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Parrikar admits ‘security lapses’ lead to terror attack

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manohar parrikar

Pathankot: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar admitted on Tuesday that “security lapses” led to the terrorist attack on the IAF base here that left seven security personnel and six terrorists dead.

Parrikar also told the media after visiting the base that combing operations were still going on but “this is only for safety purposes” and that no more terrorists were believed hidden in the huge complex.

Some gaps led to security lapses, leading to the pre-dawn terror attack on Saturday, the minister said. He did not elaborate.

“What is worrying is how they (terrorists) entered the base,” he added.

Parrikar visited the Pathankot Indian Air Force base in Punjab on Tuesday along with the chiefs of the army and air force.

The head of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the audacious terrorist strike, also visited the base separately.

“Combing operations are (still) going on,” Parrikar said. “This is only for safety purposes.”

He said the body of one of the terrorists still had a suicide vest, with a grenade sticking out.

“I am very, very clear that they (our officers) should not take any risk,” he said, recalling how a National Security Guard (NSG) officer lost his life earlier while trying to reportedly shift a similar body.

Parrikar admitted that the entire operation “is a very difficult” one.

“It is tedious. This has been done without compromising any assets… Not just the strategic assets but even a building.”

He said barring one building where the terrorists took shelter, no other building was even damaged because the security personnel managed to corner the raiders in a corner of the sprawling base.

He said the terrorists had AK-47 rifles, pistols, Swiss knives, commando knives besides 40-50 kg of bullets. They also had improvised mortars. “They had high quality explosives.”

The minister said the NIA had started investigation into the attack. He said it would find out “who sent them”.

“They have got initial leads, where they have come from, how they have come.”

(Agencies)

Let veterans prove OROP stir is not politically motivated: Parrikar

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manohar parrikar

Arakkonam: Terming the attempts by war veterans to burn medals as an insult to the nation and armed forces, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said it was for protesting ex-service personnel to prove there was no political motive behind the OROP stir.

“If I say something, it will become an allegation. Let them prove that it is not political,” he told reporters here when asked if he saw a political link to continuing agitation despite the government’s response and notification on one rank, one pension (OROP) scheme.

“Medals are a recognition of the nation for the sacrifice done by the armed forces,” he said in reply to another query.

“Burning and returning them is an insult to the nation and the defence forces,” Parrikar said.

The minister’s comments come in the wake of a section of the ex-service personnel expressing dissatisfaction on the ground that the OROP notification has not fully met their demands.

The government had on Saturday formally notified the OROP scheme for over 24 lakh ex-servicemen and six lakh war widows in the country.

“Medals are a recognition of bravery, for the service to the nation. It has nothing to do with service conditions whereas OROP is about service conditions. It does not say you are entitled for medals, it talks about service conditions like your pay and entitlement,” Parrikar said.

On the issue of grievances of protesting ex-servicemen, he said, “Let them put the demands before the judicial committee, they will address it.” He said implementing OROP was BJP’s electoral promise and it had been fulfilled.

Earlier, he unveiled the first phase of the commissioning of Boeing P8i Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft fleet at Naval Air Station “INS Rajali” here, about 85 kms from Chennai. In the next phase, four more such aircraft would be inducted making it a fleet of 12 high-tech surveillance planes.

Induction of the eighth P8i plane and completion of aircraft equipment testing, trials and crew training for all the eight aircraft marked the launch of the first phase.

The function was attended by the top defence brass, including Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan, Vice Admiral Satish Soni, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command and other senior officials from the navy as well as civil administration.

(Agencies)

OROP implemented, says Manohar Parrikar; veterans reject govt offer

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OROP

New Delhi: In a bid to break the deadlock, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday announced that the government has agreed to implement ‘One Rank, One Pension’ scheme, but with riders.

Addressing a press conference, Parrikar said the government was proud of its servicemen’s devotion, duty, and bravery.

Pension will be re-fixed for all pensioners retiring in the same rank and same length of service, announced Parrikar.

Insisting that the issue has been pending for nearly four decades, the Defence Minister added that the OROP will be implemented from July 1, 2014 and the base year would be 2013.

