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  • India to boost infrastructure in areas along China border

    Villages, towns identified by security forces to get priority.

    To ramp up infrastructure along the China border, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided to spend 10% funds of a Centrally sponsored scheme only on border projects in Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarkhand and Sikkim.

    The Border Area Development Programme (BADP) has been allocated ₹784 crore in the 2020-21 fiscal and the money is distributed to the border States and Union Territories (UTs) depending on various criteria such as the length of the international border and population. In 2019-20, ₹825 crore was granted for the scheme.

    According to the new guidelines approved by Union Home Minister Amit Shah effective April 1, the projects for developing strategically important villages and towns in border areas that have been identified by the border guarding forces, will be given priority. Around ₹78.4 crore has been parked for projects in areas inhabited along the 3,488 km China border.

    Construction of roads, bridges, culverts, primary schools, health infrastructure, playfields, irrigation works, mini-stadiums, indoor courts for basketball, badminton and table tennis can be undertaken within 10 km of the border from the BADP funds.

    The BADP, initially started in 1980 for the western border, has over the years expanded to cover 396 blocks of 111 border districts in 16 States and two UTs.

    The new BADP guidelines said, “10% of the total allocated funds will be additionally allocated to the States/UTs abutting Indo-China border [Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Sikkim and Uttarakhand] for taking up works/projects in the districts abutting Indo-China border.”

     

    It said that 10% funds would be reserved as an incentive for the better performing States. Out of the remaining ₹638.2 crore, the northeastern States- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim would get –₹255.28 crore or 40% of the remaining 80% funds. Around ₹382.9 crore or 60% funds would be allocated to Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Union Territories Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the guidelines said.

    Infrastructure creation

    The creation of infrastructure “would help integrate these areas with the hinterland, create a positive perception of care by the country and encourage people to stay on in the border areas leading to safe and secure borders,” the MHA said.

    Forces such as the Border Security Force (BSF), deployed along the Bangladesh and Pakistan borders; the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on the China border; the Sashastra Seema Bal along the Nepal border; and the Assam Rifles stationed along the Myanmar border would provide independent feedback on the projects in the blocks concerned and may be tasked to conduct social audit of the works, it stated.

    No NGO or private institution could be hired for infrastructure related work, the guidelines said.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Border tension more serious than in the past, say former Generals

    Former Generals point out multiple face-offs and the geographical spread of the conflict.

    The ongoing border tension with China at multiple points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is more serious than past incidents, indicating China’s planning and the likelihood of a protracted stand-off, two senior former generals said on Wednesday.

    Unlike previous LAC incidents that were localised, the current stand-offs were spread over at least four points along the LAC and involved more troops than before, which complicated the possibility of an early disengagement and return to status quo, they said.

    “The fact of the matter is some kind of planning has gone through before these multiple face-offs,” said Lt. Gen. (retd) S. L. Narasimhan, Member, National Security Advisory Board. “Earlier, they used to take place in one place. This time there have been multiple face-offs and geographically spaced out, in Sikkim, Pangong Tso and Galwan. The kind of numbers we see is also not what we saw earlier, and the aggression has been more than normal.”

    “Normal face-offs happen every year, they don’t lead to these kind of incidents,” added Lt. Gen. (retd) D.S. Hooda, former Northern Army Commander. “This is much more serious. They have come completely well prepared and prepared to do things by force. We have never seen this level of violence,” he added. Both were speaking at a webinar organised by the Institute of Chinese Studies.

    India rejects China’s claims of trespass

    Stand-offs in at least four locations along the LAC remain unresolved, with reports of a build-up in Galwan valley, Pangong Tso and Hot Springs in Ladakh, and Naku La in Sikkim, with Chinese troops present on India’s side of the LAC in some of these spots. Talks at the level of Lieutenant Generals are set for June 6.

    Gen. Hooda said a key difference was that past incidents, including in Depsang in 2013, Chumar in 2014 and Doklam in 2017, were localised, triggered by road-building activity. “We were absolutely clear of the red lines and demands of two sides. One wanted to build, the other said no. Therefore, we knew the steps towards resolution. I am not sure we know that in this case. What is it the Chinese want, and why [are there incidents] in so many areas? Will they ease off and go back having invested so much and come into these areas? That adds to risk and possible difficulty in resolving it. We are in for tough hard negotiations and maybe a protracted stand off.”

