`Hijras, Thirunangigal, Kinnar, Kothis, Jogtas, Jogappas, Khusras and Shiv-Shakthis’ are commonly used words in India. These words are full of contempt and are used to address individuals with different sexual orientations. 
India has a wide range of transgender related identities. These include transsexual people; male and female cross-dressers (sometimes referred to as ‘transvestites,’ ‘drag queens’ or ‘drag kings’), inter-sexed individuals, and men and women, regardless of sexual orientation, whose appearance or characteristics are perceived to be gender atypical. 
Historically, transgender persons have existed as a culturally distinct community in the country. Despite this, they have faced discrimination, unemployment, lack of educational facilities, homelessness, lack of medical facilities like HIV care and hygiene, depression, hormone pill abuse, tobacco and alcohol abuse, penectomy, and problems related to marriage and adoption.  
It was in the Census 2011 that transgender persons were counted for the first time indicating their social acceptance. The Census count put their number at 4,90,000 of which 55,000 were in the 0-6 year-old-population, a result that came from parents identifying their children as transgender. The highest proportion of transgender population—about 28%– has been identified in Uttar Pradesh followed by 9% in Andhra Pradesh.
The census revealed that transgender Indians were more likely to be disadvantaged in education with just 46%, as compared to 74% in the general population, being literate. They were also more likely to be out of work with only 38% of the community, as compared to 46% in the general population, working. Only 65% of the total working population among transgender people, as compared to 75% in the general population, found work for more than six months in the year. 
“Imagine a world where you do not recognize your body, your family does not acknowledge your feelings and you have to pretend to be different from who you are to your friends, family and teachers. It is got to be the most isolating experience anyone can go through,’’ says Shama Karkal, Director, Swasti, a health resource centre that enhances health and well-being of marginalized communities particularly the lesbian, transgender, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and intersex (LTGBTQI) communities who are shunned and looked-down upon by the society. 
Swasti is working and supporting men having sex with men (MSM) and transgender individuals and groups in Yavatmal (Maharashtra), Chikkaballapura (Karnataka), Thanjavur, Namakkal, Salem, Coimbatore, Madurai, Theni, and Thiruvallur in Tamil Nadu. It broadly works to ensure access for this community to community health services through sensitization and empowerment.
Importantly, Swasti informs the community about the steps to be taken by the government and individuals for their betterment. Swasti works across 22 countries, including India, to act as an enabler for marginalized community and help them become agents of change. 
The marginalized community is always excluded in India, especially when it comes to social protection and financial security. Despite efforts by the government, the volume of change is hardly seen. It is here that Swasti focuses on building an ecosystem of comprehensive well-being for these communities, strategically aligning innovation and technology in its outreach programmes.  
“If we are able to reach gender non conforming youth with life skills of grit resilience and mental/ emotional support; all of the structural violence and vulnerabilities is something that they can manage better even as we work with the eco-system to become more enabling, says Ms Karkal. 
Swasti has worked with specific community organizations helping them with livelihood and empowerment initiatives since 2014.  “We approach the community members on Poovagam ( a festival of LGBT) celebrated in Tamil Nadu every year and identify the groups with whom we can work. We use this opportunity to reach out to this community and then take things forward,’’ Ms Karkal says. Broadly, Swasti builds awareness within the community about their rights and help them access government entitlements rolled out for the citizens or the community specifically. Fund raising is another activity that Swasti is involved in, Ms Karkal explains. 
Unless we understand the needs of the community and individuals, we cannot help them, she explains adding that a group of individuals from the community has been trained as drivers and the organization is in talks with radio taxi companies to see if they can also be employed. 
“We are proud that the census could draw out part of the truth and establish that the transgender community exists and that their literacy rate is very low…It is now up to the government to bring in policy to ensure that they are not discriminated against and that they enjoy equal rights…”says Kalki Subramaniam, Transgender Rights Activist 
 Rejection from the family further marginalises them within the larger society. Many gender nonconforming children drop out of school due to harassment and discrimination. Lack of an education not only leaves them without jobs and life skills but also vulnerable to violence. 
Findings from a study conducted by Swasti suggests at least 12 % of TGs have reported sexual assault or facing violence due to the their gender. Data from Avahan India AIDS Initiative [Swasti Health Resource Centre]—based on a study done on 2169 transgender persons in India– revealed that respondents without education were more vulnerable to violence than those with an education . More number of 11 transgender persons without an education faced emotional (55% vs. 30%), physical (64% vs. 26%) and sexual violence (60% vs. 21%) than educated persons. 
Access to social entitlements is conditional on the availability of various documents that establish an individual’s identity including gender. The recognition of transgender people is a very recent development in the country. Even then, except for the provision of land for transgender persons in Tamil Nadu, social welfare schemes continue to be beyond the reach of TGs. Most TGs leave home and often does not have the proof of address or a family guarantor required to meet the legal requirements for registration for various schemes. The dominance of hetero-normative norms in the society and its institutions keeps transgender at the fringes of society. This results in daily experiences of violence and stigma and discrimination. They face physical and verbal abuse, forced sex, extortion of money and materials and arrests on false allegations from the police. Absence of recourse to legal protection makes them vulnerable to abuse from others. Within healthcare settings, they face humiliation, verbal harassment and even denial of services from doctors and the staff.
Lack of an identity proof is a further barrier in getting employed. Hence, even qualified TG individuals end up being self-employed or enter sex work with its attendant HIV and health related risks. The absence of reservation for them in education and employment erects further barriers to get jobs. 

