such as the Olympics, Nobel Prize and registration of patents globally is low, Rai said, "the performance appears even more discerning in the context of our population, number of universities and contribution to global economy."
He said, "This poses a question of quality of education and a mindset of being content with mediocrity rather than being wrong."
Acknowledging that knowledge is power, Rai said the fact that we were conditioned to the hero worshipping of success and frowning upon failure makes us "risk averse".
"We need to strive for excellence, walk the extra mile with clear vision and mission taking every member of the team along," he said.
Root out corruption to improve standard of administration: CAG Comment: The Military needs to improve its image when resorting to local purchases including all types of grants. The commission/ bribe regime should end from top to bottom.

Command and control of red tabs over troops decline by the day

Ordered to do menial tasks, Army jawans desert Patiala unit
Last Updated: Friday, November 02, 2012, 18:40
Zeenews Bureau
Chandigarh: In yet another breach of discipline in the Indian Army, around 16 soldiers of an armoured regiment based in Patiala left their unit after being forced by their seniors to perform 'menial tasks'.
As per reports, the jawans were part of the 56 Armoured Regiment stationed at Patiala as part of the elite 1 Armoured Division.
The jawans were allegedly asked by some officers to carry out 'menial tasks'. They allegedly protested stating that they belonged to Army's clerk cadres and were supposed to do specific tasks only, The Indian Express reported.
Reports stated that the soldiers returned to their regimental centre in Ahmednagar after the Commanding Officer (CO) issued orders to punish them for showing dissent.
CO had the jawans put through a 'Battle Physical and Proficiency Test (BPET) which requires one to run several kilometres and cross obstacles in full battle gear. They were then forced to do a 'route march’.
The newspaper added that queries to Western Command's Chandimandir-based headquarters went unanswered and no statement was issued in this regard.
Over a 1,000 soldiers have committed suicide since 2003, with the yearly toll regularly climbing over 100. Incidents of fragging (to kill or wound a fellow soldier) have also become a regular phenomenon in the 1.13-million strong Army.
A report by the Defence Institute of Psychological Research had held that "perceived humiliation and harassment, over and above occupational and familial causes", by their superiors often serves as the final "trigger" for jawans in stress-related cases in the forces.
The Army has, meanwhile, ordered a probe into the matter.
Ordered to do menial tasks, Army jawans desert Patiala unit
Related reading
The UN indictment of Indian troops in that episode of sexual abuse had surfaced in a probe report, which had revealed "prima-facie evidence" against a number of Indian peace-keepers previously assigned to one of the units with the UN Mission in Congo.
CoI verdict against Indian peacekeepers expected soon
Comment: The red tabs (only the symbols on uniforms) of all full colonels need to be done away with immediately to reduce the psychological barrier between the troops and unit commanding officers. This gesture is likely to assuage the feelings of the troops under command. The VIP status and VIP culture ingrained in Officers must be slowly got ridden off. Generals need to meet the expenses of batmen, dhobis cooks and waiters from their own funds. No appointment comes with free services and privileges. Now a days there are adequate high tech gadgets to do away with combatants working in Generals houses needlessly in peace areas especially in AHQ and all Command/ Area HQ's.

Lt Gen Dastan and Lt Gen Suhag are in the battle for succession

Lt Gen Allegedly Denied Appointment to Move Court
NEW DELHI | OCT 30, 2012
The dust has hardly settled after former Army Chief Gen V K Singh's court battle with the Government when another General is planning to move court to seek elevation as an Army Commander from June 1 which, if accepted, can create a possible succession row in the force.
Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Lt Gen Ravi Dastane is planning to file a petition in the Armed Forces Tribunal in this regard in the next few days, his counsel Major S S Pandey said here today.
He said Lt Gen Dastane, who has already filed a statutory complaint with the Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh in this regard, is planning to make two main pleas before the Tribunal where he will seek elevation to the rank of Army Commander from June 1 this year retrospectively when two vacancies were existing.
The posts of Western and Eastern Army Commander had fallen vacant on May 31 after the retirement of Gen V K Singh, who was succeeded by Lt Gen Bikram Singh, and the Western Army Commander Lt Gen Shankar Ranjan Ghosh. Lt Gen Bikram Singh had headed the Eastern Command.
The Government had kept the post of Eastern Army Commander vacant for two to three days before Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag was appointed whereas Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachhra was appointed as the Western Army Commander on June 1.
The post was not filled as just before retirement, Gen V K Singh had put Lt Gen Suhag under a discipline and vigilance ban for a failed intelligence operation in Assam but the ban was lifted within 72 hours of Gen Bikram Singh's assuming office.
"On that day, Lt Gen Dastane was also eligible to be elevated as an Army Commander and we will plead before the AFT to give us that appointment," Pandey said.
If the plea is accepted, then Lt Gen Dastane may become senior to Lt Gen Suhag who is expected to succeed Gen Bikram Singh in July 2014 after his retirement.
The second main plea of Lt Gen Dastane would be to be appointed as an Army commander on January 31 when the post of Southern Army Command head falls vacant after Lt Gen A K Singh superannuates with seniority to be taken into account from June 1, Dastane's counsel said.
Though the Government considers all Army Commander-rank officers for elevation to the post of Army Chief but barring a few cases, it has gone ahead with the seniormost officer for the top job.
Commenting on the statutory complaint filed by the officer, Defence Ministry officials said it was pending and no decision has yet been taken.
On the vacancy of Eastern Army Commander being kept vacant for two-three days for Lt Gen Suhag, they said the Government had to take a holistic view of the situation as the officer was being targeted in a "motivated manner" by his then superiors.
Lt Gen Dastane has commanded the 14 Corps in Ladakh and was the General Officer Commanding (GOC) when troops in an artillery regiment beat up their officers in Nyoma during an exercise.
The Army has ordered a Court of Inquiry (CoI) into the incident and its outcome is still awaited.
Lt Gen Allegedly Denied Appointment to Move Court
Comment: The Military appointments are manipulated by MOD and Arms Lobbyists. There is handing and taking over to safeguard accrual of hidden assets that the appointment carries (example sample the Tatra scam revelation- a cut of Rs 14 crores for the chief).