    Also new in this instance is the stand-off at Galwan valley, which is not one of the points on the LAC where there have been differing perceptions of alignment. In Pangong lake, face-offs had occurred in the past, as India has been patrolling up to its LAC at Finger 8 while China would come up to Finger 2 — the “fingers” from 1 to 8, running from west to east, refer to mountain spurs on the lake’s northern banks. Here also the stand-off is different, as Chinese troops are now present in the area between Fingers 4 and 8 and are preventing India from patrolling up to Finger 8, effectively altering the status quo.

    Gen. Hooda suggested that clarifying the LAC in all key areas needed to be done “on an urgent basis” to prevent recurring incidents.

    He suggested following the example of Chumar in 2014, where the stand-off was resolved on the basis of a moratorium in patrolling into contested areas for a certain number of days, which was observed for almost two years with transgressions coming down to zero. A similar arrangement could be considered, he said, as “the current protocols are not working”. The solution to the current stand-offs would be to return to the status quo as of May 3, before the first incidents were reported, he added.

    The former Northern Army Commander said reports suggesting China had over the recent years “nibbled away” at parts of Indian territory were incorrect, and that the Indian Army had ensured it had continued access to patrolling points on the LAC. “In the past 15-20 years, there has been no real change in what we felt was the alignment of the LAC. Those [points] are sacrosanct to the Indian Army.”

    Gen. Narasimhan said if it was not possible to clarify the entire LAC — the process has been stalled since 2002 after China objected to exchanging maps in the western sector — both could at least start doing so in the disputed and sensitive areas. “This would go a large way in reducing face-offs in the border,” he said. While enough protocols were in place — from 1993, 1996, 2005 and 2012 — to regulate patrolling, the problem was ensuring they were followed, he said. “If LAC can be clarified, [we] can work on modality to address face-offs.”

    He said one possible reason for the current stand-off is that the Chinese “aren’t clear why infrastructure is coming up” on the Indian side. “They are unsure of what we are doing in our area,” he said. With continued engagement through both military and diplomatic channels, he hoped “there will be a disengagement”. “I have the feeling this will get resolved amicably over a period of time,” he added.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • On a lighter Note | Ertugrul Fever In Kashmir

    By: Funny Kashmir

    Watch Video:

    Part 1:

    Part 2:

    Disclaimer: This video is not a work by Kashmir Today Staff.

    No copyright infringement intended.

  • Imam Khomeini proved Superpowers Defeatable: Khamenei

    Tehran: In a televised address to the Muslim Ummah and Iranian Nation, Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Imam Syed Ali Khamenei paid homage to the founder of Islamic Revolution Imam Khomeini on his 31st death anniversary and recounted his legacy.

    The ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the passing away of Imam Khomeini (r.a.) – the great founder of the Islamic Revolution – which used to be held annually at his resting place with masses of people attending, was broadcasted live due to the Corona pandemic.

    On the 31st anniversary of the demise of Hazrat Imam Khomeini, Imam Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, referred to the chaotic condition in the US following the murder of another black man by American police and stated, “A police officer putting his knee on a black man’s neck and pushing until he dies shows the nature of the American governments.”

    In his televised speech on Wednesday, the Leader of the Revolution stated that what is being witnessed today in US cities and states is the disclosure of a reality that was always kept concealed. He emphasized, “Today’s situation is in fact like the slime at the bottom of the pond that has risen to the surface.”

     Decades after his departure, Imam Khomeini “is still alive among us, and should remain alive among us.”

    Imam Khamenei pointed out that such crimes have frequently happened in the past, and the Americans have done the same things in many countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and other such countries.

    Referring to the slogan of “I cannot breathe,” which the American people have been chanting in recent days, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution stated, “This is what the nations that have been the victims of US’s oppressive usurpation want to say from the bottom of their hearts. By God’s favor and grace, the US has been disgraced as a result of its own actions. Their management of the Coronavirus brought them to disgrace, and their weak handling of the situation caused them to have several times as many casualties as other countries. The American people feel embarrassed and ashamed of their government.”

    The Leader recalled how Imam Khomeini also transformed the people’s attitude towards the so-called superpowers and their presumed invincibility to the point that the then US rulers acknowledged that the Imam had “humiliated” them.

