Lt Gen BN Shahi, Director General Medical Services (Army) paid homage to the war heroes at AMC War Memorial in Lucknow Cantonment. Earlier, on arrival at the war memorial, Lt Gen Shahi was received by Lt Gen SP Malhotra, Commandant of AMC Centre and School. The Lieutenant General was on a two-day inspection visit to the Army medical units and esta-blishments. Before concluding his visit, Lt Gen Shahi addressed all AMC officers at the station.

Earlier, the DGMS was the chief guest at a football match played between the AMC Centre and School and Gorkha Brigade Club (GBC) teams. The GBC won the match 2-1. Lt Gen BN Shahi distributed prizes to the players at the end of the well-contested match.

The football match was followed by beating the retreat ceremony in which the brass band under the command of Sub Maj TB Khadka and the pipe band under the command of Sub Amar Singh played popular martial tunes.

A medical-cum-veterinary camp was organised by Army at Salempura village. In addition to free medical and veterinary assistance and medicines, other activities during this event included establishment of police grievances cell, bank loan mela, land compensation cell and Army recruitment information cell.

During the fauji mela, Army also organised inter-village games and other competitions among the villages to make the occasion more enjoyable. Troops hailing from various parts of the country displayed their traditional cultural items to promote national integration and enable the villagers to understand the great diversity of Indian culture. Lezim, a traditional dance from Maharashtra and Bhangra of the Sikhs of Punjab enthralled the audience.

A large number of villagers attended the medical camp at the mela. The sick, the aged and the womenfolk availed the medical facilities for which they otherwise would have to travel miles. The youths thronged the Army recruitment cell and were eager to learn more about career in the Armed Forces to serve their motherland.

Defence forces have, in their own way, tried to assuage the hardships faced by the local villagers as also to add some colour to the daily routine and mundane life.

A school building constructed under the aegis of HQ 3 Corps was dedicated to the children of Kotlen village, 30 kms from Imphal. It was constructed under Military Civic Action (MCA) project. The school building was inaugurated by Col JK Marwal, Commanding Officer, 12 Grenadiers, in presence of village authorities, teachers, parents and school children. While addressing the children, the Commanding Officer asked them to learn good habits from their teachers and parents. He asked the teachers to concentrate on character building of the children, as the children are the future citizens of the country.

At the end of the ceremony, sweets were distributed to the children. The village elders, teachers and children expressed their gratitude to the Army for the gesture.

The Sentinel Computer Centre has been established at Agartala in Tripura by Headquarters 21 Sector under Army Military Civic Action Projects of HQ 3 Corps. The aim of the centre is to give the poor tribal students computer training free of cost and equip them to gain employment in the present competitive world. The centre is provided with eight computers and accessories.

Under the guidance of Brig Satyendra Kumar, two computer courses have already been completed at this centre. So far, 120 tribal students had benefitted from the training at the Sentinel Computer Centre. On successful completion of the training, the students are awarded certificates from George Telegraph Training Institute which is a well established and recognised institute in the North-East.

A free health camp was organised jointly by afwwa(Local) and Ex-Serviceman Welfare Association at Air Force Station, Avadi. The camp was inaugurated by Mrs Meenu Garkal, President, AFWWA(Local). With the help of a team of specialists from Chennai, blood test and free ECG facilities were provided to the patients during the camp.

The mortal remains of Sep Gopan PT of 122 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) who died while on operation duty in the border area was
received with full military honours
at Shanghumugham Airbase, Thiruvananthapuram.

After the general salute by the defence personnel, wreaths were laid by Mr Varkala Radhakrishnan MP, on behalf of the Chief Minister of Kerala. Floral tributes were paid by Lt Col N J Francis on behalf of Southern Command Army Chief and Wg Cdr PM Baliga for AOC-in-C, Southern Air Command. Wreaths were also laid by Lt Col K Vasanth Kumar, Sqn Ldr SR Nair, Commandant VS Nair of CISF representing defence units in Thiruvananthapuram.

Mr Peethambara Kurup, DCC President, Sep Gopan's uncle, Mr Ramachandran Pillai, other relatives and a large number of mourners from his native village were present at the Airbase to receive the body. Later, the body was taken with full military honours accompanied by several vehicles to the martyr's native village, Madavoor. He is survived by father Mr Purushothaman Pillai, mother
Mrs Tulasibai and brothers, Nandakumar and Mukundan.

Army organised a medical camp at Arnia village which is three kilometers away from the border. Medical officers of district medical hospitals and SSB (Special Service Bureau) alongwith doctors from Army Medical Corps attended the patients in the three-day camp.

