Tag: Indian army

Republic Day 2019: Children conferred national awards all smiles at Republic Day parade

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The children awarded with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar were all smiles as they greeted President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with folded hands as they passed the Rajpath during the Republic Day parade.

The children, awarded by President Kovind on Tuesday, stood up in a decked-up open jeep and gleefully waved at the crowd gathered to celebrate the 70th Republic Day.

President Kovind and Prime Minister Modi waved back at the children.

The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar was given to 26 children and under two main categories,  Bal Shakti Puraskar and Bal Kalyan Puraskar.

The Bal Shakti Puraskar was given to boys and girls for their outstanding work in the fields of innovation, scholastic, sports, arts and culture, social service and bravery.

The Bal Kalyan Puraskar was given to individuals and institutions for their commendable contribution and service in the field of child welfare.

The youngest awardee was seven-year-old Eiha Dixit, who waved excitedly at the crowd as she paraded infront of them.

Among other Bal Shakti Puraskar awardees in the field of innovation were Mohammad Suhail Chinya Salimpasha, Arunima Sen, Aswath Suryanarayanan Sen, Naisargik Lenka, A U Nachiketh Kumar and Madhav Lavakare.

In the field of social service, Aryamaan Lakhotia, Prathyaksha B R and Eiha Dixit were awarded.

In scholastics, Ayushman Tripathy, Megha Bose and Nishant Dhankhar bagged the award.

In art and culture, Raam M, Dev Dushyant Kumar Joshi, Vinayaka M, Aryaman Agarwal and Truptraj Atul Pandya were awarded.

In sports, Shivangi Pathak, Esow, Priyam Tated, Anish and Vijay Deokule were given the award.

Kartik Kumar Goyal, Adrika Goyal and Nikhil Dayanand Jituri were given bravery awards.

As many as 616 schoolchildren also performed during the Republic Day event in Delhi.

Three schools were selected by the Directorate of Education and the Defence Ministry to perform at the function and children from East Zone Cultural Centre also participated in the event.

India celebrated the Republic Day with a grand display of its military might and rich cultural diversity as the ceremonial parade rolled down the majestic Rajpath here in presence of  South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as the chief guest.

The theme of this year’s celebrations was principles of Mahatma Gandhi.

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Republic Day 2019: Lesser known facts about Army chief general Bipin Rawat, who will receive Param Vishisht Sewa Medal on January 26

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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This Republic Day, Army chief general Bipin Rawat is set to receive the Param Vishisht Sewa Medal (PVSM) for his contribution to improve the nation’s military services.

Rawat, despite his controversial statements to News18 on women which were claimed sexist by social media, has been key in tackling counter-terrorist operations against Pakistan and is known for his efforts to maintain peace in the India-China border. He has also been led many successful surgical strikes.

The nomination comes as a surprise as it is the chief, in this case, Rawat, who has to award this medal, usually to senior lieutenant generals or their equivalent in Navy or the Air Force. However,  the defence ministry has directly nominated his name, Times Now reported.

General Rawat was not awarded the PVSM when he was the Southern Army commander or vice chief of Army Staff, the report added.

Normally, chiefs are appointed when they already have a PVSM.

Rawat was appointed as the Army chief in December 2016. He was the vice chief of the Army earlier and was commissioned in the Fifth Battalion of the Eleven Gorkha Rifles in December 1978.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, Rawat has survived a chopper accident when he was the commander of the Dimapur-based Headquarters 3 Corps.

Rawat, the son of lieutenant general Laxman Singh Rawat, was born in Pauri Garhwal district in Uttarakhand.

Apart from being a brave soldier, Rawat holds an MPhil in Defence Studies from Madras University and he completed his research on military-media strategic studies and was awarded PhD from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut.

He also won the ‘Sword of Honour’ when he graduated from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in 1978.

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Army Day Celebrations: “Will not hesitate to take strong action against terror activities along Pakistan border, says General Bipin Rawat

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday warned Pakistan that India will not hesitate in carrying out strong action against inimical moves, asserting that its forces were giving enemies along the Line of Control a “befitting reply” and inflicting heavy losses.

General Rawat also said India’s neighbour on the western border continues to support terrorism. The Army is ensuring dominance along the LoC and will continue to do so, he assured.

“Our forces are giving a befitting reply to our enemies along the Line of Control. They are suffering heavy losses. I am warning our enemy (across the LoC) that we will not hesitate in carrying out strong action against any inimical action,” he said while addressing Army personnel on the occasion of Army Day in New Delhi.

