Cavalier India Defence Training Academy

For the third time this year, a cadet from Punjab has bagged the prestigious Sword of Honour for being adjudged as overall best cadet of his batch during pre-commission training in an Army institution. The Sword of Honour for the Autumn Term, 2020, was awarded to Lt Watandeep Singh Sidhu during the Passing out Parade (PoP) held at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, on Saturday. He has opted for the elite Parachute Regimen Sidhu, who held the rank of Academy Cadet Adjutant in the final term at IMA, hails from Threeke near Ludhiana. An alumnus of the Rashtriya Indian Military College, he had joined the National Defence Academy, Kharakvasla, in November 2016 and after completing the three-year course in 2019, proceeded to the IMA. He had been adjudged best in physical endurance, PT and tactical ability. “It is a matter of great pride for our family and I am overjoyed at my son’s achievement. He had always wanted to join the Army,” said Watandeep’s father Baljinder Singh Sidhu, w...

Two of the three contentious Farm Bills have been passed. What do they seek to achieve on paper, and what are the fears of those protesting? A look at differing perspectives, and where this could lead to. Farmers protesting against Farm Bills (Image | The Asian Age) On Sunday, Rajya Sabha passed two of the three farm reforms Bills that have seen widespread protests in recent weeks, particularly in Haryana and Punjab , where the ruling BJP has lost its ally Shiromani Akali Dal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated that farmers will benefit from the changes, first mentioned as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package. The Bills replaced three ordinances promulgated earlier. What do the Bills do? The first thing to do is to simplify the names of these ordinances as agriculture economist Sudha Narayanan (of the IGIDR) has done. So, think of... “The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020” as the APMC Bypass Ordinance .  Treat “The E...