NEW DELHI: In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court on Thursday declared right to privacy a fundamental right under the Constitution. 
A nine-judge constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar ruled that right to privacy is an intrinsic part of Right to Life and Personal Liberty guaranteed under Article 21 and entire Part III of the Constitution.
In a historic verdict, the nine judges unanimously overruled the two earlier judgements of the apex court that right to privacy is not protected under the Constitution. Others members of the bench comprising Justices J Chelameswar,  S A Bobde, R K Agrawal, R F Nariman, A M Sapre, D Y Chandrachud, S K Kaul and S Abdul Nazeer also shared the same view.
Several petitioners had challenged the validity of the Aadhaar biometric identify cards scheme on the grounds that it violated the right to privacy. 
The court had also voiced concern over the possible misuse of personal information in the public domain. The question whether Aadhaar violates right to privacy will be dealt with by the five-judge bench which has been hearing the petitions since 2015.
The judges concluded: “The right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution”.
Reacting to the judgement, former Finance Minister and Congress spokesperson P Chidambaram said: “The Congress party welcomes the unanimous judgement of the Supreme Court declaring that Right to Privacy is a Fundamental Right. The judgement delivered today is a landmark verdict and will rank among the most important judgments delivered by the Supreme Court since the advent of the Constitution of India.’’
Describing Privacy as being at the core of Personal Liberty, Mr Chidambaram said, `’the most important fundamental right of a citizen is embodied in Article 21 of the Constitution. It is the Right to Life and Liberty.’’
Welcoming the Supreme Court verdict, the CPI(M) Polit Bueau said: “This landmark judgment should pave the way to protect, in this world of technology advance dominated by corporates, misuse of private data and infringing upon the privacy of individuals.’’
The party noted that a separate five-member bench will decide on the issue of mandatory Aaadhar that this (Modi) government is pushing through.

