“The arrest of the former Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi on December 16 casts a shadow on the armed forces in general and in particular the IAF. This arm of the three armed forces urgently needs to replace squadrons with modern fighter aircraft to keep pace with modern times. This is the first instance of a serving or retired military chief being arrested on charges of corruption. The CBI arrested ACM Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and lawyer Gautam Khaitan in connection with the purchase order for VVIP helicopters in 2010.  The country’s premier investigative agency said in an official statement that those arrested were in connection with alleged irregularities in the procurement of a dozen AW101 VVIP helicopters from the UK based Agusta Westland, part of the Italian consortium Finmeccanica. The CBI claims that ACM Tyagi entered into a “”criminal conspiracy with other accused persons in 2005″” to change the service ceiling of the VVIP helicopters from 6000 M to 4500 M to make Agusta Westland eligible to participate in the tender. Twelve per cent of the total deal of Rs 3,767 crores is alleged to have been the commission involved. After the allegations first emerged in Italy, an embattled Congress led UPA government had moved swiftly to order an investigation in February 2013. The Congress led UPA government rescinded the contract in January 2014 in the wake of the bribery allegations. The case was handed over to the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate which in turn have relied substantially on the evidence from Italian courts. What has raised eyebrows is the appointment of Rakesh Asthana, a senior Indian Police Service officer of the Gujarat cadre, as the new interim chief of the CBI and the quick fire arrest thereafter of ACM Tyagi.ACM Tyagi’s arrest has serious ramifications for the IAF’s modernisation programme which may get delayed further which this combat arm of the country cannot afford. Already bureaucrats in the Defence ministry have shown a penchant for dragging their feet and delaying fresh acquisition for the armed forces as they do not want to be enmeshed in a controversy.In the VVIP choppers controversy the matter encompasses the Prime Minister’s office since the time of Atal Behari Vajpayee. Needless to say the CBI has an onerous task on its hands and any messing up can adversely affect defence purchases. The case in Italy had its own twists and turns with a lower court acquitting ACM Tyagi in October 2014, Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi and others of corruption charges.Earlier this year on April 8, the Milan Court of Appeal overturned the order and sentenced Mr Orsi to about four years in jail. This is not the first time the name of a retired military chief has come up in a defence scandal. Admiral S M Nanda was accused of being a middle man in the sale of German-made HDW submarines to India in the early 1980s. Two decades later the case was formally closed by the CBI as it had found no concrete evidence.In 2006 the CBI filed an FIR alleging kickbacks in the purchase of the Barrack missile system from Israel, naming among others Admiral Sushil Kumar, the former Chief of the Naval Staff. He contested the charge using the RTI. Seven years later the CBI told a Delhi court it couldn’t find any evidence. It might, therefore, be premature to blame ACM Tyagi of wrongdoing as the truth needs to come out to set the record straight. Defence deals invariably get complicated due to the difficulties in securing the evidence required for convictions. It remains to be seen how this case pans out. The question that has arisen after ACM Tyagi’s arrest pertains to the IAF’s consistent stand that 6000 M ceiling of VVIP helicopters was an inescapable operational necessity, then who reduced it to 4500 M and why. The helicopter was for use by VVIPs and not the IAF. The user representatives were the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) and the Special Protection Group (SPG). The technical paramaters (TPs) such as ceiling heights, endurance, load carrying capacity, number of engines that the helicopter needs to possess are worked out based on the qualitative requirements (QRs). Additionally air safety requirements are factored in to match the QRs while scripting the TPs which do not emerge out of the blue.Senior officials believe available evidence does not support the allegation that ACM Tyagi himself had conceded to change the operational requirements. There were many others involved in the decision making process. The arrest of the former Air Chief seems like an orchestrated attempt to make him a scape goat. The Defence Procurement Procedures have been modified a number of times. At the same time no questions have been raised why non-technical bureaucrats meant to implement political decisions are involved in the procurement of high technology weapons and equipment for the three Servies. It is perplexing that there is no independent body for this purpose. It is argued if ACM Tyagi is guilty then punish him but the country cannot have a situation where the politicians and the bureaucrats who appear to be the bigger fish guilty of corruption are allowed to go scot free while a former chief of a major combat service is punished. At present the IAF has only 32 squadrons, the lowest in a decade to guard the skies. Raksha mantri Manohar Parrikar had expressed concern in this regard to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the difficulties faced by the IAF because of the depletion of fighter aircraft. The country needs at least 42 squadrons to protect its western borders with Pakistan and China. The IAF presently depends on Su 30MKI and MiG 29, the British made Jaguar and the French made Mirage 2000s. An upgrade of Jaguar fighters is being carried out by the public sector HAL which has got delayed. The next Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal B S Dhanoa had acknowledged earlier this year that the current strength of aircraft squadrons is not enough to fight a war on two fronts. “”Our numbers are not enough to fight a war on two fronts,”” the Vice Chief observed. He had said the government was seized of the problem and that is why India went for a government-to-government deal in respect of 36 French Rafale aircraft because of the urgency. In a first of its kind, the veteran community of the armed forces and majority of the Indian populace is petitioning President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi being incensed with the treatment meted out to ACM Tyagi. The petition observed the distinguished fighter pilot who has fought two wars for this country and led the IAF is being condemned to prison without a conclusive inquiry or fair trial. This is a disrespectful way of dealing with the case and smacks of an attempt to demean and destroy the honour of the Armed Forces.  ACM Tyagi has already spent more than 300 hours answering questions. They appealed to the government to undo this damage caused to the morale of the armed forces with the immediate release of Ex ACM Tyagi, the petition added. (T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator. Views are personal.)”

