India presses helicopters services to control 'टिड्डी - Terror attack'

India presses helicopters to control 'Locust- Terror attack'

BY Vijay Thakur, Special Representative, The Statesman, vijaythakurx@gmail.com

Union Agriculture Ministry has pressed Helicopter services to control Locust attack in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, which are going to be most affected by the desert locust swarms coming from Somalia.

The Bell choppers took his first flight on July 5 from Jaisalmer base and spray chemicals in Rajasthan to control the further spread of Locust swarms.

The helicopters would be initially stationed at Air Force Station at Uttarlai, Barmer to cover the Jodhpur Division in Rajasthan where the Locust swarms would come from Somalia would come to lay eggs and breed to produce the third generation locusts. If these swarms if not destroyed in time would flew to Haryana, UP, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra.

In case the winds are strong they might reach Nepal, Bihar or the bordering areas of West Bengal, locust experts told the Agriculture Ministry. The single-pilot helicopter Bell 206-B3 can carry 250 litres of pesticide in one trip and would cover 25 to 50 hectare in one flight. Though the use of a helicopter is common in African or Middle East countries, it is for the first time that India is using the helicopter to spray locusts.

India is still waiting for 5 aerial spraying machines, which it had ordered to the UK based company. Once it received those sophisticated machines, it would be deployed in an Indian Air Force helicopter and pressed into operation for Locust control.

So far operation conducted by the centre and state governments have controlled locust in nearly 2.33 lakh hectares in the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Bihar.

“Except Rajasthan, no significant crop losses have been reported in the States of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Haryana” said a senior officer of the Agriculture Ministry.

The Locust warning team of UN Food and Agriculture Organization has informed India that swarms from northern Somalia are likely to migrate across the Indian Ocean to the breeding areas along the Indo-Pakistan border. In Pakistan, swarms have already started laying eggs in Sindh and swarms are present in the Indus Valley.

Operation till JULY 5

·        Presently 60 control teams with spray vehicles are deputed /deployed in State of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh more than 200 Central Government personnel are engaged in locust control operations. Further, 5 companies with 12 drones are deployed at Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Nagaur and Phalodi in Rajasthan for effective control of locusts on tall trees and in inaccessible areas through spraying of pesticides. India is the first Country who is using drones for locust control

·        On 21^st May, 2020 MoCA granted conditional exemption to the Government Entity for use of remotely Piloted Air Craft System for anti-locust operations subject to various terms and conditions. Further, on 27th June, 2020, MoCA further relaxed the terms and conditions and permitted the use of engine-powered drone up to 50kg and use of drones during night times also for anti-locust operations

·        As per the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Locust Status Update of 03.07,2020, many of the spring-bred swarms that migrated to Indo-Pak border before the monsoon rains, some continued east to northern states of India and a few groups reached Nepal. The forecast is that these swarms will return to Rajasthan with the start of the monsoon in the coming days to join other swarms still arriving from Iran and Pakistan, which is expected to be supplemented by swarms from The Horn of Africa in about mid-July. Early breeding has already occurred along the Indo-Pak border where substantial hatching and band formation will take place in July that will cause the first-generation summer swarms to form in mid-August

·        Weekly virtual meeting on Desert Locust of South-West Asian countries (Afghanistan, India, Iran and Pakistan) is being organised by FAO. 15 virtual meetings of the technical officers of South-West Asian countries have taken place so far

 

Ends.

PM address to the nation: 'Much Ado about Nothing', did not say what the entire nation was eager to hear from PM's Mouth

“Much Ado About Nothing” was one of the best comedy of William Shakespeare PM’s sixth address to the nation since Covid-19 broke outwas certainly not a comedy but a big disappointment to people who were expecting something from our PRIME MINISTER…. Was it to attract Bihari voters ?

 

The phrase “Much Ado about nothing” was normally used to describe a situation in which there has been a lot of excitement about something which actually was not there. It comes from the Title of a humorous play by William Shakespeare. Today’s address to the nation though was not a comedy, but certainly it the excitement for PM’s address was for nothing.

