The three-day annual Commanders' Conference of Maintenance Command concluded at Vayusena Nagar, Nagpur. The conference was attended by commanders of all the Base Repair Depots and Equipment Depots across the country. It was earlier inaugurated by Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy.

In his inaugural address, Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy lauded the achievements of Maintenance Command in keeping the operational preparedness at an optimum level. In appreciation of commendable job and excellence achieved in their respective fields, trophies were presented to commanders by Chief of the Air Staff. The trophy for the best Aircraft Base Repair Depot was bagged jointly by 1 Base Repair Depot, Kanpur and 11 Base Repair Depot, Ojhar while AMSE, New Delhi and 25 Equipment Depot, Devlali received trophies for the Best Systems Base Repair Depot and Best Equipment Depot respectively.

In his concluding address, Air Marshal DC Nigam, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command exhorted the commanders to strive hard for further improvement of the performance.

An impressive parade marked the completion of the 61 Helicopter Conversion Course at INS Rajali, Arakkonam commanded by Capt Sanjeev Ghei. Five Naval trainee pilots and one Coast Guard pilot passed out of the Helicopter Training School after completing 24 weeks of rigorous training and study of various aviation subjects. Vice Admiral Sureesh Chandra Mehta, DG Coast Guard reviewed the parade and awarded ‘Wings’ to the passing out pilots. To mark the occasion, a formation of Chetak helicopters flew past the saluting dais drawing cheers from the large gathering.

The Governor of Kerala Rolling Trophy for the best all-round trainee pilot was awarded to Sub Lt AK Bera. The Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command Rolling Trophy for the trainee pilot standing first in order of merit in flying was awarded to Sub Lt Deepak Dewan. The prize for standing first in ground subjects was received by Sub Lt AK Bera.

These pilots will be joining the operational flights of the Indian Navy and will be fully competent to fly helicopters on various types of missions by day and night.

Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command, Indian Air Force, Air Marshal SP Tyagi visited Air Force station, Udhampur. He assessed the progress of ongoing work services and other projects at Udhampur. The visit boosted the morale of the personnel at the station.

Air Marshal Tyagi put emphasis on the team work, perspective planning and the need of training of the personnel in other fields of life in order to have an overall personality development. He further laid emphasis on hundred per cent utilisation of resources. The AOC-in-Chief also interacted with the HQ Northern Command located at Udhampur as part of the familiarisation visit.

A batch of 432 Airmen of technical trades from electronics stream of the Indian Air Force passed out from the portals of technical training institutes of Air Force station, Jalahalli. Air Marshal VA Patkar, Air Officer-in-Charge, Maintenance, Air Headquarters reviewed the parade.

Ten Airmen passed out as ‘Leading Aircraftsmen’. The Reviewing Officer gave away trophies to Airmen who excelled in their respective trades. The parade was commanded by Aircraftsman MS Goyat. It was witnessed by senior officers, staff, trainees and parents of passing-out Airmen. After the parade, an impressive continuity drill was displayed by a separate contingent of junior trainees to mark the end of the ceremony.

At a glittering convocation ceremony at Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow, thirtysix officers were awarded degree of B Tech in Telecommunication and Information Technology. Dr BC Chhaparwal, Vice Chancellor, Devi Ahilya Vishvavidyalaya, Indore, was the chief guest on the occasion. Lt Gen RL Magotra, Commandant, MCTE welcomed the chief guest. Dr BC Chhaparwal, in his valedictory address, said that the Corps of Signals has always provided the most reliable communication in all operations including operation Parakram. He asked the officers to be geared up for challenges in the years to come. He further added that the corps has an important role to play in the Information Technology (IT).

Later, the chief guest presented the parchments to the passing-out officers. He also presented Chief of the Army Staff Trophy and Gold Medal for standing first in the over-all performance to Capt Samresh Malhotra.

Maj Gen Surain Makin, Deputy Commandant and Chief Instructor, MCTE proposed vote of thanks. The ceremony was attended by a large number of civil dignitaries, Army officers and ladies.

The 5th Battalion of Garhwal Rifles somewhere in central sector celebrated the 32nd anniversary of the "Battle of Hilli", fought during the Liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. Maj Gen MC Bhandari, Colonel of the Garhwal Rifles and Garhwal Scouts was the chief guest on the occasion.

Hilli was the stronghold of Pakistan Army on the Basudeopur border out- post and Debkhanda in the erstwhile East Pakistan, which 5 Garhwal Rifles, under the command of Lt Col Subash Chandra, captured in a daring operation. The fall of Hilli resulted in the surrender of 8 Punjab Battalion of Pakistan Army on December 16, 1971. The Indian battalion took custody of 3,300 Pakistani prisoners of war.

The battalion lost two officers, one JCO and 15 ORs in the war. The battalion was decorated with three Vir Chakra, three Sena Medals and seven Mentions-in-Despatches.

A four-day Defence Correspondent's Capsule was conducted by Headquarters Central Command at an Infantry Brigade in Lucknow Cantonment. The capsule aimed at familiarising the Press and mediapersons with the Army way of life.