Had it not been a case of bounce cheque of 270 crores of the government’s exchequer, the Bhagalpur Srijan Scandal may never have come to light. Recently, the Supreme Court ordered to pay the compensation amount of 200 crores to the farmers in Bihar in return of land acquisitions. The beneficiaries went to Bank of Baroda and Indian Bank with the sanctioned amount but, as bizarre result, the government cheque bounced which surprised the bank officials and put the administration on alert mode.
Media reports claim that Srijan was indulged in the act of forge for more than 10 years. Manorama Devi orchestrated the fraud by transferring the funds of the government into the private account of cooperative bank of Srijan. More than 20 branches of the bank were opened in various villages and pachayats. 
After the case of cheque bounce, the investigation uncovered the unauthenticated transactions of 700 crores via a parallel banking system. The funds granted for Mukhyamantri Urban Development and other welfare schemes were used by Manorama Devi for personal benefits. The report also claims that many politicians and bureaucrats used Srijan to park their black money with the medium of money laundering. They were also granted personal loans.
The Bihar government had strictly directed to use State Bank of India for the government transactions, yet the two private banking banks were pooled in. Formers District Magistrates of Bhagalpur tried to check the suspicious movement of Srijan cooperative banks, but the influence of Manorama Devi always whittled down the probe. Former SDM Bhagalpur Vipin Kumar wrote to the Block Development Officers in Bhagalpur to not deposit the government exchequer into Srijan Cooperative Bank, but the system carried on.
More than 14 people have been arrested so far in the Bhagalpur Treasury siphoning. The Nitish government has ordered CBI inquiry into this matter. The alleged mastermind behind this scam is 65 years old Manorama Devi, who died on 13th February this year. She was known as ‘Srijan Didi’.
What is Srijan NGO?
Srijan Mahila Sahyog Samiti NGO is a self-help group for ‘Kaushal Vikas for women’ active in the Bhagalpur district of Bihar with a workforce of more than 6000 members, 60 staffs and office premises spread over more than 24,000 sq. ft in Bhagalpur. 
The NGO was shifted from Ranchi to Bihar in 2003-04. The then District Magistrate of Bhagalpur KP Ramaiah allocated government land on lease for a monthly rental of only 200 rupees. He also started several welfare schemes for the women in Bhagalpur. More than 1000 sewing machines were distributed under the scrutiny of Manorama Devi. This event marked the emergence of Manorama Devi and she was christened as ‘Srijan Didi’.
Srijan established its headquarter on the land and simultaneously initiated Srijan cooperative Bank in 2007-08. The bank became a gateway to siphon the public money with the help of bank officials and bureaucrats. Under the nose of the government, Srijan forged DM’s signature on cheques, transferring the amount to its cooperatives banks maneuvered by Manorama Devi. The siphoned money was then funneled to the market for various investment and private infrastructure projects.
In the name of Srijan, many bogus and ghost groups were formatted. Every group got their registered bank accounts.The scam also involved government employees. Mahesh Mandal an accused of the Srijan scam died in a Bhagalpur hospital on Saturday. 
The Quint reported that further investigation revealed that whenever a government cheque was deposited at one of the two banks involved in the scam, Indian Bank and Bank of Baroda, bank employee or a clerk would inform Manorama Devi. The NGO would then deposit the same amount into the government account so the cheque doesn’t bounce. Since the death of Manorama Devi in February, it became uneasy for her family to manage the scam smoothly. Now her daughter in Law Priya Kumar and her husband Amit are absconded, reports The Indian Express.
Srijan wore a mask of manufacturing spices, sattu, incense sticks, Bindis and Papad but the backdrop of the cottage industry was filled with money laundering and siphoning of public money. The RJD Chief Lalu Yadav and the fodder scam convict has alleged the Nitish government that the funds were transferred to private accounts between 2005 and 2013 when BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi was Deputy CM and finance minister and Nitish the Chief Minister. 
Multiple photographs of Late Manorama Devi with senior BJP leaders like Giriraj Singh and Shahnawaz Hussain were also surfaced during the investigation. The opposition is seeking advantage out of this situation but it looks premature to allege the leaders involved in the scam until the investigation is not completed. But this is obvious that there are too many loose-ends in this multi crore scam. In the last 10 years, despite some of the whistleblowers raised this issue to the state government and the RBI, no actions were taken at that time. There is no denying fact that the wires of Srijan scam are connected to many big politicians, bureaucrats and government bank officials of Bihar.

The Government has sanctioned six Boeing Apache AH 64E attack helicopters for the Indian Army, marking a beginning for its Aviation Corps for these flying tanks.

The Army had actually projected a requirement of 39 attack helicopters, 13 for each of its three Strike Corps, but has been given approval in principle for 33 machines. It was also decided that 11 Apaches under the Options clause in the Indian Air Force (IAF) contract for 22 Apaches would go to the Army but only six of these are being taken.

Under the Options clause, valid till September 2017, India can buy 11 machines, or 50 per cent of those ordered, at the same price as those contracted for IAF in 2015. The option for the remaining five is now lapsed.

The six Apaches will cost Rs 4168 Crores (approx. $640 million) with weapons and spares.

Delivery for most defence equipment globally is 36 months after the first payment is made to seal the contract. The 22 Apaches ordered by IAF are already under construction at the Boeing facility in Mesa, Arizona.

MoD sources indicated that the Government is trying to clear various backlogs. Hence the best possible use is being made of available funds and for the time being, only six Apaches are being taken. All the three Services actually have long pending requirements, and funding has to be rationalized for the coming next years.

According to sources, the Army Aviation Corps’ projection is for 33 Boeing Apaches, 114 HAL Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) and about 70 Rudras, the armed version of HAL Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH).

Reacting to the MoD’s announcement, Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar said: “Boeing welcomes the opportunity to support the Indian Army on their requirements. The AH-64E Apache is the world’s most advanced multi-role combat helicopter. With this development, we look forward to supporting all three Indian defence forces – the Air Force, Navy and now the Army.”

He pointed out, significantly, that “under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India initiative, AH-64 Apache fuselages and other aero structures are (now) being manufactured at the Tata Boeing Aerospace joint venture facility in Hyderabad.”

Notably, the AH 64E model is the latest and also now being inducted by the US Army. Similarly, the Boeing P 8I, another formidable aircraft, to hunt submarines, has been inducted nearly at the same time by the US and Indian navies.

With its latest war technologies, the Boeing Apache is deadly for an enemy because of its multi-role, multi-mission day-and-night all weather strike capability. Because of its Lockheed Martin Longbow combat radar, the helicopter’s pilots can locate an enemy hidden deep in foliage and neutralize the target with precision attack Hellfire – also by Lockheed Martin – missiles.

