New Delhi, Army Chief General V.K. Singh has still not consented to attending the official farewell tea party hosted by the Ministry of Defence in order to avoid his brief profile being read out, including the controversial date of birth in front of Defence Minister A.K. Antony and other top officials. The organisers have contacted the Army Chief's office several times for his consent and are worried that delay is being done to avoid the official function that will start with mention of personal details, including the date of birth of General Singh on which he has been at loggerheads with the Ministry of Defence. The Joint Secretary (Establishment) as per the norms will read out General Singh's profile, provided by his office. It is followed by speeches from the Defence Minister, the Defence Secretary and other top officials of the ministry. The event used to end with the handing over of a plaque. The Army Chief claims that he was born on May 10, 1951, whereas the Ministry of Defence considers his year of birth to be 1950. The organisers are worried that the official farewell tea party to be held on General Singh's retirement date could be used by the Army Chief to ...
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New Delhi, In a shocking breach of discipline in the Army, officers and jawans of an artillery regiment deployed in the Nyoma sector of eastern Ladakh violently clashed with each other on Thursday evening. The ugly brawl ended with the commanding officer (CO) of the 226 Field Regiment deployed in Durbuk, Colonel Prasad Kadam, a Major, S K Sharma, and two jawans being admitted to the military hospital at Leh with multiple injuries. The entire artillery unit of around 550 soldiers, which was at the high-altitude Mahe range in Nyoma to practise firing of their 105mm guns, was subsequently "disarmed" by additional forces rushed to the spot. The incident sent ripples down the 1.13 million-strong Army, justifiably proud of its disciplined ethos and esprit de corps, and the entire defence establishment in South Block. Even as Karu-based 3 Division commander Major General A L Chavan rushed to the spot, Army chief General V K Singh briefed defence minister A K Antony on Friday morning after talking to Northern Army commander Lt-Gen K T Parnaik. The artillery regiment will "eventually be disbanded", much like a few Sikh regiments were in the aftermath of Operation Bluestar in ...
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New Delhi, Defence Minister A.K Antony on Wednesday said the government would take stringent action against those involved in corruption in acquisition of equipment for the army. Clarifying the government's stand in the Rajya Sabha, Antony said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the matter and the perpetrators would be brought to book. "We have already referred the matter for extensive, comprehensive enquiry by the CBI and we hope CBI will complete the enquiry as quickly as possible. My understanding is that the enquiry is going on fast. While misconception is there about the procurement of equipment for the armed forces; every procurement of this vehicle, hitherto from 1986 onwards, by the ministry is as per the General Staff Qualitative Requirements (GSQR) report prepared by the army and as per their requirements only," he said. "Government is not imposing the army to take this vehicle, the requirement is coming from their side only, and government side is not imposing," he added. Antony further said that the government has taken a serious note on the procurement issues and during investigation, the CBI has recommended to blacklist six companies, ...
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New Delhi, Against the backdrop of controversy over Tatra truck deal, government today told the Rajya Sabha the purchases were made as per the requirement raised by defence forces and action will be taken if any wrongdoing was detected in the ongoing CBI probe. "We are clean...we have nothing to hide, nothing to fear," Defence minister A K Antony said, replying to queries related to Tatra truck deals. He said the government has ordered an extensive and comprehensive CBI inquiry in the matter and hoped the country's premier investigation agency would complete the probe as quickly as possible. The minister said action would be taken and he would give extensive reply on the matter during a debate on the working of defence ministry in the House. He said the purchases of the trucks were made as per the "requirement" of the defence forces. Regarding a question on blacklisting of domestic and foreign arms companies, he said "we are in difficult situation" as "powerful" countries, vendors and domestic players all want Indian business. Whenever there is any case of corruption action is taken, the minister said. He also said the ministry has decided to seek ...