“

An experimental Ebola vaccine is proving to be highly protective against the deadly virus in a major trial being carried out in Guinea, according to results published in the latest edition of The Lancet. The vaccine is the first to prevent infection from one of the most lethal known pathogens, and the findings add weight to early trial results published last year, according to the WHO.

The vaccine, called rVSV-ZEBOV, was studied in a trial involving 11,841 people in Guinea during 2015. Among the 5,837 people who received the vaccine, no Ebola cases were recorded 10 days or more after vaccination. In comparison, there were 23 cases 10 days or more after vaccination among those who did not receive the vaccine.

The trial was led by the World Health Organization, together with Guinea’s Ministry of Health, Medecins sans Frontieres and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, in collaboration with other international partners.

“While these compelling results come too late for those who lost their lives during West Africa’s Ebola epidemic, they show that when the next Ebola outbreak hits, we will not be defenceless,” said Dr Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Innovation, and the study’s lead author.

The vaccine’s manufacturer, Merck, Sharpe & Dohme, this year received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the United States Food and Drug Administration and PRIME status from the European Medicines Agency, enabling faster regulatory review of the vaccine once it is submitted.

Since Ebola virus was first identified in 1976, sporadic outbreaks have been reported in Africa. But the 2013-2016 West African Ebola outbreak, which resulted in more than 11,300 deaths, highlighting the need for a vaccine.

The trial took place in the coastal region of Basse-Guinée, the area of Guinea still experiencing new Ebola cases when the trial started in 2015. The trial used an innovative design, a so-called “ring vaccination” approach – the same method used to eradicate small pox.

When a new Ebola case was diagnosed, the research team traced all people who may have been in contact with that case within the previous 3 weeks, such as people who lived in the same household, were visited by the patient, or were in close contact with the patient, their clothes or linen, as well as certain “contacts of contacts”. A total of 117 clusters (or “rings”) were identified, each made up of an average of 80 people, a WHO statement said.

Initially, rings were randomised to receive the vaccine either immediately or after a 3-week delay, and only adults over 18 years were offered the vaccine. After interim results were published showing the vaccine’s efficacy, all rings were offered the vaccine immediately and the trial was also opened to children older than 6 years.

In addition to showing high efficacy among those vaccinated, the trial also shows that unvaccinated people in the rings were indirectly protected from Ebola virus through the ring vaccination approach (so called “herd immunity”). However, the authors note that the trial was not designed to measure this effect, so more research will be needed. 

“Ebola left a devastating legacy in our country. We are proud that we have been able to contribute to developing a vaccine that will prevent other nations from enduring what we endured” said Dr KeÏta Sakoba, Coordinator of the Ebola Response and Director of the National Agency for Health Security in Guinea.

To assess safety, people who received the vaccine were observed for 30 minutes after vaccination, and at repeated home visits up to 12 weeks later. Approximately half reported mild symptoms soon after vaccination, including headache, fatigue and muscle pain but recovered within days without long-term effects. Two serious adverse events were judged to be related to vaccination (a febrile reaction and one anaphylaxis) and one was judged to be possibly related (influenza-like illness). All three recovered without any long term effects.

It was not possible to collect biological samples from people who received the vaccine in order to analyse their immune response. Other studies are looking at the immune response to the vaccine including one conducted in parallel to the ring trial among frontline Ebola workers in Guinea, the statement added.

Additional studies are ongoing to provide more data on the safety of the vaccine in children and other vulnerable populations such as people with HIV. In case of Ebola flare-ups prior to approval, access to the vaccine is being made available through a procedure called “compassionate use” that enables use of the vaccine after informed consent. Merck and WHO’s partners are working to compile data to support license applications.