For air-to-air defence, it is equipped with Raytheon’s famous Stinger missiles, which are also on offer to India for its indigenous Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) if India opts for them.

Then of course, there are rockets and machine guns, target acquisition and night vision systems, enabling its two pilots to literally make the mincemeat of a target.

Normally, one out of every three Apaches is equipped with the Longbow combat radar, but then, it is up to a user to enhance or reduce this requirement. The exact figure for these radars for Indian forces is not known.

Boeing has sold more than 2,200 Apaches since 1986 with mandatory approval from the US Government under its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme for combat systems.

It may be noted that IAF operates its combat helicopters – at present Soviet vintage Mi 35s – in coordination with the Army, and there are always some Army officers posted in IAF units accordingly. In case of hostilities, all the IAF and Army assets work together, and so would the 22 + 6 Apaches.

The Apache is powered by two General Electric gas turbine engines and can be in the air for three hours. It has capability to search and attack multiple targets simultaneously. Secure frequency hopping terrestrial and satellite connectivity onboard is standard while its fuel tanks are self-sealing in case of a hit.

(Courtesy – India Strategic)

The list of environmental problems that the world faces may be huge, but some strategies for solving them are remarkably small. First explored for applications in microscopy and computing, nanomaterials — materials made up of units that are each thousands of times smaller than the thickness of a human hair — are emerging as useful for tackling threats to our planet’s well-being.

Scientists across the globe are developing nanomaterials that can efficiently use carbon dioxide from the air, capture toxic pollutants from water and degrade solid waste into useful products.

“Nanomaterials could help us mitigate pollution. They are efficient catalysts and mostly recyclable. Now, they have to become economical for commercialization and better to replace present-day technologies completely,” says Arun Chattopadhyay, a member of the chemistry faculty at the Center for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati.

Harvesting CO2

To help slow the climate-changing rise in atmospheric CO2levels, researchers have developed nanoCO2 harvesters that can suck atmospheric carbon dioxide and deploy it for industrial purposes.

“Nanomaterials can convert carbon dioxide into useful products like alcohol. The materials could be simple chemical catalysts or photochemical in nature that work in the presence of sunlight,” says Chattopadhyay, who has been working with nanomaterials to tackle environmental pollutants for more than a decade.

Many research groups are working to address a problem that, if solved, could be a holy grail in combating climate change: how to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere and convert it into useful products. 

Chattopadhyay isn’t alone. Many research groups are working to address a problem that, if solved, could be a holy grail in combating climate change: how to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere and convert it into useful products. Nanoparticles offer a promising approach to this because they have a large surface-area-to-volume ratio for interacting with CO2 and properties that allow them to facilitate the conversion of CO2into other things. The challenge is to make them economically viable. Researchers have tried everything from metallic to carbon-based nanoparticles to reduce the cost, but so far they haven’t become efficient enough for industrial-scale application.

One of the most recent points of progress in this area is work by scientists at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum and the Lille University of Science and Technology in France. The researchers developed a nanoCO2 harvester that uses water and sunlight to convert atmospheric CO2 into methanol, which can be employed as an engine fuel, a solvent, an antifreeze agent and a diluent of ethanol. Made by wrapping a layer of modified graphene oxide around spheres of copper zinc oxide and magnetite, the material looks like a miniature golf ball, captures CO2 more efficiently than conventional catalysts and can be readily reused, according to Suman Jain, senior scientist of the Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun in India, who developed the nanoCO2harvester.

Jain says that the nanoCO2 harvester has a large molecular surface area and captures more CO2 than a conventional catalyst with similar surface area would, which makes the conversion more efficient. But due to their small size, the nanoparticles have a tendency to clump up, making them inactive with prolonged use. Jain adds that synthesizing useful nanoparticle-based materials is also challenging because it’s hard to make the particles a consistent size. Chattopadhyay says the efficiency of such materials can be improved further, providing hope for useful application in the future.

Cleansing Water

Most toxic dyes used in textile and leather industries can be captured with nanoparticles. “Water pollutants such as dyes from human-created waste like those from tanneries could get to natural sources of water like deep tube wells or groundwater if wastewater from these industries is left untreated,” says Chattopadhyay. “This problem is rather difficult to solve.”

An international group of researchers led by professor Elzbieta Megiel of the University of Warsaw in Poland reports that nanomaterials have been widely studied for removing heavy metals and dyes from wastewater. According to the research team, adsorption processes using materials containing magnetic nanoparticles are highly effective and can be easily performed because such nanoparticles have a large number of sites on their surface that can capture pollutants and don’t readily degrade in water.