PM Narendra Modi has fulfilled his commitment and approved OROP for the armed forces personnel, said Parrikar, adding the Ministry of Defence will give the detailed order soon.

Parrikar made the announcement after holding talks with the agitating ex-servicemen and Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah.

BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who was present at the party chief’s house, had told reporters that the government is close to announcing a solution that will cost the exchequer at least Rs 10,000 crore.

Addressing a press conference after holding talks with Parrikar, Major General Satbir Singh (retired), who is spearheading the campaign for the scheme’s implementation, had said the government is considering appointing a committee under a judge to go into the issue of equalisation of pension.

The chairman of Indian Ex-Servicemen said the government while accepting the concept of the OROP, was still insisting on pension revision every five years and that is why it was thinking of constituting a committee.

In that case a representative of the veterans and one from the services should also be in the committee, Singh said, adding the committee should decide on the issue within 15-30 months.

It is understood that a draft proposal on OROP was circulated at a RSS meeting yesterday which envisaged commencement of the scheme from July 2014, besides revision of pension every five years.

According to the draft, the basis for the implementation of the scheme would be 2013 and arrears would be paid in four instalments.

Close to 26 lakh retired servicemen and over six lakh war widows stand to be immediate beneficiaries of the scheme, which envisages a uniform pension for the defence personnel who retire in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement.

Currently, the pension for retired personnel is based on the Pay Commission recommendations of the time when he or she retired. So, a Major General who retired in 1996 draws less pension than a Lt Colonel who retired after 1996.

(Agencies)

Indian Army's importance diminished due to lack of wars, says Manohar Parrikar

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Manohar Parrikar (Photo credit: HT)

Manohar Parrikar (Photo credit: HT)

Jaipur: Kicking up a storm, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday said that the Indian Army’s importance has diminished because the country hasn’t gone to war in the past 40-50 years.

“Soldiers were facing immense difficulties because people’s respect for the army has reduced during peacetime,” he said at a seminar in Jaipur.

However, he clarified his statement saying that he doesn’t endorse wars.

“I have written to many chief ministers (over defence matters). Some have acted on it and at many places it (response) has ended. The primary reason for this is that we have not been to war for 40-50 years. I don’t mean to say that we should go to war. I mean to say that without war the army’s importance has diminished,” he added.

He also said that two generations of officers have retired without seeing a war.

“A country that fails to protect its Army cannot progress.”

(PTI)

India-US ink defence framework pact, Carter meets Modi, Sushma

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Ashton Carter-Manohar Parrikar

New Delhi: India and the US on Wednesday signed a new framework agreement for closer cooperation in defence as visiting US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and conveyed India was an important strategic partner.

The agreement was signed by India’s Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Carter.

Carter earlier met Modi, Sushma Swaraj and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

During his meeting with the prime minister, Modi expressed hope that the US companies, including those in the defence manufacturing sector, would actively participate in the ‘Make in India’ initiative and set up manufacturing units in India with transfer of technology and link to the global supply chain.

Carter conveyed that India was an important strategic partner for the US and the US policy of rebalance in Asia-Pacific complimented India’s ‘Act East’ Policy.

Carter and Modi also exchanged views on regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, and the recent developments in the Indian Ocean and the Asia Pacific region.

The defence framework agreement meanwhile focuses on taking “appropriate measures to enhance India’s defence capability”. Among other things, India and the US agreed to cooperate on jet engines, aircraft carrier design and construction, and other areas.

The two sides also agreed to pursue co-development and co-production projects that will offer “tangible opportunities” for American defence industries to build defence partnership with Indian industries including in manufacturing under ‘Make in India’.

The 10-year defence framework agreement was renewed during the visit of US President Barack Obama in January. The first framework agreement, which expires this year, was signed in the US in 2005 by the then defence minister Pranab Mukherjee and his then US counterpart Donald Rumsfeld.

Speaking after signing the agreement, Parrikar said “further synergies will result in better output”.

An official statement said that in their meeting, Parrikar and Carter discussed the bilateral defence relationship, and the broader India-US Strategic Partnership.

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to expand and deepen the bilateral defence relationship and also reviewed the existing and emerging regional security dynamics.