Modiji did not touch upon the important burning issues... we were eagerly expecting to hear from PM's mouth. The 25 Minutes of Prime Minister’s 6^th address to the nation (since Covid 19 broke out) was a sheer wastage of time. I cancelled all my programme to listen to his address to the Nation. He disappointed me, I was expecting him to touch upon the burning issues of unemployment, business boost up, and three challenges (1) Covid-19 (2) INDO-CHINA border disputes and (3) Locust-Terror attack.

 1)     Announced that free foodgrain scheme to poor families will be extended till November.

 REACTION: But cannot this be informed through a press release or by any of his senior Minister… This announcement did not require PM’s announcement

 2)     Asked all of us to stay healthy and observe all the precautions necessary to beat Corona and maintain physical distance.

 REACTION: What a great revelations as if we were not aware of it… what else we have been doing for the past three months. Rather he should pass this message to people like BABA RAMDEV, who is addressing national and international media without observing the precautions.

 3)     He announced that Mansoon festival season is coming

REACTION: As if we were not aware of it…. Sorry, Modiji, I like you but you disappointed me...need to change your  advisor to avoid wasting your and our time.

BY Vijay Thakur, Special Representative, The Statesman, vijaythakurx@gmail.com

The Worst fear of Locust-Terror Attack appears to be turning true: Centre deployed drones, helicopters, vehicles mounted sprayers, fire brigade vehicles and Air Force M--17 choppers. To be intensified further in the coming month

Locust-Terror attack: Indian Airforce to deploy sophisticated helicopters fitted with CD Atomizer Kit and GPS tracker

BY Vijay Thakur, Special Representative, The Statesman, vijaythakurx@gmail.com

Fearing worst Locust attack in the half a dozen states in India and Nepal, Union Agriculture Ministry in association with state governments have deployed drones, helicopters, vehicles mounted sprayers, and fire brigades to control the spread of Locust swarms entering India from Somalia through Pakistan.

A new report from the FAO Locust Watch team has also revealed that that one of the locust swarms has already entered Nepal crossing sugarcane belt of Uttar Pradesh. Though the present swarms could not cause much damage, United Nation’s organization has warned that many more such swarms are likely to hit Indo-Pak border from Somalia where it would breed and spread further into Northern and Western states.

The United Nation has already warned that Locust swarms would continue to enter India for another one month, and if not controlled in time, it would severely affect crops in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.

If UNFAO (Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations ) is to be believed, the locust swarms could attack even in Nepal in the coming months. It warned that hatching and band formation would increase during this month in Rajasthan and northern Gujarat, in India as well as adjacent areas of Tharparkar, Nara and Cholistan deserts of Pakistan.

“A few swarms continue to be seen further east in Uttar Pradesh, India and at least one swarmlet reached the central plains of Nepal on 12 July where they are likely to disperse or return towards Rajasthan without causing significant damage or breeding,” the United Nation warned. Centre has set up special 24x7 Control rooms for desert Locust swarm. In Gujarat and Rajasthan alone more than 60 ground control teams of Locust Circle Offices and 12 Drones are being used to control its menace.

Soon government would also have half a dozen hi-tech CD Atomizer kits with GPS Trackers. Centre would take help from Indian Air Force to press its helicopters for aerial spray in the affected areas to quarantine it before they could make any major damage, he said.

Government has deployed 60 control teams with spray vehicles, 15 drones deployed in Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner Nagaur in Rajasthan, Bell helicopters deployed to spray pesticides. Besides the Indian Air Force has also conducted trials in Anti-Locust operations by using Mi-17 helicopter.

Government has also deployed 55 additional vehicles for locusts control mounted with newly procured sophisticated Micronair sprayer. So far Locust control operations have carried out in around 3 lakh hectares area in Rajasthan, MP, Punjab, Gujarat, UP, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Bihar.

