Book on Army's achievements

Defence Minister A.K. Antony, along with Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshall P.V. Naik and other officers, at the Air Force Commanders Conference in New Delhi on Monday. Photo: S. Subramanium of The Hindu
Friday, Apr 29, 2011 Special Correspondent The Hindu
NEW DELHI: Chief of Army Staff General V.K. Singh has released a book “Footprints — On the Sands of Time; Indian Army's Unique Achievements,” at a ceremony during the ongoing Army Commanders Conference here.

The book, compiled by a team of officers at the office of Additional Directorate General of Public Information, comprises more than 200 entries, most of which are historic or unique in their own way and pertain to the military environment and ethos.

The Army Chief also presented medals for essay competition. Colonel Manish Bhave and Lieutenant Colonel B.S. Rai won gold medals in their respective categories — on subjects, “Future Shape, Size and Structure of the Indian Army” and “Man Management and Stress Management in LIC [Low Intensity Conflict] Situation.” respectively. Havildar Anand Prakash was awarded the top medal for his essay “Army as a Profession” in the Junior Commission Officers and Other Ranks group, a Defence Ministry release said.

Captain Rochak Tyagi, Major A.K. Mishra and Subedar Anant Ram bagged silver medals, followed by Lieutenant Colonel K. Ravichandran, Lieutenant Amit Semwal and Naib Subedar Puran Chandra who won bronze medals.
Book on Army's achievemnts
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Guard against corrupt practices, Antony tells Army, Air Force

How Indian Entrepreneurs have circumnavigated Government hurdles to IT Development

The innovation revolution livemint.com The Wall Street Journal
Emerging India has evolved from the world’s back office into a knowledge and innovation hub. In the next decade, expect benefits for not just the nation but the global economy by Vivek Wadhwa
The ability of Indian entrepreneurs to rise above all the hurdles the government and society throw at them. Just as India’s companies install their own power generators to deal with supply problems and purification plants to provide clean water, they have built their own surrogate education system. And herein lies India’s greatest innovation: Its companies have developed the ability to take the output of a weak education system and turn these workers into R&D specialists who can compete in the global arena.

Faced with severe talent shortages, escalating salaries and a lagging education system, Indian industry had to rethink the way it recruited, trained, developed and retained its workforce. It started by adapting the best practices of companies that were outsourcing R&D to India. Then, leading companies in diverse industries started improving on these techniques and methods; refining and integrating them into a unified system.

With the economic slowdown, Indian talent supply has been able to catch up with demand. And Western companies are more desperate than ever to cut costs.

To achieve the 30-40% cost savings that Indian outsourcers can offer, they are now outsourcing their most strategic internal systems. Additionally, thanks to a combination of the recession in the US and that country’s flawed immigration policies, there is a flood of highly educated and skilled talent returning home to India.

They see more opportunity in India than abroad, and want to be near family and friends. They are returning with the latest skills and an understanding of foreign markets.

So the stars are lining up for Indian outsourcing, and this industry is gaining a second wind.

Within a decade, India is likely to become the world’s second-largest R&D centre after the US. Its innovations will likely benefit not only India, but also the world.

Vivek Wadhwa is executive in residence/adjunct professor at the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University and a senior research associate with the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School.
Read the full article on how Government hurdles have been bypassed:
The innovation revolution

Management is building Human Relationships

THE “PHOOK” THEORY
The literal meaning of the Punjabi word, ‘phook’ is air pressure. Metaphorically, it is used to describe an ego-state. Thus, if someone is hogging a lot of ‘phook’, he is ‘gassed’ or brash.

The year, 1988. Location: No 3 Base Repair Depot (BRD),IAF, Chandigarh
The little man who sat as the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of the BRD was my brother. Our father found him bone lazy, incapable doing any strenuous work. But I suspect he was clever. The Air Force chose to overlook his sloth and let him rise. Now, having completed his course at the National Defense College, it was clear that he was going places. I had gone to the BRD to learn the rudiments of command.

As I entered, the two officers who were sitting in the office took leave of him. He sat there, completely relaxed. There was no paper in the two trays marked “IN” and: OUT” The customary “Pending” bin was conspicuous by its absence. The walls of the large office were bare. No bar charts, no performance curves. On the table, there was a small hand written paper, which my brother permitted me to see. It said, “I hate work. Even if some one else does it”.

It was clear as crystal that my dear brother had not changed. I asked him how he managed such a large outfit. And he said, “Come, I will show you” And we set off for a ‘darshan’ of the unit. Wherever we went, people rushed to greet him. He had a word or two to say to every one. In most cases, he let his officers speak. He would then say just a sentence or two, and then move on. But I noticed that his tone was different each time. At one workstation, we saw a tall officer, who had a lot of charts and diagrams, and he gave us a detailed account of his achievements. The curve showed that the output of his shop had tripled since he took over. He was keen to give a lecture to the other officers of the BRD on the management techniques he had employed to achieve those results. My brother gave a cold look to him and said, “Yes. You can do that. But first you must improve the quality of your stuff. That gyro-stabilizer which failed in the flight test last month was overhauled here. Right? If the pilot was not alert, you would have his blood on your hands!”
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Maj Gen Surjit Singh (Retd)

Army called in to Manage Load Dispatches to Petrol Pumps

Oil PSUs & Truck Strike :9Jan09 - Part1


Army was called in to manage loading and dispatches to petrol pumps as the Government ordered arrests and dismissals of officers keeping off work. The move cracked the Oil Sector Officers Association, with Bharat Petroleum, the second largest retailer, walking out of the agitation instantly.

