Arvind Chauhan | Jul 24, 2017, 10:01 AM IST
AGRA: The Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), spent Rs 49.50 crore to develop a balloon-based platform for surveillance and communication, but failed to meet Army standards after years of work, according to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
For the project, ADRDE also imported special fabric worth Rs 6.20 crore but never used it during trials of the system. Last year, CAG rapped ADRDE for failing to produce combat free fall (CFF) parachutes for special forces in more than a decade after incurring expenses of Rs 10.75 crore.
According to the report, the ministry of defence sanctioned a technology demonstration project, ‘Nakshatra’, to ADRDE in July 2011, to develop an aerostat platform with net payload capacity of 300 kg and an endurance of seven to 14 days, with balloon life of four to five years.
“Based on the earlier experience with ” — another medium-size aerostat developed by using polyurethane (PU) coated nylon fabric, the ADRDE decided to use laminated fabric, which was supposed to double the endurance of the aerostat to two weeks and shelf life from 18 months to 4-5 years. Therefore, the ADRDE imported laminated fabric at the cost of Rs 6.20 crore,” stated the report.
“Interestingly, the imported laminated fabric was never used and the DRDO lab used only PU coated nylon fabric for the balloon. Later the project was shut down in January 2017, as the Army did not accept the product, incurring a loss of Rs 49.50 crore to the exchequer,” the report added.
Speaking to TOI, public relations officer S M Jain of ADRDE said, “The project was a complete success. We tested the technology of ADRDE at Gurdaspur, Punjab, close to the India-Pakistan border in 2016. Further, the Army demanded that the trials be extended for two more years at various locations close to international borders, but they didn’t give us more funds to conduct the trials. So the operational feasibility of the system was never tested and the project was shut down.”
ADRDE officials also claimed that the balloon made of laminated fabric was kept as a spare and would have been utilised in case of any damage to PU coated nylon fabric balloon.
Army officials however said that the system trials of ‘Nakshatra’ were only carried out for three days. “So the effectiveness of the communication sets loaded on the balloon could not be ascertained. We requested ADRDE to deploy the system for three months to test its efficacy, before we could take over the system for extended trials,” an official said.
Only a few countries in the world have such systems of their own, including the US, Germany, France and Japan.
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Corruption the main reason for LCA Failure – Concerned LCA Scientists
J&K HC orders FIR against teacher who fails to write essay on cow
PTI | May 16, 2015, 03.39 PM IST – Times of India
SRINAGAR: The J&K High Court made a teacher write an essay on cow and solve a class IV maths problem in an open court and ordered slapping a case against him when he failed, inviting strong observations from the judge who wanted “soulless” authorities to close down education “tuck shops”.
The direction came yesterday when Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar was hearing a petition challenging appointment of Mohammad Imran Khan as Rehbar-e-Taleem (education guide) teacher in a school in south Kashmir.
The petitioner had alleged that Khan’s certificates — issued by Board of Higher Secondary Education Delhi and Global Open University, Nagaland were not recognised. The marksheet issued to the respondent by the Board of Higher Secondary Education Delhi showed he had secured 74 per cent, 73 per cent and 66 per cent in Urdu, English and Maths respectively.
The court asked a senior counsel to give a simple line for translation from English to Urdu and vice-versa but the teacher failed.
The teacher was then asked to write an essay on ‘cow’ in Urdu, but he failed. Khan sought permission to write the essay outside the court room, which was granted but he failed again.
Khan, who claimed he had better hold on Mathematics, was then asked to solve a maths problem for 4th graders.
As he failed yet again, a visually perturbed Justice Attar said,”In this situation, what would be the fate of the state has to be only visualised. The school going children ….would pass out as blockheads.”
“The authorities, responsible to ensure that the stream of academics and education is not polluted in the state of J&K, however, in view of the facts, which have surfaced in this case, have acted as soulless bodies with ray-less eyes, as they have criminally condoned and over-looked the Himalayan blunders committed in procuring the academic degrees,” the court observed.
सेना के 100 करोड़ का मामला उजागर करने वाली वेबसाइट अचानक बंद
- पोल खोलने वाला बन गया निशाना
अमर उजाला ब्यूरो
देहरादून। रक्षा अनुसंधान एवं विकास संगठन सहित अन्य रक्षा संस्थानों में भ्रष्टाचार के मामलों को उजागर करने वाली वेबसाइट www.corruptionindrdo.com शुक्रवार को अचानक बंद कर दी गई। वेबसाइट पर दो दिन पहले प्रधानमंत्री राहत कोष में सेना के 100 करोड़ रुपये के चेक से संबंधित आरटीआई में मिली जानकारी अपलोड हुई थी। देहरादून निवासी प्रभु डंडरियाल पांच बरस से रक्षा क्षेत्र में होने वाली कई बड़ी अनियमितताओं की पोल सूचना के अधिकार के जरिये खोल चुके हैं।
रक्षा संस्थान डीआरडीओ में भ्रष्टाचार के मामलों को सार्वजनिक करने के लिए इस संस्थान से रिटायर हुए प्रभु डंडरियाल ने 10 मई 2010 को यह वेबसाइट शुरू की थी। वेबसाइट में प्रभु सूचना के अधिकार में मिली जानकारी के अलावा अधिकारिक तौर पर हासिल तथ्यों को भी अपलोड करते थे। दो दिन पहले प्रभु ने प्रधानमंत्री राहत कोष में सेना के 100 करोड़ रुपये जमा करवाने से संबंधित आरटीआई में मिली जानकारी डाली थी। मामला सुर्खियों में आते ही शनिवार को अचानक वेबसाइट बंद हो गई। प्रभु ने बताया कि वेबइसाट होस्टिंग कंपनी ‘ब्लू होस्ट’ ने उनकी वेबसाइट बिना कारण बताए बंद कर दिया है। उन्होंने इस संबंध में कंपनी को ईमेल भेजा है। वेबसाइट पर कोई आपत्तिजनक जानकारी नहीं थी, सिर्फ विभिन्न प्रकरणों पर आरटीआई में मिली जानकारियां और रक्षा से संबंधित मसलों को वह अपलोड करते थे।
बड़ा मामला…!
