INDO PAK WAR : WHAT HAPPENS IF INDIA PAKISTAN NUKE EACH OTHER

SOURCE: 
  http://www.msn.com/en-in/news/newsindia/india-pak-war-this-site-simulates-casualties-if-we-nuke-each-other/ar-AAj2yw4?li=AAggbRN&ocid=iehp


                WHAT HAPPENS IF INDIA PAKISTAN                    NUKE EACH OTHER


       India VS Pakistan Nuclear War

       : The End of the World in 30 Minutes 

                 - the terrible effects of War


[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tk_-IBIPZQ ]

If Atomic War Starts Between Pakistan & India What Will Happen Fawad Chaudhary Explains

       [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMn3TQ_bPJA ]

How badly Pakistan will suffer if it attacks
                 India with Nuclear Weapons  


     [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btpZAMSBPDc ]

What would happen if Pakistan attacked India with nuclear weapons? | FactoNomics  


     [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtdNt7bBkLA ]

India-Pak War? This Site Simulates Casualties if We Nuke Each Other 

Amidst growing tensions between India and Pakistan, of late, citizens from both sides of the Line of Control can be observed taking pride of their respective nuclear arsenal on social media platforms.

For full coverage of India-Pakistan standoff, click here

With little to zero knowledge, commoners can be easily spotted bragging about the nuclear might of their country on the internet. Also, they mindlessly go ahead in judging which country will even win a nuclear war through their posts, comments and tweets.

So, dear readers (on both sides of the fence), do you have any clue of what will happen if your casual talk on nuclear war becomes a reality?

Of course, you don't have to drop a bomb to calculate this. Alex Wellerstein, a Harvard-educated historian, who specializes on the history of nuclear weapons and government secrecy has a nuclear effects simulator on your website.

The simulator uses the integration of Google Maps and data points collected from thousands of nuclear detonations that have taken place from 1939. The list also includes India's largest Nuclear weapon tested which was a 65 kilo-tons bomb and Pakistan's largest weapons tested at 45 kilotons.
These nuclear weapons are twice the size of 'Fat Man', the bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki during World War 2.

What will happen if India detonates its 65 Kiloton nuclear bomb in Karachi?

© Provided by IBNLive Nuclear bomb, Karachi, India Nuclear arsenal Nuclear impact on Karachi if India detonates its 65 Kt Nuclear Bomb. (Image: nuclearsecrecy)

The simulator calculates, that if the ground zero is Sarafa Bazar in Karachi, the estimated fatalities will be in excess of 6,41,620 people. The estimated figures of people injured will be 15,96,830. Though the simulator says that modelling casualties from a nuclear attack is difficult and these numbers should be seen as evocative, not definitive.

The model also calculates the humanitarian impact of a nuclear blast. The "humanitarian impact" model works by using the Google Places API to search out tagged places near the ground zero location. This is the same algorithm Google Maps uses, whenever you ask how many restaurants are near where you happen to be.

The point of the "humanitarian impact" model is to emphasise some of the collateral impacts of a nuclear explosion, and, to indicate the ways in which support services like hospitals and fire stations would be themselves impacted by a nuclear attack.

With all these variables in place, 12,00,000 (12 lakh) lives lost is still too big if India and Pakistan go nuclear on each other.

What if Pakistan nukes New Delhi?

© Provided by IBNLive New-Delhi-Impact-of-Pakistan's-Nuclear-bomb Nuclear impact on New Delhi if Pakistan detonates its 45 Kt Nuclear Bomb. (Image: nuclearsecrecy)

Similarly, if Pakistan hits New Delhi with its 45 Kiloton nuclear bomb the impact is even more disastrous as portrayed by the simulator.

6,56,070 people will lose their lives if a Pakistani nuke is detonated at Connaught Palace. There will be more than 15,28,490 people who will be injured in this attack. Places like, Jama Masjid, Purana Qila, Parliament house and even Rashtrapati Bhavan will be wiped out.


The simulator also calculates the maximum size of the nuclear fireball after detonation along with radiation radius, air blast radius and thermal radiation radius that cause 3rd-degree burns.
The implications are catastrophic if a nuclear bomb is detonated on either side. So, next time you casually talk about whether India should nuke Pakistan, or vice-versa, just head to this website and you'll be horrified by its implications.


