Vishwa Mohan, TNN, 27 January 2010, 01:09am IST
NEW DELHI: Concerned by the acute shortage of IPS officers at a time of mounting challenges on the internal security front, the home ministry is mulling the option of a holding "limited" competitive examination exclusively to recruit IPS officers -- a route that was taken immediately after Independence to fill huge vacancies that had accumulated through the War years and because of the departure of British cops to UK and Muslim cops to Pakistan. The examination will be open only for existing government servants -- mainly from armed services, paramilitary and state police forces -- and will be held for the specific purpose of recruiting nearly 650 IPS officers. Special secretary (internal security) in the home ministry, U K Bansal, confirmed the move. "It is still at a preliminary stage of discussion. Once finalised, the proposal will go to the Cabinet for approval," he told TOI. There are currently 196 vacancies, while government has estimated that it will need an additional 450 officers to tackle threats from terrorists, Left extremists as well as criminal syndicates that, helped among other things by lack of adequate police personnel of all ranks, have proliferated across the country. Bansal said Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) would conduct the separate examination. It would, however, not affect recruitment of IPS officers through the annual Civil Services Examination (CSE), he added. The shortfall of 196 officers was mainly created during 1999-2002 when the induction of IPS per year dropped to 36 against the annual average of 85. Recently, the government accepted the home ministry's proposal to increase the annual intake of IPS officers through CSE from 130 to 150 and UPSC accordingly increased the number of seats to be filled through this year's CSE. However, the ministry recogises that at the rate of 20 more recruits per year, it will take several years before the strength of officer corps reaches the required level. It has already held a few rounds of discussions over the recommendation of the one-man committee -- headed by retired IPS officer Kamal Kumar -- on Recruitment Plan (2009-2020). The discussions have, so far, focused on the eligibility criteria -- age and educational/special qualification -- for government servants who would be allowed to take the limited competitive examination. Besides recommending increase in the annual intake of IPS officers through CSE from 130 to 150, the Kamal Kumar committee in its report submitted on October 15 last year also suggested holding limited competitive examination for at least seven years to recruit an additional 448 IPS officers....http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTAvMDEvMjcjQXIwMDEwMg==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Will Myanmar be as serious\sincere as Bhutan?...We'll have to wait for result on the ground...
Myanmar nod to joint ops against N-E militants
Vishwa Mohan, TNN, 25 January 2010, 02:02am IST
NEW DELHI: In a major boost for India, Myanmar is learnt to have agreed to launch "coordinated operations" to flush out north-east militants from its territory -- quite similar to what Bhutan did against ULFA by launching `Operation All Clear' in December 2003. Besides, the neighbouring country's ruling junta has also promised to track down elusive ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah who is believed to be hiding somewhere in Myanmar's Kachin province bordering China. These assurances were given at the three-day home secretary-level talks between the two countries which concluded in Myanmar's capital Nay Pay Taw on Thursday. A senior home ministry official said, "Security forces of India and Myanmar will conduct coordinated operations in their respective territories in the next two-three months. The objective of the operations is that no militant should escape to the other side after facing heat on one side." The Indian delegation, led by home secretary G K Pillai, included senior officials from Army and military intelligence including DGMI Lt Gen R K Loomba, unlike previous such meetings where generally home ministry officials used to outnumber others. Though the official here did not specify when such coordinated operations would begin, he hinted that it would "more or less be like what Bhutan did six years ago". "Indian Army and paramilitary personnel will lay a dragnet within Indian territory to nab the fleeing militants. The proposed operation on the other side will be solely carried out by Myanmar without any manpower or artillery support from Indian Army," said the official. Bhutan had launched `Operation All Clear' on December 15, 2003 which resulted in elimination of at least 160 militants and arrests of hundreds of other ULFA cadres including its ideologues Bhimkanta Buragohain and Mithinga Daimari. Besides ULFA, other north-east outfits including NSCN(IM), NSCN(K), PLA and UNLF too have their camps within Myanmarese territory. While ULFA has camps in the Kachin province bordering China, the other outfits have been operating from areas bordering India which touches Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. Referring to Baruah, the official said, "We have conveyed to the Myanmar delegation that we have information that the ULFA military chief is hiding in their territory and they assured us to track him down." The Indian side also held detailed discussions with the Myanmar contingent led by Brigadier General Phone Swe on issues like activities of smugglers along the border, cross-border movement of insurgents, border trade and cross-border projects. "The meeting was very positive as Myanmar assured us that it will address all our security concerns and promised to carry forward the cordial relations between the two countries," the official said. http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTAvMDEvMjUjQXIwMTAwMw==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
Vishwa Mohan, TNN, 25 January 2010, 02:02am IST
