General Indian Defence News

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Defence
10-March, 2017 15:14 IST
Defence Procurement Organisation

In order to study the setting up of a defence procurement organization, the Ministry of Defence in April 2016 constituted a Committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Pritam Singh, Management Expert.

The Committee submitted its Report in February 2017. The Committee has recommended the creation of a central, autonomous, empowered professional organization to build up indigenous defence capability as a strategic imperative for long term self-reliance.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri B. Vinod Kumar in Lok Sabha today.

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Ministry of Defence
10-March, 2017 15:12 IST
Self-sufficiency in Defence Production

Procurement of defence equipment is undertaken from various Indian as well as foreign vendors based on threat perceptions, operational challenges and technological changes and to keep the Armed Forces in a state of readiness to meet the entire spectrum of security challenges. The capital expenditure on purchase of defence equipment for the three services in the last three years and current financial year, from the Foreign vendors and Indian vendors is as given below:-

CAPITAL EXPENDITURE:

(Rs. in crore)



Total Procurement
Procurement from Foreign Vendors
Procurement from Indian Vendora

2013-14
66821.21
35245.31
31575.90

2014-15
65583.77
25984.86
39598.91

2015-16
62341.86
23192.22
39149.64

2016-17
(upto December 2016)
47494.79
21211.44
26283.35

The details of imports of defence equipment during the last three years and the current year, country-wise, are being compiled and will be laid on the Table of the House.

No targets are fixed for import of defence equipment, and there is no year-wise budget earmarked for the purpose, Defence equipment are procured from foreign vendors based on operational requirements indicated by the Armed Forces.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri K.N. Ramachandran in Lok Sabha today.

Ministry of Defence
10-March, 2017 15:19 IST
Recruitment in Armed Forces

Recruitment rallies are conducted in different parts of the country to provide opportunity to youth from these areas to join the Armed Forces. Recruitment in the Armed Forces is a continuous process. Efforts are made to cover entire country including remote, border, tribal and hilly areas.

Presently there is no proposal to open any new recruitment centre.

For recruitment in Army, certain relaxations in physical and educational standards are available for candidates of tribal / hilly and other backward areas. In the case of Navy and Air Force, there is no provision for relaxation in educational standards. However, some relaxation in height is given to candidates from certain areas.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shrimati Kamla Devi Paatle and Shri Harinarayan Rajbhar in Lok Sabha today.

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Ministry of Defence
10-March, 2017 15:16 IST
Defence Start-Ups

Government of India has launched ‘Start-up India’ initiative in January 2016, which aims at fostering entrepreneurship and promoting innovation by creating an ecosystem that is conducive for growth of start-ups. The data of start-ups recognized by Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), is maintained by ‘Start-up India’ and at present, there is no recognized start-up in the Defence sector. However, in order to encourage start-ups and give them an opportunity to contribute in the defence production, Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and all Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) have been mandated to follow the guidelines of Ministry of MSME regarding ‘Relaxation of norms for start-ups and Medium & Small Enterprises in public procurements on prior experience – prior turnover criteria’.

The Government has taken following actions to encourage culture of innovation in defence sector:-

(i) Under the new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 promulgated in April 2016, the ‘Make’ Procedure has been simplified. The procedure provides for funding of 90% of development cost by the Government to Indian industry for design, develop and manufacture of defence equipment. Projects not exceeding development cost of Rs.10 crore (Government funded) and Rs.3 crore (industry funded) have been reserved for MSMEs under this procedure.

(ii) The Government has recently approved a Defence Innovation Fund (DIF) with initial funding by two DPSUs; Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The fund aims at creation of ecosystem to foster innovation and technology development in Defence, by engaging R&D institutes / academia and industry including start-ups and provide them the funding to carry out innovative development which has the potential for future commercialization.

(iii) The Government has also launched a scheme of Technology Development Fund (TDF) which aims at funding the development of defence and dual use technologies that are currently not available with the Indian defence industry, or have not been developed so far, thus creating an ecosystem for enhancing cutting edge technology capability for Defence applications. The TDF scheme is implemented by Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) and provides for assistance in the form of grant to public and private industries for design and development of key defence technologies.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri Om Birla in Lok Sabha today.

Ministry of Defence
10-March, 2017 15:16 IST
Chief of Defence Staff

Creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was recommended by Group of Ministers in 2001. A decision in this regard was to be taken after consultation with political parties. The consultation process however is not yet complete as all political parties have not responded. Subsequently, Naresh Chandra Task Force on National Security recommended creation of the post of Permanent Chairman Chief of Staff Committee in 2012. Both the proposals are simultaneously under consideration of the Government.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri Ravneet Singh in Lok Sabha today.

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Ministry of Defence
10-March, 2017 15:14 IST
Import of Defence Equipment

Government is pursuing several measures to realize progressively higher levels of indigenization and self reliance in the defence sector. To this end, the Defence Procurement Procedure 2016 (DPP 2016) has provisions which accord higher priority to procurement from Indian vendors. Notwithstanding this, import of defence equipment may be necessitated to meet operational requirements and when indigenous equipment is not available.


The expenditure in respect of orders placed on foreign vendors for capital acquisitions during each of the last two years is as under:-


Year
Expenditure (Rs. in crore)

2014-15
24992.36

2015-16
22422.12

The countries from which defence equipment imports are being undertaken include Russia, USA, Israel, France and UK.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri C.S. Putta Raju in Lok Sabha today.

Ministry of Defence
10-March, 2017 15:19 IST
Defence PSUs

9 Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) with 47 units in the country as per the following State / UT-wise details including Odisha:



Name of State / UT
Number of Units

Karnataka
15

Maharashtra
5

Uttar Pradesh
4

West Bengal
6

Telangana
5

Andhra Pradesh
3

Odisha
2

Uttarakhand
1

Tamil Nadu
1

Kerala
2

Jharkhand
1

Goa
1

Haryana
1

Total:
47

The details of Profit / loss incurred by these Defence PSUs are as under:

(Rs. in Crore)
Name of DPSU

2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17*


HAL (PBT)
3578
3173
3288
2335

BEL
932
1167
1358
755.88

BEML (PBT)
9.08
6.91
64.27
35

BDL (PBT)
508.59
614.19
850.26
582.45

GRSE (PBT)
187.23
76.02
247.11
89.00

MDL
397.61
491.59
637.82
404.36

MIDHANI
0.82
1.02
1.18
0.85

GSL
-61.09
78.24
61.89
82.00

HSL
-46.21
-202.84
19.00
40.00

*Provisional, PBT : Profit Before Tax.

