National Sports Awards 2020 for Military Personnel

• Sports Awards are given every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports.
• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is given for the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four years.
• Arjuna Award is given for consistent outstanding performance for four years.
• Dronacharya Award goes to the coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious international sports events.
• Dhyan Chand Award is for life time contribution to sports development and Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar is given to the corporate entities (both in private and public sector) and individuals who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.
• Overall top performing university in inter-university tournaments is given Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy.
• In addition to these Sports Awards, the Ministry also recognises the spirit of adventure among the people of the country by bestowing the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award.
• A large number of applications were received for Sports Awards this year, which were considered by the Selection Committee headed by Justice (Retd.) Mukundakam Sharma (former Judge of Supreme Court of India) and other members comprising of eminent sportspersons, persons having experience in sports journalism and sports administration, etc.
• Based on the recommendations of the Committee and after due scrutiny, the Government has decided to confer awards upon the following sportspersons, coaches and entities under various categories:
• The awardees will receive their awards from the Hon’ble President of India at a specially organized function through virtual mode from Rashtrapati Bhawan on 29^th August 2020.

No.	Name	Entity / Category	Award
1.	Col. Sarfraz Singh	Land Adventure	Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2019
2.	Wing Commander Gajanand Yadava	Air Adventure	Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2019
3.	Army Sports Institute	Identification and Nurturing of Budding and Young Talent	Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar 2020
4.	Air Force Sports Control Board	Employment of sportspersons and sports welfare measures	Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar 2020
5.	Subedar Manish Kaushik	Boxing	Arjuna Award 2020
6.	Risaldar Sawant Ajay Anant	Tent Pegging	Arjuna Award 2020
7.	Naib Subedar Dattu Baban Bhoknal	Rowing	Arjuna Award 2020
8.	Subedar Manjeet Singh	Rowing	Dhyan Chand Award 2020

Talks on third foundational military pact with U.S. soon

• The issue of the pending third foundational military pact—Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA)—with the United States, which is expected to give a boost to the country’s defence system and counter the Russia-China-Pakistan axis, may come up for discussion during the “US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue” later this year.
• US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla held virtual talks recently during which the two sides discussed bilateral cooperation on a full range of international issues and reaffirmed their commitment to work towards ensuring a “free, open, peaceful and prosperous” Indo-Pacific.
• The two officers also discussed the ongoing threats to the rules-based international order, bilateral and multilateral diplomatic cooperation, maritime security, and the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a statement by the US State Department.
• India has already signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) with the US and Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA). However, it is yet to sign the third—Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA). A country needs to sign these three pacts to obtain cutting-edge weapons and communications systems from the US. BECA, according to experts, will allow India to use US expertise on geospatial intelligence and enhance military accuracy of automated hardware systems and weapons like cruise, ballistic missiles and drones.
• The COMCASA allows the US to transfer communication equipment to India which facilitates secure transmission of data and real-time information between the armed forces of the two countries. The LEMOA, on the other hand, allows Indian and US defence forces to use each other’s facilities and establish procedures of easier access to supplies and services required by them.
• Soon after the visit of US President Donald Trump to India, a meeting was held in Washington DC in March in which it was decided to start drafting the BECA. However, there was no substantial progress due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the issue may be discussed at the highest level during the “US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue” later this year.
• The previous 2+2 Dialogue (the second one) was held in Washington DC in December last year. Though BECA could not be signed, the two countries signed the Industrial Security Annex, which will facilitate collaboration between defence industries of the two countries by supporting the secure transfer of key information and technology. The 2+2 Dialogue was created by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump as the first, in India’s case, with any country, to provide a positive and forward-looking vision for our strategic partnership.