    “At that time, no one assumed that anything could be done contrary to what the US willed.

    This is the nature of the U.S. governments, a policeman kneels on a black man’s neck until he dies

    Imam Khomeini proved that superpowers are not invincible. We witnessed what happened to the Soviet Union. And today we are watching the US and see what is transpiring there,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, adding Imam Khomeini taught the masses how these big powers can be overcome.

    Commenting on the massive public protests that have swept the United States in recent days, the Leader said the “cold-blooded” murder of an African American by a white police officer in Minneapolis exemplified the US’s overall “behavior and essence” that has manifested itself in Washington’s atrocities throughout the Middle East and elsewhere in the world.

    The Leader underlined the Imam’s spirit of “seeking and encouraging change,” calling him a “true leader.”

    From a young age, Imam Khomeini would advise in favor of “rising up in the path of God,” Ayatollah Khamenei noted, and reminisced how the late leader would invoke “spiritual revolution” among people through his speeches.

    Imam Khomeini thus managed to eventually bring about “change across the whole Iranian nation,” and prompted the people to abandon the spirit of lethargy and capitulation in the face of oppression, the Leader stated.

    Imam Khomeini also caused the nation to abandon its feelings of self-deprecation and consider itself entitled to self-esteem, and extended the nation’s attitude towards religion beyond a simply personal matter, Ayatollah Khamenei remarked.

    The revolutionary leader kept up his efforts at inducing change even after the Islamic Revolution, the Leader said.

    The revolutionary attitude is still alive today, said the Leader, citing the country’s scientific and defensive achievements and noting that Iran has attained the “deterrent status” thanks to its defense power.

    The Leader then underlined the importance of continued pursuance of change as a means of betterment, and proceeded to name some instances of desired change in various arenas.

    As one desired prospect in the field of economy, the Leader cited potential severance of dependence on oil revenues.

    Across the social sphere, the Leader sternly warned against allowing the population’s median age to rise.

    With inputs from Wilayat Times

  • Suspension of LoC trade has cost Rs 500 Cr loss to traders: SCUT

    Srinagar: The Salamabad Cross Union Trade Association Wednesday said that people involved in cross LoC trade are on verge of collapse and starvation as around Rs 500 crore have been lost since the trade was suspended last year in April by the Government of India.

    Chairman Salamabad cross union trade (SCUT), Hilal Turkei said that an estimated Rs 5780 crore rupees turnover generated since the commence of trade back in 2008 till the suspension in last year April.

    Turki told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that the annual loss suffered since the suspension last year in April is around 500 crore rupees with traders and people linked to it are on verge of collapse.

    He said the cross border trade between India and Pakistan started on 21 October 2008 and was shut last year on March 7 after some issues but on 18 April a notification was issued by government of India stating that the trade must be shut as new mechanism has to be set-up for the same.

    Turki estimated the revenue generated in past 11 years around 5780 crore. He said the traders since suspension have suffered huge losses as number of firms were involved with 1000’s of people earning their livelihood from it including the truckers, labourers, representatives, mandi, house-holds, transport, petroleum and notified committees in towns.

    He said 63000 truckers were hired for the process and they have given away at least 1,70, 000 job days at 800 rupees per day to labour class which is a handsome earning.

    He said that not only the locals but people from Jammu, Rajouri and other parts of the valley were involved in the trade business as it provided jobs to the people living in off-site areas which have no other source of avenues to earn. “Even the educated un-employed people were involved in this trade to earn their livelihood and they are worst victims of the trade suspension.”

    People involved in cross border trade are on the verge of starvation and if the suspension continues all may have to sell-out their assets including the homes to pay the bank instalments and the money borrowed from market, he said.

    He said that over the years trade included the export of fresh fruits, species, embroidery items, herbal medicines and in return they imported dry fruits, fruits, matting embroidery and other things including vegetables.

    “After the suspension of trade by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), it had assured to come up with new improved mechanism for cross LoC trade in backdrop of people quizzed and investigated about various issues.”

    He requested the government of India to come up with full proof mechanism and furnish the guidelines and special operating procedure (SOP) so that the trade commences early without further delay and loss to the people.