An unprecedented response from local villagers was seen at this camp. Altogether, 8000 patients were attended to by the medical officers. Over 100 school girls and boys provided assistance in organising the camp.

The camp provided a number of specialist treatment in the field of eye, medicine, gynaecology, paediatrics, surgery and ENT. A specially structured medicine dispensing unit was activated to provide all medicines free of cost. Villagers from far-flung and remote areas thronged the camp for treatment and were extremely happy as a large number of their medical problems had been addressed.

Seven military hospitals of South India are all set to carry out the telemedicine counselling first launched at Military Hospital, Chennai. The present system of network links the military hospitals in South India with Apollo Hospital, Chennai. Maj Gen AS Jamwal, GOC, ATNKK & G Area inaugurated the network on tele-video. Col BLT Joseph, Commanding Officer, MH Thiruvananthapuram, Lt Col Anto Chacko, SSO, Pangode, Lt Col EA Mani, MCO, Thiruvananthapuram took part in the conference.

The telemedicine network provides continuous access to the most sophisticated medical support systems. It improves patient care and medical training besides standardising clinical practice. This facility also unites the medical fraternity worldwide. It brings medical servicing at par with the services in the developed nations. World Health Organisation (WHO) recognised telemedicine as a cost-effective method to provide health care to all.

The area of Udalguri is a highly malaria-prone zone and a large number of people get afflicted with this deadly disease. The people of this area are very poor and are not able to afford the treatment. Hence, a series of anti-malaria medical camps were conducted by troops of Red Horns Division in the remote villages of Udalguri.

The camps were attended with zeal by the local population and a large number of patients were treated by the Army and civil doctors with the help of medicines received from civil administration. These medical camps were organised at Pathakata, Tom Tom, Maskhuti, Nepalpara and Ranipukhri.

Altogether, 687 patients were treated and medicines worth Rs 6500 were distributed among them. These medical camps reposed the confidence of the villagers in the troops of Red Horns Division.

INS Sagardhwani, an indigenously designed multi-purpose Marine Acoustic Research Ship (MARS), built by Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers, Kolkata and commissioned on July 30, 1994, celebrated her eighth anniversary. She has been built for conducting different field activities in the sea for various projects of DRDO in general and of Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), in particular.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, INS Sagardhwani organised a blood donation camp on board. Special children from the organisation 'Raksha' visited the ship. The Commanding Officer, Cdr S Ramesh along with the youngest sailor on the ship cut the traditional anniversary cake. Also present on the occasion were several scientists from NPOL.

Lt Gen Hari Prasad, General Officer Commanding, Desert Corps inaugurated a jawan welfare project called 'Konark Shopping Arcade' at Jodhpur Cantonment. The shopping arcade fulfills a long-standing need of the troops stationed at Jodhpur for items of daily need under one roof at very competitive rates and at a walking distance from their residences and barracks. Thus the need of going to the market every day now has been taken care of and the families can now go on their own to the Konark Shopping Arcade.

The arcade houses a renovated CSD canteen, a cafeteria, bakery, ice-cream parlour, STD booth, vegetable and fruit shop, grocery, stationery, gift items and cards, and kitchenware and appliances shop, Army store for uniform items, Sajni, the complete family shop for readymade clothes and home-decor and Darpan, a beauty parlour. Each and every shop is managed and run by various regiments and units stationed at Jodhpur at a no-profit-no-loss basis. The products are bought directly from the manufacturers so that the troops and families are benefitted.

Mrs Jasbir Singh, President AWWA, Gajraj Coprs visited all the educational institutions run by AWWA at the Gajraj Corps. She visited Army School, Little Flower School and Appu School along with Mrs Kirti Kapoor, Vice President AWWA. She appreciated the efforts put in by the teachers and the staff. She also praised the units, which in spite of all their commitments, were looking after these institutions at the station.

At Appu School, Mrs Jasbir Singh planted a sapling to mark her first visit to the school. She was shown the various assets that have been raised out of meagre resources. Chairman of the School, Brig Khosla highlighted the efforts being made to adopt the playway method of teaching. Mrs Singh appreciated the dedication and the efforts put in by the teachers and said that in spite of all hardships, it should be their duty to provide quality education to the younger generations and make them able and proud citizens of the country.

Mrs Jasbir Singh assumed the responsibilities of President, AWWA, Gajraj Corps recently. She met the families of all ranks at the station and enquired about their welfare. She assured the families that all possible assistance would be extended to improve the quality of life of the men in uniform and their families.

Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1 Solmara, Tezpur organised a ‘Youth Parliament’ Competition recently. The competition is held in all Kendriya Vidyalayas all over India. The aim is to inculcate democratic values, self-respect and tolerance to understand parliamentary procedures and public issues and also to train in the techniques of group-discussions.

The occasion was graced by the chief guest, Brig Brajesh Kumar, Chief Engineer, Gajraj Corps, who is also the Chairman of the school. A brief introduction of the procedures was given by the compere, Mr A Mitra and, later, the proceedings of the Youth Parliament commenced.

The highlights of the Youth Parliament included Question Hour, Zero Hour, Calling Attention Motion, Debates, Introduction of Bills etc. All burning issues were discussed and it was an eye-opener to realise how well-informed are the children of this era. A lively and healthy discussion among the participants had made everyone spell-bound.

Later, speaking on the occasion, Brig Brajesh Kumar appreciated the enthusiasm and the depth of knowledge of the children in dealing with various issues. He said that such competitions would help to inculcate a competitive spirit among children.

Under the aegis of National Ex-Servicemen Coordination Committee, Mysore, Shri Adishakti Auto Owners and Drivers Association, Gayatripuram felicitated the ex-servicemen for their noble services to the country. The felicitated ex-servicemen, were in service during the second World War to take took part in various operations.

Nb Sub C G Shivalingappa, an ex-serviceman, who was felicitated at the function, founded the first National Ex-service Coordination Committee in Delhi in 1989. It has now offices in all states and district headquarters of the country. The committee is engaged in solving the various problems of ex-servicemen with the help of Sainik Welfare Boards.

Mrs Lakshmi Hari Prasad President, Jodhpur (Regional) AWWA in the presence of the students, parents and a large number of AWWA members, and senior officers, inaugurated the renovated building to house Aasha School. The school was renovated with a touch of the contemporary Jodhpur architechure.

In her inaugural address, the President said that this project was very close to her heart as these special children would need special facilities. Accordingly, a sum of almost three-and-a-half lakh rupees was spent on renovation. She said that in future more facilities would be added to make this a model institution for special children of the defence as well as civilian personnel not only in Jodhpur but in the entire state of Rajasthan.

While welcoming the guests, the Principal said that the school received permanent recognition from the state government and a grant-in-aid of Rs six lakh was forthcoming from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. A large number of local NGOs have been co-opted with the school and the involvement of PG students and faculty of Diploma in Special Education (DSE), Department of Psychology, JNV University, is under finalisation.

Mrs Laksmi Hari Prasad presented sweets to the children on the occasion.

Maintenance Command Sports Festival 2002-03 was conducted at Air Force Station, Avadi under the aegis of HQ MC, IAF Sports Control Board. Four teams representing Delhi, Deolali, Kanpur and Nagpur areas consisting of 80 members each participated in kabadi, basketball, hockey, badminton, chess, table tennis and cross country competitions. Air Cmde H S Garkal, Air Officer Commanding, AF Station, Avadi declared the meet open and Air Vice Marshal GP D’Souza, participated in the inaugural ceremony and distributed the trophies. Delhi Area team won the championship.

The Indian Navy Football Championship was held at the Naval Base Command Stadium in Kochi. Three teams representing the Southern Naval Command (SNC), Western Naval Command (WNC) and Eastern Naval Command (ENC) participated in the event. The championship was played on a league-cum-knockout basis. While WNC managed to draw with SNC and win over ENC, the SNC had to battle their way to the finals after playing two matches with ENC.

The finals were played between the SNC and WNC teams. Rear Adm RP Suthan, Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command who was the chief guest at the function gave away certificates, medals and trophies to the teams. The event was co-ordinated by Seamanship School on behalf of the Southern Naval Command.

To select the team for 2002-03 Championship, the Air Force Handball Inter-Command tournament was held at Air Force Station, Avadi. Sixteen members from eight commands took part in the event during which a 20-member team was selected.

The Maintenance Command won the finals after a gap of nine years defeating South-Western Air Command by 33-24. Aircraftman S Jacob was declared the best player.

At the closing ceremony, Air Cmde H S Garkal, AOC, Air Force Station, Avadi distributed prizes to winners.

During his career, Brig Sturgeon has held various command, staff and instructional appointments and has served in Andaman & Nicobar Island, Jammu & Kashmir, North-eastern regions and Sri Lanka. He has a vast experience in counter-insurgency and commando operations. He was an Instructor at the Army Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School Vairangte and Assam Rifles Training Centre and School, Dimapur. Besides having expertise in training foreign and home Army, the Brigadier has also had adequate experience in training police forces in commando and counter-insurgency operations. He was awarded Chief of the Army Staff and Army Commanders Commen- dations and also Sena Medal .