Details

Created: 24 February 2015

NEW DELHI: The principle of One Rank One Pension for the Armed Forces has been accepted by the Government.  The modalities for implementation have been discussed with various stakeholders and are presently under consideration of the Government.  It will be implemented once the modalities are approved by the Government. This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Shri Rao Inderjit Singh in a written reply to Shri Avinash Rai Khanna in Rajya Sabha today. 

 

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NEW DELHI: India and US have finalised the new Framework Agreement on Defence Cooperation which would replace the existing Framework Agreement on Defence Cooperation, which expires in June, 2015. Defence Production Policy focuses on greater self-reliance in defence production.  Government has raised the FDI limit in defence production from 26% to 49% and liberalized the licensing regime.  The Defence Procurement Procedure 2013 lays emphasis on providing the desired boost to indigenous Defence Industry by mandating a higher preference to the ‘Buy (Indian)’, Buy & Make (Indian)’ and ‘Make’ categorisation in Capital Procurements. This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri Prabhat Jha in Rajya Sabha today.

 

 

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NEW DELHI: From time to time Defence Civilian employees have been raising the demands that they should be granted Field Area allowance and Modified Field Area allowance as applicable to the service Personnel and for providing other allowances like Aeronautical Technical Allowance, Airworthiness Certificate Allowance, Flight Charge Certificate Allowance etc. at par with technical defence personnel.  It has not been found feasible to accept these demands as the job requirements and service conditions of Service Personnel and Defence Civilian employees are totally different.

Complaints relating to alleged irregularities / malpractices in recruitment of soldiers have been received from time to time.  In cases of complaints of involvement of touts, FIRs, where applicable, have been lodged.  During the last three years (2012 to till date), three cases of involvement of Service Personnel were found.  Court of Inquiry has been instituted in one case; preliminary investigation has been ordered in another case and in third, the CBI has registered a case.

Proactive measures have been taken on a continuous basis to streamline the recruitment process.  These include deployment of vigilance teams, involving police and Government intelligence sources, introducing additional checks and balances in documentation procedure, online verification of documents where feasible, conducting awareness campaigns against falling prey to touts, in-house printing of Question Papers to obviate leakage.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Dr. T.N. Seema in Rajya Sabha today.

 

 

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NEW DELHI: As per the decision of Group of Ministers set up to consider appropriate location of the National War Memorial and National War Museum, a Cabinet Note was to be prepared by Ministry of Urban Development.  The Ministry of Urban Development on November 12, 2014, has however, submitted that it would be appropriate if the subject Cabinet Note is mooted by Ministry of Defence.  Accordingly the proposal is under active consideration of Ministry of Defence. This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Rajya Sabha today.

 

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NEW DELHI: All candidates whose vision defects have been medically treated using Laser Assisted in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) and / or Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) eye surgery are not disqualified from recruitment into various branches of the Armed Forces including engineering, medical services.  However, owing to requirement of physical fitness for military service such candidates are selectively accepted in the Armed Forces, the details of which are as under:-

(A)		Candidates beyond the age of 20 years with LASIK and / or PRK surgery can seek commission in the Army on fulfilling the following conditions:-
		(i)	Uncomplicated stable LASIK / PRK done for Myopia or Hypermetropia with stable refraction for a period of six months after the procedure.
		(ii)	A healthy retina.
		(iii)	Corrected vision should be 6/6 in better eye and 6/9 in worse eye, with maximum residual refraction of + 1.50 in any meridian for myopia or hypemetropia.
(B)	The LASIK and / or PRK can be permitted in Armed Force Medical College (AFMC), Pune at entry level for candidates above the age of 20 years.

Candidates with LASIK / PRK at entry level are not permitted in National Defence Academy (NDA), Navy and Air Force as well as at entry level of Other Rank (OR) and Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs).

In Army, the candidates who have undergone LASIK / PRK will not be considered for aircrew duties.

At present, there is no such proposal as the long term effects of LASIK / PRK surgery can vary.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri Avinash Pande in Rajya Sabha today.

 

 

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NEW DELHI: The Government has so far issued 251 Letters of Intents (LOIs) / Industrial Licenses (ILs) covering 150 companies till January 2015 for manufacture of a wide range of defence items to public / private companies.  49 license companies covering 72 licenses have so far reported commencement of production. 

2.         The following major steps have been taken for domestic manufacture of defence equipments:

(i)	FDI Policy in Defence sector has been reviewed and as per the new policy, composite foreign investment up to 49% has been allowed through FIPB route and beyond 49% with the approval of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) wherever it is likely to result in access to modern and ‘State-of-the-art’ technology in the country.
(ii)	Defence Products List for the purpose of industrial licensing has been revised and in the revised list most of the components / parts / raw materials have been taken out from the purview of the industrial licensing.  Further, the initial validity of industrial licensing has been increased to three years and, thereafter, two time extension of 02 years each may be granted to a company by the Administrative Ministry.
(iii)	Government has accorded priority to ‘Buy (Indian)’, ‘Buy & Make (Indian)’ and ‘Make’ categories of acquisition over ‘Buy (Global)’ category to promote domestic manufacturing.

