In a recent reply to a question raised by Mr Chandrashekar, a Rajya Sabha MP, on whether the government was considering grant of Non-Functional Upgradation (NFU) for the armed forces, the MoS Defence replied in the negative, stating that the case was sub judice. In the meanwhile, there has been no action on the part of the MoD to even […]
Both army chief General Bipin Rawat and vice chief of the army, General Sarath Chand, have through various platforms expressed frustration over money allocated in the union budget to the defence sector. The army generals have complained that the allocation hardly leaves anything for modernization and upkeep of the forces. In fact, it did not even cater for inflationary growth. […]
The army chief, General Bipin Rawat, stated in a seminar recently that the army plays a significant role in nation building. He added that a reasonable part of the defence budget is employed for development and providing facilities in remote areas. In most border regions, it is the army alone, which is closer to the locals living there, hence provides […]
It has been two weeks since the army chief named political parties in a seminar on the North East, yet the controversy over those remarks continues to simmer. Even earlier his comments on Kashmir and seeking Bharat Ratna for Field Marshall Cariappa have come in for criticism. He speaks as a true soldier would, direct and to the point, informing […]
At a seminar in Delhi last week, on the North East, the army chief, General Rawat spoke about the impact illegal immigration has had in the region. He commented on the phenomenal growth of a predominantly Moslem party, AIUDF (All India United Democratic Front). He even went on to compare this party with the Jan Sangh of the eighties. This […]
Speaking at a national seminar in Delhi on the North East, entitled ‘bridging gaps and securing borders’ on 21st Feb, the army chief, General Bipin Rawat, raised a few relevant issues. Some issues he raised were amalgamation of the residents of the region into our society, illegal immigration from Bangladesh and development of the area. His statement, “There is a […]
Post the Sanjuwan attack, the religion card has again been employed to seek and divide the only secular and apolitical force within the country, the Indian army. Asaduddin Owaisi, President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen stated that five of the seven martyred in the attack were Moslems. He was seeking to question those who regularly ask Moslems to prove […]
Post the Pathankot air force base attack in early Jan 2016, the government ordered a review of all military bases under the Philip Campose Committee. The committee felt that there were gaping holes in security arrangements in military bases and recommended measures to strengthen them. The recommendations of the committee remained with the MoD, while the PM played musical chairs […]
The recent comments of the army chief stating that ‘the time has not come for any rethink on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)’, at a press conference last week, has drawn criticism from many quarters, including editorials in leading newspapers. He was accused of crossing his limits as the head of the organization and commenting on topics beyond […]
The US ambassador to India, Kenneth I Juster, proposed during his first public speech in Delhi that scaling up of strategic relations with India can also involve posting of liaison officers in each other’s combatant commands. He claimed that this was aimed at taking the relationship from ‘the strategic to the durable’. This was a gesture to India that the […]