Chattopadhyay adds that appropriately designed magnetic nanomaterials can be used to separate pollutants such as arsenic, lead, chromium and mercury from water. However, the nanotech-based approach has to be more efficient than conventional water purification technology to make it worthwhile.

In addition to removing dyes and metals, nanomaterials can also be used to clean up oil spills. Researchers led by Pulickel Ajayan at Rice University in Houston, Texas, have developed a reusable nanosponge that can remove oil from contaminated seawater.

The technology shows promise, but it’s not yet ready for prime time.

“While the nanosponge is a good material to deal with oil spills, these results are confined to the laboratory,” says Ashok Ganguli, director of the Institute of Nano Science and Technology in Mohali, Punjab, India. “Large-scale synthesis is required if we have to remove oil from seawater which is spread over several miles.” Although scientists have yet to successfully synthesize nanomaterials for cleaning oil spills at a scale large enough for practical application,  Â“this may become possible with more research and industry partnerships,” Chattopadhyay says.

Accelerating Digestion

Another area being explored for application of nanomaterials is in managing organic waste, which can pollute land and water if not handled properly. “Farms and food industry generate humongous amounts of biodegradable waste, and we must find ways to manage it efficiently,” says Debjyoti Sahu, a professor of engineering at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Karnataka in India.

One of the oldest methods to treat biodegradable waste is to dump it into tanks called digesters. These are full of anaerobic microbes that consume the material, converting it into biogas fuel and solids that can be used as fertilizers. But anaerobic digestion is slow.

Recent research showed that adding metal oxide nanoparticles to a food waste digester doubled the amount of biogas fuel produced compared to the digester without it.

“Nanoparticles can accelerate the anaerobic digestion of the sludge, thus making it more efficient in terms of duration and enhanced production of the biogas,” says Kamalakannan Kailasam, scientist with the Institute of Nano Science and Technology, in Mohali, India.

Recent research showed that adding metal oxide nanoparticles to a food waste digester doubled the amount of biogas fuel produced compared to the digester without it.

“Iron oxide nanoparticles are nontoxic, and they should be added to sludge waste to enhance the rate of its degradation,” says Sahu.

Safety First

While nanoparticles have potential to solve environmental problems, the small size that makes them useful for environmental cleanup also raises special concerns about health and persistence in the environment.

“The long-term effects of using nanomaterials have not been evaluated yet,” says Chattopadhyay.

The U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and others are funding research to evaluate the potential effects of engineered nanoparticles on health and the environment. Researchers are also creating models to predict nanomaterials’ transport and fate in the environment as well as their potential effects on humans. If concerns that have been raised can be adequately dealt with, nanomaterials could play a big role in helping us cope with environmental challenges in the years ahead.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today interacted with Young CEOs at the “Champions of Change – Transforming India through G2B partnership” initiative organised by NITI Aayog at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra. 

Six groups of young CEOs made presentations before the PM on themes such as Make in India; Doubling Farmers’ Income; World Class Infrastructure; Cities of Tomorrow; Reforming the Financial Sector; and New India by 2022. 

PM said the key decision making team of the Government has listened carefully to the presentations, and will surely benefit in their policy-making, from the 360 degree view of issues that have been presented. 

The Prime Minister said people’s participation is an important element of governance. Similarly, he said, this attempt at CEOs partnership with Government is aimed at enhancing their participation towards welfare of the people, and the nation. 

Recalling India’s freedom struggle, he said Mahatma Gandhi made all Indians, soldiers for freedom, even as they continued to do their own work. Hence, he helped the freedom struggle become a mass movement. 

The Prime Minister said that today, development too, must become a mass movement. He said that a spirit should be created, whereby we all set targets for our contribution to India, by 2022. You are my team, and we need to work together to take India forward, the Prime Minister told the CEOs. 

Giving the example of value addition in agriculture, the Prime Minister said a multi-pronged approach is essential for achieving desired objectives such as doubling of agriculture incomes. Emphasizing the importance of food processing, the Prime Minister said lack of infrastructure is leading to huge losses in the agriculture sector. 

He said the Union Government has taken a number of decisions that have brought about fundamental transformation. He gave the illustration of decisions taken for urea availability and production – such as gas price pooling; remuneration for excess production etc. This led to additional production of 20 lakh tonnes of urea. He said Neem-coating of urea ended its large scale diversion. 

He said that the Government wants to move towards making India a less-cash society. He asked CEOs to partner with Government to build momentum in this regard. 

Similarly, he said that on occasions such as festivals, Khadi could be promoted through gifting etc – and this would greatly help the poor. He said an atmosphere must be created to take the poor along in every sphere of life. 

The Prime Minister gave the example of Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to show how small traders are competing successfully in provision of supplies to the Government. He said 1000 crore rupees have been transacted through GeM so far and 28,000 suppliers have contributed to this platform. 

