In This Issue Since 1909 BIRTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS President’s Address 4 (Initially published as FAUJI AKHBAR) Vol. 64 q No 3 12 - 26 Magha, 1938 (Saka) 1-15 February 2017 The journal of India’s Armed Forces published every fortnight in thirteen languages including Hindi & English on behalf of Ministry of Defence. It is not necessarily an organ for the expression of the Government’s defence policy. The published items represent the views of respective writers and correspondents. Editor-in-Chief Senior Editor Hasibur Rahman Ruby T Sharma Twenty-Five India Evolving as a Editor Coordination bravehearts bag… 6 Global Hub in … 7 Ehsan Khusro Kunal Kumar Business Manager Assistance Dharam Pal Goswami Sub Maj Clk KC Sahu Our Correspondents DELHI: Wg Cdr Anupam Banerjee; Dhananjay Mohanty; Capt DK Sharma; Manoj Tuli; Nampibou Marinmai; Wg Cdr Rochelle D’Silva; Col Rohan Anand; Ved Pal; Photo Editor: K Ramesh; ALLAHABAD: Gp Capt BB Pande; BENGALURU: Shivaram Pailoor; CHANDIGARH: Pradip Dasgupta; CHENNAI: T Shanmugam; GANDHINAGAR: Wg Cdr Abhishek Matiman; GUWAHATI: Lt Col Suneet Newton; IMPHAL: Lt Col Ajay Kumar Sharma; JAMMU: Lt Col Manish Mehta; JODHPUR: Lt Col Manish Ojha; KOCHI: Cdr Sridhar E Warrier ; KOHIMA: Col 9 Armed Forces Veterans' Day… Chiranjeet Konwer; KOLKATA: Wg Cdr SS Birdi; Dipannita Dhar; LUCKNOW: 10 Republic Day Parade - 2017 Government Ms Gargi Malik Sinha; MUMBAI: Cdr Rahul Sinha; Narendra Vispute; NAGPUR: 8 21 Coast Guard Conducts Day at Sea Committed to… Wg Cdr Samir S Gangakhedkar; PALAM: Gp Capt SK Mehta; PUNE: Mahesh Iyengar; SECUNDERABAD: B Satheesh Kumar; SHILLONG: Gp Capt Amit 22 On Army Day, Indian Army… Mahajan; SRINAGAR: Col Rajesh Kalia; TEZPUR: Lt Col Sombit Ghosh; 26 Naval Chief lauds NCC Cadets… THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Suresh Shreedharan; UDHAMPUR: Col NN Joshi; 28 Passing Out Parade - INS Chilka VISAKHAPATNAM: Cdr CG Raju. 30 Tour for Students to AFS… Published by: Nitin D Wakankar 31 Successful Test Firing of Guided… Addl DG (Media & Communication) 32 A Day at Sea for MPs and MLAs… Directorate of Public Relations, South Block, Ministry of Defence, New Delhi-110011 36 Chakravyuh Regulars Follow us on: 37 Armed Forces Panorama www.facebook.com/DefenceMinIndia https://twitter.com/spokespersonMoD Editorial Office: Interview | Coast Guard Day 16 L-1 Block, Church Road, New Delhi-110001, Telefax : 23094668 Telephone : 23092768 Email : [email protected] E-in-C: ASCON-32078 [email protected] For subscriptions contact : Business Manager, Sainik Samachar, Telephone : 23092768 Subscription Rates: Inland (Ordinary): One Year Rs 100.00, Overseas (Surface Mail): Rs 450.00 Concessional (per year): Rs 20.00 (Applicable for dependants of service personnel & ex-Servicemen.) For all correspondence subscribers must quote their subscription number For more details visit our website: http://sainiksamachar.nic.in On front cover: 1. The President, Prime Minister of India with the Chief Guest, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces on the occasion of 68th Republic Day. 2. NSG Commandoes marching past the Rajpath Pix: Rakesh Mangaraj and Vijay Kumar 68TH REPUBLIC DAY 2017 President’s Address Fellow citizens: more transactions become cashless, On the eve of the sixty-eighth it will improve the transparency of the Republic Day of our nation, I extend economy. warm greetings to all of you in India Born in independent India, three and abroad. I convey my special generations of citizens do not carry greetings to members of our Armed the baggage of colonial past. These Forces, Para-military Forces and generations have had the privilege Internal Security Forces. I pay my of acquiring education, pursuing tribute to the brave soldiers and opportunities and chasing dreams in security personnel who made the a free nation. This sometimes makes supreme sacrifice of their lives in it easy for them to take freedom for defending India’s territorial integrity granted; to forget the price that and maintaining law and order. extraordinary men and women paid When India attained freedom on largest industrial power. From a net to win this freedom; to forget that 15th August 1947, we did not have food grains importing country, India the tree of freedom needs constant an instrument of governance of our is now a leading exporter of food care and nourishment. Democracy own. We waited till 26th January, commodities. The journey so far has has conferred rights on each one 1950 when the Indian people gave to been eventful, sometimes painful, but of us. But along with these rights, themselves a Constitution to secure for most of the times, exhilarating. come responsibilities which have to all its citizens, justice, liberty, equality, be discharged. Gandhiji said and I and gender and economic equity. What has brought us thus far will quote: "The highest form of freedom We promised to promote fraternity, take us further ahead. But we will