1971 POW discovered in Oman Jail?

By IDR News NetworkIssue Net Edition | Date : 22 Sep , 2012
An eyewitness Sukhdev Singh claims Prisoner of 1971 War Sep Jaspal Singh of Punjab Regiment is still alive in OMAN (Masira Island, jail). It appears that Pakistan had shifted all POWs to different such places/ jails like Masira Island, forever. Copy of letter from Baljit Kaur w/o Sep Jaspal Singh is reproduced below, as received. Is this true? If the answer is ‘Yes’, in such an eventuality the government of India needs to investigate and take action — Indian Defence Review.

Ref: ESM/GC-M/12/54 Dated: 8 Sep 12.
To
1. Gen Bikram Singh, PVSM,UYSM,AVSM,SM,ADC. Chief of the Army Staff, Intg HQ of MOD (Army), South Block, New Delhi-110011.
2. Adjt Gen Branch, ADG- MP, Sena Bhawan, Intg HQ of MOD (Army), New Delhi-110011. 3. Comdt, The Punjab Regt, Ramgarh-829122.
Prisoner of 1971 War Sep Jaspal Singh of Pb Regt, still alive in OMAN (Masira Island, jail)* (No.2452388, of 15 Punjab Regt wef 5/8/63, r/o VPO Pamour, Distt Fatehgarh Sahib, Pb)
Sir,
This is to report & request you that, Smt Baljit Kaur (65) w/o Sep Jaspal Singh (70) approached this NGO along with *eye witness Sukhdev Singh* r/o Vill Dubri, Boormajra, Chamkaur Sahib, Ropar, stating that Sep Jaspal Singh is still alive in OMAN Jail of Masira Island, along with 2 more Prisoners of War (POW). Sukhdev Singh had gone to OMAN for job on visa in May 2010 for 2 years and he returned to home in July 12. During his hunt for carpenter job, he was sent from Gala City to Masira Island by ship for kitchen services in Jail for 10 days in Aug 2010. Where, he says that Sep Jaspal Singh approached him secretly, recognizing him as Punjabi & disclosed about his family details. Sukhdev Singh had traveled 2 hrs in ship & 6 hrs by road taxi to reach Masira Jail. This is an isolated Island, about 300 sq km, housing about 2500 prisoners.
Now one can link up as to why Gen Musharraf had been inviting India to search its Pak jails for 54 missing soldiers/ POWs. It appears that Pakistan had shifted all POWs to different such places/ jails like Masira Island, forever.
2. Sukhdev Singh further told that, Sep Jaspal Singh had narrated him the incident of 4 Dec 1971 war action when, he along with 4 more soldiers of 15 Punjab Regt, were captured by Pak Army from Ferozpur border action. All 5 POWs were kept in Pak jails for 5-6 years and then transferred to Masira jail & else where. Jaspal said that he does not know of other POWs, but 2 (one of Moga Distt) are with him in the same jail. Jaspal Singh was looking old but healthy, half baldy & grey hairs”. Jaspal Singh had quietly appealed for contacting his family & help to free him. That jail is under very strict vigilance. Baljit Kaur is getting special Family Pension & other benefits regularly.
3. After talking to then CO 15 Punjab Lt Col AS Cheema, it is confirmed that there was an enemy attack on 15 Pb at Hussainiwala Border on 3 Dec 71, in the evening. Where Bn suffered losses/ killed/ missing, including 3 Offrs, many JCOs & ORs. Some of them came back. Maj Warraich (15 Pb) POW’s case was alive in media for long. Even this NGO had been pursuing case of Maj JS Malik (of 8 Raj Rif, I being eye witness) and 53 other POWs for long w/o result, till Gen Musharaff finally denied at Agra during PM’s meeting. Now one can link up as to why Gen Musharraf had been inviting India to search its Pak jails for 54 missing soldiers/ POWs. It appears that Pakistan had shifted all POWs to different such places/ jails like Masira Island, forever.
4. Therefore, it is humbly prayed that the case of Sep Jaspal Singh and 54 POWs may kindly be reopened and pursued with OMAN Govt and all other such possible countries & places. We are sure, God willing, of some positive output. We shall be highly obliged for your kind gesture and early helpful action please.
Your’s Sincerely,
(Sign of Baljit Kaur w/o Sep Jaspal Singh)
(Lt Col SS Sohi, Retd), President,
Copy to:
Ex-Servicemen Grievances Cell (Regd)
1. CO 15 Punjab Regt & all concerned.
(Sign of Sukhdev Singh s/o Nachhatar Singh)
An eye witness to the case.

Remembering 1962 debacle: Is the Military better prepared?

Ref: Can China repeat its 1962 military humiliation of India?
Comment
IAF101 • 28 minutes ago • parent −
What a "surprise" - a military officer blames the politicians and bureaucrats for failure! Guess we haven't heard that excuse from military officers before!
Who ever loses a conflict is a "Yes Man" general and whoever wins is a "skilled" general right? What convenient logic!
Dealing with the political authority is part and parcel of being a general in a democracy. Blaming X and Y is meaningless because it is not some politician or some bureaucrat whose fate is affected but the entire nation! Just as Nehru takes the ultimate blame for failure, the Indian Army also must accept blame that it was unprepared and over matched by the Chinese military. Individual heroism of a few brave officers means nothing if defeat is the outcome. Even the Nazi had heroic officers who fought for their side but today nobody remembers them because they LOST. It is a fact that some Indian commanders gave bad orders and the Indian military headquarters as a whole was struggling to resupply and move troops to the remote NE while the Chinese were crawling up and down Tibet with ease.
As long as the Indian military does not accept responsibility for defeat, it can never learn the lessons required.
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President Patil’s granddaughter fails to identify United States on world map

President Patil’s granddaughter fails to identify United States on world map Published On: Fri, Jun 22nd, 2012
New Delhi. In a shocking development, outgoing President Mrs. Pratibha Patil’s granddaughter Divya failed to identify the United States of America on the world map. Her failure has shocked her teachers and the Presidential staff alike.
Her Geography teacher Mrs. Sonia Gupta was unable to control her surprise and disappointment, “Divya has been brilliant in Geography. She could otherwise identify even a rice grain-sized country on the world map and give complete description of its beautiful beaches geographical features having accompanied her grandmother President Patil to every known place on the world map. I don’t know what happened this time.”
Faking News spoke to some of her friends to get their reaction. “Divya often shared the taxpayers’ money souvenirs which she used to get from the countries she used to visit while accompanying her grandmother. She even gifted me exotic wines from France on my birthday! Seems like this time she lost her American goodies which could have reminded her of her visit to that country,” said Reeta, her bench-mate.
A pal of gloom descended inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan as soon as the news spread inside. Mr. Sifarishi Lal, Divya’s personal tutor was more candid in his views, “Whenever we accompanied Pratibha madam to her foreign vacations overseas diplomatic missions, I always made sure that I explained every detail of that country to Divya. She, in return was always eager to go on sightseeing expeditions learn more about the country’s geography. As a result she has always been a topper in Geography in her class. So it is beyond reason to my why she should fail to spot a particular country on the map.”
Similar views were echoed by other officials of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“Divya could even point to a country while blindfolded which was yet to feature on the world map. For instance we accompanied madam President to this island which was inhabited by only 100 people. It was a diplomatic mission where she signed the ‘hijack treaty’ to deny a safe haven to airplane hijackers on that island. We even got an airport constructed over there for madam’s jet to land as they did not have one! Ask Divya and she can provide you with every detail of that island’s geography be it the beaches or snow covered mountains,” said one of the officials.
President Patil could not be reached for her views as she was reportedly busy watching MasterChef India on TV, which is said to be her favorite show.
Unconfirmed reports say that Madam Patil is even preparing to file for a re-nomination to the President’s post as she is keen to go on space missions this time and teach Divya the intricacies of the outer space, as Divya wants to become a scientist like APJ Abdul Kalam when she grows up.
President Patil’s granddaughter fails to identify United States on world map

