At an impressive passing-out ceremony at the Medical Training Centre of the Air Force Command Hospital in Bangalore, 20 airmen
joined the Air Force as Medical Assistants.

Air Vice Marshal PK Sarkar, Commandant of the hospital who spoke after reviewing the parade called upon the new entrants to dedicate themselves to the proper care of the patients.

Wg Cdr S Jauhari, Commanding Officer of the Training Centre read out the course report.

Aircraftman Abhishek Srivastav was awarded the trophy and medal for the best all rounder and best tradesman.

- Maj B N Gurumurthy

A medical and welfare camp was organised at Umri village by Air Force Station, Bamrauli and Air Force Wives Welfare Association (AFWWA).

A complete package of medical and dental services was provided to all age-groups in the village. The facilities included blood and urine tests, routine examination of hypertension, diabetes, systemic disorders, infections and infestations and various other tests. A thorough dental check-up was also conducted. The villagers took advantage of this camp and ensured that all their family members attended the camp. In order to educate the villagers on various aspects of contagious diseases and AIDS, lectures were conducted by the medical officers.

Treatment was provided for various ailments and free medicines were distributed to all. As a further incentive to the villagers to participate actively in such welfare projects, gifts were also distributed. The camp was successful in forging a good relationship between Air Force and the villagers of Umri.

- Sqn Ldr R K Singh

Maj Gen MS Moorjani, Additional Director General Ordnance Services (CN&A) at Army HQs was on a two-day inspection visit to Central Ordnance Depot (COD), Cheoki. He was accompanied by his wife Mrs Kamaljit Moorjani. The Major General was received at Allahabad by the officiating Commandant of the depot, Col R Badrinarayan and was introduced to all officers of Central Ordnance Depot. Later, Col Badrinarayan briefed him on the salient aspects of the functioning of the depot.

Maj Gen MS Moorjani also visited all sub-depots and different sites of the depot. He expressed satisfaction over the storage of ordnance stores and its logistics management. He also interacted with the civilian employees of the depot and appreciated their efforts in handling important aspects of ordnance store and their role in depot management. Maj Gen Moorjani also visited the Ordnance Depot and 508 Army Base Workshop at the Allahabad Fort. Mrs Moorjani visited the Family Welfare Centre and also attended the welfare meet.

- Sqn Ldr RK Singh

A passing-out parade was held at the conclusion of the Medical Officers' Basic Course (MOBC) - 151 at Officers' Training School of AMC Centre and School in Lucknow Cantonment. Lt Gen S P Malhotra, Commandant, AMC Centre and School and OIC Records, took salute at the impressive march-past which was commanded by Lt Col Soumen Basu. Speaking on the occasion, Lt Gen Malhotra appreciated the participants for having attained
a high standard of proficiency. He also felicitated and presented trophies to the best officers of the course.

The MOBC is conducted to impart military training to young medical and dental graduates for a period of eight weeks. Out of the 67 newly commissioned officers, including 13 ladies, 32 belonged to Army, 18 to Indian Navy and 17 to Air Force. They were administered the oath of affirmation by Brig KPB Singh.

- Maj Dhirendra Ojha

Lt Gen DS Chauhan, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command, was the chief guest at the Shaheed Sainik Samaroh organised by Dr K L Garg Memorial Charitable Trust, Lucknow. Commending the Trust for organising the function,
Lt Gen Chauhan said that felicitation of families of martyrs at such functions raises the morale of the serving soldiers.

While releasing a souvenir brought out by the Trust to mark the occasion, Lt Gen Chauhan said that it also provided important information regarding various facilities and entitlements being provided by the central and state governments to the families of martyrs. Earlier, Lt Gen Chauhan laid a wreath at the war memorial in the Trust premises to pay homage to those soldiers who laid down their lives in discharge of their duty.

- Maj Dhirendra Ojha

Coinciding with the 91st anniversary of the Corps of Signals, a renovated and refurbished AWWA complex at MCTE was inaugurated by Mrs Saroj Magotra, wife of Lt Gen R L Magotra, Commandant MCTE at Mhow. The inaugural function was attended by wives of all the serving and retired Signals officers.