The Prime Minister said Indians must take pride in their own country. He said each one should develop a temperament to promote tourist destinations within India, spontaneously among their contacts. 

Giving the example of “waste to wealth” entrepreneurs, the Prime Minister said that this can help achieve the objectives of Swachh Bharat and clean environment. He said the aim of entrepreneurs and business should be to provide products which solve simple problems faced by people in the country. 

A leading child development organization committed to creating a lasting impact in the lives of vulnerable and excluded children, their families and communities today, honored the last mile champions, who have bridged the gaps between communities and service providers, catalyzing remarkable social and behavioral change countrywide.

This award was instituted to acknowledge the integral role of frontline community workers who have endlessly contributed at the grassroots level.

Awards were given in eight categories comprising of Anganwadi Workers (AWW), Anganwadi Helpers (AWH), Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), Community Volunteers, Youth Champions, and Outreach Workers (ORW) in Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH) and HIV/AIDS. Special Jury and Special Recognition honors were given to two community members in recognition of their contributions. The nominations were filed from 13 states that Plan India works in – Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam and West Bengal.

In each category, numerous nominations were received from the field and were further screened by a state level Sub Jury Committee comprised of external experts from the government, academia and civil society, among others.

The top 24 nominations were then shortlisted by facilitating partner Grant Thornton, who presented their findings to the National Jury comprised of distinguished members from government, corporates, media, and youth-led organizations who selected the final ten awardees based on marks scored against evaluation criteria and the unique initiatives of each nominee.

Shabana Azmi, veteran actress, who was the Chief Guest for the occasion, gave away the awards to the winners. Other delegates to grace the event were Govind Nihalani, Chair Emeritus, Plan India, Rathi Vinay Jha, Chairperson, Plan India Board, Ranjan Chak and Udayan Sen, Members, Plan India Board.

Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan India said, “Plan India’s work is possible due to the tireless efforts of front-line community workers who reach out to those most disadvantaged. They are the last mile champions who successfully enable entire families and communities to break intergenerational cycles of poverty and barriers that held them back. The Plan India Impact Awards is an initiative to recognize their efforts, tell their inspirational stories and provide   impetus to their life-changing work.”

The winner of the ASHA category award, 35-year-old Vinita Negi from Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand said, “Working as a community health worker for the past ten years has been a rewarding experience. Knowing that I have empowered others to make positive changes and take control of their health gives me an enormous sense of accomplishment.”

Another award winner in the ANM category, 50-year-old Meera Devi from Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh said, “I like helping and communicating with people. My work as a village community worker is what I like the most, and I definitely wish to continue to work for those who are unreachable and from the marginalized communities.”

Amongst the other categories, Sharif Uddin Tapadar from Assam and Basanti Jarika from Jharkhand were awarded for their contribution as an ORW in the field of WASH and HIV/ AIDS project. Bahaman Mohanta from Odisha was awarded for the best Community Volunteer. Madina and Seema Devi from Rajasthan were awarded for the best AWW and AWH. Shalini from Uttar Pradesh received the Youth Champions Award and Bharati Biswal from Odisha received the Recognition Award. A special Award was given to Sanjay Murmu for Bihar for his commendable contribution towards working for the most marginalized children and communities.

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday expressed the hope that the ongoing Doklam standoff between India and China which has entered in its third month will be resolved soon. 

Asserting that India’s security forces were capable of safeguarding the country’s borders, Mr. Singh said that India has neither expansionist designs nor attacked any country.”We don’t want confrontation; we want peace,” he said.  

Addressing a grand Pipping Ceremony of the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) here, the Home Minister said that India wanted friendly relations with all its neigbhours. He said it was with this intention, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited leaders of all neighbouring countries for the swearing in ceremony of his government in May 2014. Quoting former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he said that “we can change friends, but not our neighbours.”  

Pointing out that there has been a long delay in granting promotions in the ITBP which was pending since 2011, Mr. Singh said the disciplined ITBP personnel have borne the delay with perseverance. He assured the personnel that the Home Ministry would improve their career prospects, besides resolving housing and welfare issues of the Central Armed Para Military forces.  

Speaking on the occasion, Mmister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said today’s ceremony will serve as a morale booster to the ITBP personnel. He said the gap between policy makers and those implementing it on the ground has been bridged in the Home Ministry.  

Addressing the gathering, DG, ITBP, Shri RK Pachnanda said the mass promotions today to 1,654 ITBP personnel, pending for more than six years, have been enabled by the persistent efforts of the MHA.

New Delhi : The Government is likely to approve at least another 36 Rafale Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCAs) very soon.