You can also calculate the effects of the blast in your own city on this website. Till now, more than 85.6 million people have detonated a nuclear bomb on this simulator. This is probably the safest and an educative way of detonating a nuclear bomb. Alex Wellerstein the creator of this simulator is an assistant professor of science and technology studies at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. He runs Restricted Data: The Nuclear Secrecy Blog and is the creator of the NUKEMAP nuclear effects simulator





© Provided by IBNLive Shell, which is the replica of the biggest detonated Soviet nuclear bomb AN-602 (Tsar-Bomb), is on display in Moscow, Russia, August 31, 2015. The shell is part of an exhibition organized by the state nuclear corporation…
































 

PLA (N ) South China Sea Buildup- Secrets Revealed for Beijing's New Aircraft Carrier

SOURCE :
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/china/2016/china-160805-sputnik01.htm?_m=3n%2e002a%2e1785%2eka0ao00b2h%2e1n2x

        South China Sea Buildup: Secrets

                                   for

                  New Aircraft Carrier

Sputnik News 

In-Depth Coverage

 

05 AUGUST 2016

As the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy makes significant upgrades to its fleet, a newly emerged photograph shows that the nation's third aircraft carrier will feature a catapult system, instead of the ski-jump method used in earlier models.


With tensions escalating in the South China Sea, Beijing has been steadily upgrading its naval forces. In addition to the construction of new fighter jets, early-warning patrol aircraft, anti-submarine warplanes and helicopters, the PLA Navy is also in the process of adding new aircraft carriers.
While a second carrier is currently under construction, a third is in the planning phase.


A photograph of a mockup of this third vessel reveals new details. While previous designs included a ski-jump section at the ship's bow to provide aircraft with adequate lift, the new design does not include this structure, indicating the likelihood of a catapult launch system.

According to IHS Jane's, satellite photos of Huangdicun Airbase appear to show the construction of two catapult systems. One of these is thought to be steam-powered while the other is an electromagnetic version.

The second aircraft carrier, now nearly complete, features a more sophisticated design than its predecessor, the Liaoning. According to Yin Zhuo, chairman of the consulting committee of the PLA Navy, the vessel will be able to carry more weapons, fighters, and fuel.


In June, photos surfaced of China's new nuclear-powered Type 093 attack submarine. The Shang-class vessel appears to feature vertical-launch shafts that could fire both YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missiles and DF-10 long-range land-attack cruise missiles.


Beijing's naval modernization comes as the United States and its Pacific allies work to escalate tensions in the South China Sea. A highly contested region through which roughly $5 trillion in trade passes annually, most of the waterway is claimed by China, though there are overlapping claims by Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia.

While the Hague-based Court of Arbitration recently ruled against China's nine-dash territorial claims, Beijing does not recognize the decision as legitimate.

The Pentagon has carried out a number of progressive patrol through the region, including several within the 12-mile territorial limit of Beijing's artificial islands in the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos.

As China works to assert its claims, new ships and equipment could well play a significant role.


               ####################################

Aircraft Carrier Project Phase 2 - New Construction

China is designing and building its second aircraft carrier "completely on its own" in Dalian in northeastern Liaoning Province, a Defense Ministry spokesperson confirmed 31 December 2015. This carrier, with a displacement of 50,000 tonnes, will be a base for J-15 fighters and other types of aircraft, Yang Yujun told a monthly press briefing. Fixed-wing aircraft on the carrier will use a ski-jump to take off, he said. The design and building of this second aircraft carrier has been based on experience, research and training on the first carrier, the Liaoning, he added.

On 30 July 2015, huanqiu.com, the Chinese-language version of local Global Times, published an internal document of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. The report states that the company’s “priority missions” are to build nuclear submarines and an aircraft carrier. It also mentions that progress on these projects has been steady.

“The priority missions of building the aircraft carrier and nuclear-submarines have been carried out smoothly and with outstanding results,” the document states, according to a translation provided by Taiwanese media outlets. The Taiwanese reports said that the document suggested that China’s first homegrown aircraft carrier may be nuclear-powered.

The 2013 Report To Congress Of The U.S.-China Economic And Security Review Commission reported in November 2013 that "China plans to follow the Liaoning with at least two indigenously built aircraft carriers. The first likely will enter service by 2020 and the second by 2025. As China’s aircraft carrier force expands and matures, Beijing will improve its ability to project air power, particularly in the South China Sea, and to perform a range of other missions, such as airborne early warning, antisubmarine warfare, helicopter support to ground forces, humanitarian assistance, search and rescue, and naval presence operations."

Similarly, in January 2014 media reported in China quoted Liaoning party Chief Wang Min as saying that work on China’s second aircraft carrier had begun in the city of Dalian, and Beijing is ultimately expected to build four aircraft carriers. These reports, however, were quickly removed by China’s censors.

The 2015 Report To Congress Of The U.S.-China Economic And Security Review Commission noted that, “China continues to pursue an indigenous aircraft carrier program and could build multiple aircraft carriers over the next 15 years.” The Pentagon report mentioned that China’s home-based carriers “would be capable of improved endurance and of carrying and launching more varied types of aircraft, including electronic warfare, early warning, and anti-submarine, thus increasing the potential striking power of a PLA Navy ‘carrier battle group’ in safeguarding China’s interests in areas outside its immediate periphery”.