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New Delhi, Defence Minister AK Antony on Monday said the Indian government has not registered any protest with China over reports of the neighbouring country's army conducting exercises near the borders. "Reports regarding conduct of exercises close to the Indian borders by the People Liberation Army (PLA) have been received. These exercises involved employment and live firing of heavy and specialist equipment like armoured vehicles, artillery pieces, fighter aircraft etc," said Antony in the Lok Sabha. "The government has not registered protest with China in this regard as these exercises are an internal matter of China." Antony said the security situation is constantly reviewed by the government from time to time and necessary action is taken thereon. "This is a continuous process," said Antony. ...
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New Delhi, Defence Minister A.K. Antony today directed his ministry officials to get a fresh report from the Indian Embassy in Rome following a media report alleging malpractices in the procurement of 12 helicopters for the VVIP Communication Squadrons of the Indian Air Force from Ms. Agusta Westland. There were media reports also in February 2012 about investigations undertaken by Italian authorities into alleged unethical dealings by M/s Finmeccanica Italy. Following this, information was sought by MoD from the Indian Embassy in Rome. The Indian Embassy reported that Italian authorities were conducting preliminary investigations on allegations of financial malpractices occurring within Finmeccanica and its subsidiaries in general. There was no specific probe being conducted on India-related transactions. There is no clear indication at this stage whether the India related deal would be probed on the strength of preliminary investigations. It may be recalled that the contract for the procurement of the helicopters contains the standard provisions against use of undue influence and employment of agents and payment of agency commission. A Pre-Contract Integrity Pact ...
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New Delhi, Defence minister A K Antony on Thursday described the maiden test flight of Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Agni-5 as an "immaculate success" and a "major milestone". "The nation stands tall today. We have joined the elite club of nations (to possess the ICBM capability)," Antony told the DRDO chief Dr V K Saraswat on phone after the test flight of the missile was declared successful on Thursday. "The immaculate success of the Agni-5 is a major milestone in the country's missile research and development programme," he said. The about 5,000 km range Agni-5 was launched from a test range at Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha at 0807 hours and took 15 minutes to reach its target in southern Indian Ocean. The missile achieved all the mission parameters and has turned out to be a huge success, defence ministry officials said. The launch was cancelled last night due to bad weather and a spate of heavy lightning in the test range. Antony also spoke to the Agni-5 project director Dr Avinash Chander and congratulated his entire team for their hard work and dedication. DRDO took four years to develop the missile. In his conversation with Dr ...
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New Delhi, Army chief Gen VK Singh has filed a formal written complaint with the CBI over his alleged bribe offer from a senior retired officer to clear 'sub-standard' trucks. According to Times Now, CBI has received the complaint and is examining it. After analysing this written complaint, CBI will decide on filing an FIR in the case. Earlier, the Army chief had sought a few more days to file his detailed complaint. Gen Singh, who has named retired Lt Gen Tejinder Singh as the person who had allegedly made the offer, in his initial complaint, was asked by CBI officials to give a detailed complaint about the issue. Gen Singh had claimed in media interviews that an equipment lobbyist had offered him a bribe of Rs 14 crore to clear the tranche of trucks, a matter which he had reported to defence minister A K Antony. The ministry had then recommended a CBI probe into the allegation. Meanwhile, retired Lt Gen Tejinder Singh recorded his statement against the Army chief in a Delhi court. He has filed a criminal defamation case against VK Singh. The court has reserved its judgement and will analyse the evidence before deciding on summoning the Army chief ...
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New Delhi, Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday D said that reports of the Army being short of tank ammunition are just 'rumours'. "These are all rumours. I can assure you that India is in a much more strong position as compared to the past," Antony told reporters here. "There will always be some shortcomings and that is also in the process. We can't expect 100 per cent requirements to be fulfilled and also that entire force is not on the front. They are all spread over," he added. Antony's statement is seen as a response to Army Chief General V K Singh's letter to the Prime Minister in March that armoured regiments were facing a critical shortage of ...
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Visakhapatnam, "I am not a madman. I am a realist and I know my limitations," was how defence minister AK Antony reacted when asked whether he was a candidate for the Presidential elections. "There should be a limit to ambition ... That is madness," he said, virtually ruling himself out of the race for elections in July when the tenure of President Pratibha Patil ends. No names for Patil's successor have emerged ...