The chief guest at the closing ceremony, Maj Gen M C Bhandari, officiating Chief of Staff, Headquarters Central Command, distributed mementos and certificates among 29 participants of the capsule. They included correspondents of print and electronic media from various states falling in the Central Command area.

Military Hospital, Jabalpur, has become the first hospital in Central Command to have the facilities of telemedicine and video-conferencing. The telemedicine and video- conferencing centre at the Military Hospital was inaugurated by Lt Gen DS Chauhan, the then General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command. He was accompanied by Maj Gen GK Nischol, General Officer Commanding, Madhya Bharat Area, Jabalpur.

Col YS Sarma, Senior Advisor (Medicine and Oncology) briefed the visiting dignitaries and conducted a live interactive medical consultation with Apollo Hospital, Chennai and Command Hospital, Lucknow. Several other officials were also present on the occasion.

IAF has been making rapid progress in the field of computerisation and network information systems. It has started an E-transaction system wherein all Air Force units will be connected with one another for a better weapon management system. Air Vice Marshal Ambrish Kumar, Assistant Chief of Air Staff, inaugurated the system at 24 ED Air Force station, Manauri.

The system is commonly known as Intergrated Material Management-on- Line System (IMMOLS). While inaugurating the system, Air Vice Marshal Kumar approved a transfer of an equipment on the system which is automatically sent to all destinations by the system. A copy of electronic voucher was presented to the Air Vice Marshal by the local commander, Air Cmde SK Sinha.

Vajra Corps Vocational Training Institute held its second convocation at Vajra Sainik Institute in Jalandhar Cantonment. The ceremony marked the successful completion of training of 47 junior commissioned officers and other ranks. The vocational training aimed at providing a second career to the troops, post retirement. Vajra Corps Vocational Training Institute has been affiliated with Punjab Technical University which awards certificates to successful candidates after conducting external examinations.

Maj Gen RS Jamwal, Chief of Staff, Vajra Corps, the chief guest at the convocation, gave away certificates to students on the occasion.

As a part of nation-wide campaign, oral polio vaccine drops were administered to children up to five years, throughout the Tiger Division at 31 polio booths. The campaign was flagged off by Mrs Asha Singh, President, AWWA, Tiger Division. A large number of families were in attendance. About 8000 children were successfully immunised on the occasion.

UTI Bank has installed an ATM at Ratnuchak military station in Jammu. This ATM was inaugurated by Lt Gen Ashok Kapur, GOC, 16 Corps who was accompanied by his wife, Mrs Farida Kapur. This is second off-site ATM in Jammu and is connected to ATMs of the bank across the country. All customers, who carry a master Visa card, can access this ATM.

This was in continuation of the special product, 'Power Salute' for the defence services, which was launched last year. 'Power Salute' offers a host of benefits with the UTI Bank salary account. All the benefits of the salary account continue even after retirement of the personnel.

The governing body of Central Command Army Wives' Welfare Association (CCAWWA) met in Lucknow. It was the first-ever meet presided by President, CCAWWA, Mrs Meera Subramanyam.

Mrs Subramanyam called upon the executive members to take up such issues as admission of a war widow's son, distress grant, patients welfare, MES problems with compassion.

A 19-day cycle expedition rally from Thiruvananthapuram to Chennai undertaken by Southern Army Command was flagged off by Maj Gen KS Sivakumar, General Officer Commanding, Headquarters 54 Infantry Division. The expedition team, led by Lt Manoj Kumar Bose of 2 Mahar, consisted of one junior commissioned officer and thirty-five other ranks of different units of Southern Command.

The team covered a distance of 1025 kms in 19 days maintaining a speed of more than 100 kms a day. The team also met ex-servicemen enroute and briefed them on Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme.

Western Air Command (WAC) won the Air Force Hockey Championship 2003-04 defeating Training Command by two goals to nil at KK Hakku Astroturf Stadium, Jammu.

The ceremony was declared closed by Lt Gen Ashok Kapur, Corps Commander, 16 Corps. On the occasion, the chief guest emphasised the importance of sports in inculcating self discipline. Cpl Mangat Singh of WAC was declared the best player.

Inter-Battalion Drill Competition of AMC Centre and School for the year 2003 was held at Platinum Jubilee Parade Ground.

With a tally of 211 points, Administrative Battalion clinched the championship. No. 2 Military Training Battalion scoring 193 points became runners-up. Maj Gen SR Kamtikar, officiating Commandant, AMC Centre and School, was the chief guest on the occasion.

Lt Gen Subramanyam is an alumnus of National Defence Academy and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.

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Commissioned in 45 Cavalry Regiment on June 17, 1973, Brig Nehra has commanded an Infantry Brigade. He has also a variety of command and staff appointments to his credit.

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Cmde Chitnavis is an alumnns of Defence Services Staff College and Naval Warfare College. He has held prestigious appointments like Chief Staff officer to Flag Officer submarine and command of INS Gomati and INS Satavahana.