The rapid development of rVSV-ZEBOV contributed to the development of WHO’s R&D Blueprint, a global strategy to fast-track the development of effective tests, vaccines and medicines during epidemics.

The rVSV-ZEBOV trial is funded by WHO, with support from the Wellcome Trust; the United Kingdom Department for International Development; the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Norwegian Institute of Public Health through the Research Council of Norway; the Canadian Government through the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the International Development Research Centre and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development; and Médecins Sans Frontières.

The trial team includes experts from The University of Bern, the University of Florida, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Public Health England, the European Mobile Laboratories among others. The trial was designed by a group of experts including the late Professor Donald A. Henderson of John Hopkins University, who led the WHO smallpox eradication effort by using the ring vaccination strategy.”

“

Appointing the Chief of Army Staff is indeed the prerogative of the Centre. At the same time senior officers who have since retired from the Army are of the considered opinion that the process of selecting the COAS should be above politics. 

The BJP led NDA at the Centre must have had compelling reasons for side stepping the seniority criteria in the present instance of Lt Gen Bipin Rawat being named the next chief of Army Staff. 

Perhaps the Narendra Modi government should have cleared the air by explaining the rational or criteria for zeroing in on Lt Gen Rawat to head the world’s fourth largest Army. 

At the same time the opposition Congress which has held sway in ruling at the Centre for an extended spell since independence has taken exception to the supersession of two officers.  

Be that as it may, a section of supperannuated officers believe the Modi government should evolve a new criteria for appointing the COAS which does not cast any shadow about the process which is both satisfactory and beyond reproach. The selection process should not only be fair and must also seem to be fair. 

There are enough bureaucratic arguments to adhere to the principle of seniority. This amounts to denial of merit which should be the sole criteria for becoming the Chief of any one of the three armed forces. 

In the present instance the appointment of Lt Gen Rawat as next COAS is not unprecedented. Yet an avoidable controversy has been whipped up because of taking an interminably long time to make the announcement of the new COAS. This is essentially because there is no stated policy on the appointment of the three chiefs except that it is at the discretion of the union government. 

Without doubt all those who reach the level of Lt General are of great merit in every which way including leadership. It is extremely difficult to reach the top of the pyramid unless the officer is found to be exceptional. 

Overseeing any of the commands in the Indian Army requires special attributes as each of them has its special characteristics. The Southern Command based in Pune has to oversee the security of about 43 per cent of the country’s area. 

It is no secret that the government is sometimes prone to appoint Generals who are “”yes men””. There should not be any ‘favouritism”” in the appointment of the chief of the armed forces. Consequently it has become necessary for the Modi government to clear the air why it chose Lt Gen Rawat over others as the next chief of Army Staff. 

The Centre needs to maintain a delicate balance between the civilian leadership and the military in a democratic system. The challenge for the new chief on the national security front is enormous.

There is worry on the China front not to speak about the “”blow hot, blow cold”” relationship with Pakistan despite the various initiatives taken by Modi himself to normalise bilateral ties which have been nullified by the powerful military establishment in the neighbouring country. 

The BJP-led NDA government’s ambivalence in announcing the name of the new COAS well in advance has led to tongues wagging. Experts emphasise that institutions like the army should not be fiddled with because of political considerations. 

An apolitical army will continue to perform with competence and pride whoever leads it. Irrespective of the good, bad or indifferent leaders that the country has, the army must be credited with weathering all storms.

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator. Views are personal.)”