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Visakhapatnam, "I am not a madman. I am a realist and I know my limitations," was how defence minister AK Antony reacted when asked whether he was a candidate for the Presidential elections. "There should be a limit to ambition ... That is madness," he said, virtually ruling himself out of the race for elections in July when the tenure of President Pratibha Patil ends. No names for Patil's successor have emerged yet. ...
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Vishakhapatnam, After a gap of two decades, India has joined the elite club of nations having nuclear-powered submarines with the induction of the Russian-origin 'Nerpa' into the Navy on Wednesday. Defence minister A K Antony commissioned the Akula II class Nerpa rechristened INS Chakra into the Navy. India had earlier leased and operated Charlie Class Russian nuclear submarine from 1988 for training its personnel on such submarines. With INS Chakra and the indigenous INS Arihant expected to start operational patrols soon, India will soon have two nuclear submarines guarding its vast maritime boundaries. The Nerpa has been taken on lease from Russia for ten years and would provide Navy the opportunity to train and operate such nuclear-powered vessels. "Our crews will get the experience of operating under water for several months at a go as unlike the conventional diesel electric submarines, which have to come to surface at regular intervals, nuclear submarines can remain under water for months," Navy officials said. India had signed a deal with Russia in 2004 worth over $900 million for leasing the submarine. It was expected to be inducted a couple of years ...
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New Delhi, BJP on Friday demanded defence minister AK Antony's resignation, upping the ante against government over the controversy surrounding Army chief's allegation that he was offered bribe for clearance of Tatra truck contracts. Raising the issue during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, Prakash Javadekar (BJP) questioned whether the minister was patronising corruption as no action has been taken against anybody though a probe was ordered two years back. He rejected Antony's contention that he did not act on the Army chief's information on bribe offer in absence of any written complaint and claimed that a written complaint did exist. "If the probe in Tatra trucks is continuing from 2009 to 2011, if it is not completed in two years, then this government and this defence minister are trying to cover up corruption. If you are patronising corruption, you have no right to remain in power. The defence minister should resign," Javadekar said. The BJP leader told the House that Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had written a letter to the defence minister two years back demanding a probe into the matter. Azad was not in the House. He said the defence ministry had even ...
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New Delhi, Named as the man who offered army chief V.K. Singh a bribe, Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Khanna said Tuesday that if that had indeed happened then the matter should have been investigated at that time itself. "If army chief had reported the matter to (the defence minister) and if this had happened, then he should have definitely at that time investigated the matter under the law," Tejinder Singh, who filed a defamation case against the army chief in a Delhi court, told NDTV. Defence Minister A.K. Antony told parliament Tuesday that the army chief had told him about Lt Gen Tejinder Singh offering him a bribe. "But he told me he did not want to pursue it. No written complaint was given. Till today I have not received any written complaint from him and after yesterday's (Monday) report, I have ordered a CBI inquiry," Antony said. Sending shockwaves through the defence establishment, the army chief disclosed that he was offered a kickback of Rs.14 crore in his office by a retired defence officer for clearing a tranche of 600 sub-standard vehicles. Though the general did not name Tatra, manufactured by state-owned Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) under licence from ...
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New Delhi, Defence minister AK Antony has corroborated Army chief General VK Singh's claim that he was informed by the Army chief about the alleged bribe offer made to him. Speaking on the issue in Rajya Sabha, Antony said that though Gen Singh informed him about the alleged bribe offer by Lt General (retd) Tejinder Singh, he also told him that he didn't want to pursue the matter further when asked to take action. Antony further added that Gen Singh did not file a written complaint upon which action could be taken. The defence minister also said that the CBI that had been ordered to probe the matter following Gen Singh's startling revelation would be 'comprehensive' and no one would be spared regardless of how powerful the person was if found guilty. Earlier, Gen Singh in a media interview stirred a major controversy when he said a recently retired senior officer offered him a bribe of Rs 14 crore if he passed sub-standard trucks for procurement by the Army, and he had reported the matter to the defence minister. ...