In 1970 China conducted a study into the feasibility of building an aircraft carrier. China appeared to have chosen to build a Chinese aircraft carrier, rather than purchasing one off-the-shelf. Although China's long-term goal was to acquire one or more aircraft carriers and it had an active program to develop a design, for many years it remained unclear whether Beijing had reached a firm decision on the kind of carrier it would have, given budget constraints and naval funding priorities.

The PLA Navy would need to overcome several large obstacles before it could field an operational aircraft carrier and associated supporting ships. First, the PLA Navy did not initially have any carrier-capable aircraft. Second, although substantially improved in these areas, it still needed more and better anti-submarine and anti-aircraft capabilities to protect a carrier and its supporting vessels. Finally, to have adequate power projection capabilities from the use of a carrier, it was preferable to have more than one carrier so that a carrier was assuming the mission at sea at all times. Thus, many experts concluded that an operational aircraft carrier would not appear to be in China's near future, even though China was funding research and development and training officers in aircraft carrier operations.

According to the US Department of Defense's Annual Report to Congress on The Military Power of the People's Republic of China for 2010, "The PLA Navy has reportedly decided to initiate a program to train 50 pilots to operate fixed-wing aircraft from an aircraft carrier. The initial program, presumably land-based, would be followed in about four years by ship-borne training involving the ex-VARYAG-a former Soviet Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier-which was purchased by China from Ukraine in 1998 and is being renovated at a shipyard in Dalian, China. ... The PLA Navy's investment in platforms such as nuclear-powered submarines and progress toward its first aircraft carrier (a refurbished ex-Russian Kuznetsov-class carrier) suggest China is seeking to support additional missions beyond a Taiwan contingency.... Such an increased PLA presence including surface, sub-surface, and airborne platforms, and possibly one or more of China's future aircraft carriers, would provide the PLA with an enhanced extended range power projection capability and could alter regional balances, disrupting the delicate status quo established by the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea."
On 27 October 2014, the Liaoning returned to its home port in Qingdao after a half year of maintenance. In less than a year, the size of Liaoning's escort group grew from five ships to eight. During the trip China's CCTV revealed an image of the Liaoning battle group, in which the aircraft carrier was sailing with at least eight surface vessels and submarines in formation.


This was the first time that Liaoning appeared in public with its battle force, which experts say is open to changes in future. China deployed its first carrier task group in December 2013, when the Liaoning left its home port of Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province for the South China Sea. It was then escorted by two missile destroyers, two missile frigates, and a supply ship.
Made in China aircraft carrier battle groups require many sophisticated new ships together, regardless of their cost or operational capability, of course, will be substantially improved. However, just building aircraft carrier battle groups but also so that they have the combat capability, is the top priority of China's development of aircraft carriers.


The Type 054B main escort is a new frigate, which is to meet the needs of offshore operations. The Type 054A displacement is further increased the on the basis of the construction of the new generation of large missile frigate, but also to adapt to the Chinese Navy aircraft carrier battle group operations needs and design a types of ships, which will be mainly responsible for the aircraft carrier battle groups in the short-range air defense and anti-submarine missions. Therefore, it will significantly increase payload, precision radar electronic equipment will also undoubtedly substantial upgrade, making it cost to rise exponentially.

Further Reading

CV Phase 2 - New Construction CV NEWCON - Design CV NEWCON - Displacement CV NEWCON - Schedule CV NEWCON - Shipyard CV NEWCON - Specifications CV NEWCON - Ship List CV NEWCON - Schematics CV NEWCON - Pictures   Resources China ready to build aircraft carrier By Andrei Chang Column: Military Might : June 02, 20092018 Chinese aircraft carrier China will build four aircraft carrier battle groups in two stages China may be building first indigenous carrier Sean O'Connor, Indianopolis, Indiana - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly - 27 September 2015

 

SOURCE:
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/payback-must-for-armed-forces/309132.

             Pay Back Must for Armed Forces 

                                    By

                                                     Dinesh Kumar






At the very core of all anomalies and grievances of the Armed Forces is that they are finding their extant status and parity vis-à-vis their civilian counterparts being systematically downgraded by every successive Central Pay Commission

                                                   LIP SERVICE

Forces deserve the best: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar inaugurates a defence exhibition at Vashi, Navi Mumbai. PTI



The Seventh Central Pay Commission (CPC) award has been the cause for serious disquiet within the Armed Forces ever since it was submitted to the government last November. The situation recently came to head with the three Service Chiefs unprecedentedly asking the Union government to withhold the implementation of the CPC for the Armed Forces until pending anomalies are resolved. Following Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's response asking the Service Chiefs to implement the new salary structure while assuring them that their grievances could be looked into later, the Services have backed off and agreed to the implementation of the current pay commission. But going by recent events, there never is a "later". 

Acting in unison

 

Although every pay commission award has evoked discontent within the Armed Forces, the difference this time was that the three Service Chiefs had acted in unison. Such an unprecedented step reflects the extent of resentment and discount within the otherwise apolitical Armed Forces that remains unquestionably subservient to civilian control. This development does not auger well and it is imperative that the government take notice and not leave it unresolved as it has with anomalies pertaining to the Sixth CPC.

