Cavalier India Defence Training Academy

Whether measures enforced this time round will help cities rein in air pollution, given the ongoing pandemic, is a moot point. As Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) dips to "very poor" and "severe", the capital's authorities are enforcing GRAP strictly Winter is almost here and the perennial battle of the National Capital Region (NCR) against air pollution, arising out of both local factors and the burning of agricultural stubble, has begun once again. Air pollution control measures under the “very poor” and “severe” categories of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) have been enforced in the NCR cities from October 15, and enforcement of anti-pollution norms by various agencies is currently under way. Whether these are able to rein in air pollution, especially with the added risk presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic this year, remains to be seen. The GRAP is a set of emergency measures to be taken to reduce air pollution, including odd-even vehi...

Study smart and crack the NDA in 30 days with these preparation hacks. Easy is perhaps the last word to strike one’s mind when thinking about the National Defence Academy exam. It is one of the toughest senior secondary level competitive examinations conducted to select competent individuals for admission into the prestigious National Defence Academy and Indian Naval Academy. Being conducted twice every year, the examination in its expanded form is also referred to as the NDA and NA exam. Union Service Commission (UPSC), the apex recruitment agency behind the NDA and NA examinations, has deferred the national level examination till further notice. The first session of the NDA 2020 examination was earlier scheduled to be held on April 19. Considering that the exam stands postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis, the UPSC might announce the new dates anytime after the lockdown is removed. Once the dates are out, and the NDA admit card is released, the aspirants may not get even a month’s tim...

Response team preparing for disembarkation, INS Jalashwa, Kochi, May 17 (Indian Navy) The Indian Navy's amphibs are continuing operations to repatriate stranded Indian nationals from abroad, including citizens remaining in the Maldives.  The amphib INS Jalashwa entered Kochi harbour on Sunday morning, concluding her second voyage to bring back Indian citizens from the central port of Male in the Maldives. The ship disembarked 588 Indian citizens, including 70 women (of whom six are pregnant) and 21 children at Cochin Port Trust's Samudrika Cruise Terminal. INS Jalashwa berthed alongside at 1130 hours and was received by personnel from Indian Navy, the port and the state and national governments. Port officials made prior arrangements for streamlining the process of COVID-19 screening and immigration procedures. The civil administration is also providing transportation for the evacuated Indian nationals to their respective districts and states for post-arrival quarantine. INS Ja...

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat has said that the retirement age of jawans in the Army, airmen in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and sailors in the Navy will be extended as it could benefit nearly 15 lakh men of all three armed forces.  “We are soon bringing a policy to extend the service profile of the men (forces nomenclature for troops) and have an increased minimum retirement age,” said General Rawat in an exclusive interaction with The Tribune yesterday. On being asked if he was looking to cut down the manpower costs as rising salaries and pensions were taking away a large portion of the budget, General Rawat said, “I am looking at manpower costs. Why should a jawan serve for just 15 or 17 years, why cannot he serve for 30 years? We are losing trained manpower.”  Easing fears that this policy would change the age profile of the fighting force, he said that the frontline combatant could be young. “We have an Army Medical Corps, why can’t the nursing assistant serve ...

Colonel Ashutosh Sharma Unlucky thirteen became lucky for Colonel Ashutosh Sharma to join the Indian Army after attempting it for six-and-a-half years as he had no other dream than donning the olive green uniform. Col Ashutosh Sharma, who was among five security forces personnel killed during an encounter with terrorists in north Kashmir, is the second Commanding Officer of the 21 Rashtriya Rifles who lost his life while combating terrorism. Remembering Col Sharma, his elder brother Piush says that he always used to have his way, come what may. "It was like my way or the highway for him. His only dream was Army and nothing else," says Piush, who works for a pharmaceutical company in Jaipur. "He had waged a war to join the Army some way or the other till he finally achieved success in his 13th attempt (in . From that day, there was no looking back for Ashu (Col Sharma)," Piush told PTI over phone. Col Sharma joined the Army in the early 2000s. Putting up a brave face...