Civil Military Relations: The pivot has become unstable

Army will Continue to Play A Pivotal Role in the Nation Building : Pallam Raju
Minister of State for Defence Dr. MM PallamRaju has said that the Army has always in the past and also in the future will continue to play a pivotal role in the nation building and for that it must emerge as a national symbol and represent the nation’s unique characteristics which is ‘Unity in Diversity’.
Delivering Field Marshal KM Cariappa Memorial Lecture on ‘Army’s Contribution to Nation Building – The Way Ahead’ here today, Dr.Raju said the military virtues of sacrifice, loyalty and discipline have always remained and must serve as objects of veneration for the rest of the nation.
Following is the text of the speech delivered by the Minister: Army will Continue to Play A Pivotal Role in the Nation Building: Pallam Raju- click here
Civil-military relations in crisis
Civilian bureaucrats, who in any case are not specialists, lack the ability to inform themselves adequately and constantly re-invent the wheel. As a result, they show a poor grasp and understanding of military matters and are unable to engage in an informed dialogue. Many members of India’s strategic community have recognised these problems and offered some sensible policy measures to enable more harmonious civil-military relations. For instance, Admiral Arun Prakash, among many others, has argued in favour of integrating bureaucracies and fostering teamwork by cross-posting civilian and military officers. Recognising the problems stemming from a generalist civil service, N.N. Vohra has advocated the creation of a civilian Ministry of Defence, or even National Security cadre. Almost all members of the strategic community have called for a more logical and mature declassification policy.
Read more: Civil-military relations in crisis by ANIT MUKHERJEE- click here

OROP: ESM waits for Justice while Government squanders money on subsidies

Extending the 'one rank one pension' rule to ex-servicemen was long overdue
ET Bureau Oct 8, 2012, 06.42AM IST
The government has done well to accede to the long standing demand of ex-servicemen for 'one rank, one pension (Orop)'. But the manner of putting this principle to practice has invited criticism from ex servicemen.
This defeats any political gain the ruling coalition expected from the decision. It is still possible to discuss this with ex-servicemen and remove the niggles that remain. This corrects a long-standing injustice to the armed forces vis-a-vis their civilian counterparts.
The government had conceded the Orop demand for civilians close to a decade ago on the grounds of equity. It is iniquitous to differentiate between pension entitlement of retirees of the same rank and years of service merely on the basis of when they retire.
Having accepted the merit of this in one case, there was no justification to deny it to ex-servicemen. Many would argue the nation owes more to those who guard its borders than to civilian pensioners. Governments resisted the Orop demand because of the additional stress it would impose on the exchequer.
Unlike civilians who retire at 60 and, given the average life span of 70-80 years, can be expected to draw pension for an average of 10-20 years, military personnel retire earlier. As a result, they can be expected to draw pensions for much longer. The reality, moreover, is that the rules of the game are drawn up by civilians and that meant ex-servicemen had to wait for justice to be done.
As a paper that has long argued for fiscal rectitude and expenditure control, it might seem at odds for us to defend a package that is expected to cost about Rs 2,300 crore annually in its present form, a little more when the package is properly fleshed out and is likely to increase in future.
Except that we have never stood for a blanket clamping down on expenditure as much as for rationalisation and wise prioritisation of public expenditure. Between subsidies on diesel and cooking gas of over Rs 1.5 lakh crore and other subsidies, the Rs 2,300-crore bill on account of higher pension to ex-servicemen, there is no doubt which is more deserving. In terms of hard numbers, the amount is almost insignificant. But as a long-overdue * gesture, its significance cannot be underestimated.
Extending the 'one rank one pension' rule to ex-servicemen was long overdue

OROP: Koshyari Committee negated and fudged by Cabinet Committee

M 35 Palika Bhawan, RK Puram, Sector 13, New Delhi 110066. Dear Friends,
We had the pleasure of meeting the Hon'ble Raksha Mantri on 29 Sep, 2012 with regard to the latest announcement on OROP.
Brig Bhagwan Singh, Air Cmde Sushil Soni, Col Raj Singla, Lt Nar Singh Dass and Capt Mangal Singh were part of my Delegation.
The exchange of pleasantries were followed by the submissions we had gone to make. Before we however got down to talk about the problems, we presented the RM with a Memento commemorating the 30th Anniversary of our Association.
To begin with we presented him with a paper about the recent award prepared by our team led by Lt Nar Singh Dass, our Gen Secy on Pensionary Matters. This dealt with what we got as a result of this announcement in real terms. (Paper follows). This was prepared with whatever little information we had. We welcome comments from all of you on what we have stated so that the entire paper can be corrected to give as true a picture as possible.
We apprised him that what has been given is no where near OROP and it all tantamount to bureaucracy cheating us the Veterans and misleading the leadership.
He agreed that what has been given is not OROP but assured that they have given this much for now. More will follow.
We then submitted that the recent Koshyari Committee had worked out the expenditure of Rs 1300.00 crores for grant of full OROP. The Cabinet Secy's Committee has not even given 25 % of what OROP signifies and has announced the sanction of Rs 2300.00 crores, almost twice the amount required for meeting this one single most important demand of OROP for the last 31 years.
With this one stroke, not only they achieved their aim of denying us our rightful dues but also conveying to the leadership how generous they are, as against our demand of Rs 1300.00, they have sanctioned 2300.00 crores. Indirectly also conveying to the leadership how ungrateful and greedy we the veterans are that an amount of Rs 2300.00 crores also does not make us feel grateful to the Gov't and satisfied.
We also submitted what we feel, may have been done to bloat this figure-
Bureaucracy has been misleading the leadership for over 15 years on Rank Pay which the Fourth CPC had granted and very proudly denied to the Veterans by the bureaucracy. Recently the Govt lost that case. The Hon''ble Supreme Court has directed the Govt to pay the dues amounting to Rs 1600.00 crores within three months with interest. This being the Supreme Courts final order has to be carried out.
We submitted that obviously, the bureaucracy has clubbed this amount of Rs 1600.00 crores with another Rs 700,00 crores of the total amount of Rs 1300.00 crores required for OROP and made it Rs 2300.00 crores.
We then appealed to him to please have the matter investigated. Any body found guilty of misleading the leadership should be punished. We further appealed that the Gov't should also take appropriate action to find out the persons who were responsible for the sufferings of the veterans in Rank Pay case. Once they are identified they should not only be proceeded against but also made to pay the interest amount to the affected veterans.
I am glad to say that The Raksha Mantri gave us a very patient hearing and we expect that the more to follow comes up fast.
Lt Col Inderjit Singh
Chairman

