Air Chief Marshal AY Tipnis, Chief of the Air Staff visited HQ South Western Air Command, Gandhinagar. He was accompanied by his wife, Mrs Molina Tipnis, President Air Force Wives Welfare Association. The CAS was received by Air Marshal VK Bhatia, AOC-in-C, SWAC and his wife Mrs Sunita Bhatia, President AFWWA(Regional).

The Air Chief addressed the annual Station Commanders’ Conference and presented various trophies and shields to Stations/Units for their excellent performance in different fields. Later, he addressed the personnel of HQ SWAC and a press conference.

Mrs Molina Tipnis with Mrs Sunita Bhatia, President AFWWA (Regional) discussed with commanders wives various ongoing welfare schemes and activities launched in SWAC area. Mrs Molina Tipnis presented trophies for the best Air Force School under SWAC. Later, she visited the Air Force School at HQ SWAC and inaugurated the modified Station Sick Quarters.

Mrs Roopa Padmanabhan, the President of the Army Wives Welfare Association visited the Northern Command. On her arrival, Mrs Veena Khanna, the President AWWA of the Northern Command, received her.

Mrs Roopa Padmanabhan visited the Northern Command Hospital where she distributed sweets and cards to the battle casualties undergoing treatment. She visited the Asha rehabilitation centre and a school for special children. She was briefed on the institution by the principal of the school, Mrs R Rana.

She was conducted around the central AWWA Vocational Training Centre by Mrs K Chauhan. A special AWWA meet was organised at the Chinar Auditorium. A cultural programme was presented. A report on the AWWA activities in the Northern theatre and the Udhampur garrison in particular was presented. Speaking on the occasion, she appraised the gathering of the new schemes in the pipeline and the progress of various AWWA projects. Mrs Roopa Padmanabhan thereafter met all the ladies present there.

Mrs Roopa Padmanabhan, accompanied by the COAS, visited Shradhanjali (Kargil Martyrs' Park).

The Judge Advocate General's Department celebrated its XVII Corps Day recently. The Department is entrusted with the task of dispensing justice to the rank and file of the Army and upholding the rule of law in keeping with its motto : nyaya ava dharmah (justice alone is the supreme duty).

Over the last few years, the Department has been actively involved in many new projects like establishment of Armed Forces tribunal, upgradation of Institute of Military Law at Kamptee, establishment of Army Institute of Law at Patiala and publication of Military Law Journal.

Lt Gen SS Grewal, Colonel Commandant of the Department and Maj Gen SK Sanan paid homage at the Amar Jawan Jyoti on the occasion of Corps Day celebrations. Gen S Padhmanabhan, Chief of the Army Staff conveyed his best wishes and called upon the fraternity to rededicate itself to its motto and make an everlasting contribution to the cause of justice in the Army. The Army Chief exhorted the Department to continue to render just and forthright opinion in an upright manner.

The Tangdhar town which is located on the Line of Control in Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir has experienced unprecedented artillery firing from Pakistan. This resulted in heavy civilian casualties. The locals are dependent on 168 Military Hospital at Tangdhar for treatment.

To provide safe treatment facilities to patients, a new underground operation theatre has been constructed at 168 Military Hospital. It was inaugurated by Maj Gen Rajinder Singh, General Officer Commanding Vajra Division.

The 168 Military Hospital in Tangdhar sector is the only military hospital in the Indian Army which is functioning in an operational area near the Line of Control. The underground operation theatre has a ward, post operative room and a steriliser room. The patients/casualities can be managed here more safely even under the worst circumstances.

The Civil-Military Liaison Conference was held at the Western Command Headquarters in Chandimandir Cantonment. Dignitaries of Punjab Government and senior Army and para-military forces officers discussed important issues of common security interest.

Inaugurating the conference, the Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr Parkash Singh Badal said that Punjab is the most important border state with very sensitive areas close to the Pakistan border. The Western Command has the task of not only defending borders from external aggression but also has to help the administration in the maintenance of law and order during internal disturbance, he added.

The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lt Gen Surjit Singh said that this conference would further strengthen the existing cordial and close relations between the Western Army and the Punjab administration. He assured that his Formation Commanders would respond positively to the requirements of the state authorities in the hour of need. Lt Gen Surjit Singh stressed the need for a constant vigil on the ISI activities in Punjab in view of it being a natural and favoured state for Pakistan to target and destabilise. He, however, said that the Army was operationally well prepared.

The apex level meeting was attended by the GOC-in-C, Western Command and Chief Secretary. Home Secretary, Director General of Police, and other senior officials of Punjab government. During the conference, a review of past activities, emerging security threats, disaster control, natural calamities and law and order situation was discussed and modalities worked out for better and speedy response at all levels.

A group of 30 students from the remote district of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir visited places of interest in and around Chandigarh. The group comprising 18 boys and 12 girls in the age group of 12-17 years was accompanied by four teachers. The students came from various schools in Tangdhar, Karna, Machhal and Keran sectors.