Details are not known but informed sources told India Strategic that although a decision was just about due, the possibility of more aircraft was also being considered in view of the Indian Navy’s requirement of 56 twin-engine shipboard fighters as also the Government’s Make in India programme. If only 36 Rafales are taken, then it would not be economical to set up their manufacturing infrastructure.

IAF is looking for a mix of about 400 single and twin engine fighters as most of its combat jet inventory is of the 1980s Soviet generation. The Mirage 2000, which was acquired from France after the US gave Pakistan F 16s in 1982, also arrived in IAF squadrons from 1985 onwards.

The nuclear-capable Mirage 2000 though is still formidable and some half a dozen of the nearly 60 have already been upgraded to contemporary standards by Thales, the French company known for making deadly Electronic Warfare (EW) systems. Thales is providing the highly sophisticated EW systems for the Rafales also.

The Indian Navy has expressed specific preference for either the Boeing F/A 18 Super Hornet or Rafale. Both these fighters were designed ab initio for aircraft carriers, and both are on offer for their industrial production in India if the numbers are viable for foreign investment and Transfer of Technology (ToT). Boeing has offered to manufacture the latest variant, Advanced Super Hornet, which is also meant for the US Navy.

Significantly, if the deal is only for 36 more aircraft, then the field would be open for a larger number of twin-engine aircraft for both the IAF and Navy. If the coming deal is for indigenous production for more than 36, then Rafale would become the final choice.

Notably, defence deals are mostly done with strategic advantages in view, besides costs. For instance, in the 1980s, the Government asked Air India to switch its choice from Boeing to Airbus A 320 aircraft as, according to French sources, France gave India some defence technology as a leverage.

It may be recalled that India had opted for the French Rafale in 2015 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Paris, and an agreement was sealed in New Delhi between the Defence Ministers of the two countries, Mr Manohar Parrikar and his visiting counterpart, Mr Jean Yves Le Drian, in September 2016. The first payment of 15 per cent was immediately made by India to seal the contract.

This deal, which included the cost of the aircraft, IAF-specific modifications, Weapons and Missiles, Operations and Maintenance infrastructure at two places in India’s East and West, and 50 per cent Offsets as investment in India, was pegged at about Euro 7.87 billion (or US$ 8.8 billion).

In the acquisition of another 36 aircraft, or two squadrons of 18 each, the costs should be lower by about Euro 2.5 billion plus or minus – please note this is my guesstimate only Â– as the expenses for India-specific modifications and infrastructure at two places have already been recovered. Notably, preliminary work in this regard at Ambala in Haryana and Hashimara in West Bengal has begun.

It is not known if in the coming deal there would be an Options clause for more aircraft at the same price in the near future. It was not there in the first purchase, which was acquisition of the 36 aircraft in flyaway condition.

Both these deals are G-to-G or Government to Government, to avoid any unnecessary allegations, which have invariably been a curse for the armed forces in their modernization process over the last about 25 years.

The Offsets clause would translate into construction of a modern defence industrial base as well as some ToT by the Rafale partners, that is, Dassault which builds and integrates the aircraft, Safran which provides the engines and some other onboard systems, Thales which provides the highly advanced EW systems and MBDA, which is supplying the most modern Meteor Air to Air and other missiles.

As an international arms industry standard, delivery of defence systems is 36 months after the first payment.

India’s state-run aerospace company HAL has successfully installed the powerful AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar on the IAF’s Jaguar aircraft for the first time.

The first test flight of the Jaguar with an Israeli AESA onboard was conducted August 9 from Bangalore’s HAL airport, in line with the company’s mandate to increase the aircraft’s operational life to 2028. Initial results were successful but there would be some more tests in accordance with the established procedures before the system is integrated into the aircraft’s avionics architecture.

The aircraft is now flown only in India by IAF, and to keep it operational, 30 old, disused Jaguars are being procured from France to be cannibalized for spares. The French have offered it free and an agreement between the Indian and French ministries of defence has already been signed. HAL will ship all of them on as is where is condition to India and then source spares from them, modifying some in the process as required.

HAL Chairman and Managing Director T Suvarna Raju had told India Strategic in an interview that HAL is the only company that is servicing or overhauling the Jaguars, and for the IAF fleet, acquired from 1978 onwards, it has been fitting newer electronics onboard to keep the aircraft mission ready for many years, and the process continues

The most potent upgrade is the installation of AESA.

A Combat Radar, it has been provided by Israeli Aerospace Industries or IAI’s ELTA division, which has also supplied several electronics systems to HAL for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)Tejas also.

To fit the AESA, the Jaguar’s earlier Fire Control Radar has been removed, and now, the aircraft would be delivered to IAF with both the AESA and what is called DARIN III standard.