HSL had been incurring losses till financial year 2014-15 and GSL had incurred onetime loss in financial year 2013-14. These two Shipyards have been nominated for high value orders resulting in improvement of their financial position. However, Ministry is also considering a financial restructuring proposal of Rs. 1209.81 Crore for improvement of HSL’s financial position.


This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shrimati Pratyusha Rajeshwari Singh in Lok Sabha today.

NAMPI/Ranjan

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...able-capital-fund-account/article17449297.ece

Defence Ministry is forced to return money every year
A major defence purchase often takes years to complete, but the budget allocation lapses at the end of the financial year. As a result, the Ministry of Defence is often forced to return money meant for capital acquisition.

To overcome this, the MoD has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Finance proposing the setting up of a ‘Non-lapsable Capital Fund Account’. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence notes in its latest report that the MoD proposal is with the Finance Ministry for its ‘in-principle’ approval.

Review of stand

The committee observed in its report, tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, that it is “glad to note that the Ministry of Defence has now reviewed its stated position and has admitted that the utility of creation of a non-lapsable, rollover fund for capital cannot be completely negated as the same would help in eliminating the prevailing uncertainty in providing adequate funds for various defence capability development and infrastructure projects.”


The report noted that a proposal for obtaining ‘in-principle’ approval of the Finance Ministry on creation of the account has been sent on February 2 by the Defence Ministry after obtaining approval of the Defence Minister, and a “response from the Ministry of Finance is awaited.”

However, the Finance Ministry is still not in favour of creating a ‘Non-lapsable Defence Capital Fund Account’ to which the committee expressed its “disappointment” and pointed to the Non-lapsable Central Pool of Resources for the North Eastern region, which was constituted with the approval of Parliament in 1998-99.

Ccomplicated process

The committee observed that defence procurement and acquisition is a complicated process, involving long gestation periods and funds allocated for capital acquisition in a particular financial year are not necessarily consumed in that year and ultimately have to be surrendered by the Defence Ministry. The committee stated that it “would like the Ministry of Finance to look at the matter afresh” and work out the modalities for creation of the account.

 

[RISING SUN]

Britain, India will cooperate with each other to build aircraft carriers: British Navy Chief
Admiral Sir Philip Jones, First Sea Lord of the British Navy, was in India on special invitation by the Indian Navy to attend the decommissioning of INS Viraat, the world’s longest serving warship. INS Viraat, which was recommissioned in the Indian Navy in 1987, had served in the British Royal Navy for 27 long years before being acquired by India. In her previous avatar as HMS Hermes, she had played an instrumental role during the 1982 Falklands War. In an exclusive conversation with The Sunday Guardian, Sir Philip recollected his memories about HMS Hermes, about his association with her as a young sailor, and about what India could do to preserve the heritage ship. He also talked about the deep naval association between India and Britain.

“I very much see this association between the two countries continuing. We are going to come back here for Exercise Konkan 17 (bilateral naval exercise between India and Britain). We will come back here in 2018 too. Both of us are building aircraft carriers at present, and we are to extend co-operation to each other in doing so. I see a bright future for the two of us,” Sir Philip told The Sunday Guardian.

He said he was particularly honoured and grateful for being invited for the decommissioning ceremony of INS Viraat. “So much attention has been given by the Indian Navy to Hermes. We feel really honoured to be here and to witness this. I am grateful to the Indian Navy for inviting us,” he said.

The construction of HMS Hermes began in 1944 during the Second World War. She was commissioned in the British Royal Navy in 1959. She retired from her service in 1984. But before the British Navy decommissioned her, Indian Navy brought her. She was mothballed when the Indian Navy acquired her. She was recommissioned in Indian Navy in 1987 as INS Viraat. Since then, she served Indian Navy till 6 March 2017, when she was decommissioned in the presence of almost 2,000 Naval personnel. INS Viraat holds the world record for being the longest serving warship.

Asked about his association with Hermes, Admiral Sir Philip Jones said that two incidents stood out in his mind. “In 1982, Hermes was the flagship vessel during the Falklands War. I was on-board the assault ship HMS Fearless. There is a strong sense of affinity among all the veterans who have served in the Falklands War. At that time, HMS Hermes provided vital support and cover to our other ships,” he said.

“Later, I was the navigator of a war navy vessel. I was stationed on-board a Plymouth-based frigate. I remember when I was on-board that frigate, HMS Hermes was going to India. It was a great moment to see her. We hoped she had a great life ahead,” he said.

Asked what future he wished for such a heritage ship, he said, “Maintaining a warship of this size is always a difficult proposition. World-over, people have come ahead to preserve such a heritage. If it can be done viably, it will be good.”

Asked about Britain’s past experience after the decommissioning of her huge warships, he said, “Warships are difficult and expensive to maintain as museums. We had decommissioned three Invincible Class carriers in the recent past. One was decommissioned in 2005, other in 2010, and the third one in 2014. Many people came ahead. They thought that such illustrious ships must be preserved. There was a huge campaign in our country. But ultimately, no one could come up with a viable plan, enough money and confidence. We also could not convince the environmentalists that the ships can be preserved without causing environmental damage. Ultimately, maintaining a ship takes a lot of money and hard work. She has to be dry-docked regularly. Till now, I have seen such huge warships being preserved in the US and China. Three have been preserved in the US, and one in China. They have been turned into a museum.”

http://www.sundayguardianlive.com/n...er-build-aircraft-carriers-british-navy-chief

 

[Hindustani78]

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
15-March, 2017 19:56 IST
Boost to Education: Cabinet approves setting up of 50 new KendriyaVidyalayasin the country under Civil / Defence Sector

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs,chaired by the Prime Minister ShriNarendra Modihas approved the proposal for opening of 50 new KendriyaVidyalayas (KVs) under Civil / Defence Sector in the country keeping in view the high demand for these schools for their quality of education and excellent results.

The total project cost based on KendriyaVidyalayaSangathan (KVS) norms for the proposed 50 new KVs is Rs.1160 crore.

New KVs will be opened from classes I to V for which 650 regular posts shall be created in all 50 KendriyaVidyalayas. The school grows every year with addition of one more higher class and, when the school grows upto class XII and becomes a full fledged school with two sections in each class, there shall be a requirement of about 4000 regular posts of various categories i.e., about 2900 teaching posts and about 1100 non-teaching posts. These new KVs when fully functional will provide quality education to approximately 50,000 students in addition to the approximately 12 lakh students already studying in present KVs.