CAG report on defence offset performance in next Parliament session: Finance Minister

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the CAG report on defence offset performance will be tabled in the forthcoming session of Parliament. The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on offset performance was scheduled to be tabled in the last session of Parliament but could not be done as the session had to be curtailed following the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.
• “The C&AG Report No 20 of 2019 – Defence Offset Performance was scheduled to be tabled in Parliament during the budget session (2020). The session ended, before date, due to COVID. Now the report will be placed in the next session. The contents will be known only after that,” Sitharaman said in a series of tweets.
• Observing that the first Rafale fighter jet was handed over to India in October 2019, the minister said, “There is a year-wise phasing of how much offset obligation the companies/OEMs have to fulfil. MoD informs me that claims of such obligations being fulfilled are coming in.”
• Last month, India received the first set of five Rafale fighters from France. In the 36 aircraft deal, signed for around Rs 58,000 crore, Dassault Aviation has agreed to provide all fighters in a fly away condition between 36 to 67 months from the date of signing of the inter-governmental agreement in 2016.
• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday made a fresh attack on the government over the Rafale fighter aircraft deal.
• In a tweet, Gandhi quoted a source-based news report which claimed that the CAG has submitted its performance audit on defence offset contracts to the government with no mention of any offset deals related to the purchase of Rafale aircraft.

Threat Letter Received to Blow Up Ambala Air Force Base Where Indian Rafales Are Stationed

• A letter to blow up the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Ambala, Haryana, where the first batch of five Rafale aircraft are stationed, was received by authorities, police said on Saturday (22 August).
• The letter was received on Friday after which the authorities lodged a complaint with the nearby police station, a police official told.
• As a precaution and to ensure safety security has been beefed up at the Ambala station, he added.
• “The letter appears to be a hoax and the handiwork of some mischief-mongers,” a senior police official told.
• The air base is surrounded by villages, including Dhulkot, Baldev Nagar, Garnala and Panjokhara and the National Highway 1-A.

China desecrates religious sites near Mount Kailash to deploy surface-to-air missiles

• China’s enhancement of military facilities near Mt Kailash includes deployment of surface-to-air missiles (SAM) with fresh constructions that started in April this year being completed now, satellite images show.
• Not being spared are religious sites, as satellite images show how Kailash Manasarovar, a place of religious importance to Hindus who travel for pilgrimage, now resembles a battle zone with heavy military presence.
• The heavy militarisation of the religious site comes amid Indo-China tussle in Ladakh and coincides with India’s road construction to Lipulekh at the India-China-Nepal tri-junction that sparked a diplomatic row between New Delhi and Kathmandu. Nepal claimed that India’s road construction was in disputed territory between the two countries.
• The 80-km strategic road at 17,000 ft would make the journey to Kailash Manasarovar shorter and smoother. Mt Kailash and many areas along Manasarovar, including Rakshastal and Gauri Kund, are revered places in Hinduism and Buddhism.

Construction of SAM site

• Latest satellite images from August 16 indicate that it is a surface-to-air missile site with possible HQ-9 SAM system under tarpaulin covers. The deployment pattern shows four platforms for either four or eight SAM transporter erector launchers (TELs) with three radar ramps.
• There is a separate place in this facility for deployment of three more radars. The raised ramps clearly indicate their purpose for deployment of vehicle-based radars. The HQ-9 system depends on HT-233 radar for fire control, and on Type 305B, Type 120, Type 305A, YLC-20 and DWL-002 radars to search and track targets.
• The entire facility suggests PLAAF’s heavy dependence on radars for search and tracking aerial threats.
• This SAM location is exactly 90 kms from Indian borders, suggesting that medium-range SAMs could also be deployed there, if required. PLA had a small detachment earlier supposedly prepared for the convenience and security of pilgrims visiting Mt Kailash.
• It used to be manned by a section of People’s Armed Police but now turned into a garrison with many hotels and houses built around it, and manned by the PLA. In the name of infrastructure development, houses of Tibetans are being taken over, razed to ground and new hotels are being constructed.
• The last three months have seen new constructions coming up about a kilometre east of the highway. The construction at this site started on April 11 and has been completed this week.