“We are ensuring moral dominance along the border in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

The Indian Army has ensured heavy damage to terrorists in the the state, General Rawat said.

Youths in Jammu and Kashmir are being terrorised and are forced to take up arms, he said.

“We do not want that people in J&K are disturbed. Our neighbouring country has a hand in these activities. Terrorists are being trained and given arms by our neighbouring country, which is being termed state-sponsored terrorism globally,” the Army chief said in an obvious reference to Pakistan.

Referring to the border with China, he said the armies of both India and China have issued new guidelines to their respective forces.

“Efforts are on to maintain peace and tranquillity along the (eastern) border. But we will keep reviewing the situation. Our soldiers will not allow any compromise in guarding the border in the eastern sector,” General Rawat said, adding that the orders given by the government will be strictly followed.

Discussing the situation in the Northeast, General Rawat said the situation is peaceful in the region and the Army is carrying out regular anti-insurgency operations.

He also urged Army personnel and their families to be careful in using social media which he said is being used for radicalisation.

Referring to criticism of the Army’s pyramidical structure, the Army chief said, “For us, the VIP is the jawan who faces the enemy along the LoC.”

General Rawat also talked about coordination with the Navy and the Air force. “We will achieve decisive victory along with the Navy and the Air Force in case of a war,” he said.

The Army, he asserted, was carrying out major restructuring and modernisation of the Army.

“The security challenge facing the country will become more complex in the coming years. We will have to keep enhancing our combat prowess so that we can defeat our adversaries. I assure that we will keep the trust reposed on us by the people of the country,” the Army chief said.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Meghalaya govt to Supreme Court: Navy has deployed 5 remotely-operated vehicles to rescue trapped miners

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Meghalaya government informed the Supreme Court on Friday that the Indian Navy has deployed five remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) in the operation to rescue 15 miners trapped inside an illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills district since December 13.

The state government told a bench of Justices A K Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer that one crore litre of water has been pumped out so far from the illegal mine but seepage form nearby rivers was creating hurdles in the rescue operation.

The bench sought to know from the state’s counsel as to whether any action had been taken against those indulging in illegal mining activities there.

The counsel told the court that the person running the illegal mine where the incident took place had been arrested.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the court that every possible step has been taken for the rescue operation and the Indian Air Force has deployed planes and helicopters for airlifting requisite equipment and manpower.

The bench has posted the matter to January 18 for further hearing.

The apex court is hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Aditya N Prasad who has sought urgent steps to rescue 15 miners trapped in the illegal coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Trapped Meghalaya miners: Supreme Court to hear PIL seeking hastening of rescue operations

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) questioning the slow pace of rescue operations to extract 15 trapped miners in Meghalaya. The PIL was mentioned before a bench headed by Ranjan Gogoi, Chief Justice of India.

The petition questioned as to why heavy duty pumps offered by private companies had not been deployed or utilised to assist in the rescue operations.

Since December 13, the miners have been trapped in a ‘rat-hole’ coal mine in the Ksan area of Lumthari village in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district. The accident occurred due to water from the nearby Lytein River gushing into the mine.

The PIL came after reports claimed that the technical snags in the water pumps slowed down the rescue operations. The PIL has sought an order from SC directing the relevant government agencies to air lift the pumps from the respective facilities of Kirloskars and Tatas who offered to assist in the rescue operations.

The Kirloskars offered four 100 Horsepower pumps while the Tatas offered two 100 Horsepower pumps.

The PIL also questions as to why only the Navy and the Air Force were engaged in the rescue operations and sought for Army’s intervention as well.

A team comprising of Indian Navy divers and Odisha firefighters have been working tirelessly to evacuate the miners trapped in what could be a 370 feet deep pit.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had ordered an interim ban on “rat-hole” coal mining in the state effective April 17, 2014.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

ISRO to set up satellite station in Bhutan to counter China’s Tibet facility, says report

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India is setting up a satellite tracking and data reception centre in the neighbouring Himalayan state of Bhutan to counter a similar facility by the Chinese in the region, The Economic Times reported.

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) station in Bhutan is likely to double up as “a strategic asset” for the country, given its location between India and China, said the report citing unidentified people aware of the matter.

China has set up a similar advanced satellite tracking centre and astronomical observatory about 125 kms from the Line of Actual Control, the official border between India and China at Ngari, in Tibet Autonomous Region, the report said.

China’s facility in Tibet is so advanced that apart from tracking Indian satellites, it can also “blind” them, the report said.

The strategic step by India comes after the Doklam crisis when China tried to construct a road at a tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan, which led to a 72 day face-off between the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army at Doklam in 2017, the report added.

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Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow