Govt favours discontinuing interview for appointment to various posts

Govt favours discontinuing interview for appointment to various posts

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has said that the Union Government is in favour of doing away with the practice of holding interviews for appointment to junior level posts. Presiding over a meeting of Principal Secretaries of General Administration Department (GAD)/Personnel from different States and Union Territories here today, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) has initiated a serious exercise for identifying the posts for which interview for selection can be discontinued and a communique in this regard has been sent to various State Governments, State Public Service Commissions and Staff Selection Commission. He said that this follows the suggestion put forward by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that the government will soon identify all those posts, particularly at junior level like Group III & IV, where an interview is avoidable and will stop this practice. He said, for a post for which an interview is not necessary to determine the capability of a candidate, the provision of interview sometimes leads to scope for manipulation, manoeuvrability and corruption. Therefore, barring such posts where an interview would help in testing special capabilities for a particular assignment, abolition of the provision of interview will not only be in larger public interest but would also offer a level playing field for even those of the candidates who lack resources and come from lower socio-economic strata, he added.

Referring to some of the revolutionary decisions taken by the DoPT during the last 15 months of the present government, Dr Jitendra Singh made a special mention of the introduction of self-attestation of certificates. This, he said, not only eliminated inconvenience caused to the youth for going around to seek attestation of certificates from gazetted officers, etc., but also sent out a reassuring message that the present government has the capacity to trust the youth of this country. Similarly, he also referred to the Pension Department’s plans to finalise Pension Portal which would help in ending the practice of producing life certificates by a pensioner.

Dr Jitendra Singh also informed that a pilot exercise undertaken for three States of Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu had proved successful wherein, for the first time, an Induction training programme was introduced for the newly inducted State-level functionaries and the same practice is now being extended to other States as well. He also referred to a landmark decision by the DoPT to revise and revisit the pattern and syllabus of IAS and other Civil Services Exam to offer a level playing opportunity for aspirants from different streams.

The meeting was attended among others by Secretary, DoPT, Shri Sanjay Kothari, Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances, Shri Devendra Chaudhry and Establishment Officer, DoPT, Shri Rajiv Kumar. 

International Literacy Day–2015 Celebrated

International Literacy Day–2015 Celebrated

Without literacy Empowerment not possible, says president of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee

Shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of India said that all leaders including Mahatma Gandhi have emphasised on literacy. Literacy was included even in Millennium Development Goals. He said this while speaking at the function held for celebrating International Literacy Day 2015 at New Delhi today. The function was organised by National Literacy Mission Authority, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. The President further said that we have significantly raised our literacy rates from 18% in 1951 to 72.98% in 2011 but are yet to achieve 100% literacy. We must strive to achieve the goal of literacy laid down in XII Five Year Plan and gender gap in literacy should not remain more than 10 percentage points.  Saakshar Bharat in combination with Swachh Bharat has the potential to transform India. Literacy gives empowerment and without it empowerment is not possible. Literacy has assumed greater significance in light of paradigm shift which has taken place in last one decade by giving rights to people backed by enactments in areas of employment, education and information etc. Therefore, we must consider empowerment and sustainability through literacy. President congratulated Minister of Human Resource Development for fixing target of 100% literacy under Saansad Aadarsh Gram Yojna. In his closing remarks, he said that we must make Bharat – Saakshar Bharat, Swachh Bharat – a Bharat of our dreams!

Smt. Smriti Irani, Union Minister of Human Resource Development, in her address, congratulated the literacy functionaries and volunteers and said that it is a matter of prestige that in the last 15 months a record number of 2.28 crore learners have been made literate. Scope of literacy has been expanded to include economic empowerment of beneficiaries and around one crore bank accounts have been opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna. Efforts of literacy functionaries deserve appreciation and require to be stated in figures and it must be mentioned that very recently and in a short span of one month, they have mobilised and facilitated around 92.7 lakh beneficiaries to avail benefits of Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna. She said national policy on education is being revised and for the revised policy, she requested one and all to suggest ways and means to achieve the goal of universal literacy. The Ministry has taken the pledge to achieve 100% literacy by March 2016, in adopted Saansad Aadarsh Grams located in 410 districts and made an appeal to state and district representatives to take similar kind of pledge for their respective operational areas. She made an appeal to literacy functionaries and officials to spread the message to honour women in family and only then one would be considered as literate and educated.