Presently Swarms and adult groups are mainly present in Rajasthan west of Jaipur and some infestations continue to be reported in parts of Madhya Pradesh and Utter Pradesh. Only one small group of immature adults, which moved north in Utter Pradesh on June 27 during strong winds, FAO reports said. It reached northern districts of Kushinagar and Sidharth Nagar where it split up and a few crossed the border to the central lowlands of Nepal near Butwal. Though it might not cause much harm and are likely to disperse, the FAO said.

Ends. 

How not to enter into the Club of "Covid 19 Dead"

FRIENDS Good Morning, I AM Vijay Thakur. I AM NO CORONA EXPERT. I am a journalist with nearly 30 years of experience during which I covered issues related to Health, Agriculture, Energy, and Internal Security. I have received several national and international fellowships

I am writing this after seeing PANIC in public from COVID-19, particularly in my housing society (THE PARAMOUNT GOLF FORESTEE SOCIETY I AM LIVING). My following observations are based on my interaction with several doctors of international repute involved in the treatment of Covid-19 pandemic.

I am not going into technical/medical details of Covid-19, but trying to explain in the simplest way what the disease is, its prevention and cure to save ourselves and our dear ones from the present pandemic. And also to tell people that there is no need to PANIC.

Treat Covid-19 as a REALITY

1)   

Accept the fact that CORONA is a reality and would attack most of us in the coming months.. may be in a month or two or a year…our CHANCES OF GETTING COVID-19 is GREATER  than your imaginations. IT IS GOING TO STAY HERE WITH US for a long and we must learn to live with it.

2)     So Do not panic and accept it like we have accepted other diseases on this earth and learn to live with it.

 )     GOOD NEWS is that it is not highly killing and only 0.3 % (3 out of 1000) normal Covid-19 patients die of it (if no medicine is developed in near future).

4)     BAD NEWS is it is highly infectious (in fact the most infectious virus known to humankind so far). Since we know of it for just past six-seven months, we have little information about the virus.

HOW DO WE GET COVID-19

1)     To know your enemy you must know how it works.

2)     It enters into our body through NOSE, MOUTH (and in some rare cases through eyes), stays in our nasal path, throat and windpipe areas, stay there for nearly four to six hours before it enters our lungs. If it enters into our stomach it would die automatically.

3)     It may enter into our blood if there is any injury in our body (chances are very rare) or if there is any injury in the nasal, throat, mouth or windpipe area (here Chances are very high).

4)    

MUST REMEMBER If it enters our blood, there is hardly any treatment except praying, increasing your immunity, and keeping yourself happy as much as you can. Once it is in your blood it will flow into your body and can attack any of your vital organs.

5)     MUST REMEMBER: if it is in your blood, Chances of survival (by Europe experience) ARE just 5 out of 100… which means 95 % people who have Corona in their Blood might die of it. in this case I suggest you write your WILL and try to complete your all uncompleted tasks (I AM NOT JOKING)...

6)     Survival (in case it is in your blood) only depends upon your age, immunity, your life style, your state of mind, and lastly your will power.

HOW TO PREVENT ITS SPREAD

1)     Preventing its spread is no rocket science. Understand your enemy and fight it out.

2)     We know it will enter through mouth and nose, and eyes….SO TRY NOT TO TOUCH IT UNNECESSARILY.

3)     If you have any internal injury/infection treat it on top priority…. Because otherwise it may directly enter into your blood.

4)     You know you only touch your mouth, nose and eyes through your hands. SO WASH YOUR HANDS, NOSE AND MOUTH EVERY TWO HOURS (IF YOU ARE OUT OF HOME), AND EVERY SIX HOURS (IF YOU ARE AT HOME).

5)     5)  Try not to invite anybody home or go out to meet somebody until it is important.

6)     6)   Do not stay for more than 30 minutes at any place like shopping….ects. and avoid going to places which are centrally airconditioned.