To fulfill to the objectives of the Army Wives Welfare Association, the complex provides facilities such as vocational training centre, beauty parlour and computer training centre for the families of all ranks. Besides providing pro-fessional training, the complex also affords a forum for the members to participate in discussions.

input : Lt Col Amrit Lal

A cervical cancer screening camp was organised at Air Force Station Manauri by AFWWA (Regional). The camp which was exclusively organised for the ladies residing in the Air Force campus, was inaugurated by Mrs Veena Kumar, President, AFWWA (Regional). Altogether 100 ladies came forward to get themselves screened by a team of doctors led by Wg Cdr S Guha, Senior Medical Officer of AF Station, Manauri.

This camp was a brainchild of Air Cmde Vipin Kumar, Air Officer Commanding of AF Station. Under his guidance, Sqn Ldr DS Dagar provided necessary administrative support to make the camp a success.

- Sqn Ldr RK Singh

Mrs Meera Chauhan, President Central Command Army Wives Welfare Association (CCAWWA), inaugurated a competition in dry flower arrangement, gift wrapping and salad dressing conducted for students by Army Public School in Lucknow Cantonment.

Anamika Dutta and Ruchit Brijabasi bagged first prize in dry flower arrangement and gift wrapping respectively whereas Kanu Priya and Shruva Gupta shared second prize in dry flower arrangement. Zainab and Anamika Dutta shared second prize in gift wrapping. Arti Vaid and Bhanu Priya shared first prize in salad dressing followed by Persia who emerged as the runners-up.

The competition was witnessed by senior service officers and their wives including Mrs Sharda Chadha, Vice President, CCAWWA.

- Maj Dhirendra Ojha

from Lucknow

Five hundred LPG connections to the widows of Ladakh region were distributed by Indian Army at a function held at Leh.

In order to ensure steady supplies, a modern LPG bottling plant has been set up near Leh. Beneficiaries will get free LPG connections including a two burner gas stove and free refill. No security deposit is being charged from the users. This will result in preserving the environment in the otherwise barren land of Ladakh.

- PIB (DW)

The Indian Navy volleyball team emerged as the winners of 51st Services Volleyball Championship 2001-2002 at the Naval Base, Visakhapatnam. The Navy team registered a convincing win beating the defending champions, the Army Red team by three straight sets in a row with clear margins, 25- 20, 25-18 and 25-20.

The team maintained steady lead throughout the match and displayed excellent ball control and counter-attacks. An all-rounder and international player, Shijas P Mohammad in company of Setter Siju Joesph and group of four hard strikers, KK Rathesh, VM Sheejith, Bijoy Babu and Manoj Kumar, all Services players, exhibited highly impressive skills and techniques. In the Army Red team, C Rajan, BP Aman and MT Premjit played well.

In the other deciding match, Army Green team beat Air Force team in a five set match, 25-22, 26-24, 21-25, 27-29 and 15-08 and secured third position, pushing the Air Force team to the fourth place.

Rear Admiral Pratap Singh Byce, Chief of Staff, Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command, gave away the trophies and prizes to participating teams. The championship was conducted by INS Circars on behalf of the Eastern Naval Command.

- Cdr S Dasika

No. 1 Technical Training Battalion, scoring the maximum of 12 points, lifted the championship title of the Inter-Battalion Basketball Championship of AMC Centre and School in Lucknow Cantonment. The victors who were the runners-up last year routed No. 2 Military Training Battalion.

In all, five teams participated in the eight-day championship which was conducted on league basis. With a tally of 9 points each, No 2 MT Battalion and No 2 TT Battalion were placed second and third respectively.

Maj Gen RT Awasthi, Deputy Commandant of AMC Centre and School, distributed prizes. The championship trophy for the winning team was received by Col Ved Prakash and Sub Maj Ganga Vishan.

- Maj Dhirendra Ojha

No. 2 Technical Training Battalion beating No. 2 Military Training Battalion annexed the championship trophy of the inter-battalion hockey tournament of AMC Centre and School in Lucknow Cantonment.