LETTER TO RM ABOUT OUR ASSESSMENT OF THE OROP AWARD - 29 SEP, 2012
In July this year, after assessing the situation arising as a result of ongoing unrest in the Armed Forces, you were very truthful when you warned the Prime Minister about the possibility of things turning bad.
The entire Veterans community admired you for that as that was the strongest representation of our cause by any Raksha Mantri I had seen in the past thirty one years. Our hopes and aspirations rocketed sky high as it was the first time any body had ever put across the true picture about our legitimate demands. These were however short lived.
The first knock we got when the Prime Minister appointed a Secretaries Committee under the Cabinet Secretary to attend to our most legitimate and some very longstanding problems. The most important of these being OROP. When all this happened I wrote a letter to the Prime Minister and also sent you a copy. I enclose a copy for your kind information. I never expected it to reach his desk and I have been proved right.
The disastrous trends started showing up when there was no representation of the Armed Forces or Veterans in the Committee. The turning down of the appeal of even the three Chiefs on this issue was an ominous sign of impending disaster. Which did finally happen.
I wish to most emphatically state that over the past thirty one years, what ever we got, it was through the Congress Gov'ts. Other parties firstly did not understand our problems, when we did explain to them they flattered to deceive.
Since the Congress genuinely wanted to solve our problems they had developed a culture of forming committees with our representation on these, so that correct decisions based on facts are taken for solving our problems. Thus earning the sobriquet of being the most friendly party of the Armed Forces. This reputation is at stake with all the latest developments.
The High Level Empowered Committee, 1990 was the last one in which we were represented when we ensured that the bureaucracy did not get away with their lies. Many problems including OROP as a result got solved.
That is what the bureaucracy could not tolerate and set about creating a new culture of forming inter ministerial committees, Cabinet secretary's committees or a GOM in which we were left out to enable them to play havoc with every demand of ours. All such committees are set up to get rejection certificates of our demands by lying to the leadership. The more powerful the Chairman the more powerful the rejection certificate. In 2009 they got a certificate which they have been throwing at us. Now they have got another one which they will utilize to bury OROP for ever.
What they must be doing in the proceedings of the Committee is evident from the Rs 2300.00 crores expenditure on our demands they have sanctioned.
Recently Koshiary Committee had worked out the expenditure on grant of full OROP as Rs 1300.00 crores. They have not given us even a fraction of OROP but want us to believe that the expenditure on what trash they have worked for us is Rs 2300.0 crores. Can the leadership ask them to explain how this figure has been worked out.
I cant say for sure till I inspect the files, but what I can make out is that they fudged the figures to brow beat the leadership into accepting their views of rejecting OROP.
As you are aware, the Govt has finally lost the case with regard to Rank Pay after a prolonged litigation. The expenditure for that is Rs 1600.00 crores with which the bureaucrats can no more fool around as it has to be paid within three months Add to that Rs 1300.00 crores for OROP, the total works out to Rs 2900.00 crores. To my mind they have clubbed the Rank Pay amount with Rs 700.00 crores of the Rs 1300.00 crores of OROP and made it Rs 2300 .00 crores. Rs 1000.00 crores more than what Koshiary Committee recommended. How clever and a half. They killed two birds with one stone. First, they have achieved their aim of denying OROP and more than that they have impressed the leadership of their generosity in giving more than their dues. In fact what they have given is a matter of disgust.
By denying the Veterans OROP the bureaucrats have not only shattered the hopes and aspirations of the veterans, but have also added salt to their injured feelings.
I therefore appeal to you to kindly scrap the recommendations of the Cabinet Secretary and grant us all that is our legitimate due before it is too late. You perhaps would recollect that your promise of 21 Feb 2010, to give us full parity with Sixth CPC rates, is yet to be fulfilled.
Further start an inquiry for making an example of the bureaucrats responsible for lying to the leadership about OROP and delaying the dispensation of justice to the officers in Rank Pay case for more than 15 years.
That is the least we expect from our Messiah who took up our cause strongly earlier.
The Hon'ble Sh AK Antony The Raksha Mantri Govt of India New Delhi 110001
Letter to Our Prime Minister- OROP of 17, July 2012

Media Cover for Ghosts and Corrupt Bureaucrats in MOD

Ref: Army HQ nod to foreign firm under scanner
India: Emergency Defense Purchase
Tue, 2012-10-09 00:38 — editor
News Comments By S.G.Vombatkere**
The front page news report of a reputed national daily on October 8, 2012, is headlined “Army HQ nod to foreign firm under scanner”. A picture of retired Gen V.K.Singh with the caption “Ex-Army chief initiated 'emergency purchase'” and the subtitle “$100 mn Tender – MoD finds Bulgarian firm not an original manufacturer; Russia complains”, clearly targets Army HQ.
The news item concerns emergency procurement of anti-aircraft gun ammunition allegedly through an irregular selection procedure.
This needs to be viewed in the context of the then Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen V.K.Singh's April 2012 letter to the Prime Minister, in which he reported that there were military hardware obsolescence’s and deficiencies of ammunition and equipment seriously affecting the battle readiness of the army.
This letter got leaked to the media. Even though Gen V.K.Singh demanded that the source of the leak be punished because it is treasonable, and the Raksha Mantri (RM) said it is a “breach of national security”, bureaucrats in MoD/PMO are soft-pedaling investigation because the ghost that caused the leak is right there amongst them.
Among the questions that need to be asked are: “Why did Army HQ initiate emergency purchase of anti-aircraft (AA) ammunition?”; “Could not Army HQ have foreseen the requirement and projected it to MoD in the normal course?”; and, “Did glitches in procurement procedures result in inordinate delay and consequent shortage of AA ammunition, creating an emergency that would have serious operational repercussions?”.
Also, if there is a military engagement with another country, can any COAS simply pack up the AA guns and tell the PM or RM, 'You have not provided the ammunition'? It is well known that defense procurement procedures are bureaucrat-controlled and corruption is indulged in by those who are in control. This is not to absolve Army HQ or COAS of responsibility but to point out that the dominant role in all defense procurement is that of the MoD bureaucracy, specifically, the Defense Secretary.
It is only the COAS who would initiate emergency purchase precisely because that is the level of responsibility for national security. But the reporter apparently has not stopped to enquire why there was an emergency. Targeting Army HQ by oblique accusation of corruption has inadvertently provided cover to corrupt officials. In any case it would have been more appropriate to paste the Defense Secretary's picture with the news report.
Gen V.K.Singh's courageous, path-breaking and openly-declared condemnation of corruption among the nexus of corrupt bureaucrats and certain retired army officers, together with the unassailable honesty of RM A.K.Antony, have discomfited the MoD bureaucracy. Hence it is necessary for them to target Army HQ and Gen V.K.Singh to divert media glare away from them.
It is unfortunate that the media has been misled by information provided by MoD bureaucrats, without asking questions on the lines mentioned above. One sincerely hopes that there is no bureaucrat-media nexus in this case.
**S.G.Vombatkere served 35 years in the Indian army and retired with the rank of major general from the post of Additional DG in charge of Discipline and Vigilance in Army HQ, New Delhi. He is presently engaged in voluntary work and is a member of the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). Asian Tribune
India: Emergency Defense Purchase
Related reading
Lt Gen Bhatia to probe MI unit set up by ex-chief Gen V K Singh