7)     7)    Use MASK only when it is necessary otherwise it may have an adverse effect. You do not need to put a mask when you are at home… or when you are driving alone.

8)     8)   Avoid Air conditioner at home…and if you are using it, its temperature should not be less than 28 degree Celsius.

 PREVENTIVE MEDICINES:

 1) There is no medicine for Covid-19 as of today June 29. There are some preventive allopathic medicines (I AM NOT MENTIONING IT BECAUSE ONLY DOCTORS SHOULD ADVISE IT). However, there are few things which can help improve your immunity and prevent you from all kind of bacterial/ viral infections including Covid-19. (BUT DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING IN EXCESS… IT WOULD PUT EXTRA PRESSURE ON YOUR VITAL ORGANS MAINLY KIDNEY)

1)     2)    Take lots of water (approx four litre a day).

      3)   Take hot water (Tea with milk would not help as much) every four hours…. If possible do gargils

every six hours. ALWAYS BRUSH YOUR TEETH AFTER EVERY MEAL. (YOU WILL BE SURPRISED  BY TAKING THESE SMALL STEPS YOU ARE PREVENTING YOURSELF FROM MAJOR BACTERIAL/ VIRAL INFECTIONS)….

      4)     If you taking hot waters doing gargils or doing कुल्ला after every meal, you will be SURPRISED YOUR throat, mouth or windpipe becomes clear of MOST OF THE VIRUS/BACTERIA (and prevents its exponential multiplication in these areas before it enters your lungs. THIS PREVENTION IS REALLY  a MIRACLE... I have tested it on myself for over two decades to prevent seasonal diseases which are stronger than Covid-19.

 5)    Take 100 to 150 mg Vitamine C every day through your meal or medicine. Best is if you take fresh green chillis or lemonade (with little sugar)

 6)   Take Vitamin B complex twice a week (not more than that) and Vitamin A, and D and zink supplement only once a week. (All this is to supplement since most of these things are already there in INDIAN HOME COOKED MEAL).

 7) I may not agree with BABA RAMDEV on many grounds OR HIS CORONA CLAIMS. But it is also a fact that Giloy also known as Amrita or Guduchi in Hindi, and Ashwagandha, are really doing wonders at the initial stage of Covid-19 patients. It improves your immunity, lower stress level, controls your blood sugar level, Blood pressure, and several other disorders in your body. One must take Giloy and Ashwagandha, in a limited dose to boost up your immunity and to treat many disorders in your body and get your body ready to fight Covid-19. It is available in tablet/capsule/powder form in the market. But I am told PITANJALI IS THE BEST (I AM NOT ADVOCATING IT YOU MAY TAKE ANY BRAND YOU TRUST….YOUR TRUST ON THE MEDICINE IS VERY IMPORTANT… IT HELPS YOU IMPROVE VERY FAST).

 8)   POTION TO PREVENT SEASONAL BACTERIAL/VIRAL INFECTIONS INCLUDING COVID 19 (HAVE IT ONCE A DAY):

Take one leaf of TULSI (or just a drop of TULSI ARK easily available in the market), lemon leaf (if possible), one leaf of Giloy and Ashwagandha(or otherwise one-fourth of a Giloy and Ashwagandha tablet or a pinch of Giloy and Ashwangandha powder), a pinch of tea, one leaf of dalchini, pinch of kali Mirch powder), a pinch of kala namak one spoon of sugar (maybe one and a half or two spoons), boil it and keep it for five minutes…… BEFORE SERVING ADD JUICE OF HALF LEMON…. AND SERVE IT FOR FOUR PEOPLE….once a day… You do not need to add all the ingredients use as much as available…. PLEASE NOTE I HAVE BEEN USING IT TO CURE MYSELF FROM VARIOUS VIRAL/BACTERIAL INFECTIONS FOR THE PAST TWO DECADES AND IT HAS WORKED EVEN ON SERIOUS INFECTIONS. I GOT CURED MOST OF THE TIMES WITHIN FOUR TO SEVEN DAYS DEPENDING UPON THE DEGREE OF INFECTIONS…. AND TRUST ME I NEVER APPROACHED DOCTOR UNTILL IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET COVID-19

1)   First think that you are very lucky as it was diagnosed in time. Unfortunately, in 60 -70 % cases people do not get to know of it and keep spreading it to their near and dear ones.