In the keenly contested final match of the tournament, the first goal was scored in the 23rd minute of the first half by Rect PK Xosla. The tally at half time was 1-0. In the fifth minute of the second half, another goal was scored by Rect MB Tirkey for the victors. The score remained unchanged till the final whistle blew.

Lt Gen SP Malhotra, Commandant of AMC Centre and School distributed prizes at the conclusion of the championship. The championship trophy on behalf of the victorious team was received by Col A K Chanda. The team of No. 1 TT battalion was placed third. In all, five teams participated in the nine-day tournament.

- Maj Dhirendra Ojha

from Lucknow

A friendly cricket match between the team of AMC Centre, School and Records known as Commandant's XI and the combined team of Command Hospital and Base Hospital was played at AMC Stadium in Lucknow Cantonment.

The Commandant's XI won the match by 28 runs. Batting first, the Commandant's XI made 114 runs at the loss of seven wickets in stipulated 25 overs. Maximum of 25 (not out) runs were scored by Col A K Chanda who also claimed two wickets. In response, the combined team were all out at 86 in 23.5 overs. The highest score of
14 runs for this team was made by Lt Col K R Rathi.

Mrs Deepti Malhotra, wife of Lt Gen S P Malhotra, Commandant, AMC Centre and School, distributed prizes at the end of the match. The prize for the victorious team was received by Lt Gen S P Malhotra.

- Maj Dhirendra Ojha

A computer-cum-typing centre was inaugurated at Drang High School by Maj Gen R S Jamwal, GOC, Victor Force and Mr Basheer Khan, Deputy Commissioner, Budgam district. A district medical and veterinary camp was also organised by Mrs Reeta Jamwal for the benefit of the patients and animals in the remote area. Brig Baldev Singh, Sector Commander Rashtriya Rifles and Lt Col RPS Sandhu, Commanding Officer Rashtriya Rifles Battalion were also present on the occasion.

The computer-cum-typing centre, set up under operation Sadbhavana, would expose the students of the school to information technology and also provide a training in typing. This is a laudable attempt towards improving the educational standards of the students of this area. The infrastructure for the institute has
been provided by the district administration.

At the medical and veterinary camp, the medical services were made available by a joint team of civil and Army doctors. The veterinary camp was organised by Army and the Animal Husbandry Department.

Addressing the gathering, Brig Baldev Singh exhorted the students to explore the field of information technology and make the best use of the facilities provided to them. He also asked the villagers to make the best use of the medical and veterinary camp.

- Lt Col Mukhtiar Singh

The Army organised a medical camp with the support of the civil administration at Shapur Goraian village of Dera Baba Nanak Tehsil in Gurdaspur district. The camp was inaugurated by Maj Gen Ashok Kapur. People from 20 villages of the surrounding areas attended the camp and also participated in the fun games organised on the occasion.

During the camp, specialist treatment was given by dentists, gynaecologists, pediatricians and ENT and eye specialists. Free medicines were also provided to patients by the Army authorities. Speaking on the occasion, Brig JS Grewal said that the Army undertook this noble venture to improve the living conditions of people in border villages.

Alongside the medical camp, information booths were set up to provide information on recruitment to the Armed Forces, methods to bank loans and better agricultural management. Civil administration officials were also present on the occasion to assure the villagers of full compensation for their crops which got affected due to the Amry deployment.

- Naresh V Vig

Continuing with the Army endeavour to provide the unemployed youth of Assam an honourable career opportunity in the services, an Army recruitment rally was organised at Tamulpur. This was yet another step by the Red Horns Division to provide employment to the youth of this region.

The state of Assam has adequate representation in Armed Forces. Two of the great sons of Assam, Jintu Gogoi and Udhab Das laid down their lives in Kargil in defence of the country. Since the Kargil war, people from Assam have been contributing generously for various welfare funds and it was also heartening to see large numbers of youngsters at the recruitment rally.

Adequate publicity for the recruitment rally was given by the media. The potential candidates from lower Assam were shortlisted for organised coaching for pre-recruitment medical and written tests. There have been approximately 403 vacancies for various categories and trades.