In recent years, the Services have become more vocal than usual in expressing their disappointment with issues related to pay, allowances and pensions. Only a few months ago, the three Service Chiefs took the unusual step of writing (in vain) a joint letter to first the Defence Minister and then the Prime Minister expressing dissatisfaction with the Seventh CPC. In March, a tri-Service Pay and Allowances Review Committee delivered a detailed presentation before an Empowered Committee comprising 13 Secretaries. But the effort failed to cut ice even though the Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, who was present at the meeting, specifically stated that there exists "discontentment among the rank and file". Taking note of the growing disquiet within the Armed Forces, the then Defence Minister AK Antony in June 2012 wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, informing him of the growing discontentment among both serving and retired defence service personnel due to fixation of pay and pensions by the Sixth CPC. "My apprehension is that unless we take some corrective action, the issue may take a bad turn", he is reported to have warned. A Committee of Secretaries formed to look into the six core anomalies arising from the Sixth CPC passed the buck saying that it needed to be resolved by an expert committee which is yet to be instituted. 

Four specific anomalies

 

This time the Armed Forces want four specific anomalies to be corrected. One, that there should be a common pay matrix for the three Services and civilian employees. In contrast to 24 pay levels as per the latest CPC, there are 40 pay levels for the civilians. The implication is that the pay of all Service officers will stagnate after 31 years of service which will result in their earning a pension Rs 20,000 less than their civilian counterparts. Bureaucrats give the excuse that a common pay matrix is not feasible because the Armed Forces have a higher number of ranks. 

The second demand pertains to reciprocity of allowances. While all compensatory field and other allowances applicable to the Armed Forces also apply to the central armed police forces (CAPF), the allowances entitled to the latter have not been extended to the Armed Forces. For example, a soldier deployed for disaster management will not be paid any extra allowance whereas a National Disaster Response Force personnel who be paid Rs 6,000 per deployment and a CAPF constable Rs 17,000. A third demand pertains to payment of other allowances such as, for example, technical allowance while a fourth demand relates to disability pension being made applicable on a percentage basis as it is to civilians. 

At the very core of all these anomalies and grievances of the Armed Forces is that they are finding their extant status and parity vis-à-vis their civilian counterparts being systematically downgraded by every successive CPC. From first figuring below the IAS and then the IPS, the Services now find themselves being equated and in some respects inferior to the CAPF such as the CRPF and BSF on pay and allowances. Despite their large numerical strength, the Armed Forces do not find representation on the Central Pay Commissions. Nor do they find representation on the Committees of Secretaries that get constituted to examine anomalies. Indeed the Services harbour the grudge that they are always treated as the "other". 

Cost to government

 

The Armed Forces consider themselves as constituting "the cheapest gun fodder" since they incur the least lifetime cost to the government; as incurring the "lowest induction cost" since unlike their civilian counterparts they are not paid during their training period; have the "lowest retention cost" as they retire earlier than their civilian counterparts and hence draw salaries less than the latter; have the "lowest advancement cost" since relatively low numbers are promoted to the higher rank in view of the steep pyramid rank structure in the Services (only one per cent officers become Lieutenant Generals); and command the "lowest pension cost" because their pensions are fixed at just 50 per cent of the last pay drawn. 

Theorists of Civil-Military relations argue that in a democracy "civilians have a right to be wrong". But then because they have the right to be wrong, civilians must also bear greater responsibility and accountability. The security of a nation is not the exclusive preserve of the Armed Forces. The civilian government is ultimately responsible. Perhaps the government can take a cue from Kautilya"s Arthashastra, that mentions "not being given due honours" at the very top of its list of 28 calamities that can adversely affect the efficient functioning of an army.  A country that does not look after its Armed Forces - the instrument of last resort - does so at its own peril.

 




























































 

Time For Retired Military Personnel In Bureaucratic Roles?

SOURCE :
http://swarajyamag.com/politics/time-for-retired-military-personnel-in-bureaucratic-roles



       Time For Retired Military Personnel
                                    In
                    Bureaucratic Roles?
                                    By

                         ANONYMOUS
                           

A bureaucrat who doesn’t wish to be named writes on why the time is right for the Modi government to initiate a two-fold reform in bureaucracy. One, administrative positions should be made open to retired military officers and two, experts should be brought in via lateral entry

The stunning victory of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2014 rested on its promise of reforming India, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly committed himself to this objective.

There has been discussion ad nauseam on administrative, police, judicial and economic reforms ever since India got independence. Is the NDA government also going through the same path? If yes, then the results are known.
The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) couldn’t deliver, possibly due to the avarice of its political leadership – which culminated in massive scams.