“

rsz_9780143425373_1_min-1e608″” alt=””rsz 9780143425373 1 min 1e608″” />The book “”1965 – Stories from the Second Indo-Pak War”” by Rachna Bisht Rawat recalls the five major battles fought by the Indian Army. The sheer grittiness, intense hand-to-hand combat and unflinching valour of the officers and men of the Army refreshes one’s memory of the grittiest battles fought at Haji Pir, Asal Uttar, Barki, Dograi and Phillora where the Pakistani’s were beaten fair and square. Understandably there was a lot of unhappiness that hard won territories had to be returned and the sacrifice of the Indian soldier had been in vain. It is believed that Pakistan was running out of ammunition and had the war continued for a few more days, it would have broken their back.In Pakistan too there was lot of disgruntlement as public opinion had been created giving the impression that they were winning the war. As the wife of an Army officer, Rachna’s narrative is simple, matter of fact and poignant. After 21 days when the ceasefire was imposed during the conflict in which India’s victory was never in doubt, it is widely believed New Delhi lost in Tashkent what it had gained during the war. The peace agreement signed on 10 January 1966 between then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and the then Pakistan President Gen Ayub Khan was aimed at normalising relations between the two countries. 
On the contrary the third Indo-Pak war of 1971 was round the corner. At 1.30 AM on 11 January 1966 Shastri died of a heart attack in Tashkent. He was one of those rare Indian Prime Ministers who had boldly told the Indian Army that it could cross the border and attack Pakistan at a place of its own choosing. It was agreed that both sides will pull back their armies to the pre-August position. On the first of September 1965 Pakistan invaded Chamb district of Jammu and Kashmir believing that a peace oriented India would never declare all out war. They were proved wrong. The deliberate invasion intended to annexe J and K triggered a bloody conflict that witnessed one of the biggest tank battles since the Second World War and infantry attacks where 100 per cent casualty was considered acceptable. Ultimately the cold courage of the Indian soldier prevailed over the superior U S weapons that Pakistan had banked on.The pitched battles were fought from Kashmir’s Haji Pir pass to the paddy and sugar cane fields of Punjab. Having unprecedented access to Army records and war diaries coupled with extensive interviews with the survivors some of whom were in their eightees five decades after the conflict lends authenticity to the author’s painstaking efforts of providing a first hand account of the conflict in five different and diverse theatres of war.  On September 20, 1965 the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution calling upon India and Pakistan to implement the ceasefire on 22 September at 7 AM GMT (12 PM IST). The resolution did not satisfy either country. India had set two conditions to the ceasefire:  that Pakistan would be declared the aggressor and give an assurance that it would not interfere in Kashmir thereafter. Neither conditions were agreed to. Pakistan too had hoped to defeat India with Chinese support and force plebiscite in Kashmir. This did not happen either. Ceasefire was finally declared between the two countries on 23 September at 3.30 AM (IST) after international pressure intensified. However, skirmishes still went on. In his foreword Union Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said the endeavour was to commemorate the 1965 Indo-Pakistan conflict. “”I hope the book will make you pause and think about the courage and sacrifice of our soldiers who defend our borders and ensure our freedom,”” he emphasised. Rachna is candid that mistakes are made even in wars and “”I have not tried to hide that. In many cases the bravery of the enemy has been applauded by our own soldiers.”” There are incidents where Pakistani Company Commanders have informed India about the bravery of an Indian soldier and vice versa. The author said “”she was touched to the core. Soldiers respect bravery, even in the enemy.””  Around 2 PM on 27 August 1965 Maj Ranjit Singh Dyal gets orders to launch the attack on Haji Pir. What had been planned as a brigade level attack is now being taken on by a single company. This suddenness of the daring assault he leads flusters the enemy and they flee in confusion. By 10 AM on 28 August Haji Pir pass is taken. Maj Dyal’s stories of courage are legendary.  He had the strength of character to stand by what he believed in.  2nd Lt Dyal was headed for big things in life. He would go on to command his unit, become the Army Commander, then General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, and later the Governor of both Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar. He was one of the country’s first Maha Vir Chakra awardees of the 1965 war when India was still smarting from the reverses of the 1962 Chinese aggression.  The Indo-Pak war witnessed the largest tank battle in military history between WWII and 1965. Moe than a 1000 tanks on both sides took part in the deadly offensives. One of the most fascinating war trophies of the Battle of Sal Uttar. Battered and abandoned enemy tanks were lined up by the victorious Indian Army. In three days of the war 75 Pakistani tanks were destroyed or abandoned. These included the entire tank fleet of Pakistan’s 4 Cavalry, whose commanding officer, twelve officers and several soldiers of other ranks surrendered on the morning of 11 September. Lt Col H R Janu of 4 Grenadiers says he had counted as may as 103 tanks after the battle. This area was referred to as the Patton Tank graveyard. Subsequently named Patton Nagar it served as a unique memorial to all those who fought and fell at Asal Uttar or survived the ordeal of that battlefield. Then there are others whose individual acts of valour coupled with leadership on the battlefield unmindful of the injuries suffered by them inspired others to bash on regardless and silence the enemy. Being just out of school in 1964-65 one was overawed by the Army and the raw courage of these soldiers. Newspapers were flooded with the narration of their heroism despite their life hanging by a thread. Their supreme sacrifice coupled with the prestige of their regiments soared to new heights. It encompassed the valour of so many including Company Quarter Master, Havidar Abdul Hamid, awarded the PVC posthumously. During the capture of Phillora a splinter cut through Lt Col Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore’s arm leaving a gaping wound. He refused to be evacuated insisting its just a scratch. Besides he still has to oversee the attack on Chawinda. In this battle his tank was hit several times. Inspired by his leadership his regiment fiercely attacked and destroyed as many as 60 tanks. He was also awarded the PVC posthumously.The furious action at Dograi had its own moments of anxiousness before achieving victory. There were several heroes including Lt Col Desmond Eugene Hayes who only made two demands from his men who were the Jats. The First is “”Ek Bhi aadmi peche nahi hatega”” and the second was “”Zinda ya murda Dograi mein milna hai.”” A compelling book which also underlines the need to remember the simple women who lost their husband on the battlefield thereby “”losing their today for our tomorrow.””