The Kashmiri students met the Chief of Staff, Western Command,
Lt Gen Hrs Mann in Chandimandir. Lt Gen Mann presented gifts to the youth. The students and the teachers visited Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake, Panchkula and Chandimandir.

In Delhi, they watched Republic Day parade and NCC Republic Day Camp programmes and visited Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House and places of historical interest. The group also visited Agra and Fatehpur Sikri before returning to Kupwara.

Organised by the Vajra Infantry Division of the Army, the visit aimed at exposing the Valley youth to other parts of the country providing them an opportunity to know the rich cultural and secular ethos of India.

The Army School, Chandimandir organised an inter school declamation contest for junior and senior class students at Manekshaw Auditorium, Chandimandir.

In all, 17 secondary schools from Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Chandimandir, Ambala cantonment and other nearby areas took part in the contest. The aim of the programme was to generate awareness among students about the Army and motivate them to join Army as a career.

The overall trophy was bagged by Little Flower Convent School, Panchkula as two of its students won first and third place in junior and senior sections. The officiating Brigadier, Artillery Branch, Headquarters Western Command, Col S K Maini gave away the prizes to the winners. Lt Col (Retd) N R Baberwal, Principal, Army School, Chandimandir coordinated the programme.

The Coast Guard's new complex in Chennai was inaugurated by the Coast Guard's Director General, Vice Admiral J C De Silva. Spread over an area of about two acres near Coovum river, the complex has an administrative block to house the headquarters of Coast Guard Region East, Officers Mess, Commander's residence and flats for Coast Guard personnel. The Commander of the Coast Guard Region (East) Cmde RS Vasan presided over the inaugural function. The General Officer Commanding, ATNKK and G Area, Maj Gen V Jayashankar was the chief guest. Brig Rana S K Kapur, Chief Engineer, Chennai Zone, Mr Balasubramaniam, DIG, Coast Guard and District Commanders of the Coast Guard from all the maritime states on the east coast were among those present.

An investiture ceremony was held at Fort William, Kolkata on the occasion of the Army Day. Lt Gen HRS Kalkat, Goc-in-C Eastern Command conferred gallantry awards to 21 officers, JCOs and ORs for their heroic deeds performed during various actions. Unit citation for excellent and exemplary performance in combating insurgency was also conferred by the GOC-in-C. The award has been conferred for outstanding achievements in combating insurgency and excellence in all fields. From amongst a very large number of both Army and Assam Rifle units deployed in the states of Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Manipur, the only unit which received unit citation on the occasion was 17 Assam Rifles.

This award was received on behalf of the unit by Col Dilawar Singh, Commandant 17 Assam Rifles and Sub Maj Jeet Singh Bisht. In the past one year, the unit has established an unparalled record of neutralising and apprehending more than 200 hardcore insurgents. It has also succeeded in recovering large number of arms and ammunition.

The Coast Guard recently launched a massive operation to rescue a stranded whale. In a joint operation with the district administration and Forest and Fisheries Department, the Coast Guard undertook a marathon rescue operation to set the stranded whale free. The whale which beached ashore was a rare Hump Back whale (Megptra Noviglea) about 45 ft in length and weighing 30 tonnes. Lifting such a weight without damaging the whale was a risky job which till recently was only attempted by USA and Canada. This is the second successful rescue by Coast Guard.

Brig TS Chauhan inaugurated a computer centre at the Army Preparatory School, Udhampur. All members of the School Management Committee, the staff and students were present on the occasion.

The computer centre is the first step towards a familiarisation with information technology. The Principal, Mrs Sally Singh said that it was a red letter day for Army Preparatory School, Udhampur since this school was the first preparatory school in the district to have computers.

"Towards Better Health", a health awareness workshop for the families of all ranks of an Infantry Brigade, was conducted at Surya Sainik Institute (SSI) at Lucknow Cantonment. Nearly 200 ladies attended the two-day workshop which was aimed at bringing awareness among the families in view of the changing pattern of diseases in the developed world.

A healthy baby competition was also held on the occasion. Master Randeep, son of L/Nk Kuldeep Singh was adjudged the winner in the 'upto 1 year' category whereas in the ' 2 to 4 years' category Master Ranjit, son of Nk Rajesh Singh came first. Mrs Nalini Idnani gave away prizes to the winners.

Maj Gen B Cornelius has been appointed as the Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers.

Born in 1943, the General Officer has had a chequered career and has served in various EME units. During his career, the General Officer has also held various staff appointments which included the prestigious appointment of Dy MS (EME) in the MS Branch and DDG(Manpower Planning) in the AG Branch. He has also served as MG EME, Central Command.

The Western Air Command, New Delhi has won the team championship at the national Air Force table tennis tournament that concluded at Southern Air Command, Trivandrum.