have carries with it the greatest measure of dignity of the individual, and unity and to learn to adjust our sails, quickly discipline and humility. Freedom that integrity of the nation. and deftly, to the winds of change. comes from discipline and humility Evolutionary and incremental growth cannot be denied; unbridled license is On that day, we became the will have to accommodate rapid largest democracy of the world. a sign of vulgarity injurious alike to self disruptions brought in by advances of and others” (unquote). The faith and commitment of science and technology. Innovation, people gave life to our Constitution more so inclusive innovation, will have Youth today are brimming with hope and aspirations. They pursue and our founding fathers, wisely and to become a way of life. Education will their life goals, which they perceive carefully, steered the new nation past have to keep pace with technology. In will bring them fame, success and its troubles of being a poor economy the race between man and machine, happiness, with single-minded with huge regional imbalances and a the winner will have to be job devotion. They consider happiness vast citizenry deprived of even basic generation. The velocity of technology as their existential objective, which of necessities. adoption will call for a workforce that course is understandable. They search It goes to the credit of the strong is willing to learn and adapt. Our for happiness in the highs and lows institutions of democracy built by our education system will have to join of day-to-day emotions, and in the founders that for the last six and a hands with innovation to prepare our fulfilment of the objectives they have half decades, Indian democracy has youth for life-long learning. set for themselves. They look for a job been an oasis of stability in the region Our economy has been as well as a purpose in life. Lack of troubled by unrest. From a population performing well despite the challenging opportunities leads to frustration and of 360 million in 1951, we are now a global economic conditions. In the unhappiness which manifests itself in 1.3 billion strong nation. Even then, first half of 2016-17, it grew at a rate anger, anxiety, stress and aberrations our per capita income has shown a of 7.2 percent – same as that last ten-fold increase, poverty ratio has in behaviour. This has to be dealt with year – showing sustained recovery. declined by two-thirds, average life by inculcating pro-social behaviour We are firmly on the path of fiscal expectancy has more than doubled, through gainful employment, active consolidation and our inflation level and literacy rate has shown a four- engagement with community, parental is within comfort zone. Though our fold increase. We are today the guidance, and empathetic response fastest growing amongst the major exports are yet to pick up, we have from a caring society. economies of the world. We are the managed a stable external sector with One of my predecessors left on my second largest reservoir of scientific sizeable foreign exchange reserves. table a framed quotation which reads and technical manpower, the third Demonetization, while immobilizing (and I quote): "The object of government largest army, the sixth member of black money and fighting corruption, in peace and in war is not the glory of the nuclear club, the sixth member may have led to temporary slowdown rulers or races but the happiness of the in the race for space, and the tenth of economic activity. As more and common man” (unquote). Happiness is 4 Sainik Samachar February 1-15, 2017 fundamental to the human experience understanding and responsibility. - We have to work harder to of life. Happiness is equally the We have a noisy democracy. provide enhanced employment outcome of economic and non- Yet, we need more and not less opportunities to our youth through economic parameters. The quest for of democracy. The strength of our the creation of world-class happiness is closely tied to sustainable democracy is evidenced by the fact manufacturing and services sectors. development, which combines human that over 66 percent of the total The competitiveness of the domestic well-being, social inclusion and electorate of 834 million voted in industry has to be improved by environmental sustainability. We must the 2014 General Elections. The focusing on quality, productivity and make happiness and well-being of our depth and breadth of our democracy efficiency. people as the touchstones of public sparkles in the regular elections being - We have to work harder to policy. held in our panchayati raj institutions. provide safety and security to our Many of the flagship initiatives of And yet, our legislatures lose sessions women and children. Women must the government have been designed to disruptions when they should be be able to lead their lives with honour to promote the well-being of the debating and legislating on issues of and dignity.