TR

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator.)
”

“

Palnar village in the naxal-affected Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh has emerged as a champion for the cause of digital literacy and empowerment. A small village with a population of 1,961 people has shown high levels of enrolment following an outreach campaign `DigiDhan Abhiyan’ launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).  

Here, the Common Service Centre (CSC) – e-seva kendras — along with a team of bankers, district officials and technical officials met the citizens of the village and trained them through various audio/ video material on digital transformation and benefits of digital adoption. The meetings were conducted at the Gram Panchayat Bhawan at Palnar to educate and convince the merchants and people to adopt Digital payments.

The teams also demonstrated the procedure of obtaining Point-of-Sale (POS) for merchants and the usage for the villagers during the meetings and training sessions. The villagers were also shown videos of various digital methods like Unified Payment Interface (UPI), Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) to get them to understand the systems better. The teams also extended their support to the merchants by enabling then in getting the Point-of-Sale (PoS) from the banks and were also given training on the usage.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) rural Common Service Centre (CSC) network through its massive outreach campaign `DigiDhan Abhiyan’, aims to reach over 1 Crore (10 million) rural citizens through this massive outreach program. The campaign aims to cover 2 lakh Common Service Centres (CSC) across the rural areas and enable them to become Digital Financial Education hubs. The CSCs will train people about the various digital financial solutions and also enable them to use various modes of Electronic Payment Systems (EPS). The campaign also aims to sensitize merchants and vendors on the use of EPS. The campaign will look to provide people with a multitude of choices, so that they can choose the method basis its relevance and comfort for them. The focus will be on creating an enabling environment and identify solutions for all segments of the population who want to go digital. It will be a combination of physical outreach through the Common Service Centres (CSC) and Digital Tools.

Apart from various training sessions for merchants and villagers, the Common Service Centres (CSC) also opened a shopping complex to keep coordinating with the newly enabled cashless merchants & villagers. The Common Service Centres are also acting as micro ATM for the villagers through its successful module of ‘Apna dhan’. With all of the activities and initiatives through the Common Service Centres (CSC), the village saw a complete turn-around and has gone digital with the use of e-Wallets, and Cards, Point-of-Sale (PoS) machines.”

“

In keeping with the changing times and ease the process of issuing passport, the Government has tweaked the passport policy and simplified a number of rules that are expected to make it easier for the citizens to procure a passport. 

According to a release of the External Affairs Ministry on Friday, the number of steps being taken would help single mothers, orphaned children, and sadhus obtain passports with ease.

The government has relaxed the need for birth certificates in the application process, Minister of State for External Affairs General (retd.) V.K. Singh declared that passport-related grievances would now be handled on the social media platform of Twitter. 

“We had to resolve issues on minors, women, birth certificates, and therefore a three-member committee was formed by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Women and Child Development that gave the recommendations,” he said. The new rules will eliminate the role of non-government agents and touts.

The new rules for online application require the applicant to provide the name of father or mother or legal guardian. “This would enable single parents to apply for passports for their children and facilitate issue of passports where the name of either the father or the mother is not required to be printed at the request of the applicant,” the release said. 

The annexures have been brought down to nine from the 15 required under the Passport Rules, 1980. The new annexures would be in the form of “self declaration” on a plain paper. The new rules allow faster processing for married applicants as they can apply without attaching marriage certificate. “We are moving to be on a par with countries with a highly liberalised process,” said Gen. Singh.

“The passport application form does not require the application to provide the name of her/his spouse in case of separated or divorced persons. Such applicants would not be required to provide even the Divorce Decree,” the press release said.

Holy men can now apply for a passport with the name of their spiritual guru, instead of biological parents. However, they would have to provide a document such as voter ID, which records the name of the guru against the column for parent’s name.Applicants can submit PAN Card, birth certificate, voter identity card, Aadhaar, driving license, students can submit transfer certificate/school leaving certificates. Online passport application form now requires the applicant to provide the name of any one among the father, mother or legal guardian.

 No marriage certificates needed for married applicants.

 No need to name the spouse in cases of applicants who are divorcees.

 Orphaned children can submit a declaration from their respective orphanages while sants can name their spiritual gurus.”

“

The UN Security Council vote against Israel’s settlement activities in Palestinian territories after the US abstained, instead of its customary move of vetoing any resolution that denounces the Israeli occupation, is seen as a rebuff to the Jewish state although it may not have any practical impact on the ground.