3.         So far 33 FDI proposals / Joint Ventures have been approved in Defence sector for manufacture of various defence equipments, both in public and private sector.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Shri Rao Inderjit Singh in a written reply to Shrimati Naznin Faruque in Rajya Sabha today.

 

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NEW DELHI: The case for procurement of artillery guns through Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route from US Government has not progressed due to cost issues and the vendor’s (M/s BAE System) proposal not being fully compliant to the offset requirements.  All capital procurements are carried out as per the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) which contains stringent provisions aimed at ensuring the highest degree of probity, public accountability and transparency.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri Salim Ansari in Rajya Sabha today.

 

 

Ceasefire violations

NEW DELHI: The details of ceasefire violation (CFVs) in Jammu and Kashmir along India-Pakistan Border from June, 2014 to January, 2015 are as under:

Area of India-Pakistan Border	Number of ceasefire Violations
Along the Line of Control (LC) and International Border (IB) under operational control of Army.	126
International Border (IB) under operational control of Border Security Force (BSF).	559

Details of Casualties on the Indian side in CFVs and other tactical incidents along the India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir are as under:

 

S. No.	Casualties	2014	2015 (upto 15th February)
(1)	Security Personnel martyred (a) Army personnel (b) BSF personnel	04 04	02 01
(2)	Civilians killed	14	02

 No authentic information is available regarding casualties on Pakistan’s side.  The allocation of funds for defence is made to enable preparedness of the armed forces to meet the security challenges faced by the country.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri K.C. Tyagi in Rajya Sabha today.

 

 

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NEW DELHI: In pursuance of Hon’ble President’s statement made in the joint session of parliament on 9th June, 2014 regarding Government’s decision to appoint a Veteran Commission, the National Commission for Ex-Servicemen Bill, 2015 has been drafted in order to set up the National Commission for Ex-Servicemen. 

The comments of Department of Legislative Affairs have been obtained on the Bill and the follow-up action is being taken in accordance with the guidelines / procedure laid down for legislative proposals to set up such Bodies.  No funds have been allocated for setting up of the Commission during the year 2014-15.

 

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Shri Rao Inderjit Singh in a written reply to Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Rajya Sabha today.

 

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NEW DELHI: Shri Iswar Chandra Behera employed on contract by Integrated Test Range (ITR), an establishment of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which is located at Balasore, has been arrested by local police on 22nd January 2015.  The matter is under investigation by Odisha Police, Crime Branch, CID.

 Necessary directions have been issued by Directorate of Vigilance and Security of DRDO to all labs / establishments for police verification for all contractual employees at regular interval and not to allow them to carry mobile, phones, thumb drives, cameras, etc. in the labs / establishments.  Instructions have also been issued to Heads of labs / establishments for not allowing them to handle any sensitive materials / information. This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri Dilip Kumar Tirkey in Rajya Sabha today.

 

 

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NEW DELHI: The original schedule of delivery of the first submarine was December, 2012 which has since been revised.

The difficulties faced by M/s. MDL during the course of procurement of materials from foreign vendors had mainly led to the delay.

The builder shipyard has a contract with M/s DCNS, France for construction of Scorpene Submarines.  M/s DCNS deputes its personnel / consultant to guide the construction of the submarines as per the collaboration agreement.

The shipyard has undertaken augmentation of the manpower, infrastructure and industrial means in a phased manner to meet the production targets.  Production capabilities have also been augmented. This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Dr. Chandan Mitra in Rajya Sabha today.

 

 

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NEW DELHI: 21 accidents involving Indian Navy ships and submarines have taken place during January 2012 to January 2015.

Lessons learnt from the reports of Board’s of Inquiry (BoI) are implemented appropriately.  Corrective steps have been taken by Naval Headquarters with extensive checks on weapon related safety systems and audit of Standard Operating Procedures on all operational naval units.  Safety procedures and professional checks are re-emphasized.  Incidents Study and Analysis Cells have been instituted at professional schools wherein lessons learnt are incorporated into professional training.  Safety Audits of various units are being regularly conducted.

Government has already approved a long-term submarine building plan.  Further, approval of necessity has been granted for life extension of six submarines. The status of inquiries into these accidents is annexed.