Brajesh Mishra aids RAW spy to escape

Maj Rabindra Singh disappeared taking advantage of the then National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra not agreeing to the RAW report for his arrest. Brajesh Mishra, awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2011 for his anti- national activity!
Missing Indian spy found in US
By Iftikhar Gilani Tuesday, March 14, 2006
NEW DELHI: Rabindra Singh, a senior Indian spy who went missing in May 2004 after suspected of becoming a double agent and passing on secret and classified documents to the Americans, has been ultimately traced in the countryside of Virginia state in the United States after 22 months of hunt.
The government knew from very first day of his escape that he had fled to the United States for whom he was spying in Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s top external intelligence agency. His whereabouts, however, remained unknown until recently. A Delhi daily on Monday said Rabindra, a clean-shaven Sikh who was a joint secretary in RAW at the time of his escape just as he was to be arrested, is living in disguise with his wife and two children in Virginia. The Indian agencies have established his identity on the basis of his latest photograph in disguise and other evidences and now intense efforts are on to bring him to justice.
India and United States have the extradition treaty that may be explored to ask the US authorities to arrest Rabindra and send him back to India, though the authorities are sceptic in succeeding since Rabindra had become the American agent in RAW. Rabindra was under surveillance by the counter-intelligence unit of RAW on suspicion that he was photocopying sensitive files and classified information and handing them over to the US intelligence officials based in Delhi. He was already filmed zeroxing classified documents in his office after the agency bosses smelt rat the way he was hosting parties for the foreign secret agents.
He and his family, however, disappeared taking advantage of the then National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra not agree to the RAW report for his arrest. His handlers in the US intelligence network in the American embassy had tipped him off that their clandestine dealings with him were no longer secret. He fled to Nepal via Bihar border and then managed to reach the Untied States with the help of the undercover operatives of the US intelligence.
Rabinder was part and parcel of several undercover missions and was one of the 15 joint secretaries in the country’s top external intelligence agency’s secretariat at the time of his escape. His disappearance had caused a lot of concern in the government since he knew a lot about the counter-intelligence missions and as such he can harm the national interests.
He was a major in the Army before he came to RAW on deputation to RAW in the 80s and was absorbed in the RAW service on completion of the deputation. Rated a poor intelligence analyst, he had talent to be a better field operative. During his RAW career, he worked in Amritsar and subsequently as a field operative in West Asia and West Europe to monitor activities of the terrorist groups and Sikh militants operating from there. In Amritsar, he was assigned the task of collecting transborder intelligence.
Missing Indian spy found in US

Lethargy of MEA leads to gruesome killing of wife and children

Ex-army officer kills wife, 2 children; commits suicide in US
Naseer Ganai | Mail Today | Srinagar, June 10, 2012 | UPDATED 18:39 IST
Major (retired) Avtar Singh, who killed his two children and wife before killing himself in US on Sunday, was wanted in a Kashmir court in the custodial killing case of Jaleel Andrabi, a human rights activist.
The mass murder and suicide by the retired Army major has shocked Andrabi family here. "It is shocking that he killed his family. Had he been extradited and brought for the trial, the situation could have different today. The responsibility of this incident lies with the government of India and the US government, which delayed his extradition," said advocate Arshid Andrabi, Jaleel Andrabi's brother.
Singh was accused of kidnapping and later killing Andrabi, a prominent Kashmiri human rights lawyer and human rights activist, in 1996. Major Singh, who was then with the 35th Rashtriya Rifles unit of the Army, had allegedly detained Andrabi on March 8, 1996.
After his detention, Andrabi's wife was repeatedly told by senior police officials that Andrabi was in custody and would be released. Three weeks later, Andrabi's body was found floating in the Jhelum river. His autopsy showed that he had been killed days after his arrest.
The killing evoked widespread condemnation across the Valley. Human rights activists, political parties and the Kashmir Bar Association demanded the arrest of Major Singh.
Arshid, Andrabi's brother, took the matter before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court which, in April 1997, ordered the Kashmir Police to apprehend Major Singh and impound his passport.
The court also directed that his photographs should be displayed on electronic media.
"In 2000, a police team headed by a superintendent of police went to Karnal in Haryana, where Major Singh was posted in a regiment of the Territorial Army. Despite being armed with high court's orders, the police team failed to arrest him. He was wanted in five other cases of custodial killings and still the J&K police let him off," said Arshid.
In December 26, 2000, the police filed a chargesheet in the case without producing the accused. "It is unheard in the history of criminal law that a chargesheet is filed without producing the accused," said Arshid.
Subsequently, when the matter was again brought before the High Court, it directed the trial court to ensure the presence of the accused. Since then the trial court of chief judicial magistrate Srinagar issued several warrants against the accused major, but to no avail.
"At the same time the Union government facilitated Major Singh to obtain travel documents like passport and allowed him to cross immigration in blatant violation of the court orders," Arshid alleged.
In December 2009, United States Interpol-National Central Bureau, Washington, while confirming the presence of the accused in California, had sought "formal request for his provisional arrest and extradition."
A red-corner notice through Interpol stands issued against him.
"But the ministry of external affairs used delayed tactics and did not send a formal request to the US government," claimed Arshid.
He said the case is not closed. "In the police chargesheet there are five other accused along with Major Singh. We will move revision application before the court to make them party in the case," he said.
Earlier application to make them accused in the case was dismissed by the CJM.
Major Singh's first wife was from Kashmir and belonged to Jawaharnagar area of Srinagar. According to reports, she still lives in New Delhi.
In February 2011, Singh was reportedly arrested by the California police on charges of domestic violence including throwing a toy on his wife. After his arrest, police discovered Singh was wanted by Interpol. Yet, he was released.
Read more at: Click here
Related reading
Ex-army officer kills wife, 2 children; commits suicide in US
Comment: Speaks poorly of Indian legal system and the Indian Military. The MEA is headed by a band of tainted ministers and bureaucrats.. one cannot expect more... regret the loss of lives.

