New Delhi: A high level meeting between Defence Secretary, National Disaster Response Force and other agencies has been convened to expedite the relief process after 58 people died in Uttarakhand following heavy rains that have caused massive landslides and floods in the state, Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth told CNN-IBN.
"We are going to take Indian Air Force's help to evacuate people from all corners of the state," Singh said. "We are in constant touch with the state government and the Prime Minister is also concerned. We will do our best," he added.
Uttarakhand continues to face nature's fury with torrential monsoon rains ravaging large parts of the state. At least 58 people have died and nearly 72,000 are still stranded across Uttarakhand with the holy town of Kedarnath being the worst hit. Sources in the state government claim that death toll in Kedarnath could be high as relief and rescue efforts have started in full swing.
The state has received 313 mm rainfall so far which is a phenomenal 375 per cent above the normal benchmark of 65.9 mm rainfall that state receives during a normal monsoon. Rudraprayag bore the brunt of the disaster with a large number of structures including shrines, hotels, rest houses, commercial and residential buildings collapsing like a pack of cards in the district....
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10:03 PM, Jun 18, 2013
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday criticized the appointment of former defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma as the new Comptroller and Auditor General, accusing the United Progressive Alliance government of accusing of weakening constitutional institutions. "Government is slowly but continuously appointing persons who are weak and who don't have spine to watchdog bodies like CAG, CVC (Central Vigilance Commission), CIC (Central Information Commission), Election Commission which keep an...
04:29 AM, May 22, 2013
New Delhi: Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma was on Tuesday named as the new Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). The 1976 Bihar cadre officer will succeed Vinod Rai, who superannuates tomorrow after five and a half years of eventful tenure as the head of the Constitutional financial watchdog. "The President of India has appointed Shashi Kant Sharma, IAS, as the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, in terms...
07:47 PM, May 21, 2013
Former Republican senator Chuck Hagel was on Wednesday sworn-in as the new US Defence Secretary, in the midst of a controversy over his remarks that India "financed problems" for Pakistan in Afghanistan. Sixty-six-year-old Hagel, a Vietnam war veteran, was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday after a bruising confirmation hearing. ...
08:20 PM, Feb 27, 2013
In a sharp contrast to US view on India's role in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama's Defence Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel has alleged that India has over the years "financed problems" for Pakistan in the war-torn country. ...
05:54 PM, Feb 26, 2013
Resumption of military exercises between the armies of India and China will be high on agenda during the annual defence dialogue starting between the two countries in Beijing on Monday. Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma is heading a tri-services delegation to China for two-day talks as part of the 5th Annual Defence Dialogue between the two sides, Ministry officials said here. ...
03:28 PM, Jan 13, 2013
President Barack Obama offered strong support for former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as the potential next US defence secretary but said in remarks aired on Sunday that he had not yet decided on a nominee for the Pentagon post. ...
01:20 AM, Dec 31, 2012
Islamabad: Indian and Pakistani officials have made no forward movement on resolving the military standoff on the Siachen glacier, with both sides sticking to their stated positions in two-day talks, diplomatic and official sources said on June 11. During talks on June 11 between an Indian delegation led by Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma and a Pakistani team led by Defence Secretary Nargis Sethi, the two sides "explained their respective stances"...
01:33 PM, Jun 12, 2012
Demilitarilasition of Siachen is something Pakistan needs more than India. ...
10:41 AM, Jun 11, 2012
New Delhi: The defence secretaries of India and Pakistan will be meeting in Islamabad on Monday for 13th round of talks on the Siachen glacier. The word from New Delhi is 'don't expect any breakthrough'. Pakistan has been pushing hard for withdrawal from the Glacier and could retaliate by rejecting a settlement on the Sir Creek issue. India has made it clear that it doesn't share Pakistan's urgency in wanting...
06:39 AM, Jun 11, 2012
Washington: US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta will travel to India in the first week of July, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday. The India trip, the first to the country by Panetta in his capacity as the Defence Secretary, is part of his week-long Asia trip during which he will participate in the Shangri-la Dialogues and travel to Vietnam. "Developing the US-India relationship is a priority for the United States government,...
12:38 AM, May 23, 2012
Lt Gen (Retd) PN Hoon responded to the reports on suspicious movement of Army units in January. ...
11:35 AM, Apr 04, 2012
New Delhi: Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma has rubbished an report in The Indian Express on suspicious movement of Army units. Speaking to CNN-IBN he said, "The Indian Express story is incorrect and baseless. The facts have been distorted. It was a normal and routine movement." According to a story in The Indian Express, the Indian Army had moved two units towards New Delhi without notifying the government on January...
09:13 AM, Apr 04, 2012
Washington: The US is pushing Islamabad to address the issue of prevalence of Pakistan-manufactured improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan that continues to be a major point of friction between the two countries. US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta told lawmakers on Tuesday that IED is the major reason of casualties of American soldiers in Afghanistan and that these explosives are manufactured in Pakistan. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Panetta,...
11:45 AM, Feb 15, 2012
New Delhi: The Defence Secretary met Army Chief Gen VK Singh on Wednesday the and is believed to have expressed the government's displeasure at the leak of official communication on the matter related to his age controversy. During the meeting, Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma reportedly expressed unhappiness over the "unhealthy precedent" set by the head of the force by going to court. The meeting came against the backdrop of unhappiness...
07:27 AM, Jan 19, 2012
New York: In what could add to the growing confrontation between Pakistan's civilian and military leadership, army officials have warned that the army will "not cooperate" with the new Defence Secretary who was appointed by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani after he sacked Lt Gen (retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi. "The army will not react violently, but it will not cooperate with the new secretary defence," a military officer was quoted...
02:11 AM, Jan 12, 2012
Islamabad: Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has called an emergency meeting of top commanders Thursday in the wake of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Wednesday sacking the defence secretary for "gross misconduct", Xinhua reported. Gilani's office in a statement said Lt. Gen. (retd.) Naeem Khalid Lodhi has been fired "for creating misunderstanding between the state institutions". Lodhi's dismissal came soon after the Pakistani Army angrily reacted to Gilani's...
08:55 PM, Jan 11, 2012
Washington: For the second time in less than two months, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has said that the country is facing challenges from rising powers in Asia - China in particular and also includes India in 21st century. "We have got the challenges of dealing with rising powers in Asia. We have got the challenge of, you know, dealing with countries like Russia, rising countries that - like India...
11:32 AM, Jan 06, 2012
Defence Secretaries of India and Pakistan meet for talks on the Siachen Glacier after a gap of three years.
10:56 AM, May 30, 2011
New Delhi: After a gap of three years, defence secretaries of India and Pakistan today met here to discuss the long-pending Siachen issue. Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar is leading the Indian delegation at the two-day talks with his Pakistani counterpart Lt General (Retd) Syed Ather Ali. India and Pakistan decided to resume the talks last year after Prime Ministers of both the countries met in Thimpu and decided to take...
07:05 AM, May 30, 2011
