Current Situation in J&K:The security situation in J&K is at an important crossroads. Cease Fire Violations (CFVs) which saw a significant rise in the preceding months, wherein several incidents of calibre escalation to Artillery/ 120 mm Mortar were attempted by Pakistan. This has seen a drastic reduction in CFVs post the DGsMO level talks which took place on 23 Nov. Relentless operations by the Army both, along the Line of Control (LC) and in the hinterland in concert with other security forces have thwarted the designs of the nexus to give a fillip to the proxy war being waged against India. Army along with CAPF and JKP continues to put in relentless efforts to bring back normalcy to the Kashmir Valley.
Situation Along LAC:There is no commonly delineated Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the border areas between India and China. From time to time, on account of differing perception of the LAC, situations have arisen on the ground that could have been avoided if we had a common perception of the LAC. Army regularly takes up any such situation along the LAC with the Chinese side through established mechanism including border personnel meeting, flag meetings, meeting of Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs and diplomatic channels.
Surgical Strikes along Line of Control: Based on specific and credible inputs about some terrorist teams having positioned themselves at launch pads along Line of Control to carry out infiltration and conduct terrorist strikes in Jammu and Kashmir and in various metros in other States, the Indian Army conducted surgical strikes on 29 Sep at several of these launch pads to pre-empt infiltration by terrorists.
The operations were focussed on ensuring that these terrorists did not succeed in their design to cause destruction and endanger the lives of our citizens. During these counter terrorist operations significant casualties were caused to terrorists and those providing support to them.
TRAINING EVENTS & MILITARY EXERCISES
India-France Joint Military ‘Exercise Shakti – 2016’was conducted from 6-16 Jan. ‘Exercise Shakti-2016’ is the seventh edition in the series of bilateral exercises. The exercise was conducted in two phases. Both armies shared valuable combat experience on countering terrorist operations in an international environment.
India-Nepal Combined Military Training ‘Exercise Surya Kiran IX’ was conducted at Pithoragarh from 8-21 Feb under the aegis of Panchshul Brigade/ Central Command. An Infantry Battalion of the Indian Army and Shree RudraDhoj Battalion of the Nepalese Army participated.
India–IndonesiaJoint Training ‘Exercise Garuda Shakti IV’ The fourth edition of the joint exercise was conducted for 13 days from 10-23 Mar at Magelang, Indonesia. A platoon of an Infantry Battalion from Southern Command theatre carried out joint training with a platoon from 503 Airborne Battalion of the Indonesian Army.
‘Exercise Force -18’, the largest ground forces multinational field training exercise on ‘Humanitarian Mine Action and Peacekeeping Operations’ culminated at Pune on 8 Mar. Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen Dalbir Singh presided over the closing ceremony. The week long exercise saw participation of over 300 foreign participants and observers from ASEAN Plus countries. Lt Col Sofia Qureshi was selected to lead the Indian army training contingent of 40 personnel during this exercise. She was the first woman to lead the Indian Army in an 18-nation military exercise.
‘Exercise Shatrujeet’: COAS General Dalbir Singh witnessed ‘Exercise Shatrujeet’ in Rajasthan on 22 Apr. The COAS was briefed on operational plans and conduct of the exercise by GOC, Strike Corps Lt Gen ShokinChauhan. The exercise is part of regular training where the Strike Corps practices and hones war fighting skills.
‘Exercise Chakravyuh-II’: In a follow up to ‘Exercise Shatrujeet’ by the Strike Corps (Strike One) in April, the pivot formations held the fortnight-long military training exercise,‘Exercise Chakravyuh-II’ in Rajasthan. The exercise conceptualized by the Pivot Corps involved rapid mobilization and execution of plans in sync with the Air Force in desert terrain. It was a success. The exercise validated the battle readiness and operational effectiveness of the RAPID Division along with all its affiliated components.
‘Exercise Jalrahat’:As a step towards achieving the goals of National Disaster Management Plan 2016 released by the Prime Minister on 1 June and with the outlines of identifying high risk disaster areas and coordination between the Armed Forces, NDRF and State Disaster Management Agencies along with other State Emergency services, a mock exercise and demonstration under ‘Exercise Jalrahat’ was conducted on 29 June in Shantipur area of Guwahati on the banks of the Brahmaputra River.
‘Exercise Maitree’: A joint exercise of the Indian Army and Royal Thailand Army was held from 15-30 July in Thailand. The aim was to train contingents of both armies on conduct of counter-terrorist operations in an urban environment. The exercise was designed to enhance mutual cooperation and interoperability between the two armies.