In the inaugural address, Brig KMS Shergill, Commander, Tamulpur Brigade said, "I wish to assure all candidates that the system of selection is impartial and fair. The very best will make it to the Army on merit. Those who are left out this time should not be disheartened. Perhaps with some more practice and training, they will be able to join this honourable career next time". The rally continued for six days.

input : Lt Col K D Shelley

Lt Gen Gambhir Singh Negi took over as the Commandant of Infantry School from Lt Gen D B Shekatkar.

Commissioned in the third battalion of 3 Gorkha Rifles in 1965, Lt Gen G S Negi has a rich staff and instructional experience. He is decorated with Ati Vishist Seva Medal, Bar to AVSM and Vishisht Seva Medal. He is also the Colonel of 3 Gorkha Rifles.

Before taking over the command of Infantry School, Lt Gen G S Negi was Additional Director General (Staff Duties) at Army Headquarters.

- PIB (DW)

Lt Gen Shantonu Choudhry, General Officer Commanding of a Corps in the Western Sector has been appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army Training Command. He is an alumnus of National Defence Academy and got commissioned in the Regiment of Artillery in 1963.

The General Officer has had a varied and distinguished career during which he has held different command, staff and instructional appointments. Having done a tenure in NEFA (now Arunachal Pradesh), he has been Brigade Major and GSO 1 (Ops) of Infantry Divisions in Punjab and Rajasthan and Colonel (General Staff) of a Division in Ladakh. He has also served in the Military Operations Directorate and has been an instructor in the Defence Services Staff College. He has also been Additional Director General of Military Intelligence at Army Headquarters.

Lt Gen Shantonu Choudhry is recipient of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.

- PIB (DW)

Air Chief Marshal AY Tipnis (Retd.), former Air Chief took over as President, Air Force Association from his illustrious predecessor Air Chief Marshal SK Sareen at a brief ceremony held at Air Force Station, Race Course in New Delhi.

Marshal of the Indian Air Force, Arjan Singh, DFC, who was founder President of Air Force Association graced the occasion. Retired Chiefs of Air Staff residing in Delhi were also present.

Air Force Association has 32,000 members on its roll. The Association runs a Senior Citizens Home at Tughlakabad for the elders and also a Placement Cell for providing assistance in securing jobs to the retired personnel. The Association publishes "AFA-News" (biannual newsletter) which acts as a vital link between the members and the organisation.

- Sqn Ldr RK Dhingra

from New Delhi

Cmde T Hari took over as the Naval Officer-in-Charge, Tamil Nadu (NOIC) and Commanding Officer of INS Adyar at a brief ceremony held at the Naval Office in Chennai. He took over from Cmde PR Franklin who proceeded on superannuation.

A recipient of Nao Sena Medal, Cmde Hari was earlier Chief Staff Officer, Operations, Andaman & Nicobar Command and also Naval Officer-in-Charge, Andaman & Nicobar Islands. He was Naval Advisor to the Indian High Commissioner, Bonn before his tenure at Port Blair.

- V Sankaran

from Chennai

Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh, Military Secretary to the President of India took over as Colonel of Rajput Regiment. He is also the Colonel of the President’s Bodyguard Being Colonel of two renowned regiments of the Indian Army is a rare honour.

An alumnus of National Defence Academy, Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh was commissioned in the Rajput Regiment in 1965. He has been an Instructor at the Indian Military Academy and has had general staff tenures at Kargil and Kashmir Valley. He commanded 17 Rajput, the battalion raised by (Late) Field Marshal KM Cariappa.

Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh was Military, Naval and Air Attache at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As Major General, he was Additional Director General of Organisation (AG's Branch) at Army Headquarters and later took over as Military Secretary to the President in 1997. He is decorated with Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.

- Col Shruti Kant

Brig Vinod Chopra took over as the Commandant of the prestigious Guards Regimental Centre (GRC) Kamptee, Nagpur.

Commissioned in the second battalion of Brigade of the Guards on March 15, 1970, Brig Vinod Chopra has actively participated in the 1971 Indo-Pak war and in counter-insurgency operations in the Kashmir Valley.

He commanded an Infantry Brigade at Ladakh and was
also the Sub-Area Commander at Bhopal.