INDIA NEWS
Nov 16-30, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 9
EDITORIAL
From the editor's desk Aircraft carrier - a reality check for Indian Navy
This is the new India IANS
Harekala Hajabba being awarded by President Kovind
M
uch newsprint was devoted to a naval exercise undertaken between the USA and India. The exercise was designated a two day "passage exercise", and, inarguably, contributed to strengthening bilateral cooperation and military coordination. Apart from the myriad advantages accrued, the exercise also threw up a somewhat worrying aspect, viz the stark disparity in the two naval forces participating. While the US Navy fielded a full 'Aircraft Carrier Strike Group' with USS Ronald Reagan, India was represented by two ships and shore based aircraft, and aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
Dr Kushal Konwar Sarma
T
he Padma Awards have been conferred upon the awardees in India since 1954 in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order) and Padma Shri (distinguished service). Over the last seven decades 3225 awardees have received these honours from the President of India. But the 2020 awardees have made bigger headlines and attracted a much wider publicity on the social media for being largely obscure and unknown but deeply and passionately devoted to their cause. Ranging from man curing elephants, a fruit seller who built a school from his meagre earnings, a former revenue officer who founded libraries for tribal children, a tribal woman who has planted over 30,000 trees and a botanist who translated a 17th century Latin botanical treatise. It is the new India where many ordinary citizens with bare minimum resources, negligible social status and poor educational background have been recognised for their passion and selfless commitment to their life mission. Some of the key awardees who received the award from President Ram Nath Kovind are: Himmatram Bhambhu (Nagaur, Rajasthan): For raising a forest with 11,000 trees on 25 bigha land and planting more than 500,000 trees, and saving the flora and fauna from poachers. Harekala Hajabba (Mangalore, Karnataka): A humble fruit seller who built a school for the children from his life earnings. Tulsi Gowda (Uttara Kannada, Karnataka): An environmentalist and conservationist who has planted more than 30,000 saplings over 60 years since the age of 12. Despite never been formally education her knowledge of plants and herbs has wone her
www.indianews.com.au
Himmatram Bhambhu
the popular title of ‘Encyclopedia of the Forest’. Madhu Mansuri Hasmukh ( Jharkhand): A folk singer known for ‘Gaon Chhodab Nahi’ song who made a mark in the development sector as well. Professor K.S. Manilal (Kerala): A botanist and taxonomist who researched, translated and annotated Hendrik van Rheede’s 17th century Latin botanical treatise, and documented extensive details of Kerala’s 700 indigenous plants and discovered 14 species with the help of his students. Sathyanarayanan Mundayoor (Arunachal Pradesh): A former revenue officer-turned educationist, founded 13 libraries as a prt of the Home Library Movement in remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh, creating awareness and interest for decades in tribal children. K. Munusamy (Villianur village, Puducherry): A terracotta artist known for making miniatures as small as 1.5 inches and dramatic life-size terracotta statues and training hundreds in the art. Bata Krishna Sahoo: A fish farmer who with his earnings trained college students and farmers in spawn production.
Earlier, in March this year, the two navies had undertaken a similar exercise. Then too, while the US Navy had a full carrier strike group participating, India sent a single ship and shorebased aircraft. Apart from these bilateral exercises, the Indian Navy also took part in a French Navy led multilateral exercise named La Perouse in April, where two ships and shore-based aircraft were deployed, though in this instance other participating nations did not field an aircraft carrier. Evidently, with its sole aircraft carrier being under maintenance, the Indian Navy is constrained in operating across all dimensions at sea, including during such exercises that bear the potential for valuable lessons and experience to be gleaned. Exacerbating the situation further is the fact that, given the size and complexities of a large ship like an Aircraft Carrier, its maintenance durations are likely to be of an extended nature. Consequently, the naval fleet remains hamstrung in undertaking operations related to maritime air power in such periods. Orchestrated deployment of shore-based aircraft over the seas is unlikely to fructify or indeed be available during a live conflict, where there will be concurrent requirement of air operations on land as well.
Clearly, here and now air capability at sea will have to manifest from the sea itself. This operational reality has motivated all significant navies of the world to include aircraft carriers in their forces levels. Military experts across the world are unanimous in the view that aircraft carrier operations are a skill learnt and perfected through sustained practice and long experience. This is borne out by the fact that China, despite having inducted its first aircraft carrier nearly a decade back, is still figuring out carrier operations. The UK, with its return to being an aircraft carrier navy, has also been dependent on USA to assist in re-learning the ropes of such operations. Does a long lay-off period for the Indian carrier then not have an effect on India's ability to protect its interests at sea?
Evidently, with its sole aircraft carrier being under maintenance, the Indian Navy is constrained in operating across all dimensions at sea, including during such exercises that bear the potential for valuable lessons and experience to be gleaned. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently during his visit to Kochi in end June to review the progress of construction of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier or IAC, had highlighted the historical fact that all major powers in the world have boasted powerful navies. In the present day, as evident from China's focus on building aircraft carriers and UK's U-turn on doing away with its carriers, it is clear that any navy will need to have such capability if it hopes to be a serious contender on the global
or even regional stage. While the minster's pronouncement indicates a clear understanding about this aspect within the government, ancillary agencies and organisations appear to be stuck in a state of flux. The abysmally slow progress on the IAC project is a case in point. In case the ship had been built and delivered in a timely manner, the Navy would have been able to keep one of the two ships operationally available. Whatever be the past, unless the relevant agencies wake up and smell the coffee at least at this point, India and its Navy are staring at a bleak operational capability for the near future. A reality check is long overdue and the problem is fast approaching critical mass. An attitude of business-as-usual is unlikely to get the second ship inducted any time soon. Every possible effort needs to be channelized into the project, including working round the clock, imposition of stringent penalties on every source of delay, daily monitoring at the PMO itself, etc. India needs to act now lest we are left behind � because China would act and is acting with a clear aim. We also need to think about what lies in the future � 15 to 20 years down the road. When the existing carrier gets de-inducted. What then? Given the long lead time to build carriers, how will India retain her edge as a major naval power? Well, the answer is obvious. Sumit Kumar Singh is the Deputy Bureau Chief at the Indo Asian News Service and can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in
Dr Kushal Konwar Sarma: The ‘Elephant Man of India’ or the ‘elephant surgeon’, a veterinarian and Professor of Surgery and Radiology at the College of Veterinary Science in Assam who has treated 600 plus elephants and saved 140 rogue bull elephants over the decades. The Awards have certainly taken a new meaning and chosen those who over the years have been overlooked and not been recognised for their work. It is the new India definitely where now even the ordinary and obscure citizens can hope to be felicitated for their passion and work.
facebook.com/indianewsaustralia
22