NDA-II has surely performed extremely well on transparency and honesty. However, there is a sense of exasperation expressed privately by leaders, of being let down by the bureaucracy and feeling hurt by hidden ‘landmines’.
We have a raksha mantri working overtime to see that the value gets delivered to the soldier in time, and we have a pradhan sewak, who is yet to take an hour off since he assumed office after the most grueling campaign we have seen in decades.

Thrust of reforms

Read this to find out the availability of electricity and its cost. Every time one takes a look at this, one gets amazed at the story which we usually miss when we complain about blackouts or the cost of electricity.

For the first time, there is a special focus on– toilets for the girl child, smokeless kitchens, and not just doles. It is certain that the government is committed to a more difficult path of ‘true reform’. Surely, a new leaf is being turned.

The Prime Minister’s message to the bureaucracy

The PM has repeatedly criticised the red tape and bureaucratic ways that engendered corruption and never allowed a common citizen to be identified as a stakeholder in governance. By calling himself pradhan sewak, he sent out a clear message to the bureaucracy that they are not the modern-day aristocrats.

Within a fortnight of assuming power, activity seen in golf courses and clubs shifted to offices and that too by 9.30 AM. There was no fuss, just well-intentioned message that was delivered to affect this change. Also, the corridors and staircases were cleaned up and the practice of leaking documents stopped. A tweet brought action from the ministers ­ – no less.


Bureaucracy knows when the political masters mean business.

So the country is indeed changing, but what is being missed out?

The emotional fight of veterans for one rank one pension (OROP) was not just about money. The country was treated to something more precious to the men in uniform, izzat (honour).

The nation feels immensely proud of its armed forces. This respect, which men in armed forces get, comes from their grit, toil, bravery and commitment to the country – many times at the cost of their lives. These highly trained, articulate and focussed leaders, who despite the most deadly arsenal at their command, in eyeball to eyeball situations, keep their nerve and peace prevails on our borders – never allowing escalation.
But what happens to such highly-respected leaders? Most of them retire prematurely. In 2015, this figure was more than an officer a day, according to a report submitted by the raksha mantri in Rajya Sabha. Why can’t these leaders in whom the nation has invested their love, affection and money, and who in turn have proven their mettle and showed they are worthy of the country’s affection, be considered for civilian positions?


It is amusing that military commanders aren’t considered fit to be leaders in civil administration including paramilitary forces or police. People who struggle to pass an exam are rated higher than those who not only pass a tough entrance test but earn their spurs by facing danger and risking their lives, all through their working life.


The armed forces, and for that matter Indian Railways, function effectively despite the pathetically ailing condition the nation finds itself in, in terms of its governance architecture.

Maximum governance: creating a lasting legacy

There is already a scheme for getting people from forces into the civilian bureaucracy. Clerks and peons from armed forces are much liked and can be readily found, but why don’t we find enough senior officers?


One big reform the NDA should look at is to improve the level of governance by opening positions right from village level to the centre to pensioners from the armed forces. The subordinate cadre of armed forces can be redeployed to handle village and tehsil-level work, with officers being brought in with re-skilling in land revenue laws as district magistrates, and being allowed to grow in the cadre. The claim of such people, who have sacrificed so much for the country, is much higher than the unionised and better networked administrative staff, and the nation would fully back such a move.

Similarly, as officers retire, they should be considered for lateral induction at appropriate levels. As the total cadre strength of armed forces and civilian bureaucracy is known, such an equation can be easily worked out. Thus, a balance can be readily arrived at. This opportunity can be availed to address an important issue inherent in the demand of izzat, i.e. making officers and staff of armed forces with equal number of years of service in more hostile conditions junior to their civil counterparts.


So, a more focussed home secretary from armed forces would become a possibility, who would like to focus on real substantive issues. Similarly, for ministries like external affairs, getting officers from armed forces at leadership positions all the way up to secretary level would bring a sense of purpose and poise. The oft repeated angst of armed forces in repeatedly losing leverage with the neighbourhood can be best understood and addressed by the leaders drawn from the armed forces. Are we not trusting them for winning the battle of perception in Kashmir and North East?

Time right for this institutional reform

Former defence minister George Fernandes packed off his babus to Siachen to make them understand that the snowmobiles are not playthings for the soldier posted there. Similarly, the PM has personally visited battlefields, earning affection of the soldiers.

The time has come to make basic structural changes now and this would be truly a ‘big institutional reform’.
All the major initiatives in the country are led by the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officers – execution, management, ideation – which is a bit alarming. The standard modus operandi now is– form a task force, outsource the thinking part to consultants, get industry associations to give ideas and present a report as an expert – so it doesn’t matter if you were heading fisheries and but went to present a report on advanced space research.