 

Sl. No.	Date	Incident	Status of Inquiry
1.	11.03.2012	Fire on board LCU  L 38	01 officer and 02 sailors were found culpable for incident and disciplinary action has been completed against them.
2.	08.10.2012	Fire in engine room – INFAC 83	No individual or organization was held blameworthy for the incident.
3.	19.12.2012	Fire in AFT battery pit onboard INS Shankush	No individual or organization was held responsible for the cause of fire and the incident was treated as an accident.
4.	14.07.2013	Fire onboard INS Tarasa	03 officers and 04 sailors were found culpable and disciplinary action against them initiated.
5.	26.07.2013	Damage to Stbd Helo hangar and other fittings of INS Delhi by Yard 12701 (Kolkata)	02 officers were found culpable and disciplinary action against them has been completed.
6.	14.08.2013	Explosion in INS Sindhurakshak	Board Proceedings under examination at Naval Headquarters (NHQ).
7.	22.09.2013	Fire onboard INS Viraat	05 officers and 01 sailor were found culpable and disciplinary action against them has been completed.
8.	04.12.2013	Fire onboard INS Konkan	04 officer and 02 sailors were found culpable and disciplinary action against them initiated.
9.	19.12.2013	Scraping of INS Tarkash shipside on SBW Knuckle	02 officers were found culpable and disciplinary action against them completed.
10.	23.12.2013	Collision of INS Talwar with unlit fishing boat	04 officers and 02 sailors were found culpable.  Disciplinary action against 03 Officers and 02 sailors completed.  Summary trial of one officer undertaken at Head Quarter Western Naval Command.
11.	08.01.2014	Crack on sonar dome of INS Betwa	03 officers were found culpable and disciplinary action against two of them completed and against one officer initiated.
12.	17.01.2014	Suspended movement of INS Sindhughosh while securing to alongside berth	01 officer was found culpable and disciplinary action initiated.
13.	23.01.2014	Sea water ingress into tiller flat through a crack / hole in Ship side of INS Vipul	O5 officers were found culpable and disciplinary action against them initiated.
14.	30.01.2014	Damage to Port propeller of INS Airavat whilst entering Harbour.	02 officer was found culpable and disciplinary action initiated.
15.	26.02.2014	Incident of fire in third compartment and death of two officers onboard INS Sindhuratna	07 officers were found culpable and disciplinary action against them initiated.
16.	07.03.2014	Accident onboard Yard 12701 (Kolkata) under construction at MDL while carrying out trials of Engine Room fire fighting system	No individual or organization was held responsible for the cause of incident and the incident was treated as an accident.
17.	06.04.2014	Incident of Smouldering and thick smoke in Armoury during Hot Work of INS Matanga	Board Proceedings under examination at Naval Headquarters (NHQ).
18.	28.06.2014	Damage to port propeller of INS Kuthar while coming alongside at Port Blair.	Board Proceedings under examination at Naval Headquarters (NHQ).
19.	02.07.2014	Touching bottom of INS Cheetah while entering Kochi Harbour	Board Proceedings under examination at Naval Headquarters (NHQ).
20.	31.10.2014	Collision of INS Kora with MV Madeleine Rickmers at Sea	Board Proceedings under examination at Naval Headquarters (NHQ).
21.	06.11.2014	Sinking of TRV-72	Board of Inquiry is in progress at Head Quarter Eastern Naval Command.

 

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri H.K. Dua in Rajya Sabha today.

 

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NEW DELHI: The Government vide Press Note 7 of 2014 Series dated 26.08.2014 has notified revised FDI Policy in defence Sector, according to which FDI upto 49% is allowed in the sector through Government route and above 49% through approval of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on case-to-case basis, wherever it is likely to result in access to modern and state-of-the-art technology in the country.  Further, FDI in Defence Sector is subject to obtaining Industrial Licence under the IDR Act, 1951.

The introduction of FDI in the defence sector will not pose any threat as some of the major conditions governing Licensing in Defence Sector are as follows:

(a)	The management of the company / partnership firm owning the Industrial Licence should be in Indian hands with majority representation on the Board as well as the Chief Executive of the Company / partnership firm being Resident Indians.  This condition is, however, not applicable to cases of foreign investment above 49%.
(b)	Adequate safety and security procedures would need to be put in place by the licensee.  The Indian Licensed Defence Companies (ILDC) shall comply with the security guidelines applicable to them as per security instructions / architectures prescribed in “Security Manual for Licence Defence Industries” available at www.ddpmod.gov.in  based on their categorization.  Some of the important guidelines of the Security Manual includes External Security Audit of the ILDCs by Intelligence Agencies once in two years and Cyber Security Audit by CERT-IN empanelled Auditors once every year.
(c)	The licensable defence items as mentioned in the license, produced by the private manufacturers will be primarily sold to the Ministry of Defence.  These items may also be sold to other Government entities under the control of the Ministry of Home Affairs, State Governments, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and other valid Defence Licensed Companies without prior approval of Department of Defence Production (DDP).  However, for sale of the items to any other entity, the licensee shall take prior permission from DDP, Ministry of Defence.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Shri Rao Inderjit Singh in a written reply to Shri Naresh Agrawal in Rajya Sabha today.