OROP: Crying like babies will not help

1. I heartily congratulate Shailesh Ranade on the Action he suggested to Get our Right Dues than crying like babies.
2. The present UPA - II Government only understands Vote Bank and desperately needs to culitivate it. We the veterans form big vote bank. If Sri Aravind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan can form a political party why can not we follow suit. Our voice can only be heard if we can go to Parliament as MPs and not kneel before these corrupt politicians pleading for toffees. When we have such large veteran population in State like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Uttarkhand, Rajasthan and UP what prevents us from sweeping the polls. The Aam Admi is fed up with corruption in every walk of life. He wants clean people to govern him. Who is cleaner than the Fauji? When Rs 60,000 crores was doled out to help out farmers in 2011-12 (did not prevent large number of farmers to commit suicide inspite of loan waiver), the babus in IAS must have taken their calculators to know how much of it can be looted.
3. Look at the gross diversion of funds from all Government schemes which are meant to help out the poor. How much does a poor man get from this? Most of it goes into pockets of these politicians and civil servants at all levels.
4. There is an urgent need for the veteran community to get out of their cozy homes and do something which Anna Hazare and others are doing to mobilise the voters. We, the veteran community can do a better job.
5. Thanks Shailesh for waking me up from my deep slumber.
Brig (Retd) CS Vidyasagar
Bombay Sappers

On Sunday, July 15, 2012 6:50:30 PM UTC+5:30, Sailesh Ranade wrote:
Dear Veterans,
1. I have been closely following the situation with regard to OROP. I feel disgusted that veterans are crying like spoilt children for some fancy toy. This Tamasha has been going on for a few years now with no end in sight. In fact, we have brought this upon ourselves.
2. Now let us come to the main point. Veterans are not children. So stop behaving like children. If you think that the government (politicians and bureaucrats) is going to listen to you, forget it. Have you noticed that the government will notice you only if you do dharnas, hunger strikes, rallies and resort to things like rasta/ rail roko. See how every other department is holding the government to ransom.
3. So what needs to be done? Get your butts off the ground and pull your finger out. Following points come to my mind readily.

Bring in a Tall and Clean Leader. Only one relevant present day ICON comes to my mind. Gen VK Singh. He has no financial historical baggage.

If you cannot muster VKS, bring in Anna Hazare.

Join Forces. Today we have all sorts of Brigadiers, Major Gen, Lt Gen and even a Major who run different types of organisation. Come together, but keep the tainted out. I used to see a lot of Generals on TV in the last 6 months. Dump them. Also dump all the military Governors and High Commissioners. They were all corrupt.

Form a Political Party. Call it the “Patriotic Front“. I guarantee, at least 100 seats in Parliament if there are clean candidates. The number of ex-servicemen and servicemen is easily close to 4 million. There is no bigger homogeneous force in the world. If you include the paramilitary, it will easily touch 10 million. When in Parliament, make your own laws. Pass any bill in favour of the veterans.

The statement that “we will play by the rules” needs to be discarded. When your future is being decided by corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and judiciary, there is simply no future. Hold rallies, strikes, rasta roko etc. I am sure Delhi and surrounding areas can easily muster more people than what Anna Hazare and Ramdev could organise. And these two gentlemen brought the government on its knees.

As military veterans, we should consider all means. All is fair in love and war. The result will be quick and the lesson will sink in once and for all.
We don’t need cry babies on TV. Act now. The mood is against the government. India desperately needs a revolution. A minor storm by military veterans will be enough.
Please pass this to all.
Regards,
S Ranade

Fake Encounters haunt the Army

Army forcing us to withdraw case against Gen Bikram Singh: NGO
Harinder Baweja, Hindustan Times
Srinagar, October 05, 2012
The army has been accused of putting pressure on the civil society in Kashmir to withdraw a PIL against its chief, General Bikram Singh.
YES Kashmir, an NGO, had approached the Jammu and Kashmir high court in October last year to raise the issue of an encounter that occurred in Janglat Mandi, Anantnag, in March 2001.
In the clash, Singh — then a brigadier posted in the Valley — suffered gunshot wounds while two army officials lost their lives.
According to the police, an alleged militant dressed as a beggar had approached Singh and opened fire. In the battle that ensued, the militant was killed.
The PIL, however, questions the police theory. A family had come forward in October 2011, claiming that it was their son Abdullah Bhat, an innocent bystander, who had been killed.
The timing of the PIL was questioned in military circles, with many seeing it as an attempt to narrow down Singh’s chances of becoming the army chief.
Soon after Singh took over as the chief of army staff, NGO head Khurshid Ahmed Mir approached the court once again and — in a sworn affidavit — claimed that the force was pressurising him.
Mir has now alleged in the affidavit that “officers of Sector–1 RR are pressurising me to help them withdraw the case by influencing relatives and the counsel for the petitioners… Since the case has turned out to be a high-profile one, I feel insecure in the hands of the army. They are repeatedly putting pressure on me, and can harm me and my family.”
The police had then closed the case, saying the beggar was actually Mateen Chacha — a Pakistan-trained Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist.
They are now refusing to produce a photograph of the ‘beggar’ or identify his grave, demands that the family has made through the PIL.
The board of officers inquiring into the funding of the controversial intelligence unit, constituted by former army chief Gen VK Singh, is now probing possible links between the ‘snoop unit’ and the NGO.
The inquiry notwithstanding, the petition can be embarrassing for the chief as well as the government, particularly if the court orders an investigation into the ‘fake encounter.’ The army declined to comment on the grounds that the inquiry was still on.
>Army forcing us to withdraw case against Gen Bikram Singh: NGO Comment: Fake Encounters and Gallantry Awards was a sure sign of Career Success for many Senior Officers. This short cut was fine tuned by AHQ from 1995 to 2007. When busted the reactions are for a cover up by all means... The AHQ CoI is waste of time. The Army is not designed for IS duties or Anti Insurgency ops. The designed role is only COMBAT- defensive and offensive.