‘Exercise YudhAbhyas’: As part of the continuing Indo – US defence cooperation, the 12thedition of the joint military training ‘Exercise YudhAbhyas2016’ was conducted at Chaubattia in Uttarakhand from 14-27 Sep. The exercise was in a series of one of the longest running joint military training exercises covering counter-terrorist operations under the flagship of UN for countering international terrorism. It included a series of training events such as cordon and search operation, cliff chop assaults and other training events covering operational activities carried out under the flag of UN Mission.
Indian Army Medical Team Participated in the Joint Exerciseof ASEAN PLUS countries in Thailand in September. Exercise was based on humanitarian action during natural calamity.
India -Kazakhstan Joint Exercise:As a part of India’s continued efforts to strengthen Indo-Kazakh relations, Armies of the two countries had undergone a 14-day joint exercise ‘PrabalDostyk’ in September. The exercise was conducted in Karaganda region of Kazakhstan.
‘Exercise Indra – 2016’:As part of continued efforts to further strengthen Indo-Russian friendship, troops of two sides, participated in the eight edition of Joint ‘Exercise Indra – 2016’ from 22 Sep to 2 Oct. The 11-day exercise focused on Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency operations in semi-mountainous and jungle terrain under the UN mandate. The exercise was held at the 249thCombined Arms Range, Sergiveskey.
‘Sino – Indian Joint Exercise’:As part of the ongoing initiative to enhance interaction and cooperation between India and China, under the provisions of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement, 2013, the Indian and Chinese armies held their Second Joint Exercise ‘Sino India Cooperation 2016’ on 19 Oct. This was a sequel to the first Joint Exercise held on 6 Feb in the Chusul Garrison of Eastern Ladakh.
‘India – China Joint Training Exercise’:The sixth India – China Joint Training Exercise “Hand – in – Hand 2016” was held at Pune from 16 – 27 Nov. The aim of the exercise was to enhance confidence and trust between the two armies which may be called upon to grapple with anti-terrorism operations under the UN mandate. The conduct of Joint Military Exercises is also an important step to uphold the values of Peace, Prosperity and Stability in the region.
ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES
Army Everest Massif Expedition to Mt Everest and Mt Lhotse:The Indian Army Everest Massif Expeditionto scale Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse, was flagged off by Vice Chief of the Army Staff Lt Gen MMS Rai, on 29 Mar in New Delhi. The 30-member team of 5 Officers, 4 Junior Commissioned Officers and 21 Other Ranks was led by Lt Col RS Jamwal, a reputed climber.
Chinar Corps Centenary Expedition to Mt Harmukh: A 45-member team of Indian Army mountaineers led by Col SS Shekhawat, who had scaled Mt Everest thrice earlier, scaled the formidable peak of Harmukhon 21 May as part of the Chinar Corps’ centenary celebrations. Harmukhat 5148m lies in the North Western Himalayan range.
Joint India-Kyrgyzstan Army Mountaineering Expedition to Mt Jogin III: A 23-member team conducted the expedition from 30 Aug to 25 Sep in Harsil sector of Garhwal Himalaya (Uttarakhand). The team included nine members from the Kyrgyz Army. It successfully completed the expedition.
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND DISASTER RELIEF (HADR)
Vivekananda Flyover Collapse. Kolkata witnessed the collapse of the Vivekananda Flyover on 31 Mar. The civil authorities immediately called the Army to carry out rescue operations. On arrival rescue work was coordinated with civil administration and the NDRF.
SPORTS
International Day of Yoga – 2016: This year approximately 4 lakh Jawans and Officers participated in the International Day of Yoga – 2016 across the entire length and breadth of the nation.
Three World Records Established By Indian Army Dare Devils:DareDevil team of Corps of Signals set new world recordson 9 Sep at 1 Signal Training Centre, Jabalpur. The world record for ‘longest continuous ride standing on the seat of a motor cycle’ was broken by CaptManpreet Singh (Team Captain “Dare Devils”) covering a distance of 75.2km in 2 hrs 24 min and 12 secs. The world record for ‘Handle Bar Riding on a Motorcycle’ under fresh category was broken by Lance HavildarSandeep Kumar, covering a distance of 46.9km in 01 hr 27 min and 31 secs. The world record for ‘Fastest 100m running with a football balanced on the head’ was broken by Subedar Azad Singh with a time of 17.7 secs.
MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS
The Directorate Of Indian Army Veterans launched: COASGeneral Dalbir Singh inaugurated the Directorate of Indian Army Veterans (DIAV) on 14 Jan at Delhi Cantt. The Directorate will provide a wide range of veteran care and support services and will act as a single point of contact for redressal of complaints of veterans, widows and their wards. The inauguration of the new Directorate coincided with the first ever celebration of Veterans Day.
Release of Beta Version of Integrated Quartermaster Package (IQMP) For The Indian Army:The beta version was released by Vice Chief of the Army Staff Lt Gen MMS Rai, on 29 Jan as a pre-cursor to the final release of IQMP. As part of ongoing efforts, DGIS with the help of M/s Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. has developed IQMP for automating all logistics functions at the unit level. It will also cater for exchange of info and data with Logistics Management Support applications through CMA (Central Management Application) hosted at Army Headquarters Computer Centre. This avoids replication and achieves the aim of automation.
Colour Presentation to Signals Corps: COAS Gen Dalbir Singh presented the President’s Colours to the Corps of Signals of Indian Army at Gauri Shankar Parade Ground of 1 Signal Training Centre, Jabalpur on 15 Feb.
A Multispecialty Dental Wing For Veterans: On the occasion of Platinum Jubilee Celebration of the Army Dental Corps, a Multispecialty Dental Wing for veterans was inaugurated by the COASGen Dalbir Singh on 10 Feb at Army Dental Clinic (Research & Referral), Delhi.
Cardio Thoracic Vascular Clinic Inaugurated: COASGen Dalbir Singh inaugurated the Cardio Thoracic Vascular Clinic on 16 Apr. The clinic is a part of the newly constructed 200 bedded Cardio Thoracic Vascular Science Centre in the premises of Army Hospital (Research & Referral), Delhi.
Defence Communication Network: The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar, dedicated the Defence Communication Network (DCN) to the Nation on 30 June in New Delhi. He complimented the three Services on putting in place a communication system to facilitate jointmanship. He further stressed on the need for keeping the network secure.
Army Skill Training Centre:The pilot project of the Army Skill Training Centre(ASTC) was inaugurated by President AWWAMrs NamitaSuhagon 22 Aug in Delhi. The Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy, COASGen Dalbir Singh and other senior officials were present. With the inauguration of the ASTC, the Indian Army now embarks on a new mission by bringing Army spouses and wards into the folds of the skilling landscape. Army personnel and their spouses/wards who attend training at ASTC will receive skill certificate from NSDC and will become eligible for employment/entrepreneurship under PradhanMantriKaushalVikasYojna scheme.
‘Make In India’ Portal On Army Website Launched:COASGen Dalbir Singh formally announced establishment of the Army Design Bureau (ADB) on 31 Aug during an Army Seminar on ‘Make Projects’ held in New Delhi. The COAS also launched the ‘Make in India’ Portal on the Army Website.
Inauguration of Military Station:Berhampore Military station in West Bengal was inaugurated by the President Shri Pranab Mukherjee on 8 Oct. The military station located 25 Km from Murshidabad has been developed as a model military station to include state-of-the-art training and administrative facilities for the Army.
EX-SERVICEMEN WELFARE
OROP
Detailed instructions along with tables for the implementation of OROP were issued on 3 Feb. The status on implementation of OROP benefits as on 30 Nov this year (2016)are as follows:-
- Cases paid (1st installment and lump sum payments) to 19,64,350 personnel and the amount therefore disbursed was Rs. 3,985.65 crore
- Cases paid in the 2nd installment were 15,46,857 personnel and the amount disbursed was Rs. 2,281.63 crore.
ECHS
The government is taking special measures to provide quality and affordable medicare to ex-servicemen and their dependents. As part of health care reforms, the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) has been completely digitized. A total of approximately 50 lakh beneficiaries have been covered under the scheme. As of now the scheme is being run through 28 regional centres and 426 polyclinics. A total of 1445 civil hospitals have been empanelled to provide cashless treatment to ECHS beneficiaries.
MAP
Looking at the hardships and long separation of Jawans from their families while serving in forward and high altitude areas, the Ministry is taking steps to expedite the Married Accommodation Project (MAP) for Armed Forces personnel on priority basis. This will provide nearly 2 lakh dwelling units for the married personnel near their places of posting. The third and final phase of MAP is soon expected to be implemented providing 71,000 more dwelling units. The second phase foundation laying ceremony was held at the hands of MoS Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre at Meerut Military station on 21 Dec.
