Promises fulfilled by UPA in Defence field in past 2 years

New Delhi, May 21: Creation of a Department of Ex-Servicemens' Welfare and serious attempts to ensure elimination of all delays in the modernisation of the Armed Forces and fully spend the funds thus earmarked were some of the promises fulfilled by the Defence Ministry during the past two years of the United Progressive Alliance regime.

With the National Common Minimum Programme as the bedrock of the UPA government, the Ministry also introduced several measures to ensure transparency in defence deals, according to an official spokesman here.

Good Governance: Keeping in view the Government's commitment to make Defence Procurement more transparent, two sets of Defence Procurement Manual were released -- One for Capital Procurement and the other for Revenue Acquisitions.

Clear time-frame for each stage and process of procurement has been prescribed so as to cut down on delays and bring in accountability. The Government has also implemented the Right to Information Act to provide information to the public about the decisions taken by the Ministry.

Pre-Contract Integrity Pact: The Government has been consistently emphasising on transparency and the need for enhancing probity and integrity in defence acquisition.

It has since been decided that a Pre-Contract Integrity Pact will be signed in all procurement cases -- both capital and revenue -- where the estimated cost exceeds Rs 100 crore. A standard integrity pact has been formulated which will now form a part of the Request For Proposal (RFP) in all such procurement cases.

Confidence Building Measures: The Government decided to relocate troops in Jammu&Kashmir as a Confidence Building Measure following improvement in the overall security situation in the state.

Opening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service and the joint declaration by India and Pakistan during the visit of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf were some of the steps taken in this direction.

Two-day Defence Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan on Siachen, in the framework of the Composite Dialogue, were held in New Delhi in August 2004 and the tenth round of talks on Siachen is slated to be held from May 23 next.

Department of Ex-Servicemen's Welfare Created: In line with the commitment made in the Common Minimum Programme, a new Department for Ex-Servicemen's Welfare has been created in the Defence Ministry to give more attention to the problems of ex-servicemen.

Pensionary Benefits: As part of its commitment in the Common Minimum Programme to improve the benefits for Armed Forces personnel, the Government has decided to significantly improve the pensionary benefits for the Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) who constitute the bulk of the Armed Forces and who have to retire at a relatively young age.

It has been decided to revise the pension of pre-January One, 1996 retiree PBOR with reference to the maximum of post-January One, 1996 pay scales. These measures would benefit about 1.2 million existing pensioners.

It would also benefit the future retirees of Sepoy, Naik and Havildar ranks.

The measure would entail an additional total expenditure of Rs 460 crore per annum. There would be a substantial increase in the pension of the lowest ranks -- for example, the pension of a Sepoy will increase by about Rs 600 per month and in the case of Naik by about Rs 400 per month.

Scorpene Deal: To give more teeth to the nation's underwater capability, contracts were signed with France for the construction of six Scorpene class submarines costing around 3.5 billion Dollars. India will build these submarines at the state-owned Mazagon Docks in Mumbai under transfer of technology. The first submarine will be ready for induction in service within seven years of signing the contract.

Agni-III: The Defence Research&Development Organisation took a giant stride in its Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme when it announced that the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile AGNI-III was technically all set and ready for test firing.

Multi-Role Aircraft: The government is now finalising the Request for Proposal (RFP) for 126 latest generation multi-role fighter aircraft to substantially enhance the air power superiority of the Indian Air Force.

Increase in Defence Allocation: Keeping in view the increased need for modernisation of the Armed Forces, the allocation for the Defence Ministry in the 2005-06 Budget Estimates was increased to a new high of Rs 83,000 crore. The allocation for Capital expenditure is Rs 34,375.14 crore.

The proposed Capital outlay for the year also includes Rs 1364 crore for the Married Accommodation Project.

The Capital outlay for Research&Development has also been considerably increased from Rs 1657.78 crore to Rs 2541.86 crore.

The budget allocation provides for Rs 7166 crore for new acquisitions for the Armed Forces -- this is substantially higher than the allocation for the previous financial year which was only Rs 1000 crore.