Even the report on education reform has been authored by a committee, which had only one educationist and the other three members were retired IAS officers. Indian Police Services (IPS) officers have been depended on for handling most volatile law and order situations – but they can’t be aspirants for becoming home secretaries


When faced with persistent disease, despite changed medicine, a time comes to examine the needle for the delivery of the medicine. The recent campaign by a few IPS officers against the perceived advantage the IAS is set to get in the Seventh Pay Commission is indicative of the stress and frustration, which is swelling up. This post by an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer and the comments which follow is an interesting reminder of the need for reform.
If the country as a republic has to serve aspirations of its citizens, it must get rid of structures, which promote rent-seeking. Zamindars are passé, modern rent-seekers are the bureaucrats, most of whom fail to add any value and only remain keepers of status quo of diminishing standards of governance. Why else should the PM, from the ramparts of Red Fort, on his maiden Independence Day speech, call for provision of toilets after nearly seven decades of independence?
Let’s take a quick look at the achievements in different sectors, which make India proud – space, nuclear, missiles, metro rail, India’s green and white revolution – these were all led by the experts. While the country’s governance came to a grinding halt under UPA’s policy paralysis and defence preparedness hit abysmally-low levels, one found Indian Railways constructing, manufacturing and running successfully.
Another example would support my point – electricity reforms were brought in by RV Shahi, a technocrat brought in by NDA-I, to set right the mess in the power sector.
Maximum governance clearly needs grooming of experts to take on the mantle of leadership – right up to secretary level. Present structures just prevent competition to IAS. It’s time to get better leadership to deliver more robust and meaningful governance.

The author of this piece is a bureaucrat who does not wish to be












 

IAF PROCUREMENT :Five deals that will bolster India's Air Defence

SOURCE: http://www.defencenews.in/article.aspx?id=8572





                  IAF PROCUREMENT
:Five deals that will bolster India's Air Defence

In a bid to strengthen the country's defence capacity, India plans to sign big-ticket defence deals with its traditional and strategic partner Russia during the upcoming annual summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week in Goa on October 15-16. It is expected that some of the most important defence deals may get green signal during the meet.
These include the purchase of 5 S-400 'Triumf' long-range air defence missile systems apart from Kamov-28 helicopters and up-gradation of the Sukhoi 30-MKIs. Two other projects which could also be finalised are the joint production of Kamov-226 light choppers and the long pending joint development of the fifth generation fighter aircraft.




India is one of the biggest purchasers of arms in the world and these deals will further strengthen India's defence arsenal which already boasts of some big purchases that have been made and other deals that are under discussion:


MAJOR PUSH TO BOOST INDIA'S AIR DEFENCE SYSTEM
1-Rafale fighter jets

Manufacturer: France

On September 23, India signed a 7.8 billion Euro deal with France to acquire 36 Rafale fighter jets. And with the addition of these 36 lethal flying machines, the Indian Air Force has re-established its stance as the fourth largest Air Force in the world. The jet comes with RBE2 AA active electronic scanning array (AESA) radar that has a target detection range of at least 130 kilometres which will also be able to track specific enemy entities.

Rafale has an unprecedented range of 100 kilometres as compared to Pakistan's current capability of 80km. This missile can be used to shoot down enemy air crafts and cruise missiles.

The Rafale jet is capable of reaching speeds as high as 2000km per hour which can even outrun most missiles. The jet is made with composite materials which gives it greater agility and high manoeuvrability. The features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon in the hands of IAF is its Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Meteor air-to-air missile with a range in excess of 150 km. With the induction of the Rafale jets, IAF can hit any targets inside both Pakistan and across the northern and eastern borders while staying within India's territorial boundary.


2- S-400 'Triumf' Long-Range Air Defence Missile Systems
Manufacturer: Russia

The new advanced Russian S-400 Triumf missile system is the most modern, air defence system in the Russian arsenal. Its long-range radars can track hundreds of targets simultaneously and can shoot down even stealth fighters like American F-35 jets.

Russian S-400 Triumf missile systems are capable of destroying incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even drones within a range of up to 400 km. The S400 Triumf is designed to knock down flying targets including those equipped with stealth technologies, at a distance of about 400 kms. It is also capable of taking out ballistic missiles and hyper-sonic targets.


3- Apache and Chinook

Manufacturer: USA

Last year, India signed a nearly $3 billion deal for purchase of 22 Apache attack helicopters and 15 Chinook heavy-lift choppers with American aviation giant Boeing and the US government. India has purchased the latest Block III configuration version which the US first got in 2011. Apache Longbow helicopters are one of the most advanced multi-role combat helicopters, featuring all-weather and night-fighting features, ability to track upto 128 targets in less than a minute.

The Apache will be the first pure attack helicopter in India's possession and it's a significant move as the Russian origin Mi 35 which has been in the operation for years are now on the verge of retirement. The stealthy chopper is quipped with laser and infrared systems for a weather, day-night operations. It can also fire the Hellfire missiles, besides its arsenal of 70 mm rockets and an automatic cannon.