Tatra Scam: Will Corrupt Babus and Generals still get their kickbacks?

HT New Delhi, September 17, 2012
The defence ministry is planning to cancel the BEML order, worth over Rs. 50 lakh, given to UK-based Tatra Sipox for supplying one truck, in the wake of the CBI probe into the allegations of irregularities in the supply of these vehicles. The order for the truck was placed by BEML in May for the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
The Ministry is planing to cancel the order worth over Rs. 50 lakh placed by BEML with the UK-based Tatra Sipox, sources told PTI here.
When asked about the development, defence ministry's Department of Defence Production refused to comment on it.
BEML had written a letter to Tatra Sipox in May this year seeking urgent delivery of a Tatra truck for around Euro 88,000 (over Rs. 50 lakh).
The tie-up between BEML and UK-based Tatra Sipox for supplying Tatra trucks to the Indian forces has been under the scanner after former Army Chief Gen VK Singh alleged that he was offered a bribe of Rs. 14 crore for clearing a file for procuring over 600 such vehicles.
After the allegations came to light on March 27, defence minister AK Antony ordered a CBI inquiry into the allegations.
BEML's chairman and managing director VRS Natarajan has also been removed out of his office by the Ministry for ensuring a free and fair probe into the charges.
BEML and Tatra have supplied more than 6,000 such heavy-duty trucks to the armed forces and the DRDO for carrying missiles and other heavy systems.
Defence ministry to cancel DRDO's Tatra truck order PTI

Mystery: BEML, Tatra Sipox and Venus Projects payments routed to tax haven

BEML payments to UK Tatra Sipox for deal routed to Rishi's Hong Kong firm
Josy Joseph, TNN Aug 11, 2012, 02.48AM IST
NEW DELHI: Investigators are bewildered by the strange financial relations between Tatra Sipox UK, the British company that had been supplying Tatra trucks to BEML, and another company in Hong Kong controlled by the controversial NRI businessman Ravi Rishi.
The CBI is investigating irregularities in the purchase of all-terrain Tatra trucks by defence public sector unit BEML for the Indian military. Allegations of irregularities in the deal were sent to CBI for investigation by defence minister A K Antony earlier this year, but it hit headlines after former Army chief General V K Singh claimed that he was offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore to approve purchase of a new batch of Tatra trucks.
Rishi, who controls Tatra Sipox UK and is the prime accused in the CBI FIR into the Tatra scandal, recently moved the Supreme Court seeking permission to travel abroad. CBI has opposed the demand.
What brings a mysterious twist to the Tatra scandal is the relation between Tatra Sipox UK and Venus Projects Ltd of Hong Kong. Venus is controlled from the secretive tax haven of Liechtenstein.
Investigators have been given details by banks and others concerned to establish that every time Tatra Sipox received a payment from BEML, the entire amount was immediately transferred to the account of Venus. In return, Venus gave Tatra Sipox just a 1% commission. "Tatra Sipox was just a transaction handling agency with no powers at all," a source said.
To make the entire transaction easy, both Tatra Sipox and Venus had their bank accounts with Canara Bank in London, and operated them in euro currency. In fact, on February 6, 2007, BEML agreed, for strange reasons, to change the procurement currency from dollar to euro, which led to significant loses to BEML over the next few years. Once BEML issued payments in euro, there was no currency conversion costs on either Tatra Sipox UK or Venus Projects.
With the fresh revelations that Tatra Sipox did not even have the right to decide on the payments received from BEML, the attention should shift to Hong Kong-based Venus Projects. According to documents of Venus Projects until 2011, all the shares of the company were held by Deswa Holding Establishment based in Liechtenstein.
By January 2012, Tatra Sipox was fully owned by Vectra Ltd, which in turn was also run by a trust in Liechtenstein.
BEML had signed a contract with Tatra Sipox in 1997 for a 10-year period for the supply of the all-terrain trucks and its parts. In 2003, four years before the contract expired, the PSU renewed its contract with Tatra Sipox to extend the "scope of working relationship", according to the CBI FIR into the case.
BEML is believed to have told the defence ministry that it was entering into a contract with a fully-owned subsidiary of Tatra AS, the Czech manufacturer of the all-terrain trucks. However, CBI is now convinced that Tatra Sipox UK had nothing to do with the original equipment manufacturers.
And with the latest revelations of Venus Projects being the real 'controlling authority', the Tatra contract has assumed more complex hues. Tatra Sipox emerged on the scene after the collapse of Czechoslovakia into Czech Republic and Slovakia. The company was incorporated in UK in 1994.
BEML payments to UK Tatra Sipox for deal routed to Rishi's Hong Kong firm
Related Reading

Black money case: Centre declines to make names public

Tracking Tatra: How are Chidambaram and Vayalar connected?

Will the India Against Corruption movement lose steam?

Dear friends,
I have just returned after attending a marathon meeting called by IAC to enable Anna Hazare to take the views of some people on the political alternative that he had announced when ending the fast at Jantar Mantar on 3rd August. The meeting started at 1000am and ended at 1915pm.
In spite of a fervent plea from many eminent people, including Shashi Bhushan, who was one of the founder members of the Janata Party in 1977, Anna stuck to his oft repeated stand that he will not join or allow his name to be used by any political party. He expressed the fear that politics will taint his reputation and image in Maharashtra. He said that he would continue to agitate for the Jan Lokpal Bill, and make sure that it is passed before the next elections, in 2014.
Most of us were sorely disappointed. Many people felt that the movement will lose the momentum and goodwill it had gained during the last two years. Anna's credibility will also suffer. People want a change and will not forgive us if we back out at this stage.
I am reminded of the words of Alexander the Great, who once said "An army of sheep led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by a sheep."
Veteran Maj Gen VK Singh

India Against Corruption
Although many feel disillusioned with the way the movement has dissipated and disintegrated, some of its spectacular successes won’t be forgotten easily. Among the most captivating was the Sense of the House resolution adopted by Parliament in August 2011 accepting “in principle” some of the demands of the Lokpal movement.
Eventually, the manner in which the movement was outwitted by the politicians and the high expectations created by the 24×7 media coverage also brought with it many valuable lessons. While Hazare is determined to fight his battles apolitically —as he has done all his life —Kejriwal is not entirely wrong in wanting to establish a political party. After all, politicians get their power from the votes cast by the people and if the people truly want to bring a change, there’s no alternative but to go and cast one’s vote.
If the politicians of the day have reduced Parliament to a dirty commode, as conveyed by the cartoonist, can one expect the politicians to clean it themselves? The people have no choice but to undertake this task themselves.
Why Arvind Kejriwal deserves our unstinted support
Comment: Kejriwal's route of forming a Political Party and taking on corruption is a long drawn out affair- There is many a slip between the cup and the lip. Anna's and Arvind's route may differ but in essence it is same... to fight corruption... the Lokpal Bill is only a starter.