The new KVs will address the educational needs of eligible students with high quality standards and will play a role of pace-setting educational institutions in the districts concerned.

Background:

The main objective of KVS is to cater to the educational needs of children of transferable Central Government employees including Defence and Para-military personnel by providing a common programme of education. There are at present 1142 functional KendriyaVidyalayas under the KVS including three abroad at Moscow, Kathmandu and Tehran.

The KendriyaVidyalayas are considered as model schools in the country in terms of physical infrastructure, teaching resources, curriculum and academic performance. KendriyaVidyalayas as pace setting schools have consistently turned out excellent academic performance as is evident from the Board Results of Class X and XII exams conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

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[Hindustani78]

The Indian-bult INS Khanderi . The Defence Ministry is now focussing on indigenisation. | Photo Credit: Prashant Nakwe

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/uncertainty-in-south-block/article17463471.ece

Officials say Parrikar’s exit could not have come at a worse time for Ministry

Uncertainty looms over South Block with Manohar Parrikar leaving charge of the Defence Minister. His exit could not have come at a worse time for the Ministry, several officials said.

Mr. Parrikar’s sudden departure has put the brakes on several major initiatives to overhaul defence procurement, indigenisation, civil-military relations and so on.

“Continuity is required in the Defence Ministry, especially when projects have a long gestation period. So unless they are pushed continuously, the time lag will keep increasing and the process of indigenisation will keep getting delayed,” the former Chief of the Army Staff Deepak Kapoor told The Hindu.

He cautioned that delays were “detrimental to national security”.

Among the top priorities is the policy on the strategic partnership model, part of the Defence Procurement Procedure, which will spell out guidelines for tie-ups between foreign manufacturers and the private sector in high technology areas to build military hardware in India.

Officials said that the policy, after much deliberations and delays, was ready and was expected to be released after the elections. But a question mark hangs on it now.


Not an add-on
Defence is too important to be handled as an add-on, especially by the Finance Minister, said Air Vice-Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (Retd), Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Air Power Studies.

“Major decisions are required which are in the final stages such as strategic partnerships, procurements and anomalies in the Seventh Pay Commission. They will now get delayed,” he said.


Pay revision
The other major issue is implementation of the Seventh Pay commission for the services, which was already done for their civilian counterparts.

The issue is being looked into by the anomalies committee and there is growing resentment among the services over the delay.

He said these issues had to be sorted out quickly, which was best done with a full-fledged Defence Minister.

Beyond procurements and the implementation of the pay commission proposals, Mr. Parrikar had spent considerable time and effort on issues such as reorganising the military to make it lean and lethal and the appointment of a Chief of the Defence Staff.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Defence
17-March, 2017 18:07 IST
Defence Manufacturing Units

There are 141 defence manufacturing units functioning in the country, both in public and private sector. Approximately 65.62% of procurement needs of Army, Air Force and Navy for the year 2015-16 have been met through indigenous sources.

The total value of production of DPSUs and Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) for the year 2015-16 is Rs. 52,968 crore. The data on the quantum of production by Indian private defence companies is not maintained.

So far 36 FDI proposals / joint ventures have been approved in defence sector for manufacture of various defence equipments. Out of these 36, 32 approvals are for Indian Private Companies and 04 approvals are for DPSUs. Of these 32, 04 have 49% FDI and remaining 28 have FDI less than 49%. Of the 04 proposals approved for DPSUs, 01 has 50% FDI and the other 03 have 26% FDI.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri Manshankar Ninama and others Sawant in Lok Sabha today.

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Ministry of Defence
17-March, 2017 18:05 IST
Defence Modernization Projects

Government has taken measures to ensure the modernisation of Indian Defence Forces, to keep the Forces in a state of readiness to meet various operational and security challenges. This is achieved by inducting new equipment, technologically upgrading existing equipment and systems, training etc. The above referred modernisation projects are progressed as per approved Services Capital Acquisition Plan and Annual Acquisition Plans in terms of extant Defence Procurement Procedure.

During the last two years, 108 contracts involving Rs.112736.81 crore have been signed with Indian and foreign vendors for procurement of various equipment including aircraft, helicopters, missiles, frigates and radars. Government regularly monitors progress of ongoing procurement projects so as to ensure that these are concluded expeditiously.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri Dinesh Trivedi in Lok Sabha today.

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Ministry of Defence
17-March, 2017 18:00 IST
Strategic Partnership in Defence Sector

A Committee of Experts headed by Shri Dhirendra Singh had made recommendations to the Government on ‘Strategic Partnership Model’ for creating capacity in the private sector on a long-term basis. Based on these recommendations, the V.K. Aatre Task Force was constituted to lay down criteria for selection of Strategic Partners for various platforms from the Private Sector. The Task Force has submitted its Report which is under consideration of the Government.

Meanwhile, capital acquisitions are being undertaken as per the extant defence procurement procedures, which are aligned to the Make in India initiative of Government. In the last 2 financial years and the current year, 134 capital procurement proposals have been accorded AoNs, of which 96 cases will involve contracts with Indian vendors.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shrimati Ranjeet Ranjan in Lok Sabha today.

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Ministry of Defence
17-March, 2017 17:58 IST
Modernization of Armed Forces

the details of budget estimates, revised estimates, actual expenditure and underutilization of funds on modernization of armed forces during the last three years are as follows:-

(Rs. in crore )
Year
Budget Estimates
Revised Estimates
Actual Expenditure
Savings

2013-14
73,444.59
66,406.41
66,850.30
--

2014-15
75,148.03
66,151.73
65,862.38
289.35

2015-16
77,406.69
65,400.00
62,235.54
3,164.46

No amount remained unspent during year 2013-14, while only a minor sum of ` 289.35 crore remained unspent during 2014-15 as a cumulative effect of small savings under various heads of account. During 2015-16 savings have occurred due to various reasons including slow progress in UAV Heron contracts/ major shipbuilding contracts, slow progress of strategic forces command and signal intelligence projects, non conclusion of submarine projects etc.