Deployment in Jammu&Kashmir: The quantum of troops deployed in Jammu&Kashmir is being continuously assessed and reviewed by the Government based on the threat perception.

A comprehensive counter infiltration strategy has been adopted comprising a multi-tiered arrangement including a forward tier of troop deployment, deployment of state-of-art surveillance devices, the Line of Control fence and a second tier deployment in conjunction with the fence.

This has resulted in drop in successful infiltration/exfiltration by the terrorists.

International Cooperation: India successfully went ahead in strengthening its defence relations with the United States while continuing to strengthen its existing defence relations with Russia.

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee made a successful visit to Russia, the US and Chile.

In Russia, he held wide-ranging discussions with his Russian counterpart and also called on Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Defence Ministers of both the countries signed a formal protocol after the fifth meeting of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation.

Some of the major programmes considered for progress between the two countries were the development and production of the fifth-generation aircraft, joint development of multi-role transport aircraft and procurement of three more frigates from Russia.

During his visit to the US, the Defence Minister signed a new framework for the Indo-US defence relationship that builds on past successes, new opportunities and charts a course for bilateral defence relationship for the next ten years.

During his visit to Chile, the Defence Minister had fruitful discussions with his Chilean counterpart and also visited Antarctica.

AV Singh Committee Report: The Government has issued orders to implement Phase 1 of the Ajai Vikram Singh Committee recommendations involving restructuring the Officers' cadre, reduction in qualifying service for promotion in non-select ranks and a package of peel-off measures to mitigate stagnation.

This will help in achieving optimum combat effectiveness by bringing down the age profile of battalion/brigade commanders and to make the three services more effective in fulfilling individual career aspirations of the officers.

Aero India 2005: The Fifth International Aerospace Exhibition, Aero India 2005, was held at Bangalore in February 2005. The significant feature of Aero India 2005 was the increase in the Indian participation from 74 companies to about 140 companies this time. Besides India, foreign exhibitors from 30 countries -- including the US, Russia, UK, France, Israel, Italy, Germany and Poland -- participated in the show.

More than 350 leading companies showcased their aircraft and aerospace products/equipment through air display, static display and exhibition attracting a large turnout of professionals and businessmen across the world. This biennial exposition has gained the status of a major aerospace event.

International Land and Naval Systems Exhibition-DEFEXPO: The Defence Exposition 2006 saw the largest ever participation of 420 companies from 38 countries.

The Defence Exhibition showcased India's capabilities in land and naval systems. It also demonstrated India's ability to design, develop and deliver a wide range of military and civil products and services at competitive prices.

Through DEFEXPO, India acknowledged the inevitability of technological inter-dependence and expressed its wish to enter into mutually beneficial arrangements with friendly countries.

Indo-French Defence Cooperation Agreement: India and France signed an agreement to promote cooperation between the two countries in defence, military fields, defence industry, production, research and development and procurement of defence material.

The agreement was signed by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and French Defence Minister Mrs Michele Alliot-Marie following a summit-level meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and French President Jacques Chirac. The agreement seeks to promote cooperation between the two countries.

Disaster Relief Operations: It was altogether a different challenge for the country's Armed Forces when they had to fight the wrath of nature in 2005.

From Tsunami to earthquake in Jammu&Kashmir and floods in different parts of the country, the Armed Forces rose to the occasion and did yeoman service to the affected people by undertaking relief, rescue and rehabilitation operations on an unprecedented scale.

Tsunami -- Massive rescue and relief operations were undertaken by the Armed Forces in response to the Tsunami which hit the southern parts of the country on December 26, 2004. Several ships, helicopters, aircraft and thousands of Armed Forces personnel were mobilised in the rescue and relief operations which were carried out in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

The Indian Air Force planes and helicopters airlifted large amount of rescue and relief supplies besides evacuating people to safer places.

The rescue and relief operations by the Armed Forces were not only restricted to the country but for the first time they were extended to neighbouring countries of Sri Lanka, Maldives, Thailand and Indonesia.

October 2005 J&K Earthquake -- The Army and the Air Force carried out massive rescue and relief operations in the quake-affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir. Roads and bridges were rebuilt in record time. The Army and Air Force have also adopted some villages in J&K for reconstruction.