No Military representation on the High Powered Committee

Government not to allow defence representatives in pay panel, say sources
August 5, 2012
Government not to allow defence representatives in pay panel, say sources
New Delhi: The government has reportedly refused to accept the demand of the armed forces to allow military representation on the High Powered Committee, which has been formed to resolve the anomalies in the pension and benefits for the defence personnel.
Top sources at the Centre have told NDTV that the government cannot agree to the demand as the panel was formed during the sixth pay commission and now it’s a little too late to allow defence representatives on board. The Prime Minister is expected to make an announcement on the issue in his Independence Day speech on August 15. The sources added that the panel, which was formed by the Prime Minister, will have to address the concerns of the armed forces in the way issues were handled during the sixth pay commission.
Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma had reportedly written to Defence Minister AK Antony last week, objecting to the panel headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
Source: NDTV
Comment: Maybe the Government is right. Senior Officers from AHQ are only interested in their own pay and perks. The representation should be from Senior JCOs and NCOs to directly interact with the Cabinet Committee. Senior Officers credibility is diminishing day by day. Previous track record from 1986 till 2006 is proof of their standing. Corrupt Generals cannot influence or impact any improvement in pay package for the Military.
Government not to allow defence representatives in pay panel, say sources
Ministry of Defence
One Rank-One Pension The gap between past pensioners and their youger equivalents retiring from the armed forces does not necessarily keeps widening with every successive pay commission. Over the years several improvements have been made in pension of past pensioners. The pension of past pensioners have revised in accordance with recommendation of each successive Pay Commission, as accepted by the Government. The Sixth Pay Commission had recommended fitment formula and modified parity for past pensioners, in order to reduce the gaps, which were accepted by the Government.
Pension Improvement is an ongoing process and considerable improvements have been made in the pensions of armed forces personnel. The Group of Ministers (GoM) had in 2005 improved the pensionary benefits of PBORs. On the recommendations of PMO, a Committee was set up under the Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary in June, 2009 to look into the issue of ‘One Rank One Pension and other related matters. After considering all aspects of the matter, the Committee keeping in mind the spirit of the demand, suggested several measures to substantially improve pensionary benefits of Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) and Commissioned Officers, which have been accepted by the Government and orders for implementation of all the recommendations have been issued. These are available at www.pcdapension.nic.in.
This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Shri MM PallamRaju in a written reply to Dr.RajanSushantand others in LokSabha today.PIB
One Rank One Pension

HC raps police over 'arbitrary' arrest of cartoonist Trivedi

HC raps police over 'arbitrary' arrest of cartoonist Trivedi
Press Trust of India / Mumbai September 14, 2012, 16:55
Dubbing the arrest of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi on the charge of sedition as "arbitrary" and on "frivolous" grounds, the Bombay High Court today said it breached his freedom of speech and expression.
The court also said it intended to lay down guidelines for application of the pre-Independence law to ensure that liberties guaranteed to citizens in a civil society are not encroached.
"How can you (police) arrest people on frivolous grounds? You arrest a cartoonist and breach his liberty of freedom of speech and expression," a division bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and Amjad Sayyed said, voicing strong displeasure over the arrest of Kanpur-based cartoonist whom it had granted bail two days back.
The Kanpur-based cartoonist, arrested last Saturday, was released on Monday after the high court granted him bail amid mounting public outcry.>br> Observing that Trivedi's arrest was prima facie "arbitrary", the court said, "We have one Aseem Trivedi who was courageous enough to raise his voice and stand against this, but what about several others whose voices are shut by police."
The court was hearing a PIL filed by a lawyer Sanskar Marathe against Trivedi's arrest, which he described as "illegal, bad in law, and unjustified".
Noting that the law governing sedition was a pre- Independence provision in the statute book when government wanted protection from citizens, the bench said it intended to lay "parameters" for its application to check misuse.
"If there are no parameters there will be serious encroachment of a person's liberties guaranteed to him in a civil society," the bench said.
HC raps police over 'arbitrary' arrest of cartoonist Trivedi

Govt to retire non-performing bureaucrats

Tuesday 04 September, 2012.DD News
In order to maintain a high standard of efficiency in governance, the Centre is reviewing the performance of all-India service officers and has asked the state governments to carry out similar exercises so that non-performing officials could be retired from services.
Assessment of the performance of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers, who have completed at least 15 years of service, has already been started, a Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) official said.
"DoPT has begun review performance of IAS officers and also asked the state governments to do so. The aim behind this exercise is to check on non-performing officers and guard departments against the operation of the 'Peter Principle'... The states are given a maximum of six-month time to carry out this exercise," he said.
The 'Peter Principle', coined by psychologist Laurence J Peter and Raymond Hull in 1969, is a belief that in an organisation where promotion is based on achievement, success, and merit, the employees there will eventually be promoted beyond their level of ability. In common parlance, the principle is also phrased as "employees tend to rise to their level of incompetence".
In January, the Centre had amended Rule 16 (3) of all- India services rule which allowed a performance review only after completion of 30 years of qualifying service.
The new rules gives powers to the government to give retirement to these officers in "public interest" after at least 15 years in the job.
The government can again carry out such review after the officer completes 25 years of service or attains the age of 50 years.
"The Centre may also hold a meeting of state governments after the review to decide on the fate of the non-performing bureaucrats," the official said, adding that the detailed modalities on the exercise will be worked out in coordination with Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Forests and Union Public Service Commission.(ST-03/09)
Govt to retire non-performing bureaucrats