    Overall avenues are at grinding halt amid this pandemic and it’s high time to commence the trade so that the economy also gets boost at an earliest, he said—(KNO)

  • Can govt confirm no Chinese soldier has entered India, asks Rahul Gandhi

    Rahul Gandhi asked the government to come clean on the border standoff with China and tell the country what exactly is happening “as its silence is fuelling speculation and uncertainty”.

    PTI

    Amid a border standoff with China, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday asked the government to make it clear whether or not Chinese soldiers have entered India.

    Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had on Tuesday said that there was a “sizeable number” of Chinese troops alon the Line of Actual Control and that the government has taken all necessary steps to deal with the situation.

    Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took to Twitter to ask, “Can GOI (Government of India) please confirm that no Chinese soldiers have entered India (sic).”

    He also shared a report about India and China holding a top-level military meet on June 6 in a bid to resolve the troops standoff in eastern Ladakh.

    Gandhi asked the government to come clean on the border standoff with China and tell the country what exactly is happening “as its silence is fuelling speculation and uncertainty”.

    “The government’s silence about the border situation with China is fuelling massive speculation and uncertainty at a time of crisis,” he said earlier.

    The Congress has asked the government to come clean on the border standoff and take all political parties and the country into confidence over restoration of the status quo ante on the border with China.

    Troops of India and China were engaged in a major standoff for over three weeks in Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern Ladakh, in what is turning out to be the biggest confrontation between the two countries after the Doklam episode in 2017.

    The government has been maintaining that talks at military and diplomatic levels are on to resolve the row.

  • Northern Commander in Ladakh, Army moves more troops amid standoff with China

    Additional troops have been brought in from three locations outside Ladakh to the LAC where a standoff with China has been on since early May.

    New Delhi: Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Y.K. Joshi Tuesday reached Ladakh to review the situation amid growing tensions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which has forced the Army to move in about two additional division strength-level forces into the region, ThePrint has learnt.

    Sources said most of the troops who were moved over the past few weeks have finished their acclimatisation and have been deployed to counter the Chinese build-up along the Galwan Valley, larger Hot Spring Area and the Finger Area of the Pangong Lake.

    The brigades that have been moved from at least three different locations into Ladakh also have elements of artillery. Support elements have also been sent.

    While the 14 Corps, the Army division that looks after Ladakh, is sufficiently armed in terms of artillery, armour, men and reserves, more soldiers have been brought in to create large reserves and forward deployment.

    The Indian Air Force (IAF) has also increased its flying in Ladakh with a mix of Sukhoi and Mirages even as the Chinese have increased flying on their side.

    “What is happening is mirror deployment. The Chinese have a troop build-up and we too are more than adequately placed,” a source said.

    Even though the build-up is there, as reported by ThePrint earlier, the focus is on finding an “amicable solution” through talks.

    Talks are being carried out through established channels, both at military level as well as the Army level.

    Sources said while the situation in Galwan and the larger Host Spring area is “under control”, the main problem lies around Pangong Lake.

    The 134 km of Pangong Lake’s northern bank juts out like a palm, and the various protrusions are identified as ‘fingers’.

    The Chinese have come between the disputed area between Finger 3 and 4 and have dug up a moat-like construction with troop build-up to prevent Indians from patrolling further.

    The dispute lies in the fact that India claims the LAC is at Finger 8 while the Chinese say it is at Finger 2.

    With inputs from ThePrint

  • AirAsia India cuts pilots’ salary by 40 pc for May, Jun

    PTI

    (Eds: Correcting DCM74 story released on Tuesday to say that AirAsia India is a joint venture between Tatas and AirAsia (Investment) Ltd))

    Mumbai: AirAsia India has slashed salary of its pilots by an average 40 per cent for May and June, an airline source said.

    However, the quantum of reduction in pay for other categories and senior management remains at the April level, the source said.

    The senior management at AirAsia India had taken a pay cut of 20 per cent in April, while the wages of executives falling in other categories were reduced by 7-17 per cent.

    However, employees getting a salary of Rs 50,000 per month or less were spared.

    AirAsia India — a joint venture between Tatas and AirAsia (Investment) Ltd — will be completing six years of operations next week. It has a workforce of around 2,500 people. As many as 600 of them are pilots for its 30 Airbus A320 aircraft fleet.