The 15-member council on Friday voted 14-0 in favour of a resolution demanding the halt of settlement activity by Israel on occupied Palestinian territory. The resolution was put forward by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal, a day after Egypt withdrew it under pressure from Israel and US president-elect Donald Trump.

Surprisingly under instructions from the outgoing president Barack Obama the US abstained from the voting, defying pressure from Trump and lobbying by Israel to veto the measure. It is the first resolution the Security Council adopted on Israel and the Palestinians in nearly eight years. The US abstention was a surprise as in 2011 the Obama administration had exercised its veto on a similar move.

Understandably the US decision has infuriated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who rejected the resolution terming it shameful and anti-Israel.

“Israel rejects this shameful anti-Israel resolution at the UN and will not abide by its terms,” a statement released by his office said. “The Obama administration not only failed to protect Israel against this gang-up at the UN, it colluded with it behind the scenes,” it said. “Israel looks forward to working with President-elect Trump and with all our friends in Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, to negate the harmful effects of this absurd resolution.”

The United States’ abstention was the biggest rebuke in recent history to long-standing ally Israel, allowing the Security Council to condemn its settlements and continuing construction in Palestinian territory as a “”flagrant violation”” of international law, Middle East observers said.

The US action has somewhat affected its ties with Israel and Trump who will be taking over as the 45th president of the US on January 20 will have to do the political manoeuvering to undo the damage.

Trump, who has already said he intends to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv, symbolically, to occupied Jerusalem, tweeted: “”As to the UN, things will be different after Jan 20th.””

The Netanyahu government has illegally sanctioned the construction of colonies in occupied East Jerusalem as state policy — seizing lands, bulldozing buildings and imposing the harshest judicial and administrative sanctions on Palestinians who dare oppose or object to the property theft.

The UN General Assembly has repeatedly and overwhelmingly condemned the Israeli action, but this is for the first time the Security Council has censured Israel for its settlement policy in Palestinian areas.

In the past weeks, Israeli parliament, the Knesset began the process of amending its laws to allow for the annexation of illegal outpost colonies across the West Bank, a move that has been condemned by Palestinians and the Arab world as a whole.

Palestine has described the resolution as a total rejection of extremist forces in Israel. “”This is a day of victory for international law, a victory for civilised language and negotiation and a total rejection of extremist forces in Israel,”” chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.

The resolution said Israel’s settlements on Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, have “”no legal validity.”” It demanded a halt to “”all Israeli settlement activities””, saying this “”is essential for salvaging the two-state solution””. It described the settlement building as a “major obstacle” to peace.

Middle East observers view the UNSC decision as a “”milestone”” but feel that in all probability it would remain “”ink on paper”” due to Israel’s long history in disregarding the international community’s will and that it does not entail measures that obligate Israel to adhere by the decision. 

The resolution represents consensus among the international community on the illegality of the Israeli settlement and affirms the historical right of Palestinians to their land, said Jordanian Minister of State for Media Affairs and Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani in a statement. 

Meanwhile, Israel on Sunday summoned the ambassadors of UN Security Council member states that voted in favour of the resolution, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said. The US envoy was summoned by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. 

Israel’s Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced that Israel was cutting civilian coordination with Palestinians.”

“

Villagers living in remote areas of Uttarakhand bordering Nepal are so fed up with poor mobile connectivity in their areas that they landed in Delhi last week to protest against alleged discrimination by the Department of Telecommunications. They camped at Jantar Mantar in the Capital on an indefinite sit-in protest for a week before politicians and social activists from the state convinced them to end their stir and assured to take their fight to higher ups in Delhi. 

Through their dharna, they tried to contest the claims of Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding success of his demonetization drive and people adopting electronic modes of payments. The residents of around a dozen towns and over a hundred villages sharing border with Nepal have been demanding proper, reliable and efficient telecom network in the region, but now the story has taken a peculiar turn as post-demonetization these people have been left in lurch as there is no money in banks and ATMs are not working due to poor connectivity. Moreover, irregular and unreliable mobile networks have become a major stumbling block in their efforts to join various modes of e-payments.

These people from towns like Dharchula, Munshiyari, Bangapani, Tejam and some villages of Tanakpur area rely on mobile networks of neighbouring countries to communicate and forced to pay international calling rates to stay in touch. With local and state telecom and government officials not listening to their grievances, they wrote several letters to topmost functionaries in the government including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha and his predecessor Ravi Shankar Prasad which also remained unanswered.

Flashing SIM cards of Nepalese mobile companies which are being used by people living in and around Dharchula and Munshiyari, former Congress MLA Harish Dhami, who also joined the stir, said people are ready to embrace digital payments, but without mobile connectivity people of border areas are suffering as they do not have money to spend.