Apart from this India has also bought 15 Chinook heavy-lift choppers which can carry 9.6 tons of cargo, including heavy machinery, artillery guns and even light armoured vehicles to high altitude. Its primary roles are troop movement, artillery placement and battlefield resupply. The Chinooks will be used for heli-lifting of heavy military equipment, including special artillery guns and supplies, to inhospitable areas of the North-East.


4- Predator drone aircraft for military surveillance

Manufacturer: USA

India is trying to expedite a deal with the United States to buy Predator drone aircraft for military surveillance. The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator is an American unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built by General Atomics and used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Initially conceived in the early 1990s for aerial reconnaissance and forward observation roles, the Predator carries cameras and other sensors but has been modified and upgraded to carry and fire two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles or other munitions.

With Pakistan on the west and the ever expanding China showing its might in the sea areas close to Indian coastline, the Indian Navy has an extremely important task of protecting the country. India is trying to equip the military with Predator drone to gather intelligence as well as boost its firepower along the borders with its immediate neighbours Pakistan and China. It also wants to protect Indian Ocean from any external aggression.

5- HAL's Light Combat Helicopter

State-run aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) has been under development for some years. However, a series of recent performance trials have paved way for finalisation of basic configuration. Earlier, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar visited HAL's helicopter complex to have a detailed look on advanced features and armament fit of LCH prototypes.

As per HAL claim the Light Combat Helicopter is designed to carry out dedicated combat roles such as Air Defence, anti-tank, scout, support combat search and rescue operations. It also incorporates a number of stealth features such as reduced visual, aural, radar and infra-red signatures and crash-worthy landing gear, armour


















 

India to Speed up Hydropower Building on Rivers Flowing into Pakistan - Source (r)

SOURCE:
http://in.reuters.com/article/india-pakistan-water-idINKCN11W1utm_medium=referral&utm_source=morefromreuters



India to Speed up Hydropower Building on Rivers Flowing into Pakistan - Source
                                      By
                            Tommy Wilkes 




  NEW DELHI
Tue Sep 27, 2016

India will accelerate its building of new hydropower plants along three rivers that flow into Pakistan, a source familiar with the plan said on Monday, in a move likely to aggravate already tense relations with its neighbour a week after an attack on an Indian army base.


    Disagreements over how to share the waters of the Indus and other rivers have dogged relations between the nuclear-armed arch-rivals since independence in 1947.

    The dispute looks set to be reignited after Prime Minister Narendra Modi told officials on Monday that India should use more of the rivers' resources, speaking a week after the Sept. 18 attack on an army base in the disputed region of Kashmir that New Delhi blames on Pakistan, a source with knowledge of the meeting attended by Modi said.


    India has vowed to respond to the raid, in which at least 18 of its soldiers were killed, but any military option risks escalation. Some officials have called for a renewed diplomatic offensive instead.

    Modi said on Saturday that India would mount a global campaign to isolate Pakistan, including through the United Nations, where Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke on Monday.


    India has long accused Pakistan of backing militant groups operating in the Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir, through which several of the countries' shared rivers flow.

    Pakistan denies the allegations and says India has not provided adequate proof to support its claims. A spokesman for Pakistan's foreign office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Modi's hydropower plans.


    At Monday's meeting, Modi and officials discussed ways to increase exploitation of the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus rivers but said they would not violate a long-standing water treaty between the countries in the process.


    "We want to see that all these (hydropower) projects are put on a really fast-track basis," the source told Reuters, speaking on the condition he was not named because of the sensitivity of the meeting.


    "Our entire approach was done to create an atmosphere of goodwill. But in this atmosphere, we want to exploit all our rights under the (Indus Water) treaty," the source said.


    The Indus Water Treaty was signed in 1960 in a bid to resolve disputes, but India's ambitious irrigation plans and construction of thousands of upstream dams has continued to annoy Pakistan, which depends on snow-fed Himalayan rivers for everything from drinking water to agriculture.

    India says its use of upstream water is strictly in line with the 1960 agreement.



The potential for a military conflict between India and Pakistan over water has long worried observers. The neighbours have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir.

    India currently generates about 3,000 megawatts of energy from hydropower plants along rivers in its portion of Kashmir, but believes the region has the potential to produce 18,000 megawatts, the source said.

    New Delhi will also review whether to restart construction of the Tulbul navigation project, which was suspended several years ago. The project proposes diverting water from one of the shared rivers to a city in Indian-administered Kashmir that could impact flows downstream, the source said.  