NEW DELHI: In a major boost for India, Myanmar is learnt to have agreed to launch "coordinated operations" to flush out north-east militants from its territory -- quite similar to what Bhutan did against ULFA by launching `Operation All Clear' in December 2003. Besides, the neighbouring country's ruling junta has also promised to track down elusive ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah who is believed to be hiding somewhere in Myanmar's Kachin province bordering China. These assurances were given at the three-day home secretary-level talks between the two countries which concluded in Myanmar's capital Nay Pay Taw on Thursday. A senior home ministry official said, "Security forces of India and Myanmar will conduct coordinated operations in their respective territories in the next two-three months. The objective of the operations is that no militant should escape to the other side after facing heat on one side." The Indian delegation, led by home secretary G K Pillai, included senior officials from Army and military intelligence including DGMI Lt Gen R K Loomba, unlike previous such meetings where generally home ministry officials used to outnumber others. Though the official here did not specify when such coordinated operations would begin, he hinted that it would "more or less be like what Bhutan did six years ago". "Indian Army and paramilitary personnel will lay a dragnet within Indian territory to nab the fleeing militants. The proposed operation on the other side will be solely carried out by Myanmar without any manpower or artillery support from Indian Army," said the official. Bhutan had launched `Operation All Clear' on December 15, 2003 which resulted in elimination of at least 160 militants and arrests of hundreds of other ULFA cadres including its ideologues Bhimkanta Buragohain and Mithinga Daimari. Besides ULFA, other north-east outfits including NSCN(IM), NSCN(K), PLA and UNLF too have their camps within Myanmarese territory. While ULFA has camps in the Kachin province bordering China, the other outfits have been operating from areas bordering India which touches Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. Referring to Baruah, the official said, "We have conveyed to the Myanmar delegation that we have information that the ULFA military chief is hiding in their territory and they assured us to track him down." The Indian side also held detailed discussions with the Myanmar contingent led by Brigadier General Phone Swe on issues like activities of smugglers along the border, cross-border movement of insurgents, border trade and cross-border projects. "The meeting was very positive as Myanmar assured us that it will address all our security concerns and promised to carry forward the cordial relations between the two countries," the official said. http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTAvMDEvMjUjQXIwMTAwMw==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
CHANGING FACE Of The Indian CIVIL SERVANT
Follow @VishwaMohan
Time was when the cream of the public school-educated middle class dreamt of getting into the civil service; they slogged their guts out to pass the Union Public Service Commission entrance exams. Among those who got through, there was a caste system : the toppers almost invariably opted for the Indian Foreign Service, so much so that being a member of the IFS those days automatically implied the person had done brilliantly in the exam. Not anymore. The IFS is no longer the service of choice, the IAS is. Rising representation of mofussil youth, OBC elites and women is altering the character of the famed steel frame . In many ways, the civil services mirror the changes sweeping through Indian society.
TOI-Crest maps the structure of the new establishment
RAJEEV DESHPANDE, REMA NAGARAJAN & VISHWA MOHAN
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE In 1963, four of the top five in the UPSC (civil service) entrance exams opted for the Indian Foreign Service In 1966, two UPSC candidates made it to the IAS, but instead of joining, chose to appear for the exams again the next year so they could be in the IFS In 1971, ranks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13 joined the IFS In 1972, 20 of the first 26 chose the IFS From 2005 to 08, almost no one from the top 20 joined the IFS In 2007, of the first 50, only two joined the IFS In 2008, only four out of the top 50 chose IFS The sight was uncanny. The waiting room for the civil services interviews was full of men, all dressed alike, right down to their socks powder blue shirts, dark trousers, and tan or black shoes. So similar were the outfits it looked like a fraternity with a strict dress code. The selection panel did not find the assembly of Agent Smiths unusual though. The candidates were all products of coaching institutes and had been advised on the appropriate attire to make the cut. The responses to their choice of newspaper and reasons for wanting to join the service serving the nation would also be identical. Some 62 years after Independence, the civil services may have lost some of their sheen with liberalization throwing open the gates to more lucrative opportunities in the corporate and financial sectors, but for vast sections of the mofussil population, they are still a one-way ticket to privilege, status and travel, big enough to spawn an entire training industry. Drop by at Delhis Raus Study Circle, one of the oldest coaching centres in the country, and you see classrooms that are a beehive of students preparing for the entrance exams; their days are packed with tutes , seminars and assignments to learn by rote. Look closely at the composition of the candidates, as V P Gupta, director of Raus , points out, and one can sense the change sweeping through the power structure of the future. For starters, there are lots of women in the group; most of the men are from small towns and semi-urban areas; and the notable absentees are scions of distinguished families who no longer follow the tradition of a career in the services. Clearly, young aspirants from far-flung places like Cuddalore and Ambala seem more intent on babudom today than their more urbane counterparts. Growing emphasis on quota policies is also changing the face of the services. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) denies it maps caste and regional trends but almost 30 per cent of successful candidates now are OBCs, and progressive reservation in central educational institutions is bound to quicken this trend. The old elite is making way for a new set more fiercely determined to find top jobs within the establishment. The transition has strangely reversed the pecking order. Time was when the cream of the educated middle class dreamt of getting into the civil service; and among those who got through, there was a caste system : the toppers almost invariably opted for the Indian Foreign Service, so much so that being a member of the IFS those days automatically implied the person had done brilliantly in the exams . Not anymore. The IFS is no longer the service of choice, the IAS is. Even the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) are at times preferred to the IFS. The IFS batch, once considered the crme de la creme of the civil services the prime minister himself interviewed them! has now been decisively displaced by wannabe collectors and sub-divisional magistrates. As a retired envoy wryly observed, who would want to be in the foreign service where you cannot get even a peon....http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VENSTS8yMDEwLzAxLzE2I0FyMDAxMDA=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
Time was when the cream of the public school-educated middle class dreamt of getting into the civil service; they slogged their guts out to pass the Union Public Service Commission entrance exams. Among those who got through, there was a caste system : the toppers almost invariably opted for the Indian Foreign Service, so much so that being a member of the IFS those days automatically implied the person had done brilliantly in the exam. Not anymore. The IFS is no longer the service of choice, the IAS is. Rising representation of mofussil youth, OBC elites and women is altering the character of the famed steel frame . In many ways, the civil services mirror the changes sweeping through Indian society.
TOI-Crest maps the structure of the new establishment
RAJEEV DESHPANDE, REMA NAGARAJAN & VISHWA MOHAN
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE In 1963, four of the top five in the UPSC (civil service) entrance exams opted for the Indian Foreign Service In 1966, two UPSC candidates made it to the IAS, but instead of joining, chose to appear for the exams again the next year so they could be in the IFS In 1971, ranks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13 joined the IFS In 1972, 20 of the first 26 chose the IFS From 2005 to 08, almost no one from the top 20 joined the IFS In 2007, of the first 50, only two joined the IFS In 2008, only four out of the top 50 chose IFS The sight was uncanny. The waiting room for the civil services interviews was full of men, all dressed alike, right down to their socks powder blue shirts, dark trousers, and tan or black shoes. So similar were the outfits it looked like a fraternity with a strict dress code. The selection panel did not find the assembly of Agent Smiths unusual though. The candidates were all products of coaching institutes and had been advised on the appropriate attire to make the cut. The responses to their choice of newspaper and reasons for wanting to join the service serving the nation would also be identical. Some 62 years after Independence, the civil services may have lost some of their sheen with liberalization throwing open the gates to more lucrative opportunities in the corporate and financial sectors, but for vast sections of the mofussil population, they are still a one-way ticket to privilege, status and travel, big enough to spawn an entire training industry. Drop by at Delhis Raus Study Circle, one of the oldest coaching centres in the country, and you see classrooms that are a beehive of students preparing for the entrance exams; their days are packed with tutes , seminars and assignments to learn by rote. Look closely at the composition of the candidates, as V P Gupta, director of Raus , points out, and one can sense the change sweeping through the power structure of the future. For starters, there are lots of women in the group; most of the men are from small towns and semi-urban areas; and the notable absentees are scions of distinguished families who no longer follow the tradition of a career in the services. Clearly, young aspirants from far-flung places like Cuddalore and Ambala seem more intent on babudom today than their more urbane counterparts. Growing emphasis on quota policies is also changing the face of the services. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) denies it maps caste and regional trends but almost 30 per cent of successful candidates now are OBCs, and progressive reservation in central educational institutions is bound to quicken this trend. The old elite is making way for a new set more fiercely determined to find top jobs within the establishment. The transition has strangely reversed the pecking order. Time was when the cream of the educated middle class dreamt of getting into the civil service; and among those who got through, there was a caste system : the toppers almost invariably opted for the Indian Foreign Service, so much so that being a member of the IFS those days automatically implied the person had done brilliantly in the exams . Not anymore. The IFS is no longer the service of choice, the IAS is. Even the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) are at times preferred to the IFS. The IFS batch, once considered the crme de la creme of the civil services the prime minister himself interviewed them! has now been decisively displaced by wannabe collectors and sub-divisional magistrates. As a retired envoy wryly observed, who would want to be in the foreign service where you cannot get even a peon....http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VENSTS8yMDEwLzAxLzE2I0FyMDAxMDA=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
Chidambaram wants Jharkhand to take naxals head-on...Aren't PC and Soren on same boat??