Controlling Kailash Manasarovar

• India has controlled these areas and collected taxes from villages here till the late 1950s. During the campaign in Tibet, China also grabbed the areas of Mt Kailash, Manasarovar and Eastern Ladakh.
• China has been trying to control the access of Indians to Mt Kailash and Manasarovar since a long time by opening and closing various routes under different reasons. The easiest access from Nathu la and Demchok were always stopped whereas the most difficult route via Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand was kept open most of the year.

Desecration of Manasarovar

• The Manasarovar and Rakshastal are part of the parikrama of Mt Kailash.
• China released two videos of tanks rolling over the road near Manasarovar in the month of May and June to show their deployment in occupied territories of Tibet and India. The most surprising element in this facility is that it does not have facility that it can defend.
• The obvious answer that comes to mind is that PLAAF might be trying to cover a particular path that it expects the Indian Air Force (IAF) to take during hostilities.
• The IAF certainly would have taken note of this facility much before.
• India should take up the matter of desecration of our religious sites so blatantly by China with her and rest of the world community.

China using scholars, businessmen, journalists for spying in India: Book

• Indian spies had warned top decisionmakers about growing Chinese footprints in India and emerging threats at the border, according to a new book by investigative journalist Yatish Yadav. The book reveals the Chinese military is using academics, scholars, businessmen, professionals and even journalists to mount intelligence operations in India.
• The warnings came after the 73-day-long Doklam standoff between India and China in 2017 and also dwelled on the boundary issues, China’s sinister expansionist policy and the efforts to protect India’s sovereignty from the incidents like the recent bloody clash between troops of the two countries at Galwan valley on June 15.

RAW: A History of India’s Covert Operations

• The book RAW: A History of India’s Covert Operations, published by Westland Publications and released earlier this month, provides an inside look at India’s external spy agency’s mission of hunting adversaries and neutralising threats to national security. The vivid account on China reveals that the top echelon in the corridors of power were informed in a January 2018 meeting that India needs to brace for aggressive operations from China, especially in the light of China’s geopolitical ambition to become the preeminent power in Asia and a global power by 2050 and its ambitious projects, such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
• Citing exclusive access, the book claims there are several contentious issues between the two nations that the R&AW is particularly worried about and it was reflected in the presentation in the meeting. The presentation, Yadav wrote, focused on the unresolved issue of the delineation of the India-China boundary area, lack of progress in clarifying the Line of Actual Control (LAC), China’s concern about the presence of the Dalai Lama in India and India’s concerns regarding a post-Dalai Lama scenario. The spies were of the view that all these issues remain a headache for Indian decisionmakers.
• The spies, present in the meeting, were also worried about Chinese support to certain northeast groups, increased Chinese interests in the Indian Ocean Region, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC, a part of BRI) that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the encirclement of India through China’s string of pearls project and growing Chinese influence in India’s neighbourhood, especially in Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
• In the book, Yadav describes an undeniable fact that China is the most active nation in the world with regard to cyber espionage, with formidable capabilities aimed at economic sabotage. The book alleges two other modus operandi adopted by China are to exploit business and cultural exchanges to harvest intelligence in India.
• “In fact, the government’s top decisionmakers were given a list of institutes that are suspected of being used by China to gather intelligence in India. A classified note was also given to top officials about a Chinese institute planning to open branches in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. China also exploits the legitimate cover of business in sectors like telecom, engineering and manufacturing,” Yadav wrote, painting the most intense portrait of the closed-door meeting between spies and the top decisionmakers of the country.
• A seasoned spy quoted in the book said, “China is replicating the espionage method of using soft power under the cover of legitimate activities, which had earlier been patented by the US and Russia. The Chinese are using academics, scholars, businessmen, professionals and even journalists to mount INT gathering operations in India.”
• Yadav wrote that the counterintelligence team in recent years has noticed that Chinese firms have emerged as the lowest bidders in many infrastructure projects in India, with the active support of the Chinese government. Such Chinese footprints are increasingly being noticed in states like Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Haryana. They are also targeting strategic locations. For example, a Chinese business delegation went to Betul Island in Goa, near INS Kadamba. Espionage threats are also emanating from non-Chinese firms, which employ Chinese persons as happened with the Dhamara Port Company in Odisha, which is strategically located near Dr Abdul Kalam Island, earlier known as ‘Wheeler Island’, which is a missile test facility.
• The book claims since that meeting, the government has begun examining business proposals from Chinese companies from the espionage angle. However, the threats have not disappeared.
• For Indian spymasters, countering China, which has forged a deep nexus with Pakistan, is a formidable task. It is obvious that countries must spy on each other to remain a step ahead. China has mastered that art. The Indian spy agency believes China is terrified by India’s growing clout in Asia and always willing to engineer clumsy provocations.
• Yadav wrote that the Chinese expansionist policy now ensures that India will be riddled with more spies and one warning, which will be acted upon in the coming years, is increasing surveillance on Chinese firms and individuals as methods of espionage and means of penetration to steal secrets and engineer subversion will be more refined in the coming years.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation face-to-face meet agenda: Sino-India ties, Afghan future