Defence Scams: MOD, MHA and MEA gang up

'Need Jan Lokpal': Team Anna 'exposes' defence scams
Last updated on: April 27, 2012 01:35 IST
In its first press meet ever since the second phase of the budget session began in the Parliament a few days ago, Team Anna on Thursday laid out how it plans to exert pressure for a strong and independent Jan Lokpal Bill.
 Team Anna claims to have been contacted by C Edmond Allen, a US citizen and a former business partner of Abhishek Verma, who is also the main accused in the Navy war room leak case and was jailed in Tihar for two years.
The team claims that Edmond sent them bundles of documents, also adding that they cannot fully verify the authenticity of them.
"The documents point out that there have been kickbacks and huge money laundering in several defence deals," Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said. "And if one looks at these documents, it appears that the allegations made by Army General V K Singh were not just true, but an understatement of what's been happening," he added.
"These documents are evidence that there are unofficially-declared government agents, and anybody who wants to get work a deal with the government goes through them," Kejriwal accused.
Specifically, the documents first talks about a $100 million anti-dumping duty imposed on Israel-based ECI Telecom by the Union commerce ministry in December, 2010. A PTI report confirming the action was published on December 26, 2010.
By an agreement signed in February 2011, ECI Telecom hired Ganton Ltd, Edmond being its global head, and Ganton India [ Images ], a 100 percent subsidiary of Ganton Ltd. headed by Abhishek Verma to remove the custom duties fine levied by the government. The agreement promised to pay Ganton Ltd. $1 million if it succeeded in the deletion of the fine.
The documents further reveal an email dated December 17 2011, sent out by Abhishek Verma to Zeev, an ECI Telecom official, boasting that the prime minister and the foreign minister had been 'consulted'.
The mail says that Foreign Minister S M Krishna would be visiting Israel to review bi-lateral ties between the two countries. And as the email puts it, "Krishna will submit the report in favour of stronger ties with Israel and he will also recommend anti-dumping duty roll back."
Highlighting the incident, Kejriwal asked, "Are our prime minister and foreign minister fixed?"
"It seems that there are middlemen, who carry out the work for money," he said.
Team Anna claims that Edmond had been writing to the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate with all these documents they have now in possession; but there was no action against Abhishek Verma by these authorities.
"The CBI and ED who should have jumped on these documents, and investigated them, are busy saving and protecting him," he said. "And hence, we demand for a strong Jan Lokpal bill."
"This would have been thoroughly investigated had there been a strong Jan Lokpal Bill that would have allowed the CBI to work independently," Kejriwal said.
In another example of glaring money laundering in defence deals, the team targeted Abhishek Verma yet again and alleged that he took kickbacks and a had a role to play in the withdrawal of an order blacklisting Zurich-based Rheinmetall Air Defense AG.
In a show-cause notice dated February 4, 2011, Rheinmetall Air Defense was blacklisted over its involvement in the multi-crore ordnance factory scam, were it was alleged that the company had paid huge kickbacks to the employees.
And even though Rheinmetall denied any involvement, Team Anna and Kejriwal released documents saying that $530,000 worth consultancy services were paid to Ganton Ltd in January 2011, to have its name removed from the blacklist.
There is however enough skepticism about the credibility of Edmond himself, since he was a former business partner of Abhishek Verma, and still owes him money.
On the credibility of the documents, senior lawyer and Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan said, "Some of these documents are clearly authentic."
Team Anna is also considering taking the legal way and going to the court with the documents.
"After the Bofors scam, the government had pledged that no middleman will be allowed in defence dealings," Bhushan cited.
"He (Abhishek Verma) is a known crook, and if the government cannot take action against him, then we are seriously considering going to the court," Bhushan said.
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/need-jan-lokpal-team-anna-exposes-defence-scams/20120426.htm

President Pratiba and MEA sing the same tune

The disastrous presidency of Pratibha Devisingh Patil
Apr 28, 2012by Abhay Vaidya
At a time when issues relating to land grab by politicians and politically-connected builders have been hitting the headlines day in and day out, the 12th president of India, Patibha Devisingh Patil, and her advisors should have picked up the first signs of trouble over her post-retirement home in Pune.
Patil is technically right when she says that she cannot be accused of “land grab” in Pune. Her defence is that the 2.61 lakh sq ft land being developed for her bungalow premises under the Khadki cantonment Board in Pune would continue to remain with the defence ministry. The land ownership had not changed hands and so, she has not “grabbed” any land.
Where Patil erred was in being insensitive to the issues raised by ex-servicemen in Pune such as retired colonel Suresh Patil and his NGO, Justice for Jawans. An infuriated Patil asked why so much land was being allotted to president Patil and a 4,500 sq ft bungalow constructed afresh when there was an acute paucity of accommodation for soldiers posted in Pune.
Pratibha Patil will be remembered for setting new standards in lowering the dignity of the president's office. Adrian Streun/Reuters
They pointed out that the land for Patil’s bungalow was meant for military use. Patil and his fellow crusader and RTI activist Anup Awasthi also used the Right to Information Act, 2005 to get the facts on the president’s post-retirement entitlements for housing. The reply they got from the president’s office further intensified their agitation: Under the rules, a retired president was entitled to 2,000 sq ft of “living area” to be taken on lease in case suitable government residence was not available. In the case of a government residence being allotted to the ex-president, the size of the bungalow could go up to 5,498 sq.ft – the highest entitlement for a union minister.
Patil’s mistake was to get 2.61 lakh sq ft land allotted to her and authorise the construction of a new, 4,500 sq ft bungalow on it.
Was the president taking her lavish lifestyle at Rashtrapati Bhavan a bit too far? Given the honour, prestige and dignity associated with the president’s office, her senior staff should also have done some background checks and intelligence gathering on the ramifications of the controversy brewing in Pune. At the end of it, it is the president who has cut a sorry face, despite her protestations.
Although this president is from Maharashtra — the northern Jalgaon district to be precise — she has no emotional connect with the people of Pune. Just as her foreign trips sparked a controversy because of the Rs 200 crore expenditure and the large family entourage, domestically, her many trips to Pune also became a talking point. Her trips to Pune were far more frequent than those of her predecessor, president APJ Abdul Kalam, who had a hectic tour schedule. In Patil’s case, however, questions were asked whether her trips and extended halts in Pune had anything to do with family visits as her daughter’s family resides in Pune.
Given this background, her decision to settle in Pune after retirement did not come as a surprise. The family connection made headlines in 2010 when the Maharashtra government allotted commercially attractive plots of land to trusts headed by her Pune-based daughter Jyoti Rathore and Maharashtra rural development minister Jayant Patil.
The two plots with high commercial potential were allotted in village Jambhe in Mulshi taluka, within five km off the Mumbai-Pune expressway and the IT park at Hinjewadi. Rathore’s Maharashtra Mahila Udyam Trust had to pay just Rs 6.72 lakh to the government for the 7.93 hectare plot with an estimated market value of Rs 19 crore. The plan included 27,300 sq metre of land for a residential school, 20,000 sq metres for a college and 32,000 sq metres for a playground. Rathore had then told the media that the trust paid the money as per government procedure and ready-reckoner norms, and did not get the land at a “throwaway price”.
In February, president Patil’s son and Congress MLA Raosaheb Shekhawat was interrogated by the Amravati police in connection with the seizure of Rs 1 crore in hard currency from a car coming from Nagpur. The money was hidden in the luggage compartment of the car and the Maharashtra Congress and Shekhawat explained it as “party funds” meant for distribution to poor Congress candidates ahead of the civic polls on 16 February. Many found this explanation laughable and wondered whether the cash was meant to buy votes.
A career politician from Jalgaon known for her loyalty to the Nehru-Gandhi family, Patil gave the Congress led by Sonia Gandhi the historic opportunity of nominating India’s first woman president. This decision to give preference to loyalty and gender over merit while selecting the presidential nominee, proved disastrous as Patil was already enveloped by many controversies.
She had already been accused of mismanagement at the Sant Muktabai Cooperative Sugar Factory controlled by her and the alleged involvement of her brother GN Patil in the VG Patil murder case in Jalgaon in 2004. These were among the controversies that resurfaced the moment Patil was nominated by the UPA for presidentship in 2007.
Among all the 12 presidents of India, it is President Patil’s term that began and is now ending on a low note. The previous low point that the office of the president witnessed was when the seventh president of India, Giani Zail Singh, clashed with then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He had also famously said that he was willing to become a sweeper but was asked by his leader (Indira Gandhi) to become the president of India.
It is now Patil, more than Singh, who will be remembered for setting new standards in lowering the dignity of the president’s office.
http://www.firstpost.com/india/the-disastrous-presidency-of-pratibha-devisingh-patil-292042.html
Comments: All her foreign visits were planned by MEA headed by a tainted Foreign Minister- both were lavish in denuding the exchequer... no accountibilty at all... victims are the citizens of the Nation. The tax payers taken for a joy ride.

