163 Army personnel died in Siachen in last 10 yrs: Govt

22/03/2018

NEW DELHI, Mar 21: The Army lost 163 personnel deployed at the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield, during the last 10 years, according to details provided by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Six officers were among the army personnel who lost their lives while guarding the glacier which is at an altitude of above 20,000 ft.
Sitharaman gave year-wise details on the deaths in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
The Siachen Glacier in the Karakorum range is known as the highest militarised zone in the world where the soldiers have to battle frostbite and high winds.
Avalanches and landslides are common at the glacier during the winter and temperatures can drop to as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius
India and Pakistan started deploying troops at the strategically key glacier in 1984.
Sitharaman said nine army men lost their lives in 2008 followed by 13 in 2009, 50 in 2010 and 24 in 2011. Twelve army men had died in 2012, 11 in 2013 and eight in 2014.
The number of deaths in 2015 was 11 while it was 20 and fi6ve in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
“Indian Army soldiers deployed in extremely harsh terrain and weather conditions are suitably equipped and properly trained to undertake operational challenges and carry out their mandated tasks,” Sitharaman said.
Replying to a separate question on whether the Sahayak system in the Army has been discontinued in peace stations, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said no such decision has been taken.
“A Sahayak in the Indian Army has clearly defined military duties and forms an integral part of the organisational structure of a unit and has specific functions during war and peace,” he said.
Under the Sahayak or buddy system — a solider is attached to officers. Sahayaks are soldiers and their duties include protecting the officers, maintaining their weapons and equipment and helping them in carrying out their responsibilities.
To another question, Bhamre said 33 ships and submarines are presently being constructed at various Indian shipyards for the Indian Navy.
The armed forces are facing a shortage of over 52,000 soldiers with the Army topping the list with over 21,000 vacant posts, the government said today.
According to the details provided by Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre in the Lok Sabha, the Army is reeling under a shortage of 21,383 personnel, while the number of vacant posts in the Navy is 16,348 and 15,010 in the Air Force.
Replying to a question, he said 7,680 posts of officers are lying vacant in the Army.
To a question on the Rafale deal, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said all relevant procedures were followed to ensure transparenycy in the acquisition of the 36 jets.
India had in 2016 inked an inter-governmental agreement with France for procuring 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore. The delivery of the jets is scheduled to begin from September 2019.
The Congress has been demanding details of the agreement, including the cost of equipment and weapons, alleging that the deal negotiated under its rule was much cheaper than the contract signed by the Modi government.
"In the acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft, all relevant procedure as laid down in defence procurement procedure were followed to ensure that due transparency existed in the entire acquisition process," Sitharaman said.
She said the government preferred the inter-governmental route to procure the jets considering critical operational requirement of the Indian Air Force.
Replying to a question on whether the nuclear-powered submarine Chakra, which was leased from Russia, suffered extensive damage, she said the information cannot be divulged in the interest of national security.
Bhamre also declined to share information, citing national security, when asked if indigenous nuclear submarine Arihant suffered major damage.
Replying to a separate question, he said the government believes that artificial intelligence has the potential to have transformative impact on security.
He said a task force headed by Chairman of Tata Sons N Chandrasekaran has been constituted to study strategic implementation of application of artificial intelligence for national security and defence needs.
Asked about the implementation of a project to strengthen 73 strategic roads along the India-China border, he said the work on 23 roads with a total length of 981 km had been completed.
He said the work on 33 other roads having a total length of 2,436 km was going on.
The project was approved by the government in 2006-07 and it was to be completed by 2012.

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