Tulbul Project[edit]

The Tulbul Project is a "navigation lock-cum-control structure" at the mouth of Wular Lake. According to the original Indian plan, the barrage was expected to be of 439 feet (134 m) long and 40 feet (12 m) wide, and would have a maximum storage capacity of 300,000 acre feet (370,000,000 m³) of water. One aim was to regulate the release of water from the natural storage in the lake to maintain a minimum draught of 4.5 feet (1.4 m) in the river up to Baramulla during the lean winter months. The project was conceived in the early 1980s and work began in 1984.
There has been an ongoing dispute between India and Pakistan over the Tulbul Project since 1987, when Pakistan objected that it violated the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. India stopped work on the project that year, but has since pressed to restart construction. The Jhelum River through the Kashmir valley below Wular Lake provides an important means of transport for goods and people. To sustain navigation throughout the year a minimum depth of water is needed. India contends that this makes development of the Tulbul Project permissible under the treaty, while Pakistan maintains that the project is a violation of the treaty. India says suspension of work is harming the interests of people of Jammu and Kashmir and also depriving the people of Pakistan of irrigation and power benefits that may accrue from regulated water releases.



    A spokesman for Modi's office declined to comment





                                                  **********************************




(Additional reporting by Drazen Jorgic in ISLAMABAD; Editing by Hugh Lawson 

ADDITIONAL INFO

 

 

Indo-Pak - Articles
#2055, 30 June 2006
Tulbul: The Politics of Water between India and Pakistan Priyanka Mallik Research Scholar, JNU

 

[  http://www.ipcs.org/article/indo-pak/tulbul-the-politics-of-water-between-india-and-pakistan-2055.html  ]

 

 

India and Pakistan have entered a crucial phase in their bilateral engagement with the objective of resolving all outstanding disputes. The significance of this engagement can not be denied as it has strengthened their confidence to move forward on important issues like water management. The optimistic note on which their talks on the Tulbul Navigation project concluded is a positive sign. The two day talks started on June 22 in Islamabad. While describing their meeting as constructive Indian Water Resources Secretary, J. Hari Narayan, and his Pakistani counterpart, Ashfaq Mehmood, emphasised that the talks had provided a "better understanding of each other's view". However, the date for the next round of talks is yet to be worked out.

The Tulbul project is a "navigation lock-cum-control structure" at the mouth of the Wullar Lake. It envisages regulated water release from the natural storage in the lake to maintain a minimum draught of 4.5 feet in the river up to Baramulla, during the lean winter months. This is to ensure year-round navigation from Anantnag to Srinagar and Baramulla, a distance of over 20 km

 

The 74 Sq. Km. Wullar Lake (original size 202 Sq. Kms.) is the largest freshwater lake in India, and is situated on the Jhelum; it provides an important means for the transportation of goods and movement of people of Jammu & Kashmir. To sustain navigation throughout the year it is necessary to maintain a minimum depth of water. However, the stretch of 22 km between Sopore and Baramulla becomes non-navigable during the lean winter season with a water depth of only 2.5 ft. For improving navigation, India had started constructing a 439 feet long barrage at the mouth of the lake to ensure the flow of water in winter to 4000 cusecs, with a depth of 4 feet and added storage of 0.3 MAF. Pakistan objected to this project and the construction was halted in 1987. Pakistani apprehensions were based on the following reasons:
 

(1) A barrage may damage Pakistan's own triple-canal project linking Jhelum and Chenab with the Upper Bari Doab Canal;

2) A barrage would be a security risk enabling the Indian Army to make crossing the river either easy or difficult, at will, by the controlled release of water; 

 (3) After constructing the dam, India would control the flow of water into the Jhelum, creating drought and flood situations at will in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan; and

 (4) It would ruin Pakistan's agriculture

 

According to the Indian government, the project is designed to be a control structure aimed at improving navigation in the Jhelum during winter to connect Srinagar with Baramula for transporting fruits and timber. India has underlined that the barrage would not reduce the quantum of water flow, and that it would also be beneficial to Pakistan for regulating water flow to the Mangla Dam by controlling floods. It would also improve Pakistan's Triple-canal irrigation system as well as increase Pakistan's capacity for power generation at Mangla. However, the Wullar barrage is not a storage project but a control project allowed under the treaty. Moreover, the suspension of work is harming the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and depriving people in Pakistan of irrigation and power benefits that may accrue from the regulated release of water.

 

Although the Indus Treaty is an excellent example of settling riparian disputes as well as one of the few examples of successful settlement in major international river basin conflicts, there are differences between India and Pakistan over new projects. Pakistan has charged India with violating the Indus Water Treaty though India has denied these charges. The Indus Water Treaty which was signed on September 19, 1960, divided the six rivers of Punjab between India and Pakistan. India got unrestricted use of the Beas, the Ravi and the Sutlej, and Pakistan got the three western rivers of Chenab, Indus and Jhelum. The Treaty also allows either country to have restricted access for domestic and agricultural use, generation of hydroelectric power through a "run-of-the-river" project, and non-consumptive use including navigation - provided the same quantum of water is returned to the river. The Indian projects promote the process of development without violating the treaty, Tulbul and Baglihar being pertinent examples.

 

With the emergence of a broader framework for regional economic cooperation and accelerated engagement, India and Pakistan will have to find ways to move forward on such key issues. India and Pakistan must "hinder the hindrances" and come together on such developmental projects in the larger interest of the people of both countries