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) under Russia’s presidency has drawn up an expansive agenda, from a multilateral world order to counterterrorist initiatives, as the eight-member grouping prepares to hold minister-level meetings and its summit in physical format in the months ahead.
• Foreign ministers and national security advisors of the SCO states plan to meet in September in Moscow, and this could enable foreign minister S Jaishankar and NSA AK Doval to travel for the first time since the Covid-19 outbreak. If they visit Moscow, it could facilitate meetings with their counterparts on the side-lines.
• The SCO agenda for 2020 will be dominated by the future of Afghanistan following the US-Taliban deal, Eurasian connectivity links, counterterrorism initiatives, a multilateral world order, 75 years of the UN and its reforms, and the joint fight against Covid-19.
• SCO is the only multilateral body with a counterterror unit called Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), based in Tashkent. The relevance of RATS will grow as the situation in Afghanistan gets complicated with the withdrawal of US troops. Counterterrorism is a priority for Russia, India, and the Central Asian states.
• However, experts on SCO affairs and Eurasia pointed out that all eyes will be on how the recent Sino-Indian divergence shapes SCO meetings and the group’s future agenda. The SCO meetings will provide India and China a chance to keep their communication channels open.
• The summit is expected to be held in St Petersburg in October and will be followed by the SCO heads of government meeting in New Delhi at the end of November.
• SCO provides an opportunity for India to play a role in the Afghan theatre. Simultaneously, SCO offers India a window of opportunity to be involved in Central Asia, with which New Delhi shares civilisational links, and explore new areas of strategic partnership. Russia, a founder member of SCO, and India plan to undertake joint projects in Central Asia.