    On Tuesday, PTI erroneously reported that AirAsia India is a joint venture between Tatas and SIA.

    “Earlier, a pilot was being paid for a fixed 70 hours irrespective of flying or no flying, which has now been reduced to 20 hours. This way, the average salary of a first officer (junior pilot) has come down to Rs 40,000 per month from Rs 1.40 lakh, and that of a captain (senior pilot) to Rs 1 lakh from Rs 3.45 lakh,” the source told PTI.

    The reduction in pay accounts for 40 per cent of the total average salary of a pilot, the source said.

    Responding to a PTI query on the issue, an AirAsia India spokesperson on Tuesday said, “We do not comment on the internal matters pertaining to the company”.

    The source also said the airline has deferred its plans to induct any new plane in the fleet for the time being.

    AirAsia India had plans to take delivery of five more A320s through March next year, the source added.

    “The airline’s assessment is that the sector may take about two years to recover fully and domestic players are unlikely to expand network in the short-to-medium term in view of the demand. In this situation, fleet expansion will not serve any purpose in the next couple of quarters,” the source said.

    Global aviation consultancy CAPA had estimated domestic traffic at 55-70 million (5.5-7 crore) and international air traffic demand at 20-27 million (2-2.7 crore) for the current fiscal.

    AirAsia India is currently utilising only about 50 per cent of the total capacity (30 planes), and even if there is a surge in demand, the existing capacity should be able to cater to the traffic, the source said.

    CAPA in its report had also said that Indian carriers would need to realign their fleet deployment plans with the expected levels of demand. It had estimated that airlines would be operating around 265-300 aircraft in the domestic market and 80-95 aircraft on international routes in the second half of the current financial year.

  • 7 policemen put under quarantine in Srinagar

    PTI

    Srinagar: Seven policemen were placed under quarantine after a man who was arrested here earlier this week on charges of domestic violence tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Wednesday.

    The policemen had taken into custody a man from Kalai-andar in Rainawari area of the city after his wife had registered a case of domestic violence against him in Nowhatta police station, the officials said.

    He developed a cough and fever on Monday night after which his sample was taken and sent for COVID-19 test, they said, adding the result came positive.

    The seven police officers, who came in contact with the arrested person, have already been placed under quarantine while samples of several other policemen have been collected for testing, the officials added.

  • News Reports About Advisory Council in J&K “Hearsay”: BJP

    Election Process Will Be Initiated Once Covid-19 Pandemic Is Over

    Srinagar: Rejecting the unsubstantiated news reports about formation of Advisory Council in days to come in J&K, BJP’s General Secretary (Organization) Ashok Koul on Wednesday termed it “hearsay” and added BJP is eagerly waiting for elections in the UT once J&K will get free from Covid-19 pandemic.

    Talking to Kashmir News Service (KNS), Koul while reacting to the rumors about formation of Advisory Council in J&K said that it is all “hearsay” and have no relevance with the ground reality. “Rumors about Advisory Council are unsubstantiated reports having no relevance with the realities on ground”, Koul asserted.

    He said that there is no chance of formation of Advisory Council in J&K. “No chance for Advisory Council, not at all”, Koul added.

    When asked what BJP wants currently in J&K, Koul said “We want conduct of assembly election in the Union Territory (UT) and formation of an elected government who can represent peoples wish and address their day-to-day affairs but it is possible only once UT will get free from Covid-19 pandemic”.

    Koul stated the J&K is currently gripped under Covid-19 badly. We are monitoring the situation keenly. Once Corona Pandemic is over, delimitation process will be initiated followed by election which literally will provide an elected government to the people of J&K.

    About backtracking of National Conference (NC) from being a party of Delimitation Commission, BJP leader said they were just “associate members” of the Commission as BJP itself is an associate party having two Parliamentarians.

    Koul clarified that there is already three-member Committee headed by former Supreme Court (SC) Judge Ranjana Prakesh Desai with two more members including Election Commissioner of India (ECI) Sushil Chandra and State Election Commissioner of J&K UT.

    The Commission will delimit the constituencies of J&K in accordance with the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019.
    Kaul asserted that BJP is turning a “big political force” in J&K and will emerge a single largest party who will dominate the forthcoming elections in J&K. (KNS)