DARIN Upgrades

DARIN, coined by Air Chief Marshal Dilbagh Singh in the 1980s, stands for Display, Attack, Ranging and Inertial Navigation. DARIN-I and II are already done and over with as part of periodic upgrades.

Incidentally, it was this writer who had first reported the selection of British Harrier for the Indian Navy and that of the Anglo-French Jaguar for the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a correspondent for the UNI news agency some 40 years back. IAF inducted the nuclear capable Sepecat Jaguars as Deep Strike Penetration Aircraft (DPSA) from 1978 onwards. Sepecat was a joint venture between the then British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and French Breguet, both of which, in their new avatars, have long discontinued manufacturing or servicing the aircraft.

Notably, IAF had opted for the British variant, so that limits the use of the French Jaguars as flying machines even though three or four of them can possibly still fly. Nonetheless, they would be a lifeline to keep the existing fleet operational.

IAF has more than 100 Jaguars in its operational inventory, about 20 of them specifically deployed for Maritime Strike role on coastal bases. Their original French radars were replaced by multi-role ELTA EL/M-2032 radars (not AESA) some 10 years back.

AESA CapabilityDetails of the AESA’s range and capabilities are not available but whatever model it is, it would greatly enhance the aircraft’s surveillance and precision strike capability.

Mr Raju only said that it is the state of the art, capable of tracking and engaging multiple targets, and that the imagery is high resolution and accurate, thanks to higher bandwidth of such systems and interleaved modes of operation.

It is also the first time that a Jaguar is being flown anywhere with AESA capability. An AESA radar has no moving parts, and transmits and receives signals real time.

So far, only the IL-76 AWACS aircraft of IAF fitted with Israeli Phalcon system have the AESA capability. Jaguars will be second, and Rafales, when they are inducted in 2019 – or maybe earlier – the third.

AESA Imperative on All New Aircraft

It may be recalled that IAF had specified the AESA requirement as a necessity for the first time in its tender for Medium Multi Role Aircraft (MMRCA) in 2007.

As a policy decision, highly placed sources told India Strategic, all new aircraft to be acquired from now on, including the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, will have to have the AESA capability.

DARIN III

HAL is already upgrading the Jaguars to the DARIN-III standard, for which it was granted Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) last year.

The programme includes an Open System Architecture Mission Computer (OSMAC), Engine and Flight Instrument System (EFIS), Fire Control Radar, Inertial Navigation System with GPS and Geodetic Height Correction.
Installation of AESA is apparently part of this programme now.

New Honeywell Engines

An IAF proposal is also pending before the Government for fitting new Honeywell engines on Jaguars to make them more powerful and enable them to fly over the mountains.

Right now, the twin-engine aircraft can fly only over the plains. If the Honeywell proposal, costing about $2 billion, is approved then the aircraft would get some very modern systems and be able to cross the Himalayan terrain and also exceed its range of 400 km.

Mr Raju however pointed out that as HAL has the ownership and design rights to modify and upgrade the Jaguars, “We have proposed that let Honeywell be a consultant to HAL, give us the engines, and we will integrate them.” HAL has the experience, and this way, IAF would also be spending less.

Notably though, Rolls-Royce, which had provided the Adour engines for the Jaguars, has also offered to tweak the engines a bit. There is still no decision though on whether to retain or replace the old engines.
The aircraft has a slow takeoff rate with the old twin engines, making it vulnerable to attacks from ground fire. That’s why the IAF has asked for more power and speed.

Indian Innovations

In line with the saying Necessity is the Mother of Invention, it may be recalled that within a few years of Jaguars’ induction, HAL and IAF were able to modify the aircraft with over-wing pylons to accommodate the French Matra 550 Magic 2 air-to-air missiles. And over the years, some more, particularly to the avionics. The British took the Over-wing Pylon innovation to some other Jaguars, including those for the Omani Air Force with.

It may be recalled that Indian had also modified the propeller driven US-supplied Fairchild Packet transport aircraft with a third engine, the Orpheus jet engine from the Gnat aircraft. The thrust of this engine enabled the aircraft, used during the 1960s, to fly over the Himalayas and drop supplies to the Indian soldiers deployed in tough terrain there.

Britain’s Best Customer in 1990s was India

Significantly, thanks to the selection of Jaguars and some naval systems and missiles, India became the largest customer for the British by the early 1990s.

The new avatar for the British now is the multi-dimensional BAE Systems which manufactures platforms and onboard systems for Army, Navy, Air Force, Space and Cyber. It has sold the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers (AJTs) to the Indian Air Force and Navy missiles, onboard systems for various platforms, and recently M777 light howitzers from its US facility.

Hawks are now being made by HAL both for IAF and Navy.

(Courtesy- India Strategic)