The details related to the percentage of funds allocated for modernization of armed forces spent on buying indigenous equipment are as follows:

(Rs. in crore )
Year
Actual
Amount spent on buying of indigenous equipment
Percentage

2013-14
66,850.30
31,768.19
47.53%

2014-15
65,582.34
40,589.98
61.89%

2015-16
61,761.80
39,339.68
63.70%

Modernization of Armed Forces is a continuous process based on threat perceptions, operational challenges and technological changes to keep the Armed Forces in a state of readiness to meet various security challenges. This is achieved through induction of new equipment and technological upgradation of capabilities. The equipment and capabilities to be acquired for the Armed Forces are identified through a comprehensive planning process and after deliberations at various levels.

Government is pursuing several measures to realize progressively higher levels of indigenization and self- reliance in defence sector. To this end, the Defence Procurement Procedure 2016 (DPP 2016) has provisions which accord higher priority to procurement from Indian vendors. Notwithstanding this, import of defence equipment may be necessitated to meet operational requirements and when indigenous equipment is not available.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri Kesineni Nani in Lok Sabha today.

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Ministry of Defence
17-March, 2017 17:46 IST
Armed Forces Tribunal

Fifteen posts of Members (Judicial and Administrative) are vacant. Apart from this, 217 posts of Group ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ employees are also vacant in various Benches of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT). The filling up of vacancies is a continuous process which involves various Government agencies and strict adherence to laid down procedures. Also, sometimes the non-acceptance of offer of appointment by the selected candidate(s) also delays the process of filling up of vacancies.


There are eleven Benches of Armed Forces Tribunal and seventeen courts working under those Benches. The Benches where vacancies remain unfilled are made functional by transferring Members from other Benches and by holding Circuit Benches from time to time. Besides, action for filling up of the vacancies of the Armed Forces Tribunal is a continuous process. The Ministry has taken action for filling up of existing vacancies and also the anticipated vacancies upto 30.06.2017. As regards, post of Group ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ employees, the Principal Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal takes action to fill up the same as and when they fall vacant by circulating / advertising the vacancies in Newspaper / uploading on websites of the Armed Forces Tribunal.


This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply toShrimati K. Maragathamin Lok Sabha today.

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Ministry of Defence
17-March, 2017 17:44 IST
Cross Border Attacks

Government had constituted a four member committee under the chairmanship of Lt. Gen. Philip Campose, a former Vice Chief of Army Staff with Major Gen. Vijay Singh, Rear Admiral MukulAsthana and Air Vice Marshal D.S. Rawat as members to inter alia examine the existing Standing Operating Procedure for security of all Armed Forces establishments; to suggest a model format for security audit of armed forces establishments; to recommend short and long term measures including introduction of technological solutions and other reforms in the present system of security of armed forces establishments.

The recommendations of the Committee include inter alia installation of technology based security infrastructure, positioning of well trained, armed and equipped ‘Quick Reaction Teams’ (QRTs) at high threat / high priority military bases, conduct of periodic security audits etc.

Based on the recommendations of the Committee and after consultation with Services Headquarters, Guidelines for Security of Defence Installations have been issued to Services Headquarters.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to ShriSunil Kumar Mondalin Lok Sabha today.
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Ministry of Defence
17-March, 2017 17:51 IST
Defence Land

Defence lands to the extent of approximately 10220 acres are, presently under encroachment by various agencies of Central and State Government/PSUs, slums and other private persons. In a case of land grabbing at Lohegaon, Pune, which came to the light of the Ministry, revenue records were got corrected and the case was handed over to CBI. No further specific cases of encroachment of Defence land by private builders and land mafia have been reported by the Services, Directorate General of Defence Estates and other Defence Organizations.

A Writ Petition(Civil) No. 19 of 2016 has been filed in Hon’ble Supreme Court by Shri S.N. Bhardwaj Advocate with the prayer seeking direction to Union Government, inter-alia, on creation of a ‘single unified authority’ to look into management and protection of defence lands. Hon`ble Supreme Court has issued notice in the matter.

The extent of Defence land as on 31/03/2013 was 11456 acre, which has been reduced to 10220 acre at present.

Further, Detection, prevention and removal of encroachments is an ongoing process. While old encroachments are being removed gradually, due efforts are being made not to allow new encroachments and to take prompt action against such cases.

Following steps have been taken to remove encroachments from Defence land:

• Defence land records management system has been strengthened by computerization of defence land records held by Defence Estates Officers and Cantonment Boards.

• Court cases are being pursued to evict encroachers.

• Close liaison is being maintained with revenue and civil police authorities to detect attempt to encroach upon the defence land by encroachers.

• State authorities are approached for removal of encroachers.

• Defence lands located in isolated locations are fenced and regular patrolling is being carried out to safeguard the land from encroachers and unauthorized construction.

• Verification of Defence land is being carried out regularly through Board of Officers, with the representatives of Defence Estates Officers and Land Revenue Authorities.

• Eviction notices are issued from time to time as per due process of law under the provisions of PPE Act,1971.

There is no proposal to allot defence land to common public. Certain Defence lands which appear to be lying vacant/ unused are meant for use by Military Establishments for purposes such as training, mobilization practice, sports, parade, Construction of Key Location Plans (KLP) and Married Accommodation etc. However, whenever defence land is required for public utility or infrastructure development projects, MoD allots such land to the concerned Central or State Govt. authorities provided strategic and security interests are not adversely affected.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri Ram Charan Bohra and others in Lok Sabha today.

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Ministry of Defence17-March, 2017 17:50 IST
Indigenisation of Defence Equipment

The Defence Production Policy promulgated by the Government, aims at achieving substantive self-reliance in the design, development and production of equipment, weapon systems, platforms required for defence in as early a time frame as possible, creating conditions conducive for private industry to play an active role in this endeavour; enhancing potential of SMEs in indigenisation and broadening the defence R&D base of the country.

In pursuance of the aforesaid Policy and ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government, the steps taken by the Government, inter-alia include:-



· In order to promote indigenous design and development of defence equipment, a new category of procurement ‘Buy (Indian-IDDM (Indigenously designed, developed and manufactured) )’ has been introduced in Defence Procurement Procedure-2016 and the same has been accorded top most priority for procurement of capital equipment. The ‘Make’ Procedure has been simplified with provisions for funding of 90 % of development cost by the Government to Indian industry for design, develop and manufacture of defence equipment.

· FDI Policy has been revised and under the revised policy, FDIupto 49% is allowed through automatic route and beyond 49% under Government approval route wherever it is likely to result in access to modern technology or for other reasons to be recorded.

· Industrial licensing regime for Indian manufacturers has been liberalised and most of the components/ parts/ sub-systems have been taken out from the list of defence products requiring Industrial Licence. This has reduced entry barriers for new entrants in this sector, particularly SMEs. The initial validity of Industrial Licence has been increased from 3 years to 15 years with a provision to further extend it by 3 years on a case to case basis.