Army personnel distribute packaged food to the homeless in Chennai on 31 March 2020 | Image Source : PTI A medical team from the Army was deployed at the Narela quarantine camp in Delhi Friday where some of the coronavirus-infected patients from the Tablighi Jamaat event are being kept. This is the first time the armed service has been deployed at a civil centre set up to handle the coronavirus cases. So far, the Army’s doctors and specialists have only been operating out of the quarantine centres set up by the force. Defence sources said none of the quarantined people misbehaved with the Army medical team after reports emerged that some Tablighi Jamaat members refused to cooperate and even harassed civil medical teams . “This deployment consists of two doctors and two nurses. They are accompanied by a protective unit as per standard operating procedure,” said an Army source. Health ministry requests for Army team Another source said that the deployment was made at the request of th...

 IAF aircraft C-130J airlifted the supplies to Maldivian Capital, Male as part of Operation "Sanjeevani" on Wednesday. (Photo Credits : Twitter/ @adgpi )  The Indian Air Force (IAF) sent 6.2 tonnes of essential medicines and hospital consumables to the Maldives on Wednesday as this consignment could not be transported through usual channels due to the 21-day lockdown in India. IAF aircraft C-130J airlifted the supplies to Maldivian Capital, Male as part of Operation "Sanjeevani" on Wednesday.  These medicines could not be transported directly to the Maldives from India by the suppliers through any other means as India is under a 21-day nation-wide lockdown to stall the spread of coronavirus pandemic, which has upended daily life, killing more 50,000 globally.  These supplies were procured from 8 different suppliers in India. The Maldives is the first country in India’s neighbourhood to have received essential medicines since the lockdown commenced in India.  At ...

The 85-year-old woman was critically ill and alone at her home in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district. Photo Source: The Indian Express and India TV News The Indian Army came to the rescue of an 85-year-old woman, who was critically ill and alone at her home in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, after her grandson tweeted to the Prime Minister's Office. "Help for my grandmother who is dying in a remote village of distt. Rajouri. No medical facilities amid this lockdown. she lives alone.. please Save her," Manik Sharma tweeted on Wednesday, March 31.  Help for my grandmother who is dying in a remote village of distt.Rajouri. No medical facilities amid this lockdown.she lives alone..please Save her @PMOIndia @ManhasYougal @AsadmAijaz @aajtak @narendramodi — Manik Sharma (@ManikSh10629381) March 31, 2020 "On receipt of the message, Indian Army swung into action and Army doctor was immediately sent to the village ...

Pawan Hans helicopter (File Photo) 'Lifeline Udan Flights' initiative:    The government on Tuesday announced setting up of a "cargo air-bridge" between India and China, and said that regular cargo flights for transporting critical medical supplies between the two countries are likely to be operated by Air India from April 3. In an official release, the civil aviation ministry also said it has operated as many as 62 cargo services in the past five days, starting March 26, under its recently launched 'Lifeline Udan flights' initiative , transporting over 15.4 tonnes of essential medical supplies. The initiative is aimed at ferrying medical and essential supplies from one place to another across the country. "On the international front, Air India has established a cargo air-bridge between India and China. Regular cargo flights for transporting critical medical equipment and supplies between the two countries are likely to be operated by Air India from Apr...

The Indian Army is training to assist in COVID–19 containment efforts, if needed. Photo Credits:  Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod via Wikimedia Commons Capacity building measures and cooperation with the state government officials :  Amid a nationwide lockdown in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID–19) pandemic, the Indian Army has started training personnel to participate in assisting state authorities in enforcement efforts. India’s lockdown, affecting some 1.3 billion people, is the largest national policy response of its type to the ongoing pandemic in the world. According to the Economic Times, the Indian Army has started training troops on how they might collaborate with law enforcement authorities to make sure that lockdown rules are followed. “A major part of the training involves the type of equipment they need to carry, clothing to be worn and precautions to be taken for themselves and in treating and helping” citizens, the Economic Times reports. As the training cont...