Bengal’s Hasimara Air Force base ready to house Rafael jets

• By end of 2020, Hasimara Air Force Station in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district is expected to be ready to house Rafael fighter jets, which are expected to arrive here by end of mid-2021. While the first squadron will be based out of Ambala Air Force Station in Punjab, the second such squadron will be located at the Hasimara Air Force Station in North Bengal, said Grp Captain (Retd) R K Das.
• Earlier, it was planned that one squadron of the Rafale would be based out of the Sarsawa Air Force Station in Uttar Pradesh. However, issues relating to land acquisition eventually led to the selection of the Ambala Air Force Station to prepare itself for a two-front war in the northern side from Pakistan and China, Group Captain said. On the eastern frontier, Hasimara was selected as the base to house the second squadron. “We have some porous border in the Eastern sector, so Hasimara Air Force base being fortified,” he said.
• Hasimara earlier had a MiG-27 squadron which is being replaced by Rafales.
• The Hasimara Air Force Station has no squadron presently. The jets have started arriving from France on 29 July2020 and a budget of Rs 400 crores has been allocated for these two Air Force Stations Ambala and Hasimara to build facilities, develop shelters, hangers and maintenance facilities at the two bases.
• The hangars are so built that it can accommodate both the Rafales and Sukhoi MKIs.
• It is expected that Rafale will serve the Indian Air Force for the next 40-50 years. Engineers and staff of the technical teams of Dassault Aviation from France are working at the Air Force Station on war footing, Grp Captain said
• This apart, work on building a new facility in the Air Force Station and resurfacing of the runway has begun. Sukhois and Rafales are jets that tend to pick up any particles on the runway. Hence, resurfacing is important for smooth landings and take-offs. Work on resurfacing the runway has begun already. The runway will be ready in a year
• The last time the 8,500-9,000 ft in length runway was resurfaced was way back in 1993. While there were plans to extend the runway, it was dropped later. Hasimara air base came up post the 1962 Sino-India War. This air base has housed several squadrons of the fighter jets like the – Gnats, Ajeets, Hunters, MiG-21Bis and the Mig-27 ML fighter jets.

Pakistan to use drones to bomb security establishments near Jammu border: BSF

• Pakistan will use drones to bomb security establishments near the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir’s RS Pura and Samba sectors, the intelligence wing of the Border Security Force (BSF) has alerted.
• The security establishments, including the Indian Army, have been informed about the plans of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to carry out the attacks in Indian territory.
• The BSF had alerted other security forces about Pakistan’s activities earlier this week. Pakistan has increased bombardment in the Indian territories, while China has started transgression in Eastern Ladakh by creating a two-front war like situation.
• The BSF, India’s first line of defence with Pakistan and Bangladesh, has also alerted that “ISI plans to pump in consignment of drugs/arms/ammunitions inside India with the help of drones”.
• It guards around 2,280 kms of the front with Pakistan and the 4,096-km-long Indo-Bangla border.
• A senior BSF officer said that activities have increased across the International Border with Pakistan in Jammu and Punjab after terrorists were unable to infiltrate across Line of Control in Kashmir.
• On Saturday, the BSF shot dead five Pakistani intruders along the Taran sector of Punjab and seized multiple weapons and drugs.
• The officer said that the five-armed Pakistani nationals had entered the Indian territory overnight on Friday and were hiding across the fence.
• The alert troops of BSF’s 103rd Battalion noticed suspicious movement at night at the Dal outpost under the Khalra police station of Taran district.
• Around 4.45 a.m. on the Saturday morning, as the troopers started searching the area, they were fired upon. The BSF soldiers retaliated in self-defence killing the five intruders.
• On June 20, a Pakistani drone, loaded with a sophisticated rifle and some grenades, was shot down by the BSF along the International Border in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It was the first such incident in the Jammu region when a drone carrying arms and explosives was shot down by the BSF.
• In 2019, Punjab Police had recovered Pakistani drones used to airdrop arms and ammunition in border areas of the state.
• The BSF had also sighted many high-flying drones along Punjab along the international border.