MEA eases issuance of Passports sans Touts

Friends,
A few days back I went through the new procedure at the Regional Passport Office Chandigah, in order to renew my passport. I just could not believe that with the introduction of TCS in the loop things are working so smoothly.
I had to ask a few times IS THIS REALLY AN INDIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICE and met the Assistant Passport Officer and complimented her!
However, at two counters one had to interact with Government employees, luckily briefly and the difference was marked!
Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh (Retd)

Passport - new procedures
The front-end operations of all Regional Passport office have been outsourced as part of the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) project and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is all set to handle the front-end operations of all RPO very shortly. Union Ministry of External Affairs has already implemented the PSK project some of the passport offices in India. These centres have been set up on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as its service provider. The project has been designed as a citizen-centric and paperless service. All one needs to do is upload a passport application on www.passportindia.gov.in and confirm an appointment online. After which the support staff from TCS will guide the applicant through the biometric process. Walk-in applicants will be greeted by a floor manager who will help the applicants upload applications through a kiosk at the PSK. "The amenities and services at the PSK are in keeping with any modern bank or airport.

The implementation of the project has reached its halfway mark and will likely to completed by March 2012, The existing passport office will be responsible for liaison with the MEA, dispatching, printing, answering RTIs, and management of the PSKs. First time applicants no longer need to go the existing passport office.

According to the available information, TCS would receive applicants, guide them and handle the process for submission of applications, conduct the verification of the completeness of the application form and the documents attached therein. TCS would be in charge of receiving applications and guiding applicants, technical support and maintenance of the premises, while sensitive areas would continue to be handled by the passport office staff. The PSK initiative would bring in the much-required concept of “one-day visit to the passport office”, as the officials would tell the applicants the same evening as to whether their passport application forms and the supporting documents were in order and whether the passport would be issued or not. This would eliminate the anxious wait by the applicants.

Under the new system, photographs need not be affixed, image of the applicant's face will be captured at the time of applying online as is done in the driving licence process. In addition, the new system will involve taking the finger print (bio-metric) of the applicant and incorporating it in the database. Only if the finger print tallies, the applicant will be able to apply for other services such as spouse entry, address change or renewal of passport.

The added feature is that every police district will have access to the passport server for downloading the personal particular form online and to send the police verification reports online. This will obviate postal delay and laborious paper work. This will also ensure speedy completion of procedures which are time-consuming at present. Even passport issuance will be modernized with digital signature.

The place for these front-end operations has been already finalized for most of locations and started functioning. The new system will put in place a first-in and first-out concept, eliminating the practice of issuing passports out-of-turn. Under the new system getting passport will not take more than 72 hours. This turnaround time is from the moment of police verification to the issuance of the passport.Procedures for applying Passports under new system (where ever the new PSK system is implemented)For filling and submitting your application online, you need to be a registered user on the Passport Seva website.
Visit: Passport Seva Portal: Consular passport and Visa Division

IFS officer indicted for slavery and fined heavily

US court recommends $1.5 mn for Indian diplomat's maid
Press Trust of India, Updated: February 23, 2012 21:01 IST

New York: In a setback to an Indian diplomat accused of indulging in "slavery" by her maid, a US judge has recommended that she be awarded nearly USD 1.5 million for her "barbaric treatment" at the hands of her employer.
The proposed award includes USD 500,000 for the "emotional distress" inflicted on Shanti Gurung by Neena Malhotra and her husband Jogesh, The New York Post said.
Neena Malhotra was then the Consul at Consulate General of India here.
The Malhotras clearly induced their ex-maid to "work without pay by seizing her passport and visa, restricting her ability to leave their apartment, and constantly warning her that if she travelled on her own without their permission, she would be arrested, beaten, raped and sent back to India as 'cargo'" Manhattan federal Magistrate Judge Frank Maas was quoted as having written in his recommendation.
His recommendations are subject to approval by Judge Victor Marrero, who is overseeing the case, the daily said.
Last year, Marrero granted Gurung a default judgement against the Malhotras, who returned to India before they could be served with their ex-maid's suit that was filed in 2010, the report said.
The External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi had then said the media reports containing allegations against the senior diplomat "do not appear to be in conformity with facts".
US court recommends $1.5 mn for Indian diplomat's maid
Contradiction: India protects the accused: click here to read more
The Hindu Report: Ms Neera absconding- unable to serve legal notice through MEA- Is UOI conniving with the accused?
Comment: Sad commentary on the MEA and the indisciplined IFS Officers. The method of selection of diplomats need to be revised to enhance the image of India. Similar slavery cases in India hardly gets noticed or the accused convicted or if fined it is peanuts. We need to enforce anti slavery laws and make an example of the culprits instead of protecting them. Neena Malhotra must face the law of Justice and she must be removed from service the least the MEA can do to salvage its image.

IFS Officers only interested in Plum Postings: Takes MEA for a ride

Hilarious indeed: Tale of Envoy to Male!! How our External Affairs Ministry works. Amazing, how our External Affairs Ministry seems to work. There seems to be no dedication and National spirit.
Sad indeed.
Harbhajan Singh
Lt Gen

Time to crack curse of Maldivian albatross
K.P. NAYAR
Monday , February 13 , 2012
Washington, Feb. 12: “Operation Castor” by the Indian Navy brought relief to the tsunami-hit Maldives during Christmas season in 2004 and earned praise worldwide, but India’s political leadership continuously turned a blind eye to a developing political tsunami there that now threatens to undercut New Delhi’s sway over this unique nation of atolls.

It has implications that have the potential to drag down the four southern states into the same cycle of religious fundamentalism and terrorism that has become a familiar story in north and western India.

Unless the UPA government pulls itself up by its bootstraps now and thinks out of the box to help solve a crisis triggered last week by the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed, the Maldives is likely to drift deeper into chaos.

Madhusudan Ganapathi was not the first Indian diplomat to be rushed to Male to put out a fire that is the fallout of that capital’s politico-religious schizophrenia. And he will certainly not be the last.

A few months before the December 2004 tsunami, India defused a political earthquake when Shyam Saran, like Ganapathi now, flew into Male by special aircraft and ensured that normality was not disrupted.

That was a turning point when the political cauldron in the Maldives began boiling: the trigger was Evan Naseem, an ordinary prisoner in dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s notorious Maafushi jail, an alleged drug dealer who was beaten to death a year earlier, merely for disobeying orders by prison guards to come out of his cell.

Naseem became the Maldives’s Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian vegetable vendor in Sidi Bouzid, whose self-immolation in December 2010 was a catalyst for the current turmoil in the Arab world.

Popular revolutions had not yet become the norm, otherwise what followed Naseem’s death, which was pronounced at Male’s Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, would have been called a Maldives Spring. Besides, the Maldives is so tiny that nobody cared, except India.