The 2015 Framework for the India-US Defence Relationship builds upon the previous framework and successes to guide the bilateral defence and strategic partnership for the next 10 years. It provides avenues for high-level strategic discussions, continued exchanges between the armed forces of both countries, and strengthening of defence capabilities.

The framework also recognises the transformative nature of the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI).

Both India and the US have finalised two project agreements for joint development of mobile electric hybrid power sources and the next generation protective ensembles.

Engaging bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as maritime security and knowledge partnership in the field of defence was also agreed upon.

Carter also thanked Parrikar for the help extended in the search for a US helicopter which went missing during the relief operations in quake-hit Nepal. He also invited Parrikar to visit the US for the next meeting which Parrikar accepted.

Earlier, Carter, who was on his first visit to India as defence secretary, laid a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial at India Gate, the World War I monument.

Carter, who arrived in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, has visited the Eastern Naval Command and the indigenous stealth frigate, INS Sahyadri.

(Agencies)

District Court stays search warrant for Manohar Parrikar's official residence

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MANOHAR PARRIKAR

Panaji: In a late development, South Goa additional District and Sessions judge P Sawaikar on Wednesday stayed the warrant issued by a trial court to search the official residence of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at 10 Akbar Road in New Delhi for a former Goa minister, who has been reported missing for over a fortnight.

The order staying the search warrant was issued late on Wednesday night according to chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar.

“It was been stayed. The police had gone in appeal against the (lower) court’s direction to issue search warrant,” Parsekar confirmed to IANS over telephone.

Following the stay granted late on Wednesday, the Additional District Sessions court is expected to hear arguments over issue of the search warrant on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, the Judicial Magistrate First Class (Margao) Bosco Roberts, was conducting proceedings related to the formal arrest of former Archives and Archaeology minister Pacheco, whose conviction for an assault was upheld by the Supreme Court earlier this month.

Pacheco has been untraceable and missing for over two weeks.

The search warrant had directed police to search Parrikar’s official residence in Delhi to trace Pacheco after the petitioner, lawyer-activist Aires Rodrigues, told the trial court that Pacheco was seen in the vicinity of 10, Akbar Road in New Delhi, Parrikar’s official residence.

In his reply submitted to the court, police officer Uttam Rautdessai, in charge of the Colva police station which has been tasked with serving the arrest warrant on Pacheco, said the investigation revealed that the former minister had left Goa for Delhi on April 8. He was booked at Hotel Royal Plaza at Ashoka Road in the national capital till April 12.

Rautdessai, however, conceded that his team was unable to arrest the former minister when in Delhi. He also said that police were in the process of tracking down the bank accounts of the former minister and trying to track down his recent expenses.

Pacheco, who faces six-month imprisonment and a fine of Rs.1,500 for assaulting a junior engineer of the state electricity department in 2006, has been missing and untraceable ever since the Supreme Court upheld his conviction earlier this month.

(IANS)

Pak 'terror boat': Coast Guard DIG, B K Loshali claims he ordered it to be 'blown up'

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Indian Coast Guard DIG B K Loshali, speaking on Monday, (Inset: The fishing boat on fire on the high seas).

Indian Coast Guard DIG B K Loshali, speaking on Monday, (Inset: The fishing boat on fire on the high seas).

Surat: The government may have claimed that the occupants of the ‘terror boat’ intercepted by the Coast Guard on 31 December, 2014 set themselves on fire but a statement by a senior Coast Guard official saying that he had ordered the boat to be ‘blown off’ may just open a can of worms on the incident again.

In an exclusive report, the Indian Express today quoted a Deputy Inspector General of the Coast Guard, B K Loshali, saying that he was there at Gandhinagar and he had ordered officials to ‘blow the boat off’ as opposed to government’s he claim that the boat  had blown itself up under suspicious circumstances.

Watch the video here:

The DIG’s statements came while he was launching the boat and the report quotes him as saying that while he had prepared a written speech, he would deviate from it to express what was in his heart.

The report has sparked controversy given that the defence establishment and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar have consistently maintained that the occupants of the boat had blown themselves up after  leading the Coast Guard on a chase.