BSF to undergo tech upgradation, to get 436 drones and new anti-drone systems

• With Rakesh Asthana taking over as full-time Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF), technological upgradation of the force has started with approval for 436 small and micro drones for border surveillance and anti-drone system being currently tested on India-Pakistan border to shoot down any drone carrying weapon-load for terrorists in Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir.
• Under the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management (CIBM) plan, all 1923 border outposts manned by BSF on Pakistan and Bangladesh border will be equipped with sensors, CCTV and drone feeds from the sector headquarters with as many as 1,500 posts (as rest are in remote locations) being able to fly drone to recce the border and use anti-drone system to shoot any weapon pay-load transportation from across.
• According to senior Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officials, while the cost of small and micro drone will come around Rs 88 crore, the BSF with the help of security agencies is currently testing an indigenous anti-drone system on the sensitive Punjab border with Pakistan. In the past one-year, Pakistani deep state is using Chinese commercial drones to transport assault rifles, pistols and grenades to the Khalistani terrorists in Punjab as well as jihadis in Jammu and Kashmir.
• By killing five Pakistani intruders carrying assault rifles and Afghan heroin on Friday morning, the new DG has made his intentions clear that the BSF will be pro-active on both the borders and will not allow any anti-India activity. It is understood that the BSF chief personally spoke to the company commander who carried out the successful operation in Taran sector.
• As Rakesh Asthana also holds the charge of DG, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the G Branch or the intelligence branch of the BSF is also being revived so that Afghan drugs do not make their way across the Pakistan border or the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. In this context, a common strategy will be adopted between the BSF and NCB to bring big cross border drug kingpins to book as the narcotic trade funds the cross-border weapons smuggling and terrorism both in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. In the past decade, India has not only become the hub of drug transhipment but also a major consumer of narcotics like heroin and cocaine from Afghanistan.

Army issues tender for 7.62mm ammunition from private sector

• In a move to take forward the long-delayed process of opening up ammunition manufacture to the private sector, the Army has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for procurement of five different types of 7.62mm caliber ammunition to meet the annual requirement for the next 10 years.
• The RFI was issued by the Army’s Master General of Ordnance and gets particular focus following the 101 negative import list announced by the Defence Ministry that includes a range of ammunition.
• “Various 7.62mm ammunitions as mention will have to meet all specifications of in-service ammunitions. All available specifications with Director general Quality Assurance (DGQA) and drawings, where available, with DGQA are proposed to be provided for manufacturers to confirm to, in providing required ammunition,” the RFI issued in August first week says. The technology partners could be indigenous or any foreign vendor.
• The five types notified include ammunition for Dragunov sniper rifle and Galil sniper rifle. The RFI also specified the annual requirement of the various types, some of them running into 1-2 million rounds.
• The Ordnance factory Board has so far been the manufacturer and supplier of ammunition and efforts to open it to the private sector over the last few years had been delayed. “With the negative import list, the effort should get high priority for the Army to diversify its ammunition procurement,” an industry source said on condition of anonymity.
• The last date to respond to the RFI is September 30. The selected manufacturer is expected to commence supply within six months of signing the contract and initial supply may be through Semi Knocked Down (SKD), Completely Knocked Down (CKD) ammunition procured from the Transfer of Technology (ToT) partner. “The subsequent supply of ammunition will be manufactured in India,” the RFI states.
• It also proposes that the manufacturer develop the infrastructure and absorb the complete ToT for manufacture of ammunition within two years from signing of contract. It proposes that the manufacturer will ensure continuous availability of minimum one year’s stock components during first two years after signing of contract or 100% indigenisation, whichever is earlier, the RFI said. In case full indigenisation is either not possible or not proposed, from third year the manufacturer will have to hold two year’s stock.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Which IAF officer was awarded the ‘Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2019’ in ‘Air Adventure’ category?
2. Wing Commander Gajanand Yadava
3. Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma
4. Wing Commander Atul Srivastava
5. Squadron Leader Arun B

ANSWER: A

• CAG report on defence offset performance will be tabled in the forthcoming session of Parliament will be placed by:
• Rajnath Singh
• Narendra Modi
• Nirmala Sitharaman
• Kiren Rijiju

ANSWER: C

• Who took over as full-time Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF)?
• Rajesh Ranjan
• Rakesh Asthana
• A P Maheshwari
• Kumar Rajesh Chandra

ANSWER: B

• Which book recently released provides an inside look at India’s external spy agency’s mission of hunting adversaries and neutralising threats to national security?
• The Spy Chronicles
• India’s External Intelligence – Secrets of RAW
• Gentleman Spymaster
• RAW: A History of India’s Covert Operations

ANSWER: D

• “RAW: A History of India’s Covert Operations” was written by:
• R N Kao
• V K Singh
• Vikram Sood
• Yatish Yadav

ANSWER: D