2)     2)   ISOLATE yourself and listen to very light music of your choice (it would relax your brain from tensions) and all your organs would fight against CORONA. FORGET ALL THE WORRIES OF THE WORLD AND ONLY THINK POSITIVE TO CURE YOURSELF. ALWAYS REMEMBER A PERSON WITH TENSION FREE MIND RECOVERS 50 % FASTER THAN A PERSON WITH TENSION UNNECESSARY WORLDLY TENSIONS.

3)     3)   BESIDES FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS OF COVID-19 EXPERT DOCTORS, You must be in regular touch with your family physician or a doctor you trust. Apprise him of every development and REMEMBER YOUR FAMILY PHYSICIAN KNOW YOU FOR AGES, HE KNOWS ABOUT YOUR BODY MORE THAN YOU AND WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTANDING THE TREATMENT GIVEN BY A COVID-19 DOCTOR.

1)     4) STRICTLY FOLLOW THE PREVENTIVE MEASURES AS MENTIONED. AND FOLLOW ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN BY YOUR COVID-19 DOCTOR and family physician...

5) KEEP HYGIENE DO NOT ENTERTAIN ANYONE EVEN YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS. DO NOT SHARE ANYTHING with your family members WHICH MAY CREATE PANIC AMONG YOUR DEAR ONES. 

3)     6) NO ONE GUARANTEE THAT all these things would save you from COVID-19, but it is also a fact that your chances of entering into THE CLLUB of “COVID-19 DEAD”  would reduce substantially.

Ends.

BY Vijay Thakur, Special Representative, The Statesman, vijaythakurx@gmail.com

PAKISTAN NOT COOPERATING WITH INDIA IN FIGHT AGAINST WORST LOCUST ATTACK

PAKISTAN NOT COOPERATING WITH INDIA IN FIGHT AGAINST WORST LOCUST ATTACK

BY Vijay Thakur, Special Representative, The Statesman, vijaythakurx@gmail.com

NEW DELHI, June 27

Despite the fact that Pakistan is facing its worst ‘Locust-Terror attack’ since 1970, it has stopped cooperating sharing information on the movement of Locust swarm with Indian government ‘without giving any valid reason’.

The Locust Warning Organisations (LWOs) of India and Pakistan have been jointly fighting Locust commonly-known as Tiddi and preparing a common strategy against ‘Tiddi-attack’. Even during the warlike situations, LWOs have warmly met on a monthly basis along Indo-Pak International Border, and shared their information so as to quarantine Locust swarms.

But this is probably for the first time during the past 50 years that LWOs have not met for the past three months. And this period was very crucial to device a common strategy against Locust. The LWO meeting in Munabao used to be a win-win situation for both countries as they were fighting a common enemy, admitted a senior officer of the Agriculture Ministry.

“We had wonderful repo with Pakistan LWO and used to prepare a joint common strategy to fight against Locust-Terror….We do not know why the similar warm feeling is missing this time and they turned a cold shoulder this time,” he said.

If senior officers of the Agriculture Ministry are to be believed, Pakistan’s Locust plague is as big the problem as Covid-19 in Sindh, Baluchistan and some parts of Pakistan’s Punjab as it may pose a serious threat to Pakistan’s food security.

Actually, first-generation Locust swarms are formed in Sudan, Ethopia, Kenya, Yemen and Oman, and then it enters into South West Pakistan from Iran. After destroying crops in Sind and Baluchistan, it flies into Gujarat and Rajasthan where it lays eggs and forms third generation swarms.