Corruption in Armed Forces: Sort out the Generals first

CANARY TRAP: LET THE PEOPLE KNOW THE FACTS
BY CT – JULY 27, 2012
BY SHAILESH RANADE
The past two years have been a disaster for the Armed Forces, especially the Army. The drubbing they have received is worse than nuclear explosion over Hiroshima during WWII. In five years flat, Japan was up and running and catching up with the developed economies. The Indian Armed Forces are not likely to recover any time soon. In fact the situation is likely to get worse. This is because the destruction is not of government property like ships, tanks, and aircraft but of the only asset that the military officer has – moral fibre. When the officer loses his moral fibre, he is not in the military anymore. He only dresses like a military officer.
I hear arguments like, “the officers and men come from the same decaying Indian Society”. We don’t expect them to be honest, “when there is muck all around”. All these arguments are completely flawed. When a person joins the Academy as a Cadet, he is exposed to a culture which is completely different from the other careers that he can choose. If the same person were to choose Engineering, IT, Medical, Mass Media, Bollywood etc, he is in effect a part of the same decaying, scheming society that is run by the mafia and black money where cheating is the norm.
Everything the military man does is different. He stays separate from civilian populations. His mess is different. He dresses differently. His eating habits are different. He excels in table manners. His hospitals will be of better standards. He has no problem with availability of bread and water. His cantonment will be the most beautiful and cleanest place in town. His justice system is different and more efficient. More importantly, his work is different. Often 24x7x365. He can be recalled from leave if required. In disturbed areas or in times of war, he may not return home to his family. He also gets a gun salute at his funeral and flags will be flown at half mast.
The military man is made of different stuff and needs to be different. How is it that an “honest” Cadet turns into a “thief” General in 30 years? In fact I am willing to stick my neck out by stating that there are a lot more thieves in the higher ranks than have come out in the media. These are NOT aberrations any more. It is a trend. A disturbing trend, indeed.
The fish rots at the head first. So it is with the Armed Forces. (In this piece, Generals also include Admirals and Air Marshals. There are many more corrupt Generals than the latter two, hence the generalization). To win the war on corruption, the country needs to sort out the Generals first.
Thieving: It is often believed that Generals do not follow the rule book. When an Officer reaches the Flag Rank; he is free to do as he pleases. In fact it is his privilege, as some of his personal staff will mention. Mess Secretaries will often complain that Generals will take along tooth brush, toothpaste and bath room slippers when they vacate their rooms. When they vacate their houses, they will take along the carpets, curtains, and paintings etc which have been bought from Unit Funds. If the civilians don’t believe this, just watch what happens when the Flag Officers vacate their bungalows. It is brazen daylight robbery. Most Generals are simply petty thieves.
Punishment: Generals are often not punished for their misdemeanors or professional misconduct. Punishment is restricted to middle levels like Brigadiers and Colonels. Enough cases come to my mind. The loss of INS Andaman and Vindhyagiri in peacetime did not see any Admirals sink. The Kargil War did not see any Generals get the boot. The crash of 482 MiGs over the last 40 years has not grounded any Air Marshal.
ACRs: If a junior officer is ambitious to make it to Flag Rank, only two options are available. Either he has to be the son of a senior military or government officer or he has to hitch a ride on the shoulders on a General by becoming his Staff Officer or ADC. The other attributes in the ACR do not matter. To have an outstanding ACR, you need to please only one person – your boss. The reviewing officers who “concur” would probably not know the officer on whom the ACR is rendered or he is not being honest. It would be a good idea, to have 360 degree reporting. The men who you Command should know what kind of a person they are promoting to General rank. ACRs should also be publicized. If an officer has done some good work, then the Unit, Division or Command should know about it.
Pay and Allowances: Military is the only career in the world where you can start only at the bottom. A person can never join the military at the level of a Brigadier or a Colonel. The reverse is possible. Enough military men have joined as Vice Presidents, General Managers, and Directors etc. Some have become entrepreneurs. I know of a JCO who is now a MD and employs 200 people. A few have joined politics. While a military man can join any profession he chooses, the reverse will almost certainly end in failure. Imagine hiring a Vice President from a top MNC Bank and making him the GOC of a Strike Corps or a Carrier Captain. The poor chap wouldn’t have a clue. The military man, by nature of his training is vastly superior and is often the last resort for any assistance. His pay and allowances therefore should not be linked to other sundry and mundane government jobs. If the military needs more pay, just give it without asking questions. Only a fool will chop his right hand. Can our Service Chiefs please speak up and convince the government? Incidentally, anyone ever heard of a Service Chief resigning to uphold the honour of his service or the welfare of his men?
Warrant of Precedence (WoP): Much is said about the WoP. A four star General is currently at No 12. Does it really matter whether he is at 12 or 25? In the US, the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff is at 50. In the UK, thanks to the Royalty, the Chief of Defence Staff is way behind. Since these are only Ceremonial positions, the pay and perks should not be linked to the Order of Precedence. It does not matter whether the General sits in the 1st row or 10th row. If a General who leads a million men into battle feels belittled, he may not attend such a function. But then he may forego his ambassadorship or governorship (next point).
Post Retirement Sinecure: A scrutiny of the list of Governors in India tells one a lot about the kind of people occupying these positions. Are these “gifts” for services already rendered? Frankly would a General really relish the job of a Governor where he is not better than a glorified servant? A few years ago, an Admiral willfully demoted himself to the level of a lowly Joint Secretary to occupy a position in New Zealand. What happened to the honor code? What hints are the men in uniform getting? And then they have the gall to crib about Warrant of Precedence?
Post Retirement Jobs: Senior Officers are expected to do something respectable once they hang their boots. They are expected to join professional bodies, give opinions, lecture on strategic issues, guide the youth, work for the under privileged etc. Instead we find that they have no qualms about pimping for arms lobbies and all kinds of nefarious activities. Flag Officers should be banned from positions in the Government and Private Sector. Give them a decent pension till they kick the bucket. If they want to make money as honest citizens, please leave the fauj as Colonels.
Land/Estates: Senior Officers have suddenly become dalals when it comes to land deals. The Adarsh, Sukhna land scams are well known. There are other areas too where defence land has been grabbed by private parties only because the lording General was hand in glove with vested interests. Apart from the odd Colonel in Adarsh, all the Officers involved are Flag Officers. In fact there are 3 Service Chiefs in the Adarsh Scam. “At no time did they know what Adarsh was about” says one Chief. Really? How innocent? Speaks volumes about their situational awareness. These senior officers had the power to punish and dismiss personnel. Now they themselves are being marched before a Judicial Commission.
Statutory Complaints and Court Cases: Ask any Major General or equivalent. He will say that the military is a glorious profession. And when he is not promoted further, all hell breaks loose. A glorious profession suddenly becomes the worst profession in town. Generals too miss promotions and choice appointments. What follows is a flurry of complaints and court cases. Why be a bad loser and wash dirty linen? Not getting promoted does not mean the end of life. But it shows our senior officers as selfish, self serving individuals.
Generals are supposed to be held in awe. His every word is a Command. An order may even lead a jawan to his death. However, jawans these days are quite news conscious. They see their Generals spread-eagled on the front covers of national magazines. The Generals’ lack of morals greatly affects the morale of his juniors. In the future, jawans may begin to question every word of their senior officers. In fact the next war may have already been lost. The situation is critical. The next generation of Generals may well imbibe Tagore’s: “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high”. Time to forget Chetwode.
I am sorry if this piece hurts honest Generals. I am sure there would be a few still left.
(The opinions expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of Canary Trap or any employee thereof)
Corruption in Armed Forces: Sort out the Generals first