· Issues related to level-playing field between Indian & foreign manufacturers, and between public sector & private sector have also been addressed. These include Exchange Rate Variation (ERV) protection for all Indian vendors, removing anomalies in customs/ excise duty etc.

· Offset guidelines have been made flexible by allowing change of Indian Offset Partners (IOPs) and offset components, even in signed contracts. Foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are now not required to indicate the details of IOPs and products at the time of signing of contracts. Services as an avenue of offset have been re-instated.

· The process for export clearance has been streamlined and made transparent & online.

During the year 2015-16 and 2016-17 (upto February 2017), 37 contracts have been signed with foreign vendors of various countries for capital procurement of defence equipment such as rockets, radars, artillery guns, helicopters, aircrafts, missiles, ammunition and simulators. The country-wise number of contracts signed is given below:



Sr. No
Country of foreign vendor
Number of contracts signed

1
USA
9

2
Israel
7

3
UK
5

4
Russia
4

5
Germany
3

6
Sweden
3

7
France
2

8
Others
4


This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply toDr. Manoj RajoriainLok Sabha today.

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Ministry of Defence
17-March, 2017 17:48 IST
Purchase of Defence Equipment

Government is pursuing initiatives to achieve higher levels of indigenisation and self-reliance in the defence sector by harnessing the capabilities of the public and private sector industries in the country. These measures include according priority and preference to procurement from Indian vendors and liberalization of the licensing regime.
During the last three financial years, 94 contracts involving Rs. 82,979.70 crore have been signed with Indian vendors for capital procurement of defence equipment.


During the same period, 56 contracts involving Rs. 53, 684.32 Crore have been signed with foreign vendors for capital procurement of defence equipment.


This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply toShrimatiP.K. Sreemathiteacherin Lok Sabha today.

**********

Ministry of Defence
17-March, 2017 17:47 IST
Medical Facilities to personnel of Armed Forces

All kinds of medical facilities such as primary medical healthcare, specialist medical care and super specialists medical care are provided to armed forces personnel including ex-servicemen and their dependents.


At present, treatment facilities through Ayurvedic and Unani system of medicine are not available in the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) hospitals for the reasons that the structure of AFMS revolves on combat medical and surgical requirements and the basic ethos of keeping the service personnel fighting fit at all times.


However, it has been decided to open two AYUSH lifestyle centres – one at Army Hospital (Research & Referral), Delhi and another at Air Force Hospital, Hindon on trial basis.


This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply toDr. A. Sampathin Lok Sabha today.

*********

Ministry of Defence
17-March, 2017 17:54 IST
Canteen Stores Department

There are 35 CSD store depots across the country. Details are enclosed as under:-

State/UT-wise list of CSD Depots in the country

Sl. No.

State

CSD Depots


1)

Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow Depot

Meerut Depot

Agra Depot

Bareilly Depot

2)

Uttaranchal

Dehradun Depot

3)

Madhya Pradesh

Jabalpur Depot

4)

West Bengal

Kolkata Depot

Baghdogra Depot

5)

Nagaland

Dimapur Depot

6)

Assam

Narangi Depot

Masimpur Depot

Misamari Depot

7)

Jharkhand

Ramgarh Depot

8)

Gujarat

Ahmedabad Depot

9)

Haryana

Hisar Depot

Ambala Depot

10)

Rajasthan

Bikaner Depot

Jaipur Depot

11)

Delhi

Delhi Depot

12)

Jammu & Kashmir

BD Bari Depot

Srinagar Depot

Leh Depot

Udhampur Depot

13)

Punjab

Pathankot Depot

Jalandhar Depot

Bhatinda Depot

14)

Karnataka

Bangalore Depot

15)

Tamil Nadu

Chennai Depot

16)

Kerala

Kochi Depot

17)

Maharashtra

Khadki Depot

Mumbai Base Depot

Mumbai Area Depot

18)

Andaman & Nicobar

Port Blair Depot

19)

Andhra Pradesh

Secunderabad Depot

Visakhapatnam Depot

The number of primary card holders of CSD are 50,89,856 and 5744 products are enlisted in CSD. The turnover and profit earned by CSD during last three years and future target is as under:

F.Y.

Turnover (in Crore)

Profit (in Crore)


2013-14

12202.35

177.94

2014-15

13709.32

235.69

2015-16

15781.73

230.32

2016-17 (Target)

16400

250

2017-18 (Target)

18000

280

Presently, there are proposals for opening new CSD Depots at Raipur, Jodhpur and in Sikkim and Manipur. All existing 35 depots are operating on cashless basis.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to ShriVenkateshBabu TG in Lok Sabha today.

 

[RISING SUN]

http://idrw.org/kalyani-group-developed-small-jet-engine-ready-for-first-trials/

 

[Hindustani78]

President's Secretariat
20-March, 2017 20:06 IST
President of India presents Gallantry Awards


The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented Gallantry Awards and Distinguished Service Decorations today (March 20, 2017) at a Defence Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.


Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were the Vice-President of India, Prime Minister of India and Union Minister for Defence.



***
http://pibphoto.nic.in/documents/rlink/2017/mar/p201732004.pdf

 

[Hindustani78]

http://zeenews.india.com/india/pres...ike-heroes-with-gallantry-awards_1988493.html

New Delhi: Major Rohit Suri of the Parachute Regiment was conferred the second highest peacetime gallantry award Kirti Chakra by President Pranab Mukherjee here on Monday for successfully leading the army team that carried out cross-border surgical strike last year.


Suri, who was the mission leader of the team which was tasked to carry out the operation against the hideouts of the terrorists across the border, ensured the execution of the task by "his exemplary leadership and courage beyond the call of duty" and eliminated four terrorists in close-quarter combat, an official release said.

Member of the same team, Naib Subedar Vijay Kumar of the Parachute Regiment was presented the Shaurya Chakra for gunning down two terrorists.

Corporal Gursevak Singh of the Indian Air Force (Security), who was killed while fighting terrorists at the Pathankot air base in January last year, was posthumously conferred the Shaurya Chakra.

The Gallantry Awards and Distinguished Service Decorations were presented by the President at a Defence Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley.

The President awarded 13 Shaurya Chakras, which include six posthumous awards.