“”The connectivity in the area is a poor 30 per cent and I want it should be 100 per cent. Why should people suffer due to incompetence and neglect of the Centre? People in my area are forced to pay international roaming rates to use mobile phones as they have no domestic telecom network and depend on mobile towers of neighbouring country. All claims of Mr. Modi about e-payments and ‘Digital India’ are nothing but a big sham. It is not just about cashless transactions, the entire issue poses big question mark on our national security,”” said Mr. Dhami, who heads Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation, 

Showing two SIM cards of Nepalese operators which he uses, Pritam Singh, a resident of Tejam that border Nepal, said while the government talks of telecom revolution and robust mobile networks, the fact is lakhs of people living in border areas have to depend mostly on mobile networks of Nepal Telecom. “”We live in strategically located areas adjoining Nepal where nation’s security comes first, but government cares least for us. Till now we were somehow managing things, but post demonetization drive, life has become difficult for us,”” he adds.   

(Sandeep Joshi is a freelance journalist and founder-editor of Uttarakhand Panorama, a digital platform dedicated to the news from Uttarakhand) “

“

Post demonetization, a lot of transformation in Indian business has been taking place. One of the most notable changes the common public has adopted pertains to shifting towards cashless economy through digital payment systems. Digital payments have jumped a whopping 300 per cent in the last one month itself. All this has created the sudden requirement of POS machines. India needs to add 20 lakhs new PoS (point of sale) machines in quick time to give push to cashless transactions. In this scenario, data safety and e-frauds need to be addressed by the Government as e-payments and cashless transactions continue to rise in India.

In this backdrop, Association of India Communication Multimedia and Infrastructure (CMAI), while supporting Prime Minister’s push for a cashless economy that will move India to advanced economy and corruption free India, has urged the Government to put in place a robust system to tackle e-frauds and give a push to domestic manufacturing of PoS machines and its software development under the Make in India programme.

Extending full support and cooperation to making Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push to digital payment a success, CMAI President Prof. N.K. Goyal, who is also Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association of India (TEMA’s)  Chairman Emeritus, said the Government of India should immediately come out with a policy specifically for manufacturing of PoS and development of its software so that all safety of all transactions in ensured.

 Ã¢Â€ÂœGovernment reports say during next few months 20 lakhs new PoS machines will be added to 15 lakhs existing ones. When Crores of people are joining digital payments movement daily, safety of data remains paramount which can be ensured only by pushing indigenous manufacturing of PoS machines. We cannot depend on foreign manufacturers if we want to make our economy cashless and all digital economy should also add to Make in India” said Prof NK Goyal.

Prof. Goyal pointed out that majority of PoS machines currently are imported primarily from the US, Europe and China and therefore data security remains a big challenge. Though Government exemption to BIS labeling of imported PoS machines till March next year is a welcome move, he however said the Government needs to come out with stringent norms to ensure and enhance data safety and security.

CMAI requests appropriate legal framework to address digital payment frauds to protect consumers if they lose money during digital transactions.

“India does not have proper laws in this regard as of now. The only remedy available is under Information Technology Act, which largely deals with cyber breaches. All cases of money lost in digital payments may not fall in the category of cyber thefts/breaches. With proliferations of digital payments across India in big and small towns, there may be widespread cases of small amounts here and there throughout the Country. To address them in timely manner, CMAI requests that there is need for separate digital payment laws and digital payment courts across India,” Prof. Goyal added.

There is also need for legal framework for data storage, data protection. In US the data has to be preserved in encrypted form. India does not have any legal system for such matters. He said draft legal framework should also include standards on refunds, complaint redressal system, cash backs, compliance to various policies and procedures need to display on Company’s website details of complaints received/addressed, money refunded and action taken on regular basis, cash back policy etc.

CMAI suggests mandatory cyber audit by RBI or Cyber Command Group at regular intervals. “Presently audit has been mandated as once a year. But this is not enough as cyber threats are regular and continuous, and audit is required at least once a quarter if not every month. The audit by Company appointed auditors is not the answer to financial security. We also request a high level Cyber Security Command to be established, which should have legal authority to conduct spot audits as and when it feels the need,” Prof NK Goyal said.

An appropriate and robust mechanism needs to be developed for reporting losses and recovery of money lost/theft/frauds in digital payments. “We request an institutionalized policy for redressal of complaints of citizens with regard to digital payments. There is a tendency of keeping money lost during mismatch in e-transactions in dispute and wait for compensation. CMAI requests that the refund be made immediately and compensation etc. be decided in due course of time,” Prof. Goyal added.