Sensing the direction in which new political winds had begun blowing in the Maldives, India’s professional diplomats began talking to the opposition. They did not want to be caught unawares by a Maldives Spring.

For India, one of the problems of being the biggest country in South Asia is having to deal with sensitivities of smaller neighbours that often border on the irrational. Gayoom was apoplectic that Indian diplomats were talking to members of Nasheed’s nascent Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) that was still operating primarily in exile from Sri Lanka.

Saran, with his long experience of having handled such sensitivities in Nepal, Mauritius, Myanmar and Indonesia, ensured that a potential flashpoint was defused. But as foreign secretary, Saran had inherited a baggage on the Maldives that hung around his neck like an albatross.

Under sheer pressure, South Block often lurches from one patchwork to another and has little time for long-term strategic thinking, but Saran managed to get rid of the Maldivian albatross. Yet the curse that came with the albatross as in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner did not go away.

That is what India is paying for in the latest crisis in the atolls to its south-west that are critical for national security.

It is a matter of criminal neglect by successive Indian governments after Rajiv Gandhi’s that none of them paid attention — like a big brother should do — to the political problems in the Maldives the way New Delhi tracks and attends to similar problems in Nepal or Bhutan. There was never enough time for the Maldives.

Or willingness, for that matter. For as long as two years slightly before the Naseem episode, India did not have a high commissioner in Male.

Most Indian Foreign Service officers are unwilling to go to Male unless they are forced to because it is a diplomatic wasteland in the traditional sense and because a posting to the Maldives is often viewed as a stamp of inadequacy in later career.

During the two-year period when Male went without an Indian envoy, an attempt was made to send an otherwise competent IFS officer, who had previously suffered in his career because he dared divorce a member of one of India’s best known political families.

Indian politics was much more feudal and one-party oriented during those years and the officer paid a price for his personal choice. But he was not going to be sent to the Maldives, which he saw as another slight to his already damaged career.

Luckily for this officer, he had two dogs, which were now like his family and the Maldives does not allow any dogs for religious reasons. The only dogs that can be found anywhere in this nation of atolls are at the airport in Male to sniff passenger baggage for drugs. But those dogs are handled only by Sri Lankans under an outsourcing arrangement with Colombo.

So the officer in question put in a request that on compassionate grounds his assignment should be cancelled since he cannot take his dogs to Male. The request was granted. Another officer sought to be excused because his mother was ill and he could not go to Male.

South Block then scraped the bottom of the barrel and came up with the name of a consul general serving in North America. He too refused and there was enough political support to persuade the leadership of the IFS to thwart his posting. His plea was that he had hydrophobia, which made the Maldives unsuitable.

An aside to this story is that this consul general subsequently dug his heels and stayed put in Canada for well over a year. Fortuitously, his host government discovered that he had surreptitiously acquired Canadian permanent residency for his immediate family in violation of diplomatic rules.

Canada’s foreign minister then wrote a personal letter to Jaswant Singh drawing his attention to this violation. Singh, then external affairs minister, ordered his repatriation from Canada in seven days flat.

This reporter vividly recalls a nugget on the Maldives that was doing the rounds in South Block at that time. Kanwal Sibal, who was then foreign secretary, had persuaded then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to go to the Maldives at the end of September 2002: it would have been the first prime ministerial visit to Male in five years.

But there was no high commissioner in place to receive Vajpayee. The story goes that Neelam Deo, who was the joint secretary in the ministry of external affairs handling the Maldives, was narrating her tale of woe to her IFS batchmate, Shashishekhar M. Gavai, then consul general in Edinburgh.

To Deo’s great surprise and relief, Gavai volunteered to go as high commissioner to Male. As soon as she put the phone down, Deo rushed into the foreign secretary’s office to convey Gavai’s readiness to move from the UK.

It is to Sibal’s credit that in the course of just two days he cut through the long bureaucratic process of appointing an envoy. It is a reflection of India’s clout in Male that the Maldivians approved Gavai’s appointment in one week and fixed a date for his presentation of credentials.

Gavai rushed from Edinburgh to take charge as high commissioner just three days before Vajpayee landed in Male on September 22, 2002. It was probably the only instance in Indian diplomacy where an IFS officer held two jobs simultaneously on two continents. Gavai went back to Edinburgh after Vajpayee left Male to relinquish his charge as consul general.
Time to crack curse of Maldivian albatross

Osama's killing proof that 26/11 terrorists in Pak: Chidambaram

India on Monday said the killing of global terrorist Osama bin Laden was a matter of grave concern as it proved that terrorists belonging to different groups find sanctuary in Pakistan.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said in a statement that perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks, including the controllers and handlers of the terrorists, continue to be sheltered in Pakistan.
He said that earlier today the US government informed New Delhi that Osama bin Laden had been killed by security forces somewhere "deep inside Pakistan."
"After the September 11, 2001 terror attack, the US had a reason to seek Osama bin Laden and bring him and his accomplices to justice," the statement said.
"We take note with grave concern that part of the statement in which President (Barack) Obama said that the fire fight in which Osama bin Laden was killed took place in Abbotabad 'deep inside Pakistan'.
"This fact underlines our concern that terrorists belonging to different organisations find sanctuary in Pakistan," he said.
The Home Minister said in the wake of this incident "we believe that perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks, including the controllers and handlers of the terrorists who actually carried out the attack, continue to be sheltered in Pakistan.
"We once again call upon the Government of Pakistan to arrest the persons whose names have been handed over to the Interior Minister of Pakistan as well as provide voice samples of certain persons who are suspected to be among the controllers and handlers of the terrorists." (BJ-02/05)
Osama's killing proof that 26/11 terrorists in Pak: Chidambaram

Fake Pilots and Fake Passports- Is Air Travel Safe?

India may have 4000 'fake' pilots
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: March 14, 2011 00:23 IST
New Delhi: Just a few days after Parminder Kaur Gulati, a suspended pilot of Indigo airline, was arrested on charges of faking her marksheet to get a pilot licence, another arrest on the same grounds has been made. This time around, Captain J K Verma, a pilot of the national carrier Air India has been arrested.

"We have arrested Verma. Investigations are on. We have been provided more names by the Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA). The scanner is on two more pilots - Meenakshi Sehgal of Indigo and Swaran Singh Talwar of MDLR," a senior police official said.

It all began after Parminder Kaur Gulati was grounded two months ago for violating landing norms. The matter was then reported to the aviation watchdog, the DGCA. The airline watchdog admits there was a lapse, but says 4000 pilot licences are now under fresh scrutiny.

"In the wake of the fake pilot scare, licenses of 3,000 to 4,000 pilots are being scrutinised by the DGCA," said Civil Aviation secretary Nasim Zaidi.

To get a licence, a pilot has to clear three subjects. But in Gulati's case, a probe by the DGCA showed she couldn't clear two papers, so she allegedly forged the marksheets.
Read more at: Fake Pilots

MEA dishes out Fake Passports for a bribe
Chennai: The CBI unearthed a passport racket in Tamil Nadu being run allegedly in connivance with officials, arresting eight persons, including a woman officer. The accused, arrested in Madurai and Chennai, have been charged with issuing Tatkal passports based on forged and fake documents.

The investigating agency also recovered cash and other property to the tune of around Rs. 25 lakh from them. CBI teams conducted simultaneous surprise checks at the passport offices in Madurai and Chennai and arrested the officials and touts, a release of the agency said.
Read more at:
Chennai: CBI unearths fake passport racket, 8 held
How easy for terrorists to get a Indian Passport?
Honest Regional Passport Officer, Chennai, Sumathi Ravichandran arrested for taking Bribes- what is her status- a free bird?
Comment:
MEA staff in India and all over the world are the most corrupt. What message is SM Krishna sending to the World? MEA has participatory role in Terror activities. Should not the MEA staff be booked under "Anti- Terror Laws"?

Will the ghost of 1962 dragon continue to haunt the South Block?

Ref: The amateurs in charge
In 1962, Intelligence Chief B.N. Mullick ruled the roost. These days it is the mandarins of External Affairs Ministry and Babus in the MOD. There is no single point military advice.
Things are not good at all.
Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh (Retd)

Extract
indian express oped
Posted: Sat Nov 20 2010, 03:34 hrs
Blaming Pandit Nehru for everything wrong with India has grown from a fashion to a rage, so the letters he addressed to American President John F. Kennedy on November 19, 1962, will be used as another stick with which to beat him. Destructive denigration serves him as ill as the idolatry in which he could do no wrong. Of course he made mistakes, who doesn’t, and to pretend they really were not mistakes worse, to conceal facts only feeds his detractors. What our country owes him becomes ever more apparent, time and our travails keep confirming its value. Viewing so great a man whole, faults and all, cannot diminish his stature, or our debt. What we need is to learn from the mistakes, his and ours which we stubbornly refuse to do.

November 1962 was a national disaster, all the more painful for being so self-inflicted: blinding ourselves to it is to invite repeats. Panditji must bear his share of responsibility, but the totality of our failure extends far beyond individuals. India failed to function as an organised state, alive to its challenges and opportunities, appropriately prepared to deal with them. Have we used our experience to become such a state now?
People today cannot realise the horrific pressures of those weeks. Despite our foolishness in imagining that suppressing facts can change them, plentiful evidence has been published by important actors of the time, inter alia recording the frightening situation Delhi saw itself facing that November 19 morning. Key positions had been left to the enemy, Sela and Bomdila augured horrendous dangers, civil officers had started being withdrawn and a complete evacuation from Assam was being considered, the DIB even starting to plan a resistance movement. An outstanding soldier, Major-General Monty Palit wrote 20 years ago that he was shown the draft letter seeking 12 fighter and two bomber squadrons; as DMO, at a desperate stage of a war that seemed to be moving along a course of escalating disasters, [he] could only welcome the proposal of obtaining military help, whatever its source, though confessing he had not for a moment imagined that... the architect of India's non-alignment policy, would ask for actual intervention by US forces. (War in the High Himalayas pp 342-343)
Read more click here

What ails the Armed Forces: Wonderful insight into Defence Ministry's working

Indian Express Posted on Apr 17, 2003 at 0000 hrs IST.
Has anything changed for the better one wonders!
It is heartening to note that an editor of a national newspaper has taken up the case of the low-castes of the army — the other ranks. The Indian Army personnel are divided into three categories: the other ranks including the NCOs, the JCOs and the Commissioned Officers. In the US Army, there are only two categories — officers and the enlisted men.

The JCO, a peculiarity of the Indian Army, was the invention of the British and was meant to fill the communication gap between the British officers and Indian sepoys. However, after Independence, the Indian officers found it convenient to continue with the arrangement of JCOs.

It was in the tradition of the Indian caste system and helped the officers keep their distance from the sepoys. In other armies, there is no intermediary between a lieutenant and sergeant (Havildar in the Indian army). That is why Hav. Shinde could not have written to an officer. In the case of Sgt Romero and Major Sturek, communication was natural because both were in the same platoon with no JCO between them. So strict is the chain of command in the Indian Army that a letter from Shinde to his former company commander would have resulted in disciplinary action against him instead of it being appreciated. You mentioned that Maj. Sturek forwarded the sergeant’s letter to two people he thought should be reading it: Army Sergeant Major Jack Tilley and Chief of Staff (General) Eric Shineski. For us in India, it is understandable that he forwarded it to the General, but why to a Sgt Major, who is only an NCO? Because, as the US World Almanac says, ‘‘the US Army, Navy and Air Force in 1966-67 each created a position of senior enlisted advisor, whose primary job is to represent the point of view of the service’s enlisted men and women on matters of welfare, morale and any problems concerning enlisted personnel.’’ In the Indian army, there is no representation for other ranks in the higher echelons. So is the case with JCOs. The battalion has a Subedar Major, who used to be a father figure and who directly advised the commanding officer on discipline and welfare of the men. But nowadays, the post has been reduced to that of an informer, if not an errand boy of the CO. Neither was the NCO/JCO represented in the committees that advised the Pay Commission or the rehabilitation and resettlement organisations. Let me narrate a personal incident. When I requested the United Services Institution, to change my associate membership into a regular one, it was rejected by the Executive Council comprising retired generals, because I had served as a JCO. This when there are half-a-dozen books on military matters written by me in the USI Library. The Royal United Services Institution, on the lines of which the USI was established in 1870, has no such ‘‘officers only’’ restriction. Aren’t our Generals more British than the British?— Sub Maj N. Kunju (Retd)

Whither our Indian pride When I was a member of the faculty of Defence Services Staff College, I was told by an American officer that his soldiers would not serve in the conditions that our soldiers do. His statement sums up what our Army is all about: ‘‘serve without expecting anything in return’’. It is not enough for George Fernandes to just visit Siachen. Let him translate his words into deeds. He can modernise our forces instead of returning the funds unspent. . As a nation, we lack pride. This translates into the treatment of our soldiers. We think of them only during war, and make promises only to forget them. That is the difference between Shinde and Romero. Colonel A. Sridharan (Retd) The Ex-Servicemen’s Contributory Health Scheme launched with much fanfare just a fortnight ago has sought as much as 50 per cent contribution from the pensioners. If this is the way we treat our Armed Forces, the quality of those opting for it will go down. After all, who would like to get stuck in a career which demands the best part of your life and gives nothing in return?— P.M. Ravindran

The approach of our civilian leadership towards national security is absolutely scandalous. If there is an India-US war tomorrow, the fate of the Indian Army will be no better than the Iraqi Army.— Dilip

If George Fernandes was half the man that Shastri was, he should have resigned many times over with the now almost-daily MiG crashes. But he’s not, and we have to rue the fate of our jawans. Havildar Shinde is no Romero. He can be no Romero when we have callous individuals who assume and retain powerful positions without responsibility.— Jay Iyer

When real life heroes are ignored It is really very depressing to learn about the appaling conditions faced by our brave soldiers and nothing being done about it. I guess that’s the way we Indians are. Even I, after reading your article and feeling so bad for our soldiers, will forget about it in a day or two if not earlier. Recently, Aishwarya Rai, who earns in crores for each movie and got hurt in a minor accident, had private planes at her disposal to carry her back to Mumbai. I wonder whether the owners of these planes would even spare a thought for our brave soldiers, who are always facing injury and death while guarding the country. — Shankar It is so true that our politicians are so out of touch with the real issues. Our netas have to be made more more accountable. Then the death of even one jawan would be taken more seriously than just another photo-op for handing a paltry check to the widow.— Bob Thukral

I strongly believe that India has too much of democracy. By this, I mean that even buying essentials like supplies for the military is being scrutinised and criticised by the Opposition. The result: These people are scared to spend money even for basic necessities. How else can one explain the unspent funds?Basker Mathrubootham