Posthumous winners of the third highest peacetime gallantry award are: Ashu Singh, a Chief Mechanical Engineer who died while trying to control a fire onboard aircraft carrier INS Viraat last year; Naik Shinde Shankar Chandrabhan who died in an operation against terrorists in Kupwara; Captain Tushar Mahajan, Lance Naik Om Prakash and Captain Pawan Kumar who died fighting terrorists hiding in a Pampore building in February 2016.

The President also presented 22 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, one Bar to Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, three Uttam Yuddh Seva Medals and 15 Param Vishisht Seva Medals.

Param Vishisht Seva Medal winners included Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi, head of Eastern Command of the Indian Army, and Lt Gen Manoj Kumar Unni, Director General Armed Forces Medical Services.

The surgical strikes on terrorist launchpads across the Line of Control were conducted in September last year following a militant attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri district of Jammu and Kashmir that left 19 jawans dead.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Defence
21-March, 2017 14:36 IST
Justification for Deployment of Sahayaks / Buddies

The Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force do not have the system of Sahayaks. In the Indian Army, a Sahayak has clearly defined military duties and forms an integral part of the organization structure of a unit and has specific functions during war and peace. During operations in the field areas, he and the Officer / JCO act as buddies in arms. One covers the movement of the other buddy and protects him in operations where support has to be total, whether mental or physical or moral.

A Sahayak, in addition to his normal soldier’s tasks, provides essential support to officers / JCOs both in peace and war, which enables them to fully attend to their assigned duties. The buddy also provides an alternate contact with the troops, whereby the officer is made aware of grass root issues, albeit through informal means.

The rapport between officers and the buddies has led to enhancement of the spirit-de-corps in a unit, which is vital during war and peace. As such, this is not expected to have any adverse impact on their morale. Notwithstanding this, exhaustive instructions have been issued from time to time stressing upon the need to ensure that under no circumstances Sahayaks, being combatant soldiers, are employed on menial tasks, which are not in conformity with the dignity and self respect of a soldier.

As already mentioned above, buddies are combatant soldiers and form part of the Army and perform operational tasks as well. Thus, there is no additional cost to Government exchequer.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri Sanjiv Kumar in Rajya Sabha today.

*************

Ministry of Defence
21-March, 2017 14:36 IST
Resolution of Anomalies in the 6th CPC Report

Recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC) and several improvements made thereon by the Government have been largely well received by the armed forces personnel including ex-servicemen. Some issues regarding service conditions, pay, pension and allowances, including demand for non-functional upgradation, were subsequently received, which were examined by the Government on case to case basis.

Some of the pay concerns of armed forces personnel were also examined by a committee constituted under the chairmanship of Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the then Minister of External Affairs. The committee’s recommendation on placement of Lt Cols / equiv in Pay Band IV was accepted and implemented by the Government.

Thereafter, a committee was constituted under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary in 2012, to examine certain pay and pension issues of armed forces personnel. All the recommendations of Cabinet Secretary Committee related to ex-servicemen were implemented. The Committee’s recommendations on pay related issues were referred to the 7th CPC.

The improvement of service conditions, pay, allowances and retirement benefits of armed forces personnel is a continuous process, which is examined in consultation with various stakeholders, and on case to case basis.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri Rajeev Chandra Sekhar in Rajya Sabha today.

************

Ministry of Defence
21-March, 2017 14:33 IST
Audit of food served at Defence Canteens

Defence Canteen, commonly referred as CSD Canteen are entrusted with providing consumer goods and other household articles to the personnel of Defence Services and other entitled categories. However, food served to defence personnel is not through these Defence Canteens. Ration for the food to defence personnel is provided by Supply and Transport Directorate of Army.

A study on quality of ration in Armed Forces was carried out during 2014-15 by Defence Institute of Psysiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS). The study report has brought out that out of the 53203 number of troops examined, most have found quality of rations to be good and above. Multilevel routine feedback mechanism exists at stations and formation level in respect of ration quality to ensure troops satisfaction. The feedback on quality of ration and suggestions thereon is analysed and perused at the level of Chief of Army Staff. The feedback in last three years has been excellent with no complaints on quality of rations.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri Tiruchi Siva in Rajya Sabha today.

Ministry of Defence
21-March, 2017 14:30 IST
Disability Pension for Soldiers

The 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) recommended the following on disability pension:-
The Commission is of the considered view that the regime implemented post 6th CPC needs to be discontinued, and recommended return to the slab based system. The slab rates for disability element for 100 percent disability would be as follows:



Ranks
Levels
Rate per month (INR)
Service Officers

Honorary Commissioned Officers
10 and above
27000


Subedar Majors / Equivalents
Subedar / Equivalents
Naib Subedar / Equivalents

6 to 9
17000

Havildar / Equivalents
Naik / Equivalents
Sepoy / Equivalents

5 and below
12000


The above recommendation has been accepted and Resolution dated 30.09.2016 issued accordingly.
The 6th CPC dispensation of the calculation of disability element on percentage basis, however, continues for civil side which has resulted in an anomalous situation. The issue has accordingly been referred to the Anomaly Committee. The disability element which was being paid as on 31.12.2015 will, however continue to be paid till decision on the recommendations of Anomaly Committee is taken by the Government.
This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri Husain Dalwai in Rajya Sabha today.

Ministry of Home Affairs
21-March, 2017 16:44 IST
Pension to retired personnel

There are demands from the in service and retired Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles (AR) personnel for extending One Rank One Pension (OROP). CAPF & AR personnel retire only on attaining the age of 57/60 years and they are entitled for pension and other pensionary benefits as per Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972. These rules are different from the pension rules applicable to Ex-Servicemen. Further CAPF & AR personnel, who are appointed on or after 01/01/2004 are covered under New Pension System (NPS).

The Government has taken several steps for the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel including Next of Kin (NoK) of CAPFs personnel who lay down their lives for the country. Following benefits, inter alia, are given to Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel including the Next of Kin (NoK) of those who lay down their lives for the country:-

(i) Ex-gratia lump-sum compensation @ Rs.35 lacs for death on active duty and @Rs. 25 lakhs for death on duty, as the case may be, is entitled to the Next of Kin of the deceased personnel.

(ii) The NoK of the deceased is entitled to get Liberalized Family Pension (i.e. last pay drawn) under Central Civil Service (Extra Ordinary Pension) Rules, 1939 and other pensionary benefits as admissible.

(iii) 5% vacancies are reserved in Group “C” & “D” for compassionate appointments for NoK of the deceased personnel.