Flood Relief Operations -- The Army and Air Force also carried out flood relief activities in Maharastra, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Many sorties were flown by Indian Air Force aircraft and helicopters and tonnes of relief material was airlifted.

Induction of Sukhoi-MKI: The first indigenously built Sukhoi MK-I was inducted into the Indian Air Force.

The aircraft -- assembled at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Ozhar near Nasik -- rolled out in November 2004. It was the first of the 140 aircraft proposed to be built in India under Russian license.

The SU-30 aircraft is a twin-engine, twin-seater, multi-role fighter that can simultaneously be operated as an interceptor, bomber and trainer. It is capable of attaining a maximum speed of Mach 2 with a maximum climb rate of 270 meters per second.

Main Battle Tank Arjun Inducted: The first batch of five indigenously manufactured Main Battle Tank (MBT) 'Arjun' rolled out of the Heavy Vehicles Factory in Avadi, Tamil Nadu in August 2004. The superior armour-defeating capability of the indigenously developed Fin Stabilized Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot ammunition and 120 mm calibre rifled gun gives 'Arjun' an edge over contemporary tanks of the world.

A computer-controlled integrated fire control system incorporating day-cum-night stabilised sighting system guarantees a very high first round hit probability and reduced reaction time to bring effective fire on targets.

All round protection from anti-tank ammunition is achieved by the newly developed 'Kanchan' armour to a degree much higher than available in present generation tanks. The Arjun will be the main stay of the Indian Army.

Air Defence Ship Project Launched: The construction of the country's first aircraft carrier known as Air Defence Ship (ADS) formally started with the steel cutting ceremony at Kochi Shipyard in April 2004.

Developed jointly by the Defence Research&Development Organisation and Steel Authority of India Limited, the ADS has a speed of more than 28 knots, is 252 mtr long, has a displacement of over 37,500 tonnes and is capable of operating a formidable array of 20 modern fighter aircraft and 10 helicopters of different type.

The ship is expected to enter service in 2012.

Creation of New Command by the Army: The Indian Army announced the creation of its new South Western Command with its Headquarters at Jaipur which formally came into being in April 2005.

Missile Power: BrahMos -- A Supersonic Anti-Ship Cruise Missile developed by the Defence Research&Development Organisation, BrahMos was successfully flight-tested for the tenth time.

The highlight of this test, carried out in combat mode with a number of naval vessels participating, was that BrahMos with its warhead fired from a naval ship impacted on the target ship accurately, destroying it completely.

Agni-II -- The third flight test of Agni-II Missile was carried out successfully in August 2004. The launch of Agni-II from its rail mobile launcher met all the mission objectives including achieving the high accuracy in guiding the payload to the designated target at 1200 km range.

Prithvi -- Prithvi-III, a modified version of surface-to-surface missile was successfully test fired in October 2004 from the Interim Test Range (ITR), Balasore. It has a range of 300 kms. The launch achieved perfect trajectory as per design projections. The test achieved all operational parameters to the required perfection.

Another variant of surface-to-surface missile Prithvi was successfully test fired from ITR Chandipur on sea on May 12, 2005.

IAF Records Lowest Accident Rate: There has been a marked improvement in flight safety record of the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the past decade.

The average rate of Category-1 accidents in the IAF, involving the loss of aircraft, in the ten-year period -- 1994-95 to 2003-04 -- was 0.88 per ten thousand hours of flying -- amounting to a loss of approximately 23 aircraft and 16 fatalities per annum.

During 2004-05, the accident rate was brought down to 0.65 involving the loss of 16 aircraft and 9 fatalities.

The accident rate has further been brought down during 2005-06 to 0.44 involving a loss of 11 aircraft and 8 fatalities. This represents a reduction of 59 per cent in Category-1 accidents when compared to the average rate since 1970 and 50 per cent reduction in accident rate when compared to the average rate during the decade 1994 to 2003-04.

This substantial improvement in the flight safety scenario has been achieved by carefully monitoring accident trends and identifying the causes.

