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| Army not to use spy drones in J&K | | Ex-servicemen to reap benefits in 2007 | | BL KAK
NEW DELHI, MAR 16
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has no plans, at present, to use spy drones in Jammu and Kashmir. Neither will the troubled north-east region get any spy drones in the given situation. Spy drones' usefulness is in the task of tracking terrorists and their hideouts.
The Defence Minister, AK Antony, made it plain in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour that his Ministry has no proposal for induction of spy drones in the country's Armed Forces. In his reply to a question by Dalpat Singh Parste, Antony also made it clear that the Army does not hold spy drones.
However, a variety of ground based and aerial surveillance activities are undertaken by the Army in order to counter the anti-national operations in various parts of the country, Antony informed the House. He replied in the negative when asked if the government has earmarked funds for the projects to develop UAVs by the Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment.
Answering a question by Ms Bhavana P. Gawali, AK Antony stated that one soldier and 61 civilians got killed during landmine clearing operations on the Indo-Pakistaan border and Line of Control (LoC). The Defence Minister said that to ensure safety in demining operations, duly trained Army personnel who laid the mines and were familiar with the terrain, had been employed in mine recovery.
Antony admitted that as a result of prolonged deployment some mines sink and get drifted away because of the terrain and environmental conditions. At times, it is further aggravated by rodents tugging at mines, leading to their displacement, Antony informed the House.
The Lok Sabha was also told that ex-servicemen, whose number as on December 31, 2006, stood at 19,99,205 in all States and Union Territories of India, could expect some relief in the year 2007, which the government had declared as 'Year of Placement' for ex-servicemen. During the year, additional emphasi will be laid and renewed efforts made for employment of ex-servicemen in various sectors by enlisting cooperation of all conerned agencies in the government and the corporate sectors.
Punjab accounts for the maximum number of ex-servicemen (250023), followed by 238305 ex-servicemen iu Utar Pradesh and 227195 in Haryana. According to official statistics, Jammu and Kashmir State accounts for 64865 ex-servicemen. Andaman & Nicobar Islands acccounted for just 592 ex-servicemen as on December 31, 2006. |
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