Though they have been entering India through Pakistan almost every year, the numbers were very insignificant and were controlled in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Barmer region only. It hardly went beyond this region. But This year the situation is very grim,  a month ago some swarms entered into parts of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Haryana.

“Government managed to control it efficiently. We pressed vehicle and tractor mounted sprayers and also took the help of fire brigades to control it. We would also manage to control the present swarm entering some parts of Gurgaon and going towards Agra and Bulandshahr in UP at the rate of 150 kilometers per day,” said a senior officer of Agriculture Ministry requesting anonymity.

“There is no denying the fact that we would have controlled it faster and managed to contain its spread had Pakistan authorities cooperated. Yet we are confident that we would be able to contain,” he said. Considering the seriousness of the situation, the Agriculture Ministry has already ordered 5 hi-tech CD Atomizer kits with GPS Trackers for aerial sprayer capabilities from Europe to control and quarantine it, he said. These kits would be fitted into helicopters of the Indian Air force to control the desert locust swarms.

In a joint operation so far Centre and states governments have already quarantined nearly 1,20,000 hectare areas at about 1,000 locations during the past three months. Similar operations would continue till October-November, the officer said.

 

Haul up China in UNHRC for commiting 'War of Crime' at Galwan for using 'Weapons of Torture'

Satish Chandra (1965 batch Indian Foreign Service officer) was the first Secretary of the National Security Council (NSCS) when it was set up in 1999 and later become the Deputy National Security Advisor. As a diplomat, he has headed India’s High Commission to Pakistan (1995-98), and was Ambassador to the Philippines (1989-1992). He was also India’s Permanent Representative of the UN office in Geneva from 1992 to 1995, when India had started liberalizing its economy.

Besides representing India at a variety of multilateral fora including the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), WHO (World Health Organization), ILO (International Labour Organization), and the UN Human Rights Commission, he has also served as the President of the Conference on Disarmament during his assignment in Geneva. He spoke to Vijay Thakur, the Special Representative of the Statesman, on the recent developments along Indo-China border in Ladakh. Excerpts:

BY Vijay Thakur, Special Representative, The Statesman, vijaythakurx@gmail.com

Question

Indo-China border problem is very old. Of late tension along Indo-China border has been worsening. First it was Doklan and now Galwan how you see all this.

Answer

There are many factors, but to my mind the major factor is a combination of two or three things. One China is a hegemonic power it does not accept multipolarity in Asia. And because India wants to maintain strategic autonomy in the region, it regards India as an obstacle in Asia.

There are a few more added factors like India’s deterrence capabilities in terms of comprehensive power is much less than that of China. I am not talking in terms of nuclear capabilities but in terms of comparative strength between China and India. And the gap of deterrence capabilities between the two has increased over the years.

Another main reason is that we have always been accommodative with China even when it hurt our core interests. We have not done anything when it opposed us in UN Security Council in case of India’s membership to the UN Security Council, or when it comes to declaring Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. So China got used to of accepting India for granted in many ways. Irrespective of political parties in power, India has always taken a softer and accommodative stand with China. It took us to the UN Security Council three times on Kashmir, and we did nothing.

Question:

What is your take on the Galwan Valley clash between the Indian and Chinese troops on 15 June night that claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers? This was the worst India-China clash on the LAC in nearly half a century that happened despite various existing bilateral agreements as well as PM Modi’s major push to enhance and upgrade relations with Xi Jinping-led China. Why did it happen?

Answer

The Galwan Valley scuffle is a very serious issue. This is the highest number of death we have reported after Nathula clash in 1966. Earlier they used to have faceoff at one point at a time, but this time the faceoff has been marked by aggressive Chinese posturing along with scuffles at five or six places mainly in the Pangong Lake area, Naku La in Sikkim and most recently it was in the Galwan Valley on 15-16 June.

