No differences on AFSPA: Ambika Soni
Tue 14 Sep 2010 07:12:24 PM IST by IANS ( Leave a comment )
New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) There are no differences in the cabinet on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said Tuesday.“There are no differences. The situation is serious in Kashmir. Discussions are needed before a decision can be taken (on the demand for repealing or diluting the act in the state,” Soni said on the sidelines of a conference.
“How to improve the situation is the main concern. We have to take into confidence the youth and make them believe that their future is with India. We have to bring them together,” Soni added.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which met here Monday, deferred a decision on withdrawing the AFSPA from some parts of Jammu and Kashmir in a bid to defuse the volatile situation in the Valley, where 88 people, mostly teenagers and youth have been killed in violent protests since June 11.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will chair an all-party meeting here Wednesday to discuss the way forward in the state.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony Tuesday said the government will take a final decision on a Kashmir package, including withdrawal of the AFSPA, at the all-party meeting.
“Before we take a final decision, it is better to involve everyone,” Antony told reporters here.
Asked why the CCS was not able to take a decision on a Kashmir package, especially AFSPA, despite a three-hour-long meeting, he said: “Important decisions have to be taken after carefully assessing all aspects.”
While the political dilemma over the revocation of the AFSPA continues, the Indian Air Force chief Tuesday stressed the need for legal protection to soldiers.
“Soldiers while involved in performing their duty need legal protection if you want them to be efficient,” IAF chief Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
AI team reaches Chandigarh to repair
grounded plane
Chandigarh, Sep 8 (IANS) A day after an Air India plane was grounded at Chandigarh airport after being hit by a bird, a special team from Mumbai Wednesday arrived here to repair the aircraft.The plane was grounded after a bird hit its front undercarriage while it was moving towards the terminal building. The plane had 153 passengers on board at the time of the incident.
According to Air India officials, the Mumbai-Delhi-Chandigarh flight had reached here around 2.40 p.m. Tuesday. After making a safe landing, it was moving towards the terminal building when a bird hit it.
“The plane had to return to Mumbai 3 p.m. yesterday (Tuesday). But the flight was cancelled due to safety reasons. However, a special technical team from Mumbai has reached Chandigarh to repair the aircraft. An eagle had entangled in the plane, damaging its front wheel and some wires,” Air India spokesperson M.R. Jindal told IANS Wednesday.
“There is nothing to worry about. We will allow the plane to fly back to Mumbai only after the certification of our technical team. We are hopeful that it will fly back by 4.30 p.m. today (Wednesday),” he added.
Sources in Air India said that the wheels of the aircraft were damaged and some problem had also erupted in its engine. The Indian Air Force (IAF) had provided a tractor to tow the damaged aircraft towards the terminal.
Runway and air traffic control system of Chandigarh airport are managed by the IAF.
18-08-2010
PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU (DEFENCE WING)
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
IAF CONDUCTS AEROSPACE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
New Delhi : August 18, 2010
A day-long national conference on ‘Aerospace Leadership’, organized by Indian Air Force (IAF), in association with Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS), was held at India Habitat Centre, today. The conference brainstormed on issues of taking proactive steps to educate the leadership of the IAF to undertake control of its futuristic requirements.
Among those who attended the conference included Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal PV Naik, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Officers Commanding-in-Chief (AOsC-in-C) of all IAF Commands and senior officers from the three services. Also present were former Air Chiefs OP Mehra, S Krishnaswamy and SP Tyagi including former Navy Chief, Admiral Arun Prakash.
“Aircraft operations have increased manifold. Merely having sophisticated arsenal and technology cannot guarantee victory,” the Air Chief emphasized in his inaugural address, adding further that future battlefield will be digitized, seamless and net-centric. Domain knowledge of wide and diverse subjects, understanding complexities and fundamentals of modern technology, to be a visionary and innovative will be important attributes of future leaders, he said.
Earlier, in his Presidential address, Marshal of the IAF, Arjan Singh, who was at his wittiest best, spoke about general leadership virtues, laced with anecdotes of his personal experiences in the IAF.
Over three sessions, presentations by eminent speakers from IAF and CAPS were made on subjects relating to nature of future wars and the role of aerospace power, aerospace leadership for the future and building future leaders.