The official stand of the coast guard, was that after receiving an intelligence input they had pursued the ship with an aircraft and a vessel. They said that instead of surrendering, “the boat started moving in a zig-zag way and switched off lights.”

The occupants of the boat allegedly ignored warning shots that were fired at it and after some time its occupants were accused of setting the vessel on fire, resulting in it sinking. No evidence had emerged of the occupants carrying explosives.

The government had also claimed that they had evidence of call intercepts that were made from the boat to Pakistan, which proved that the occupants were suspected terrorists.

Pakistan had said it expected India to conduct a “transparent” probe and had said that its own investigation has shown that there was “no sound evidence” to substantiate India’s assertions.

(Agencies)

Modi expands cabinet, inducts 21 new faces

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cabinet-expansion-modi

New Delhi: Marred by a Shiv Sena’s boycott, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday expanded his union council of ministers, inducting 21 new faces, including four with cabinet rank, giving wide representation to several northern and central states and keeping the age limit well under 68.

The much-anticipated first ministry expansion was marred with ally Shiv Sena calling off participation in the government at the last minute – exacerbating their already strained ties.

Those who were sworn-in as cabinet ministers were former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, Shiv Sena’s Suresh Prabhu, senior BJP leader Jagat Prakash Nadda and former Congressman Birender Singh.

BJP MPs Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Mahesh Sharma and Bandaru Dattatreya would be ministers of state with independent charge.

Those who took oath as ministers of state were Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Ram Kripal Yadav, Haribhai Parthibhai Choudhary, Sanwar Lal Jat, Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundariya, Giriraj Singh, Hansraj Ahir, Ram Shankar Katheria, TDP’s Y.S. Chowdary, Jayant Sinha, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Babul Supriyo, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and Vijay Sampla.

Former Shiv Sena leader Suresh Prabhu was sworn-in as a cabinet minister. Prabhu, who is the prime minister’s interlocutor for the G20, has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is expected to become a Rajya Sabha member.

The Sena at the last minute recalled Anil Desai, who it had nominated for induction in the union ministry. According to reports, Desai arrived in Delhi for the oath-taking ceremony but was ordered to return. The growing bitterness could have further ramifications in Maharashtra, where the two former long-time allies have failed to reach an agreement over government formation.

This also puts a question mark on the continuance of lone Shiv Sena representative Anant Geete in the Modi ministry. Geeta is cabinet minister for heavy industries and public enterprises.

With the new induction, Modi’s 45-member ministry now totals 66. He inducted four cabinet ministers, three ministers of state with independent charge, and 14 ministers of state (MoS).

Former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who is widely tipped to get the defence portfolio, was the first to take oath at the Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

BJP general secretary J.P. Nadda, who is known to be close to Modi and party chief Amit Shah, and Birender Singh, who left the Congress ahead of the recent Haryana assembly elections to join the BJP, were administered oath as cabinet ministers by President Pranab Mukherjee.

Modi also brought into his ministry the party’s known Muslim face in Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, adding to Najma Heptullah, who is minority affairs minister. Naqvi is an MoS.

He also added to the representation of women by inducting Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, BJP MP from Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh, taking the number to eight.

Giriraj Singh, 61, who courted controversy with his comment while campaigning for the national elections that “those who oppose Narendra Modi should go to Pakistan” and was also booked for the hate speech, also got a place as minister of state.

The new ministry has most people in their 50s, with the oldest being Bandaru Dattatreya, MoS independent charge, at 68.

The youngest is well-known singer Babul Supriyo, the only face in the ministry from West Bengal. The Asansol MP, who was inducted as MoS, is 43, while Olympian shooter Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore is 44.

The only National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally to get a berth in Sunday’s expansion was Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Rajya Sabha MP, Y.S. Chowdary as an MoS.

Among those who were widely tipped to get a berth and were inducted are Rajiv Pratap Rudy, MoS independent charge, Ram Kirpal Yadav, a former Lalu Prasad aide who quit the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Jayant Sinha, son of BJP veteran Yashwant Sinha, and Vijay Sampla, BJP Hoshiarpur MP.

Sinha’s entry into the government marks the coming in of the second generation of BJP politicians. The IIT-Delhi and Harvard-educated Hazaribagh MP is an investment fund manager and management consultant. His entry is likely to give a fillip to the BJP’s chances in Jharkhand which goes to the polls in November-December.