Yes, in the Indian Army it is impossible to change or modernise anything without giving an arm and a leg. Forget Havildar Shinde, a mid-level infantry officer cannot get anything changed for his men or himself. Our senior officers reach their exalted ranks because of two premier qualities: they have to be docile in action and a tiger on paper. Among the many things that the Army really needs, but cannot articulate, are: better and lighter rifles, modern form of Web equipment (pouches etc), better water bottles, more powerful and lighter binoculars, boots which do not require an anklet, computers to accurately fire 81 mm mortars, more lethal grenades, GPS equipment, replacements for the archaic one-ton vehicles which guzzle fuel. If we could somehow bring about these changes, the Indian Infantry would be revolutionised. If India wants to be a modern nation, it will have to liberalise its Armed Forces and give them a free hand, change the cult of subservience and cut out the colonial system. Otherwise the country will be roundly defeated in the next war by a military Pakistan. If our military officers are mere lackeys, the country cannot proactively defend herself.— Maj A.K. Mathur (retd)

It is not just the Army but our entire mindset about seniority and the notion that the ground-level people don’t know anything that has to be changed. Even in our schools and colleges, are students ever encouraged to ask probing questions? How often does a company ask your opinion about their product and actually do something about it? You talk about the rifles used by the Indian Army. But think about the buses, trains and other mass transport systems in use in the country. How have they changed in the last two-three decades? It’s all due to our lazy, unimaginative approach.— S. Chatterjee

On the one hand there are American soldiers who are embarrassingly dependent on their Air Force or so called ‘‘Smart Bombs’’. On the other, are our soldiers who have a lot to grumble about, but hardly ever complain. I feel that the loss of their lives during the Kargil conflict could have been substantially reduced if we had proper equipment. I hope our politicians read your article.— Aditya Chandra

You have missed the point. Havildar Shinde stands nowhere in comparison to their Sergeant Romero because of the die-hard colonial legacy of our defence services, even 55 years after Independence. Where else do you find such ranks among NCOs ? So your well-intentioned harangue on poor equipment only touches the fringe of the malady.— R. Misra

Sergeant Romero may have become a hero in America for his email. But to me, it shows gross indiscipline on his part. I do not think it is right to allow sergeants to write letters directly to the authorities, bypassing the chain of command. In fact, such acts would create indiscipline. And while our brave jawans must be provided with the necessary equipment and the basic amenities needed for their day-to-day life, it must also be ensured that they do not end up becoming a pampered lot.— V.P. Damodar

Too often we tend to take our brave jawans for granted and expect them to perform miracles; which, given the terrible battle conditions they have to deal with, they often do. But do the brass (civilian and military) care? Perhaps not. Consider the infamous post-Kargil coffin-scandal and the every-other-day MiG crashes. So how do we set this right? A public interest litigation on behalf of our jawans?— Sriniisn

It is not right to blame just the military brass for the callous attitude towards the soldiers. Let us not forget that the English language Press lionised General Parvez Musharraf during the Agra summit. The US State Department frequently equates India and Pakistan by treating the aggressor (Pakistan) and the victim (India) as equally responsible for the situation in Kashmir. They do this to promote the interests of the US. The US Press reflects this position — as they do whenever matters of US foreign policy are concerned. The Indian press should realise that when foreign policy is concerned, the country’s interests should come first.— Nagaraja Rao

The article is a beautiful insight into the Defence Ministry’s functioning. Why don’t you lead a signature email campaign to bring this into the limelight? Like the Bofors scandal, we need to raise a big noise to be really heard. This is the least that we can do for our jawans.— N.S. Rao
What ails our Armed Forces?

Kalmadi determined to find the conman of XIX CWG 2010

Wednesday, 04 August, 2010 DD News
Under-pressure Kalmadi says ready for CAG or judicial probe

Cornered by allegations of corruption in the CWG preparations, under- fire Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi has said he is ready to face any CAG or judicial probe into the financial transactions related to the event.

"I, as Chairman of the Organising Committee, am prepared to face any scrutiny by (Comptroller and Auditor General) CAG or even a judicial probe for all financial transactions being reported by the media. All the people found guilty will be punished and brought to book," Kalmadi said in a statement on Wednesday.

Kalmadi's statement came a day after more allegations of irregularities and the Indian High Commission's e-mails being 'doctored' came to light. The Congress party also distanced itself from the Pune MP.

Kalmadi reiterated that the all transactions were carried out by the full approval of the OC's various finance committee and he did not have any individual say on these matters.

"The financial procedures at the Organising Committee are well laid down and transparent. Any proposal that is prepared by the Functional Area Head first gets vetted by the OC Finance Committee which has two representatives of Government of India, and after that it is referred to Finance Sub-Committee, comprising of three Senior representatives of Government of India," he explained.

"Thereafter, the proposals are submitted to the Executive Board for its final approval. Chairman OC, in his individual capacity, does not have any financial powers," he added.

Kalmadi said, nonetheless, he has taken note of the various reported bunglings.

"60 days are left for the start of XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 to be held in New Delhi and 43 days for Games Village to open when about 8000 athletes and Officials from all continents of the world start arriving to participate in the Games," Kalmadi said.

"During the last week, media has come out with various stories regarding the irregularities in the orders/ procurement etc. of QBR Launch Function at London/Overlays and association of M/S Sports Marketing and Management (SMAM) in obtaining the Sponsorship for the games.

"I have taken a serious note of these reports and appointed a three member committee headed by Mr. Jarnail Singh, the Chief Executive Officer and two members, Mr. G. C. Chaturvedi, Special Director General and Ms. Gurjot Kaur Chief Vigilance Officer of Organising Committee to look into all the details of QBR Launch Function, Overlays and SMAM issues. The Committee has been asked to submit its report by August 5, 2010," the statement read.

The Indian Olympic Association chief was left red-faced on Tuesday when the Ministry of External Affairs said that the e-mails from the Indian High Commission that he made public to justify huge payments to a UK-based firm were 'doctored'.

His back against the wall, Kalmadi has been isolated in the OC as well with some his own colleagues demanding an emergency meeting to discuss allegations of corruption, which have also been highlighted in a Central Vigilance Commission report. (DD-4.8)
Under-pressure Kalmadi says ready for CAG or judicial probe

Mani Shankar Aiyar airs views to ensure a "clean and successful" CWG 2010
...Read full article

MEA attempt to reduce corruption in the Passport Offices

Wednesday, August 04, 2010
The Government has launched the Passport Seva Project at four Pilot sites in Karnataka on May 28, 2010 under the jurisdiction of Regional Passport Office, Bangalore. This will be followed by launch at three Pilot sites (Chandigarh, Ambala and Ludhiana) under the jurisdiction of Regional Passport Office, Chandigarh. Following validation of the Pilot projects, the remaining 70 Passport Seva Kendras will be established across the country in a phased manner. Under the Passport Seva Project Scheme, the time target schedule for issue of passport under normal and Tatkal category is as follows:


This information was given by Shri S.M. Krishna, Minister of External Affairs, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.
YSK:PM
Passport Seva Project

National Security: Media Reports

INDIA-PAKISTAN STANDOFF- Reaching out to Pakistan has been a one-way street. The need of the hour is to drastically change our foreign policy while building up our military and internal security apparatus to meet the challenge posed by the Pakistani army.
Cut losses and change tack by Lt-Gen Vijay Oberoi (retd)

Synergy can’t be achieved without CDS by Col Pritam Bhullar (retd)

INDIA’S PAKISTAN POLICY PREDOMINATED BY FLAWED PERSPECTIVES By Dr Subhash Kapila

GEN ASHFAQ PARVEZ KAYANI by B.RAMAN

National Security: Indian Grand Strategy- a book review

Monday, June 14, 2010
Washington DC: release of book on Indian Grand Strategy for Foreign Policy

Admiral Raja Menon is a former career officer and submarine specialist in the Navy. He is the author of The Indian Navy: A Photo Essay, Maritime Strategy and Continental Wars and A Nuclear Strategy for India. He is a distinguished fellow in the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies and the National Maritime Foundation.