Oil PSU execs call off strike following Govt's tough stance

Truckers' strike: States cooperation must, says Chidambaram
Press Trust of India / New Delhi January 09, 2009, 17:30 IST
The Centre today said it is in talks with states to resolve the five-day-old truckers' strike, which along with the PSU oil officers' stir, has affected movement of goods across the country. "The road transport secretary has said we are talking to the states. We will have to take the states with us," Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet, which reviewed the situation arising out of the strike.

He said the Centre needs to take consent of states since most of the issues raised by the truckers relate to them. The truckers have been demanding putting diesel in the declared goods category, leading to a cut in fuel price, unrestricted import of tyres, a single national permit and reduction in toll taxes, among others. "The issue of service tax exemption has been resolved. The other issue of increase in toll is factually incorrect," he said.

"All other demands pertain to the states. Yet, the truckers go on strike that is against the interest of the people and therefore, steps are being taken by the Ministry of Surface Transport to deal with the matter," Chidambaram added.
Truckers' strike: States cooperation must, says Chidambaram

Comment: One billion citizens held to ransom. The reasons outlined by the media for the strike seems so frivolous compared to the sufferings inflicted on the poor and needy. Shortages and Spiralling prices have hit the common man. Are Politicians and Bureaucrats responsible for governance? The Armed Forces are used like ping pongs to shore up the corrupt bureaucrats who take no responsiblity at any hour of National Crisis. Not a single bureaucrat held responsible for the lost lives or sufferings of the millions of citizens.

Now firms begin hunt for Ex-servicemen

siliconindia news bureau
Thursday, November 13, 2008 Mumbai
Retired defense personnel are well in demand by Indian firms who are struck in a dilemma of tackling the financial crunch without compromising on their project deadlines. Companies are forced to hire people who can deliver service without charging as much as experienced people would do. Ex-servicemen have become their suitable option as these people are well known for their discipline at work, says a cross section of HR firms.

"You need discipline, integrity, leadership skills to make big projects a reality. Ex-servicemen are the right mix for such times as they can meet deadlines, are better in critical assessment and organizational tasks," D'Oneil Vaz, CE O of Mumbai based Blue Sky HR, was quoted as saying by The Economic Times.

The Directorate of Resettlement, under the ministry of defense (MoD), has started a short duration training program for ex-servicemen to make them compatible with the needs of the corporate world.

"They have a unique advantage that many employees lack," says Dr MC Agrawal, chairman of executive education program at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, which has tied up with the MoD. "They are more honest towards their team, more disciplined, open to ideas and also have a better style of communicating with their team members," he adds.

A number of blue-chip companies such as L&T, Citigroup, ICICI Bank, Satyam Technologies, Bajaj Auto and RIL have hired defense personnel, Agrawal says, adding that the placements for the current batch of the program are scheduled for November 14.

As all corporates seek credible, experienced leaders with the vision to excel skills to design winning strategies, motivate retention, and optimum efficiency to grow, these defense officers stand to have a big opportunity.
Now firms begin hunt for Ex-servicemen
Ex-Servicemen Ideally Suited for the Corporate World

Sharpen Critical Thinking Skills

What intellectuals say

Mahatma Gandhi. It is unwise to be sure of one's wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest weaken and wisest err.

Carl von Clausewitz. Military strategist says critical thinking is ability to keep one's head at times of exceptional stress and violent emotion.

Sherlock Holmes. Problems may be solved in the study which have baffled all those who have sought a solution by the aid of their senses. To carry the art, however, to its highest pitch, it is necessary that the reasoner should be able to utilize all the facts which have come to his knowledge, and this in itself implies, as you will readily see, a possession of all knowledge, which, even in these days of free education and encyclopaedias, is a somewhat rare accomplishment.

Sir Francis Bacon. A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.

Dr Abdul Kalam. The three teachers in my life; what did they give me? In an integrated way it can be said, that any enlightened human being can be created by three unique characteristics. One is moral value system. That I got from my father the hard way. Secondly, the teacher becoming a role model. Not only does the student learn, but the teacher shapes his life with great dreams and aims. Finally, the education and learning process has to culminate in the creation of professional capability leading to confidence and will power to make a design, to make a product, to make a system, bravely combating many problems. What a fortune and blessing I had from my three teachers.

Are you a crictical thinker. Do you......?

ask pertinent questions

assesses statements and arguments

admit a lack of understanding or information

have a sense of curiosity

lack interest in finding new solutions

clearly define or spell out a set of criteria for analyzing ideas

examine beliefs, assumptions, and opinions and weigh them against facts

listen carefully to others and is able to give feedback

see that critical thinking is a lifelong process of self-assessment

suspend judgment until all facts have been gathered and considered

look for evidence to support assumption and beliefs

adjust to opinions when new facts are found

look for proof

examine problems closely

reject information that is incorrect or irrelevant