CMAI requests immediate action plan for the projected 5-lakh cyber experts needed as per the cyber policy. CMAI suggests that let the training of cyber experts and digital payment experts be assigned to a telecom PSU like BSNL, TCIL etc., as they have large scale existing facilities for training and tie up with AICTE also. CMAI has also sought a special drive to launch a special drive to make people aware about safe use of e-payments. The funds available with Cyber Department and USOF can be used for this purpose. There is big infrastructure available with various State Universities/Private Colleges which are available for immediate use. Hence the telecom PSUs should also be mandated to use the already available existing infrastructure with various State and Private Universities/Engineering Colleges by declaring them as Center of Excellence for Cyber Security Training.

CMAI requests appropriate strategy and awareness for guidance to help citizens and organizations to plan and prepare recovery from a cyber theft, funds frauds, money lost during e transactions and money fraudulently withdrawn by someone. The moot point is how does an organization plan to address the system attacked due to cyber and restore the services immediately.

Providing POS is only one part of the whole scenario of capability building. There are several other areas that need immediate attention of realizing the goal of maximum possible level of cashless economy in the country such as Awareness of consumers for the importance of cashless economy so that they volunteer to abstain from cash transactions, training of the vending personals involved in the transactions of money so that operations are smooth, establishing systems that ensure the smooth and uninterrupted connectivity between bankers and the points where sales are affected, security of money to ensure that all possibilities of cyber crimes are eliminated and even the not so conversant consumer is assured of the safety and security of money and establishment of the appropriate system to affect immediate redressal and recovery of money if some fraudulent transaction has happened.”

“

Civil society groups have asked the government to declare malnutrition a national emergency and improve public accountability and transparency to ensure equitable and timely access to services through existing schemes.It has recommended establishment of an empowered National food and Nutrition Commission chaired by the Prime Minister and similarinstitutional arrangements at the State level to be headed by the Chief Ministers of the respective States are necessary to ensure action on ground.

In a joint civil society declaration “The Delhi Declaration on Sustainable Development Goal for Health 2016’’ the civil society groups have asked the State and Central governments to bring nutrition at the forefront of public policy with a focus on the `First 1000 days—from pregnancy to the first two years of a child—promote life cycle approached of nutrition, health and education support to adolescent girls.

Address all forms of malnutrition such as under-nutrition, obesity, micronutrient deficiency, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in a comprehensive and integrated approach through revitalizing food and farming system, promoting nutrition sensitive agriculture, strengthening food value chain, integrated sanitation including hygiene and safe drinking water, the declaration said.

To bring out a policy breakthrough in revolutionizing dry land agriculture, the declaration said Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for minor millets and coarse grains that is twice the procurement prices of rise and conversion of all Anganwadi centers into daylong crèches so that the 0-3 cohort could be incentivised to attend.

To check unfair trade practices and ensure access to safe and nutritious food, the Food Safety Authority should work in a responsive manner to ensure access to safe and nutritious food. Linking NREGA to promote kitchen garden and bio fortified crops on government-owned land and expediting the implementation of Section 4 B of the National Food Security Act, 2013, under which pregnant women are entitled to at least Rs 6,000/- as maternity benefits are some other suggestions made in the Delhi declaration.

“”To work towards creating an enabling environment and develop mechanism for transparency and accountability and ensure periodic progress review of targets and indicators to feed into policies and programmes so that no one is left behind. To empower the local government institutionsto ensure accountability and promote sustainable food and nutrition security,”” the declaration said.

To complement the efforts of the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) and the AWW to spread nutrition awareness at the household level and address the chronic issue of exclusion and gender disparity, the declaration has suggested promoting women change leaders at each hamlet as hunger and malnutrition.  A composite incentive scheme with reward and recognition of grass root workers and volunteers to be designed to increase the morale and motivation, it said while adding finding context-specific solutions to key problems and re-energize and reform India’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), agriculture, food and health sector programme.

In addition to establishing a National Grid of naturally bio fortified gardens and bio fortified crops, the declaration has said to promote the decentralized bottom up planning, intra-departmental coordination and management, monitoring and empowerment (training/orientation) as the bedrock of coordination, convergence and governance.

Introduction of special programmes and institutional mechanism, for tribal concentrated blocks and districts to focus on food insecure and malnutrition hot spots and to protect public interest and ensure effective enforcement of the Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of production, supply and distribution), Act 1992, it said.

To enhance data integrity and set the nutrition surveillance, data and baseline, the country’s nutritious rich foods, plants and species specifically grown in the forest area should be mapped. Introduce occupation based nutrition indexing to provide informed choices to each citizen, cutting edge nationwide nutrition survey, nutrition Surveillance system, with quick response in vulnerable hot spots. Introduce IT enabled monitoring to track the services and supplies, the declaration said.”