New World Record: An Indian Air Force 'Cheetal' Helicopter set a new world record in November 2004 by landing at a density altitude of 25,150 feet at Saserkangri near Leh.

First Woman Air Marshal: Signifying the increasing role of women in the Air Force, Dr Padmavathy Bandopadhyay became the first lady Air Marshal in the history of the Indian Air Force in October 2004.

Coast Guard Base at Jakhau Commissioned: A new Coast Guard station at Jakhau in Gujarat was commissioned in February 2005. This station will provide the much needed assistance to Indian fishermen operating in the vicinity of the maritime boundary with Pakistan. Two Hovercrafts have been based at Jakhau for operation in shallow water and creeks. The station is also capable of providing turn-around facility for Interceptor Boats of the Indian Coast Guard while on patrol in the area.

On similar lines, nine more operational stations are on the anvil for activation shortly in a planned manner. These are Beypore, Pondicherry, Pipavav, Karwar, Vadinar, Ratnagiri, Kakinada, Gopalpur and Kamorta.

Joint Exercises: With a view to enhancing its international image as also its increased role as a force multiplier, the Indian Air Force carried out Joint Exercises with the Air Forces of South Africa and Singapore.

It also participated in the multi-lateral exercise 'Cope Thunder' at Alaska in the United States. A joint aerobatic display with the French Air Force was also held at Hindon airbase.

The ten-day-long joint Indo-UK Command Post Planning Exercise 'Emerald Mercury' was held in March 2005 in Hyderabad. Some 58 Indian and 48 British military officers took part in this exercise which was the first of its kind between the two countries.

This was essentially an exercise in planning a UN-mandated joint Indo-UK task force to be deployed for peace support operations to provide humanitarian relief in a strife-torn country.

Kelkar Committee Report: The Kelkar Committee -- set up by the Government under the chairmanship of Dr Vijay Kelkar to examine the current procedures and recommend modalities of integration of the User, the Defence Ministry and the Indian Industry, both private and public -- submitted the first part of its report to the Defence Minister.

In the acquisition process of products required by the Armed Forces, 26 of the 40 recommendations in Part-I of the report of the Committee have been accepted for implementation; eight recommendations have been accepted with some modification and the remaining six recommendations are under further examination.

The thrust of Part I of the Report of the Committee is ''Towards Strengthening Self-Reliance in Defence Preparedness''.

This Report takes into account increased capabilities of Indian Industry and growing globalisation of the Defence industry. The Committee has adopted a long-term approach to prepare a policy regime that would encourage India's best firms to enter the field of defence production.

To promote innovation, efficiency and cost cutting, the Committee has adopted a strategic perspective in formulating proposals towards acquisition policy reforms.

Ships Launched: The Third Warship of P-17 series built by Mazagon Docks Limited was launched. Another ship built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited, 'Yard 3015 Kesri' was launched in June 2005 at Kolkata.

INS Tillanchang Handed Over: In a landmark event, INS Tillanchang, a fast attack craft was handed over to the Maldives in April 2006.

At the request of the Maldives Government, the Indian Government decided to meet the immediate needs of the Maldivian Coast Guard by transferring INS Tillanchang to them.

Named after one of the islands of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands chain, INS Tillanchang, built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata was inducted into the Indian Navy five years ago.

The 260-tonne Trinkat class fast attack craft, INS Tillanchang's main armament is the indigenous 30 mm gun, manufactured by Ordnance Factory Medak. Powered by German MTU engines, it has a maximum speed of 28 knots and is capable of extended deployment up to 2000 nautical miles.

INS Kadamba Commissioned: The first phase of Project Seabird known as INS Kadamba, India's long-awaited futuristic state-of-art operational naval base on the Western Coast at Karwar in Karnataka was commissioned in May 2005.

Air Force Team Scales Mt Everest: A three-member Indian Air Force team successfully scaled the world's highest peak Mount Everest in May 2005 becoming the first Air Force of the world to do so.

Army Women Team Scales Mt Everest: A four-member women team of the Indian Army scaled the Mount Everest successfully in June 2005.

UNI

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