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New Delhi, Defence minister A K Antony's office is 'bugged' and the defence ministry ordered probe with Intelligence Bureau, according to sources. The bugging came into notice on February 16 following which defence secretary Shashikant Sharma took up the matter with IB for a probe. Last year, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had confirmed that he suspected his finance ministry offices were bugged and had sought an inquiry into the alleged ...
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New Delhi, Dismissing China's objections to Defence Minister A.K. Antony's recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, India Monday said the defence minister has the right to visit any part of the country and protested against any outside interference. "Arunachal Pradesh is a part and parcel of India. The defence minister is entitled to go anywhere in the country he considers necessary," External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told reporters here. The question of any country raising objection does not come into consideration, said Krishna. Antony, who visited Arunachal Pradesh Feb 20 for the Silver Jubilee celebrations of its statehood in state capital Itanagar, called the Chinese comments "objectionable". "It's most unfortunate. It's really objectionable because Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India," Antony told reporters here Monday. Objecting to the Indian defence minister's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei had Saturday asked "India to work with China to maintain peace and stability in border areas". Hong had asserted that China advocated seeking a fair and rational solution through equal and friendly negotiations, ...
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New Delhi, Defence Minister A K Antony has hit back at China for its shocking objections to his visit to the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. "I was surprised at this reaction. This is unfortunate and really objectionable," Antony said referring to China, which has pricked India time and again by various means over the territorial claims along the border with India. Antony said he has the right to visit any part of his country and has been visiting Arunachal Pradesh since 1984. "I have the privilege of visiting Arunachal Pradesh since 1984 and I am happy to see the progress of the state and Arunachal Pradesh is progressing well," he said. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei was quoted saying on Saturday "India should refrain from taking any action that could complicate the border issue." India's External Affairs Minister SM Krishna had also reacted sharply to the China remarks and said it took the matter seriously. China earlier had objected to Tibetan exiled spiritual leader Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh earlier. The northern border of Arunachal Pradesh follows the McMahon Line, a border delineated in the Simla Accord that ...
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New Delhi, Even though speculation is still rife that General V K Singh may soon resign after losing his battle on the age issue in the Supreme Court, defence minister A K Antony on Monday expressed hope the festering controversy was now over while reposing "full faith'' in the Army chief. "The government has confidence in the present chief and that was conveyed in the Supreme Court also. Everything is clear and we have confidence in him," said Antony, before leaving for a two-day trip to Saudi Arabia on Monday morning. "I am very happy this controversy is over after the judgment of the Supreme Court. In the interest of national security, please forget and bury this unfortunate controversy. Whatever has happened has happened and is over now,'' he said. "I request my colleagues to close this chapter and let us all work together to strengthen national security. For us, national interest is supreme," he added. Gen Singh, who has left everyone guessing over his next move after becoming the first serving military chief ever to drag the government to court, also left for a four-day visit to the UK later in the day. As earlier reported by TOI, the defence ministry has ...
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New Delhi, Defence minister A K Antony on Monday expressed happiness that the controversy over Indian Army chief General V K Singh's age had been resolved and hoped that everyone would "work together to strengthen national security". "I am very happy this controversy is over," Antony told reporters on the sidelines of the Asian security conference. "It is my request to all my colleagues and all of you (the media) to please close this chapter and let us work together to strengthen national security," Antony said. On Feb 10, a Supreme Court bench of Justice R M Lodha and Justice H L Gokhale made it clear that Gen Singh's date of birth would continue to be May 10, 1950, and not May 10, 1951, as he demanded based on his school leaving certificate. Gen Singh consequently withdrew his plea demanding that his year of birth be treated as 1951 and not 1950. The Army chief had gone to the Supreme Court Jan 16 insisting he was actually born May 10, 1951, not in 1950 as claimed by the ...
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