The government has constituted a Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary to look into the certain issues of relevance to the defence service personnel and ex-servicemen. This was informed by the Defence Minister A.K. Antony in the Rajya Sabha today. In a written reply, he also said that the matter related to the retirement benefits of Defence service personnel has already been sorted out. The Minister said, the government has implemented the recommendations of an anomaly committee in this connection.

The Defence Minister will be visiting Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow to review the security situation in the forward areas. He will also chair a meeting of Unified Headquarters in Srinagar and meet Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Interacting with reporters after the function to pay homage to the martyrs of defence forces on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas in New Delhi this morning, Mr.A.K.Antony said that during his two day visit beginning tomorrow, he will meet jawans and officers and see the situation in the forward areas. He will be accompanied by the Army Chief and Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma.

In reply to a query on demands by the armed forces for a War Memorial in the national capital, Defence Minister said, things are progressing in a comfortable manner on the issue.

Defence Minister A K Antony on Friday said religious fundamentalism is gaining strength and urged Congress workers to create awareness among people about the dangers it poses to the society.


Inaugurating the new building of the Ernakulam District Congress Committee in Kochi on Friday, Antony said the concept of secularism is under threat and is facing challenges from various quarters.


He said Stalinist style of functioning prevailing in parts of Kerala, has resulted in brutal incidents. He was indirectly referring to the killing of Revolutionary Marxist Party leader T P Chandrasekharan, who was hacked to death allegedly by CPI-M activists in Kozhikode early this month.

The Defence Minister AK Antony today said that modernization process in defence procurement and upgradation of infrastructure cannot be done at the cost of core values of transparency, probity and accountability. Addressing the Unified Commanders' Conference in New Delhi, Mr Antony urged all Commanders to collectively ensure that these principles are adopted and followed in letter and spirit. Mr Antony said the modernisation process is the top most priority of the Government and to achieve the same a mechanism has been put in place. The Defence Minister stated that the Government is constantly fine-tuning the Defence Procurement Procedure to cut down delays in procurement process.

Mr Antony asked the Services to put their best foot forward by having a well-defined approach to procurement, based on clear and objective General Staff Qualitative Requirements. He stressed the need to ensure that procedures are strictly adhered to and the Services ensure the timely meeting of technical parameters.
Describing cyber crimes as another dimension in the security architecture, Mr Antony said that Information and Communication Technology is being misused by anti-social and anti-national elements. He called upon the Services to be fully aware of the implications and put in place security systems and standard operating procedures to counter such threats.

The Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday asked the armed forces to be more vigilant in the wake of Sunday's terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. He said this while addressing top army commanders on the first day of a three-day conference in New Delhi. Mr Antony said, the situation in Afghan-Pak region continues to be a cause of concern. He told the commanders to take appropriate steps in the light of Sunday's developments in Afghanistan which saw a series of suicide bomb attacks.

The Defence Minister also reiterated India's commitment in supporting and assisting Afghanistan for its development. Mr Antony said, India remains steadfast in its commitment so that Afghanistan evolves into a stable country.

Referring to sharp increase in the defence spending by China for the modernization of its armed forces, Mr. Antony said on its part the defence system will continue to bolster its infrastructure and strengthen its capabilities along the border areas. He said, the Centre will provide all the support to modernize and enhance the capabilities to successfully meet any challenge.

Describing the situation in Jammu and Kashmir as stable, Mr Antony said, this is a direct consequence of the untiring efforts of the security forces. He however said, the peace process is extremely fragile and the Armed Forces need to operate with maximum restraint and control without dropping their guard.

Defence Minister A K Antony and Army Chief General V K Singh today reviewed procurement projects for the Army. The meeting was attended by General Singh along with the top brass of the Defence Ministry. 

Several issues relating to aquisition and obsolescence of the air defence system of the Army are believed to have been discussed. 

A separate meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council, DAC, will also be chaired by the Defence Minister in the day. It will be attended by the Army Chief as also Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma and Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne.

The DAC, the apex body of the Defence Ministry, will discuss procurement proposals relating to the three Services, DRDO and the Coast Guard. The DAC will also discuss the Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP) and changes in the offsets policy under the Defence Procurement Procedure.

AIR correspondent reports that the LTIPP will list all the requirements of the armed forces for the next 15 years and will help in enabling the private defence sector players to prepare them to meet the requirements of the armed forces. 

The offsets policy, which mandates at least 30 per cent worth of defence contracts above 300 crore rupees invested back into the country, will also come up for discussion at the meeting

The Defence Minister A.K. Antony has ordered a CBI probe into Army Chief's allegation that he was offered bribe. that the investigating agency is examining the reference to look into army chief's allegation.



In the Rajya, members from all sides strongly criticized Team Anna for reportedly using derogatory language against Parliamentarians. Some of them demanded action against those who denigrated the politicians in general.

Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj said she was distressed that Team Anna has launched a campaign against the parliamentarians elected by the people. JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav and Congress member, Sanjay Nirupam said Team Anna's attempts to target Parliament is an unfortunate. Members of Samajwadi party and CPIM also expressed their concern over the issue.

Placard-carrying members of TRS, TDP and Congress also trooped into the well in the Lok Sabha to demand creation of Telangana.