Actually, in the garb of 1993 agreement and the CBMs (Confidence Building Measures) agreed upon thereafter, China is encroaching our territory inch by inch for the past two decades. Now they are trying to grab more and more Indian Territory and change the ground realities of the Line of Actual Control.

India had committed its first big mistake in 1993 when it accepted the concept of Line of Actual Control (LAC). Unfortunately, even after 27 years, the LAC is not defined, it is not understood clearly, and there is a great deal of ambiguity. The LAC was never demarcated and both countries have a different impression of LAC. I think, what we are seeing today was inbuilt into the mechanism of the LAC because it lacks clarity.

Secondly, the kind of agreements and CBM measures we signed in 1995, 2005, 2012 and 2013 were also in India’s interest. The commitment from the Indian side that we would maintain maximum restrain and not fire was actually favouring China.

 

Question

How do you think we can de-escalate and defused the situation through diplomatic and political dialogue at the highest levels?

Anwer:

We must accept the fact that the decision on the Galwan faceoff was not taken locally, it must have been a top-level decision. That's why it is a very serious issue and would affect Indo-China relations for ever. It would take longer to build up similar kind of relationship again.

Personally I am happy that the mood has changed in the government and India has taken a tough stand. It has categorically announced that Indian Army commanders can use the weapon according to the situation. I went through the statements made by the government of India on Galwan faceoff. Those were not mere rash statements. PM’s statement on Galwan was a measured, well-considered and a firm statement. India said it wants peace, wants to deescalate the situation, but at the same time maintained that it would not compromise with its territory. Talks are going on at various military and diplomatic level and hopefully, the issue would settle down soon.

 

Question

Beijing is now staking claim over Galwan Valley that New Delhi has outright dismissed. Both countries are nuclear-armed and major global powers. Going forward, what should be the roadmap for India-China relationship?

Answer

Defence Minister’s statement that Indian Army commanders can use the weapon according to the situation is an indication of what is going to be India’s future roadmap. This means the 1996 agreement of not using weapons is apparently over. India has indirectly told its officers on the ground that the restrained of not using weapon has been lifted. But still, there are many more things we need to do.

For quick action, India should give a befitting reply to the Chinese aggression along the LAC. If the military situation is not favourable at one point than we should look for an alternate option at other places. Indian Army commanders should be allowed to take countervailing actions.

Since 1993 we have been discussing LAC, we had 22 or 23 rounds of talk but nothing happened. Let's take the Galwan incident as an opportunity and press for the settlement of LAC issue in a time-bound manner—maybe six months.. a year… or one and a half year. India should Categorically tell Chinese authorities that if you do not resolve the LAC issue within a specified time frame, India would not accept the concept of LAC anymore.

Question:

Should we take up the present faceoff on the international forum and expose the barbaric acts of China?

Answer:

Yes India should take up the violations that took place in the Galwan valley by Chinese authorities and haul it up for before the UN Human Right Council (UNHRC). Chinese Army used ‘weapons of torture’ that caused ‘superfluous and unnecessary injuries'. The present situation in Galwan valley legally qualifies as an International Armed Conflict. And as per Article 12 sub clause (II) of the UN Human Right Conventions the use the ‘weapons of torture’ is prohibited. Imagine they used baton with spike, iron rods with barbed wire to attack our soldiers. All this strictly violates the ‘Methods and means of warfare’ during International Armed Conflicts under Part III Section I Article 35 of the 1977 Additional Protocols to the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

We must expose China before the world that it is not a civilized state. The world must know that It is a barbaric nation and has no respect for Human rights. Further, we must develop a comprehensive strategy to handle china and should be more vocal to the way China handles Hongkong, Taiwan, Tibet and Xingxiang. India must support their cause on international forum. We should become much more active on these issues particularly where China is committing human right violations.

India should take this opportunity to further strengthen its ties with Taiwan, develop long term business association to take advantage of technological advancements of Taiwan to help to improve our domestic industry.

Ends.