•आरटीआई के माध्यम से कई खुलासे किए थे वेबसाइट ने
•बंद करने से पहले संचालक को नहीं बताया गया कारण
•पांच वर्ष से चल रही है www.corruptionindrdo.com
•वेबसाइट संचालक देहरादून निवासी प्रभु तलाश रहे हैं कारण
Army’s Contribution of Rs 100 Crore yet to Reach PM’s Relief Fund
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJCOgLXBGGI
Months After Suhag Presented 100 Cr Cheque, Army Denies Contributing to PM Fund
OUTLOOK – NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | MAY 14, 2015
In a curious case, the army has said no contribution from the salary of any of its personnel has been donated to Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, a statement that comes four months after Army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhag had handed over a cheque of Rs 100 crore to the fund.
“It has been intimated by concerned agency that no amount on account of contributions from salary of any Army personnel has yet been donated to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.
“The matter is under consideration,” army CPIO Lt Col Rajiv Guleria said in an RTI response to Dehradun-based Prabhu Dandriyal.
The photographs of the 67th army day event are posted on the web site of Prime Minister’s Office showing cheque titled “one day’s pay of all ranks of Indian Army” being handed over to Modi by Suhag in the presence of Defence Minister Mahohar Parrikar.
Dandriyal has now sent his RTI petition to the Prime Minister’s Office seeking to know what happened to the Rs 100 crore cheque which is said to have been donated by the army chief to the Prime Minister.
“When by March 20 no amount of contribution was taken from the salaries, then how did the army chief submit the fund of Rs 100 crore to PM relief fund. This is why I have sought clarification from the PMO by filing another RTI,” Dandriyal said.
DID INDIAN ARMY REALLY CONTRIBUTE RS 100 CRORE TO PM RELIEF FUND FOR KASHMIR FLOODS?
OddPad.com
The Internet Magazine
Four months after Army chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag handed over a Rs 100-crore cheque to Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for the flood victims of Jammu and Kashmir, the Army has denied information of any such donation.
Army General Suhag had presented the Rs 100-crore cheque, which was claimed to be raised by the soldiers and officers of 1.18 million strong army after donating their day’s salary, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Army Day reception on January 15.
However, an RTI reply from Army headquarters, has confirmed that “no such amount on account of contributions from salary of any Army personnel has yet been donated to the PM’s Relief Fund.”
Three days after the reception day function, the New Indian Express had reported about the army soldiers and officers, fuming over being not asked in advance by the higher officials before deducting their salaries and presenting the collected amount to the relief fund.
“What an irony… Our war widows struggle for their day to day living… Our jawans are not able to afford good education for their children… and here we become so large hearted to donate money to the politicians… Did the COAS take our permission before doing this…? When did he start having rights on our hard earned Money…? Has any civilian/politician ever donated his salary for us…? It is time we raise our voice and stop this nonsense before it becomes precedence. Why should we pay for their future Goals,” the TNIE report had quoted an official saying on WhatsApp.
Apparently, media reports like these prompted Dehradun-based activist Prabhu Dandriyal to file an RTI on March 20, seeking what happened to the Rs 100 crore cheque donated to the PM’s Relief Fund by army.
Denying any such contribution for the flood-affected people of Jammu and Kashmir, the RTI reply from Public Information Officer, Lt. Col. Rajiv Guleria on Tuesday, May 12, has added that the matter is under consideration.
Interestingly, press releases with photographs of Suhag handing over the cheque of raised amount to Modi in the presence of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, continue to be hosted on the websites of Prime Minister and Press Information Bureau.
Filing his RTI petition now to the Prime Minister’s Office, Dandriyal has sought to know how the Rs 100 crore cheque was utilized. Source: Live Mint
“When by March 20, no amount of contribution was taken from the salaries, then how did the army chief submit the fund of Rs 100 crore to PM relief fund. This is why I have sought clarification from the PMO by filing another RTI,” Dandriyal said.
The RTI revelation has come in the backdrop of severe financial crises ailing Jammu and Kashmir. Reeling from the post-floods devastation, the summer capital city of Srinagar has witnessed protests, almost on daily basis, from daily wagers and government employees demanding pending salaries and arrears.
After the September 2014 floods, the J&K state government had forwarded a Rs 44,000 crore rehabilitation proposal to the central government, which has not been entertained by the centre till now.
(With inputs from PTI)
Feature image source: Money Life