(iv) Under the Prime Minister Scholarship Scheme, amount @ Rs.2250/- pm for girls and Rs.2000/- pm for boys is being released to the wards of serving/retired CAPFs personnel. Prime Minister Scholarship is admissible to 1000 girls and 1000 boys.

(v) There is a reservation of 15 MBBS and 02 BDS seats for the wards of CAPFs personnel in the seats of Central Government for these courses.

(vi) Central Police Canteens at various locations in the country have been functioning.

(vii) A Welfare and Rehabilitation Board has been established for the welfare and rehabilitation of CAPFs personnel and their families including differently abled personnel.


This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju in a written reply to question by Shri Kamal Nath and Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia in the Lok Sabha today.



****

 

[Hindustani78]

http://indianexpress.com/article/in...litary-hardware-from-foreign-vendors-4579526/

By: PTI | New Delhi | Updated: March 21, 2017 9:12 pm

A total of Rs 82,496 crore was spent on buying military hardware and weapon systems from foreign vendors in the last three financial years. Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Defence, Subhash Bhamre, said the value of contracts signed with defence public sector undertakings between 2013-14 and 2015-16 was Rs 70,228 crore. He said government has taken a series of initiatives to achieve higher levels of indigenisation in the defence sector.

Bhamre said Rs 35,082 crore was spent on capital acquisition from foreign vendors in 2013-14, Rs 24,992 crore in 2014-15 and Rs 22,422 crore in 2015-16. “A total of 342 licenses have been issued to 205 Indian companies for manufacture of defence items,” he said. Though defence exports are covered under the Export and Import (EXIM) Policy issued by Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), he said Ministry of Defence has formulated a separate Defence Export Strategy to give a fillip to defence exports.

Asked about number of women officers in the armed forces, Bhamre said the Army has a total of 1,528 women officers, Navy has 469 and their strength in the IAF is 1,581. The number of women in medical services is 1,288 and 4094 in nursing services. He said six complaints of harassment and discrimination were received from women officers in the Army between 2014 and 2016 while three compaints were received by Navy in the last eight years and two by IAF in the last two years.

To a separate question, the Minister said 58 defence personnel died between 2014 and 2016 due to natural calamities. Replying to another query, he said the government has set up a three-member committee of officers to look into “equivalence between service officers and armed forces headquarters civil service officers.” The Committee is likely to submit its findings by March 31.

On a question on INS Virat which was decommissioned on March 6, Bhamre said a proposal for converting it to an aircraft museum on commercial basis was sent to the Defence Ministry by the Andhra Pradesh government last year. He said the Andhra government had requested 50 per cent equity participation of Defence Ministry in their proposed Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the museum. The proposal was not accepted by the Ministry.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Home Affairs
22-March, 2017 15:30 IST
Steps to increase efficiency of FSLs

The Central Forensic Science Laboratories (CFSLs) maintain the repository of cases pending with them. All efforts are being made to optimally utilize the resources of CFSLs after suitable prioritization of cases for proper reporting on due time. In order to increase the efficiency of CFSLs, Government has established three new CFSLs at Bhopal, Guwahati and Pune and upgraded the existing three CFSLs at Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Kolkata at a total project cost of Rs.279.90 crores. In addition, Government has sanctioned 48 new posts and 39 contractual posts of scientific personnel in the CFSLs.

This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Hansraj Gagaram Ahir in a written reply to question by Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar in the Rajya Sabha today.




****

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...ms-proposal/story-kiCT2DE958MhulJPRM8pGP.html

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, who got the additional charge of the defence ministry a week ago, has given the green light to widespread military reforms.

The reforms are based on a report by the Lt General (retired) DB Shekatkar committee, which made recommendations on enhancing the combat potential of India’s three armed forces, rationalising the defence budget, and improving the teeth-to-tail ratio.

The committee set up by then defence minister Manohar Parrikar in 2015 submitted its report on December 21 last year.

Sources at the defence ministry headquarters in South Block said Jaitley reviewed on March 18 a presentation on a new strategic partner policy, plans to create a chief of defence staff (CDS) post, and restructuring of higher defence structures along with the Shekatkar committee report.

Two days later, he approved about 90 key recommendations of the Shekatkar committee.

“The Shekatkar committee had apparently exceeded its brief with some 200 recommendations. The defence ministry whittled it down to 120, of which some 90 were approved by Jaitley. The ministry expects all the proposals to be implemented in the next two years,” a senior official said.

Defence secretary G Mohan Kumar has written to the three services headquarters to implement the proposals.

The ball park figure of Rs 25,000 crore is expected to be saved if the committee’s proposals for rebalancing military expenditure are implemented.

The panel wants the military to move out of non-core areas such as the National Cadet Corps (NCC), remove duplicity among the three services, and make institutions such as the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and ordnance factory boards more accountable through project audits and by shelving outdated concepts.

“For instance, an entire Signals unit was tasked to listen to radio broadcasts from the 1962 war. This unit will be disbanded with the troopers redeployed into other tasks. The recommendations are not aimed at cutting jobs but making the military lean and thin,” the official said.

The Narendra Modi government is expected to clear soon the creation of a CDS post and the strategic partner policy, which will boost the “Make in India” campaign in the defence sector.

A major recommendation is that the defence budget should be 2.5% to 3% of the GDP. The committee called for redefining the revenue and capital heads in the budget.

In broad terms, revenue means money required to maintain the military, while capital is spent on acquisition and modernisation.

The army, with 1.3 million personnel, could get the major chunk of the budget — above navy that has around 55,000 men and women, and the air force, which employs around 150,000.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Defence
31-March, 2017 15:09 IST
Re-Employment of Ex-Servicemen

As per Department of Personnel & Training’s OM No. 36034/27/84-Estt(SCT), dated 2.5.1985, on an Ex-servicemen joining the Government job on civil side after availing of the benefits given to him as an Ex-servicemen for his re-employment, his Ex-servicemen status for the purpose of re-employment in Government would cease. As per DOP&T OM No. 36034/6/90-Estt(SCT), dated 10.10.1994, an ex-servicemen already secured regular employment under the Central Government in a civil post would be permitted the benefits of age relaxation as admissible for ex-servicemen for securing another appointment in any higher post or service under the Central Government. However, such candidates will not be eligible for benefits of reservation, if any, for ex-servicemen in Central Government jobs.