Joining Admiral Menon for the forum will be Ashley Tellis, a Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Lisa Curtis, Heritage Foundation's Senior Research Fellow on South Asia. S. Enders Wimbush, Hudson Institute's Senior Vice President, will moderate. Wednesday, June 23, 2010 12:30-2:30 PM

Analyzing some of the major influences on foreign and security policy in India, this synthesis of insights assesses emerging global scenarios from an Indian perspective and details their likely impact on India's current and future national interests. This study first uses the Net Assessment method to detail the scenarios that the country will face in 2020 and then utilizes a transparent method to build three scenarios that India could face and compares them to other situations created by the United States National Intelligence Council and a group of Indian Practitioners. Closing with a possible foreign policy strategy, this reference clearly explains the choices that await a rising India.

The book spells out four possible global scenarios in 2020. The first is one in which the US reinvents itself and surges forward on the tide of development of alternate energy sources. The second envisages a scenario in which the relative power of the US declines and a multipolar world emerges in which regional powers rise to run their regions unilaterally – India in South Asia, China in continental Asia, and the US with Brazil in the Americas. While globalisation reduces political rivalry between nations, there is no co-ordinated action against terrorism and rogue, non-state actors.

The third scenario is one in which the US and China establish a duopoly and begin to co-operate in controlling world institutions, leaving former friends of the US, including India, without a platform. India will then be faced with the choice of either joining the duopoly or facing isolation. The final scenario is one in which economic growth in both the United States and China remains depressed while India grows at a sustained annual rate of nine to ten per cent. The world takes longer to recover from the recession, international bodies become weak and the US becomes more isolationist. India becomes a powerful entity by 2020 but has not yet developed mechanisms to play the role of a constructive global or regional power. Of these, the worst-case scenario from India's perspective is the emergence of a US-China duopoly where China remains hostile to India and the US is unavailable as a balancing power.

The book outlines a strategy that will help India tackle the challenges posed by the possible shift in global power arrangements. It includes:

A strong focus on achieving sustained economic growth with equity as that helps India to withstand a possible duopoly

A hedging military strategy that enables India to switch theatres between North-Continental and South Maritime, abolishing all institutions for passive territorial defence and unifying military command

A technology strategy that gives the private sector its head with government joint ventures and subordinates the human resource development and science and technology ministries to that of service providers with measurable outputs to ride a possible US wave of alternate energy innovation

A national security strategy that creates mechanisms that conjoins the NSA system to the parliamentary system

A domestic strategy that reforms all domestic institutions, particularly the police and the civil service, under external supervision and

The recreation of a foreign policy apparatus that can implement this strategy abroad.

The challenges that India will face in implementing this strategy will come from:

The rise of a galloping China with perceived unsolvable disputes with India and ruled by a monolithic, single party

The fundamentalist threat from an unstable Pakistan in a close alliance with China

The region being overwhelmed by Chinese economic blandishments to support regimes politically hostile to India

The fraying of international institutions

A degraded neighbourhood because of economic compulsions in Bangladesh, continued political upheaval in Nepal, simmering discontent and low level conflict in Sri Lanka and jihadi threat in Pakistan and

The loss of naval superiority in the Indian Ocean.

The book also raises questions about whether India has operational mechanisms needed to implement the strategy that it has outlined. It points out that the lack of a strategic core, which directs policy and oversees implementation, is a major lacuna that needs to be addressed urgently.

Refreshments will be served.
Books will be available for purchase.

To RSVP, please send your name and affiliation to events@hudson.org.
Betsy and Walter Stern Conference Center
Hudson Institute
1015 15th St, NW,
Sixth Floor
Washington, DC 20005
www.hudson.org
washington dc: release of book on Indian Grand Strategy for Foreign Policy
US India Friendship Net

Government sets up GoM on energy

References
Energy Security = Energy + Security: Pragmatic Euphony
Govt sets up GoM on energy: Indian Express

It seems that those who call such meetings ie PMO do not understand the role of various actors in different facets of National security.
The big problem in India is that the MOD is secluded from Foreign relations. The External Affairs Ministry comprising of bureaucrats of the similar genre as the IAS feel that they are the only ones who know every thing about diplomacy and external relations of India. The reality is far from it and one can see how they have created an image of a weak India who runs to Western countries for a motherly hug when our neighbours inflict wounds on us.
Energy Security has definite and crucial connotations of seaward defence, Air defence, Army's deployment and Homeland defence.
Even the name of the Home Minister is missing!! I suppose HE IS THERE.
Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh (Retd)
Former Signal Officer in Chief

Bhopal mass gas murder: Warren Anderson should stand trial in India- Frank Pallone

Press Trust of India, Updated: June 11, 2010 07:07 IST, Washington
Influential New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone has said former Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson deserves to be extradited from the US and stand trial in India in connection with the Bhopal gas tragedy case.

"All those responsible for this disaster, including the former chairman of Union Carbide Warren Anderson, should stand trial in India and receive punishment that reflects the devastation and pain they have caused for thousands of people," Pallone said in a statement.

"Warren Anderson absolutely deserves to be extradited from the US and punished for the full extent of his crimes. As chairman of Union Carbide at the time of the Bhopal gas disaster, Anderson was ultimately responsible for his company's actions," said Pallone, who is a powerful member of the India Caucus in the Congress.

Noting that this court ruling is long overdue, Pallone said the executives of Union Carbide and its Indian subsidiary deserve to be criminally prosecuted.

"The court's sentence of merely two years for those responsible for the world's worst chemical disaster is outrageous," he said.

Pallone commended the Indian government on swift action to reconstitute the Group of Ministers (GoM) to review the circumstances surrounding the Bhopal disaster and pursue rehabilitation efforts.

"As the GoM recommended in 2008, I encourage the Indian government to establish an Empowered Commission on Bhopal which will have adequate authority and funds to ensure that rehabilitation efforts are pursued and care is offered for survivors of the disaster," he added.

The State Department, however, has remained silent on the issue. State Department spokesman P J Crowley had earlier said the US does not comment on extradition related issue. But, he said the United States has an extradition treaty with India.
Warren Anderson should stand trial in India: Frank Pallone
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Comment: If Warren Anderson has a conscience- as he is being construed and portrayed as a gentleman- he should volunteer to surrender to honest Indian Officials at Bhopal and offer an apology to the Gas Victims. This act will not only shame and expose the Indian corrupt Bureaucracy, deceitful Politicians and obliging Judiciary who have taken the victims through a two decade Judicial ride, but will also put the cog wheels of Indian Democracy on the right track. He is bound ultimately to be extradited if India so desires. However India may not find it convenient to face the truth of who bribed whom! The citizens and media should fight till the truth is out and culprits punished. This will placate the 20 year suffering of Victims in a small measure.