Another new face is Hansraj Ahir, BJP MP from Maharashtra. Ahir is well-known for having unearthed the coal mining scam. He took oath as an MoS.

The states to get wide representation are Maharashtra, where the BJP has formed government for the first time, with two ministers — Suresh Prabhu and Ahir, adding to the prominent names already in the cabinet, including Nitin Gadkari and Prakash Javadekar.

In Haryana, where it won in the recent assembly elections and formed the government, has a new minister in Birender Singh.

Keeping in mind the forthcoming elections in Bihar, the council has three new faces from the state – Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Ram Kirpal Yadav and Giriraj Singh. Union ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Ravi Shankar Prasad are from Bihar.

Uttar Pradesh got the largest representation, with four new faces — Mahesh Sharma, a doctor who owns Kailash Hospital and is an MP from Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida); Naqvi, who is a Rajya Sabha member; Ram Shankar Katheria, Agra MP; and Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti.

Gujarat, where Modi was thw chief minister for three terms, got two new faces in Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary, and Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundarya.

(IANS)

Laxmikant Parsekar elected as the new Goa CM

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LAXMIKANT-PARSEKAR

Panaji: Goa Health Minister Laxmikant Parsekar was today elected leader of the BJP Legislature Party, paving the way for his elevation as the new Chief Minister, snuffing out any challenge from Deputy CM Francis D’Souza.

Parsekar, who was unanimously elected the leader at a meeting of the BJP Legislature Party, will succeed Manohar Parrikar after he resigned earlier in the day and is set to join the Union Cabinet.

His name was proposed by Parrikar and seconded by the Deputy Chief Minister D’Souza, who had earlier staked claim to the post on ground of seniority.

However, he backed Parsekar after being mollified by the party leadership.

“Parsekar was elected the leader of the BJP Legislature Party unanimously,” said party general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy, party’s observer for the election.

Parsekar, MLA from Mandrem constituency, would be sworn-in as Chief Minister at 4 PM at Raj Bhavan today.

Earlier, Parrikar faxed his resignation to Governor Mridula Sinha at Raj Bhavan. The 58-year-old technocrat- turned politician had taken over as Chief Minister in March 2012 after BJP rode to power in the coastal state.

Manohar Parrikar quits, new Goa chief minister to be named by evening

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MANOHAR PARRIKAR

Panaji: A day ahead of being sworn in as union minister, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar Saturday resigned from office.

He faxed his resignation to Governor Mridula Sinha.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also expected to announce a new chief minister for Goa after a meeting of party legislators in the evening.

BJP general secretary J.P. Nadda said the announcement will be made at 4 p.m.

“The parliamentary board meeting discussed Goa legislative assembly leadership and the Rajya Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh. The decision will be announced at 4 p.m. today (Saturday),” Nadda told reporters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi and did not attend the meeting.

The party’s national observers Rajeev Pratap Rudy and B.S. Yeddyurappa will be present at the meeting in Goa to tide over the process of transition from Parrikar to the new chief minister.

While current Health Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and Speaker Rajendra Arlekar are the top seeds for the post, Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza put a spanner in the works late Friday by insisting that he would not work under either of the two leaders because they were junior to him.

D’Souza, who claimed that 12 BJP as well as independent legislators were on the same page with him on the issue, however, was more receptive to the idea of union Minister for Tourism and Culture Shripad Naik being brought to state politics and appointed as chief minister.

Efforts by Parrikar to cajole D’Souza and get him to agree to either Parsekar and Arlekar did not bear fruit, even as the senior BJP leader tried to put a brave face through the embarrassment caused by D’Souza tantrum.

“I have tried my best, now it is up to the party to decide,” Parrikar told reporters late Friday after a one-to-one meeting with D’Souza.

When asked who in his opinion could be his best successor as chief minister, Parrikar said: “Tomorrow (Saturday) at 1 o’clock on the 8th of November, you can ask.”

On Monday, Parrikar is expected to fly to Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh where he will file his nomination papers to book passage to parliament through the Rajya Sabha.

With inputs from IANS

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