Vishwa Mohan, TNN, 20 January 2010, 02:12am IST
NEW DELHI: A day after Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren aired his `soft' approach towards Maoists saying there is no need for a "confrontation" with them, Union home minister P Chidambaram said he hoped the state government would give "clear directions" to the police and local administration to "resolutely face the challenge of naxalism" -- indicating some differences in the approach of the state and the Centre towards the menace.
The differences have come up ever since the Soren-led government came to power, leaving the police and paramilitary forces in Jharkhand in a state of flux in the absence of clear directions from the top. During his first visit to Delhi after taking over as CM of Jharkhand, Soren had told reporters on Monday that his government was "formulating a strategy" to deal with naxals -- a hint of the approach which may be different from the one where the security forces were for an all-out armed action against the ultras. He had said: "If there is a need, then force can be used. But if the situation can be resolved without confrontation (`takkar'), why not solve it...the question is whether they are naxals or not? The media has created a hype by claiming that naxals are active in the state." Soren's remarks clearly showed that the state government under him and the Centre -- which wants Maoists to shun violence completely before coming for talks -- were not on the same boat.
Condemning Friday's incident in Gumla district, Chidambaram said on Tuesday: "In a loud and clear signal to the new government in Jharkhand, the CPI (Maoist) have committed their first major act of depredation by triggering a landmine blast in which seven personnel of security forces and one civilian were killed." Referring to the "true nature" of the Maoists' violence, the home minister also pointed out that the incident took place despite there being no provocation (from the security forces).
He also brought into focus the `economics' behind such violence, triggered by Red ultras. In a statement issued by his ministry, he said: "It is a well known fact that illegal bauxite mining takes place in that area. The naxalites collect levies from illegal miners. The naxals resorted to this attack only to scare the police away from the area in which they operate and collect illegal levies."
Although there has been a virtual halt in the anti-naxal operations in Jharkhand, the counter-measures are continuing unabated in other states -- mainly Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Orissa and West Bengal -- where the security forces are concentrating on `precision attacks' against ultras on the basis of specific intelligence.
Meanwhile, Chidambaram may visit Chhattisgarh on January 22 to review the overall situation in the state. Officers from Orissa and Maharashtra may also join their Chhattisgarh counterparts in the meeting, called to further finetune joint operations at junctions and tri-junctions of bordering states...http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JSC8yMDEwLzAxLzIwI0FyMDA4MDA=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Naxals develop tech to clone AK series rifles
RED MENACE
Maoists develop tech to clone AK series rifles
Vishwa Mohan TNN
New Delhi: Maoists may have been dependent on weapons looted from armouries but now they have developed the expertise to clone sophisticated weapons, including assault rifles of AK series, in a development that should worry security agencies as they brace for the offensive against the ultras. Security agencies came across the Maoists’ innovative skills last week when a CRPF team busted an arms manufacturing unit in forests close to Gobardaha village in Chatra district in Jharkhand and recovered a number of ‘duplicate’ AK-47 and AK-57 rifles of “high standard”. The CRPF also seized as many as 59 different types of instruments, which were used to manufacture and assemble these rifles and various types of pistols. An official said, “Around 100 personnel of the CRPF’s 190th Battalion conducted the operation and arrested one Maoist. Though the rest of the ultras fled away, they left behind the instruments used in making not only duplicate AK series rifles but also pistols of different makes.” The preliminary examination of weapons seized from the arms manufacturing unit showed that the quality of the rifles was as good as original AK series rifles. Five improvised explosive devices (IEDs) weighing 15 kg each were also seized during the operation, launched on the basis of specific intelligence input. The official said, “Though security forces have busted other arms manufacturing units of the Maoists in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh in the past, they have for the first time come across such sophisticated weapons of high standard, manufactured by the ultras.” The first big arms manufacturing unit of the Maoists was busted by Andhra Pradesh in 2006 when they recovered a huge stock of rocket shells and launchers in the state. Probe later revealed that the Maoists’ technical wing designed the launchers and initially made them at a foundry in Chennai...http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTAvMDEvMTgjQXIwMTAwNA==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
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