In finals, they defeated the Training Command, Bangalore by 3-1. The Central Air Command, Allahabad won the third position and Southern Air Command won the fourth position.

Flying Officer Radhakrishnan of the Western Air Command lifted the Single's Trophy defeating Cpl Ghosh of Central Air Command by 3-0.

The double's championship went to Flying Officer Radhakrishnan and Cpl Mukherjee, the team of Western Air Command. They defeated Cpl Ghosh and Cpl Krishna, of the Central Air Command by 2-0.

Air Marshal Manjit S Sekhon, AOC-in-C, Southern Air Command gave away the trophies to the winners.

Over forty players from all the eight Air Commands in the country participated in the championship.

The 7th Battalion of 11 Gorkha Rifles, scoring the maximum of 29 points retained the overall championship trophy of the prestigious Amar Memorial Boxing Tournament 2001 conducted at the 11 GRRC.

L/Nk Padam Subba, winner of the light welter weight bout, and Rfn Lakpa Tamang who lost to Rfn Man Bahadur Limbu in feather weight bout were adjudged the best boxer and best loser respectively.

Prizes were distributed by Brig M K Idnani, Commander of an Infantry Brigade. The championship trophy on behalf of the victorious team was received by Nb Sub Rajesh Kumar.

The Fighter Training Wing of Air Force Station, Hakimpet conducted an impressive valedictory function to mark the completion of training of 165 Pilots Course. Air Vice Marshal (Retd) EG Salins presided over the function and awarded certificates to the graduating officers. The function was also attended by Air Cmde M Dikshit, Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station Hakimpet and Mrs Vibha Dikshit, President AFWWA(L).

The 22-week course which is conducted at Air Force Station Hakimpet for newly commissioned fighter pilots facilitates an all-round development in flying and ground skills.

The trophy for standing first in the overall order of merit was awarded to Lt Shikku Raj (Indian Navy). The trophy for best in flying went to Fg Offr AP Singh and the one for the best in ground subjects was won by Fg Offr S Garg. Apart from these trophies, two book prizes were awarded for the best syndicate presentation and the best in public speaking.

A battalion of the Rajput Regiment scoring 1494 points lifted the title of the cross-country championship of an infantry brigade in Lucknow Cantonment.

Nk Nawab Singh of the winning team, finishing the 12.5 km run in 37 minutes 50 seconds, annexed the individual championship trophy.
L/Hav Mahesh Pal and Sep Amar Singh got second and third individual prizes respectively.

With a score of 1436 points, a battalion of the Jat Regiment came second followed by the team of the Brigade Camp which scored 92 points. In all, five teams comprising 500 officers and jawans participated in the championship.

Prizes to the winners were distributed by Brig Shyam Lal, the Brigade Commander. The overall championship trophy on behalf of the victorious team was received by Col VRR Pillai.

Fortytwo para troopers from 50 (Independent) Para Brigade, Agra led by its Commander Brig R M Shivrein held a demonstration in para-jumping at village Kaayaar near Tambaram. The paratroopers flew to Chennai to conduct this demonstration for the benefit of the cadets of Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai.

Twentyeight officers, 14 other ranks and one lady officer (Capt Sharada) took part in the demonstration. The AN-32 aircraft performed a fly past at very low altitude.

Brig R K Karnakar, Deputy Commandant of the OTA and the passing out cadets of the Academy witnessed the wonderful display.

Maj Gen B S Keron, ADGTT visited 3 Corps Engineering Signal Regiment as Chairman, Batra Trophy team. The unit has got detachments in the remote and insurgent active corners in the states of Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya and Assam.

The ADGTT visited remote and far-flunged detachments of Kohima and Zakhama as part of assessment for Batra Trophy. Maj DPS Chahal, OC 1 conducted him during the visit around the detachments. The ADGTT also paid his tributes to the martyrs at Kohima War Cemetery.

The Indian Army Microlight Expedition 2000 from Gaya to Bangalore was undertaken by the "Flying Rabbits". This unique expedition used 2 x air microlight aircraft. Flagged off from Gaya by Brig NP Singh, Commandant, ASC Centre (North), the expedition covered an aerial distance of 2230 kms. The expedition crossed Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The "Flying Rabbits" landed at 14 places and presented shows at nine places enroute.

The aim of the expedition was to create awarness amongst the local people about the Army.

The young team was led by Capt Sandeep Sinha. The other members of the team were Captains Anand Adhaw, Arun Balhara and Modi Yogini who is the first lady officer of the Indian Army to fly a microlight. Their efforts were supported by the ground party comprising Maj Ashok Kumar and Capt Ashok Kumar alongwith JCOs and ORs.

The expedition was finally flagged in at ASC Centre and College, Bangalore. This expedition established three new national records: longest distance in 2 x air microlight aircraft, a fly past with biggest banner and an expedition with first woman to fly the longest distance in this category of air craft.