Corruption case: Maj Gen under the scanner

Corruption case: Maj Gen under the scanner
Press Trust of India / New Delhi August 30, 2012, 15:15
The Army has been hit by yet another corruption case with a Major General coming under the scanner for alleged financial irregularities during his stint at the Udhampur-based Northern Command.
Sources said the Maj Gen belonging to the Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME) has been asked to appear before an ongoing Court of Inquiry (CoI) against a Colonel.
The CoI was ordered after allegations of misappropriation of funds through forged bills surfaced in the Northern Command.
However, the Army Headquarters maintained that the Maj Gen has been summoned by the CoI only to appear as a witness and there was no separate investigation against him. The sources said the Colonel has claimed that he was only following the instructions of the Maj Gen.
Another Maj Gen of the Army Services Corps in the Northern Command is facing a Court of Inquiry (CoI) for allegedly accepting bribe from a local contractor in supplies for formations deployed in Siachen and Jammu and Kashmir.
In the last few years, the Army has seen a number of corruption cases involving Lt Gen-rank officers of which three have been court martialled already.
Corruption case: Maj Gen under the scanner
Comment: Most of the senior officers are physically unfit. One way of weeding out the corrupt senior officers board them out in large numbers.

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.

NDA Scam: Poor villagers were made to pay bribes

NDA recruitment scam: Most candidates who paid were from around Khadakwasla
SushantKulkarni : Fri Jul 27 2012, 03:50 hrs
The CBI investigation of the alleged recruitment scam at NDA has revealed that the almost all candidates who had paid money for securing the job were youths from in and around Khadakwasla and were tapped through the arrested agents.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the CBI, Pune, has so far arrested two colonels with the NDA, Kulbir Singh and A K Singh, a civilian staffer with the establishment division of the NDA and five others from Khadakwasla who worked as agents and were instrumental in getting in touch with the candidates for Class IV and lower divisional clerk posts.
A senior officer with the CBI said, “We got the list of candidates who had paid up from the a pen drive seized from A K Singh. Most of them are from areas near Khadakwasla. Only a few are from outside Pune. The candidates told us that they paid these agents as they were residents of these villages and the candidates knew them personally or got acquainted with them through someone else.”
Superintendent of police with the CBI ACB Rajkumar Vhatkar confirmed that most of the candidates are local residents and were contacted through acquaintances. Another senior officer said, “All the candidates we spoke to wanted to get into NDA due to the perks and salary the academy offers. Most of them have someone from their family or neighbourhood working as a class IV employee at the academy. NDA draws most of its class IV employees from villages around Khadakwasla.”
The officer added, “One of the agents, Balkrishna Kanojia, was a caterer while Vishnu Prasad Sharma, another agent, ran a small shop on NDA campus. After the advertisement appeared in the newspapers, many youths from Khadakwasla applied for the posts. Kanojia knew some of them and got in touch with them. In some cases, candidates got in touch with Kanojia or Sharma as they knew recruitment could be fixed. Money was paid through Dattatreya Shitkal, Manoj Shitkal and Ramesh Gaikwad, who had their relatives in NDA.”
NDA recruitment scam: Most candidates who paid were from around Khadakwasla
ACB seeks court nod for narco analysis of 8 accused
Comment: Army officers involved in taking bribes from poor villagers need to be court marshalled and imprisoned for life. Only severe punishment will yield results and improve the image of the Military.

August 15 Indian Independence Day: Real India Today

August 15 Indian Independence Day : Every Indian must see this Video... Most watched Indian viral!
The Independence Day of India, celebrated on 15 August, is a holiday commemorating India's independence from the British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation on 15 August 1947. India achieved independence following the Indian independence movement noted for largely peaceful nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience led by the Indian National Congress. The independence coincided with the partition of India wherein the British Indian Empire was divided along religious lines into two new nations—Dominion of India (later Republic of India) and Dominion of Pakistan (later Islamic Republic of Pakistan); the partition was stricken with violent communal riots.
The Independence Day is a national holiday in India. The flagship event takes place in Delhi where the Prime Minister hoists the national flag at the Red Fort, followed by a nationally broadcast speech from its ramparts. The day is observed all over India with flag-hoisting ceremonies, parades and cultural events. Citizens rejoice the day by displaying the national flag on their attire, household accessories, vehicles; varied activities such as kite flying, bonding with family and friends, and enjoying patriotic songs and films are seen.
Security concerns over militant attacks and sporadic calls for boycotting the celebration by separatist outfits occasionally limit the celebration in some places. Some organisations have carried out terrorist attacks on and around 15 August, and others have declared bandh and used black flags to boycott the celebration. Several books and films feature the independence and partition as pivotal events in their narrative.
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.
Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four of the world's major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here. Judaism arrived in the 6th century B.C. Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance and led by Mahatma Gandhi.
The Indian economy is the world's tenth-largest by nominal GDP and third-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the fastest-growing major economies; it is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, illiteracy, corruption, and inadequate public healthcare. A nuclear weapons state and a regional power, it has the third-largest standing army in the world and ranks ninth in military expenditure among nations. India is a federal constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system consisting of 28 states and 7 union territories. India is a pluralistic, multilingual, and multiethnic society. It is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.