As per DOP&T’s OM No. 36034/1/2014-Estt(Res), dated 14.8.2014 if an ex-serviceman applies for various vacancies before joining any civil employment, he / she can avail of the benefit of reservation as ex-servicemen for any subsequent employment. However, to avail of this benefit, an ex-serviceman as soon as he / she joins any civil employment, should give self-declaration / undertaking to the concerned employer about the date-wise details of application for various vacancies for which he / she had applied for before joining the initial civil employment. This benefit would be available only in respect of vacancies which are filled on direct recruitment and wherever reservation is applicable to the ex-servicemen.


In addition to above, a proposal has been referred to DOP&T to the effect that an Ex-servicemen be allowed the benefit of reservation for second time and even thereafter in subsequent recruitments for civil employment, if the vacancies, which are to be filled on the basis of direct recruitment and where reservation is applicable to Ex-servicemen, has not been filled up with by those Ex-servicemen, who are getting / claiming benefit of reservation for the first time.


The details of reservation available to Ex-servicemen is as under:


(I) In Central Government Ministries / Departments:


(i) 10% Direct recruitment posts upto the level of Assistant Commandant in Central Para Military Forces.
(ii) 10% Direct recruitment posts in Group ‘C’.
(iii) 20% Direct recruitment posts in Group ‘D’.


(II) In Central Public Sector Enterprise:


(i) 14.5% in Group ‘C’ Posts.
(ii) 24.5% in Group ‘D’ Posts.


(III) Nationalised Bank:


(i) 14.5% in Group ‘C’ Posts.
(ii) 24.5% in Group ‘D’ Posts.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri PC Mohan in Lok Sabha today.


****************

Ministry of Defence31-March, 2017 15:08 IST
Shortage of Officers and Soldiers in Defence Forces

The details of shortage of personnel in the three wings of the defence forces are as under:

Army
Officers* (As on1.7.2016)
8370

Other Ranks (As on 1.7.2016)
35174

Navy

Officers*(As on 30.9.2016)
1332
Sailors (As on 30.9.2016)
10982

Air Force
Officers*(As on1.8.2016)
29
Airmen(As on 1.11.2016)
9841
*excluding medical and dental branches.

Force accretion of Armed Forces is an ongoing process dictated primarily by capabilities to be achieved and threat perception. Accordingly, Government has sanctioned a number of proposals for accretion of manpower in the recent years.

A number of measures have also been taken to meet the shortage of manpower in the Armed Forces including by sustained image projection, publicity campaign to create awareness among the youth on the advantages of taking up a challenging and satisfying career, as also by augmenting the training infrastructure of the Armed Forces.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri M Raja Mohan Reddy in Lok Sabha today.

****************

Ministry of Defence
31-March, 2017 15:07 IST
Defence Start-Ups

Government of India has launched ‘Start-up India’ initiative in January 2016, which aims at fostering entrepreneurship and promoting innovation by creating an ecosystem that is conducive for growth of start-ups. The data of start-ups recognized by Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), is maintained by ‘Start-up India’ and at present, there is no recognized start-up in the Defence sector. However, in order to encourage start-ups and give them an opportunity to contribute in the defence production, Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and all Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) have been mandated to follow the guidelines of Ministry of MSME regarding ‘Relaxation of norms for start-ups and Medium & Small Enterprises in public procurements on prior experience – prior turnover criteria’.


The Government has taken following actions to encourage culture of innovation in defence sector:-


• Under the new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 promulgated in April 2016, the ‘Make’ Procedure has been simplified. The procedure provides for funding of 90% of development cost by the Government to Indian industry for design, develop and manufacture of defence equipment. Projects not exceeding development cost of Rs. 10 crore (Government funded) and Rs. 3 crore (industry funded) have been reserved for MSMEs under this procedure.


• The Government has recently approved a Defence Innovation Fund (DIF) with initial funding by two DPSUs; Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The fund aims at creation of ecosystem to foster innovation and technology development in Defence, by engaging R&D institutes / academia and industry including start-ups and provide them the funding to carry out innovative development which has the potential for future commercialization.


• The Government has also launched a scheme of Technology Development Fund (TDF) which aims at funding the development of defence and dual use technologies that are currently not available with the Indian defence Industry, or have not been developed so far, thus creating an ecosystem for enhancing cutting edge technology capability for Defence applications. The TDF scheme is implemented by Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) and provides for assistance in the form of grant to public and private industries for design and development of key defence technologies.


This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri Asaduddin Owaisi in Lok Sabha today.

*************

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Defence
05-April, 2017 16:20 IST
CME on ‘Medical Logistics and Supply Chain Management’ and concurrent 75TH Depot Commanders’ Conference to be held from Tomorrow

A Continuing Medical Education (CME) programme on “Medical Logistics and Supply Chain Management”, in conjunction with the 75th Depot Commanders’ Conference, will be held in New Delhi from 06 April 2017. The two-day event is being conducted under the aegis of office of the Directorate General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS) with the theme ‘Medical Logistics for Armed Forces in Digital India – Transforming Logistics through Technology, Automation and Innovation’. The Armed Forces Medical Services is responsible for providing comprehensive health care services to its dependent clientele, from the three services, including its veteran fraternity.

About 120 to 130 delegates, comprising stakeholders directly involved in procurement and provisioning of medical stores for the Armed Forces, as well as Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) and other dependent organizations will be participating in various scientific sessions of the CME. The conference will also give an opportunity to discuss issues related to medical logistics, supply chain management and medical stores inventory management, with special focus on synchronizing medical logistics in the Armed Forces with the ‘Digital India’ movement. It will provide a platform for brain storming on the rapidly evolving medical logistics front with contribution from the Armed Forces as well as prominent civilian authorities on the subject.

The deliberations at the CME are expected to result in consensus on issues to upgrade the current systems for an enhanced efficiency and effectiveness, with ultimate aim of improving clientele satisfaction.

The CME and the 75th Depot Commanders’ Conference will be inaugurated by DGAFMS & Senior Colonel Commandant, Army Medical Corps Lt. Gen. MK Unni. It will be attended by DGMS (Army) & Colonel Commandant Army Medical Corps Lt. Gen. Velu Nair, DGMS (Navy) Surgeon Vice Admiral Bipin Puri and DGMS (Air) Air Marshal Pawan Kapoor. The keynote address will be delivered by Financial Advisor (Defence Services) Shri SK Kohli. Experience on management of medical stores will also be shared by Professor & Medical Superintendent, Dr. RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS, New DelhiDr. Shakti Kumar Gupta and by Medical Superintendent, BL Kapur Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi Dr. Sanjay Mehta.