Shri Upendra Kushwaha, Minister of State for Human Resource Development (School Education & Literacy) in his welcome address said that illiteracy in India or elsewhere is a blot on the face of humanity. Illiteracy must be eradicated and it is the responsibility of educated ones to do it. It is unfortunate that one out of every five men and one third of women in India are still illiterate. Our country has progressed and we are moving towards the goal of literacy but much remains to be done. Therefore, whoever you are, wherever you are you must contribute towards efforts for eradication of illiteracy.  

Shri Shigeru Aoyagi, Director, UNESCO, at New Delhi read out the message of Ms. Irina Bokova, Director General, UNESCO. Ms. Bokova said, UNESCO’s message on this International Literacy Day is to allow women and men to participate fully in their societies, we need greater investments and more effective policies to embed action for literacy within wider development policies, supported by innovative mechanisms that generate positive synergies across all policy areas that are vital to build more just and cohesive societies. This is essential to all efforts to build a better future for all, on the basis of human rights and dignity.

A short film, titled, ‘Saaksharta Se Samajik Suraksha Ki Ore’, was screened during the function. It highlighted the efforts done under Saakshar Bharat programme to mobilise and facilitate the target groups to avail benefits of financial inclusion and social security schemes of Government of India especially Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna.

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee also presented 11 Saakshar Bharat Awards - 2015 to States, Districts, Blocks, Gram Panchayats, State Resource Centre (SRC) and Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) for best performance in the field of adult education and skill development. Following are the list of awardees:

Category of Award	Winners
Best Performing State	Tamil Nadu
Best Performing District	1. Bastar, Chhattisgarh 2. Dharampuri, Tamil Nadu 3. Haveri, Karnataka
Best Performing Gram Panchayat	1. Palamalai, Salem District, Tamil   Nadu 2. Giroud, Raipur District, Chhattisgarh 3. Poosarlapadu, Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh 4. Ankireddygudem, Nalgonda District, Telangana 5. Khanggabok Part - II, Mayai Leikai ,  Thoubal District, Manipur
Best Performing Resource Support Organisation	1. State Resource Centre (SRC), West Bengal 2. Jan Shikshan Sansthan, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh

Shri S. C. Khuntia, Secretary (School Education & Literacy), Shri Y.S.K. Sheshu Kumar, Joint Secretary (Adult Education) & Director General, National Literacy Mission Authority and Mr. Shigeru Aoyagi, Director, UNESCO, New Delhi Office & Representative to Bhutan, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka were also present on the occasion. Vote of thanks was proposed by Sh. Y. S. K. Sheshu Kumar, JS (AE) and Director General, National Literacy Mission Authority.

The function was attended by dignitaries, guests and beneficiaries & functionaries of adult education programme.

Empowering teachers

Every year, thousands of young adults enter the teaching profession, in our education system that already has 8.5 million teachers. Teachers are responsible for more than just the academic achievement of their students. They have a huge impact on building their future and hence the future of our nation. The question that we need to ask is how are we supporting our teachers to be highly effective in their classrooms?

Many deep-rooted issues plague our current teacher development system. These issues range from inadequate preparation before entering the profession to lack of recognition and continuing professional development opportunities.

Teachers need to be equipped with the necessary skillsand mindsets that can equip them to become competent educators committed to student learning. To support our teachers, some organisations are already building innovative models across three critical levers of teacher preparation, continuous professional development and motivation.

• Enabling a practice-oriented teacher preparation system: Our current teacher preparation system relies too heavily on theoretical aspects of training, with a negligible practical component. When young teachers enter the profession, they are not adequately prepared for real-life classroom experiences.

I am a Teacher, a non-profit organisation, runs a residency-based teacher education programmewhere student teachers spend a whole year in classrooms teaching alongside mentor teachers. The combination of real classroom experience along with connections made to theory equips teachers for effective classroom instruction. The one-year course work is divided into four phases: building self-awareness, enhancing knowledge and skills, encouraging the building of a personal theory of education, and finally, creating a repository of best teaching practices.

Muktangan, an organisation running its own schools and teacher education programme, aims to provide experiential learning to its trainee teachers by constantly relating theory to practice. The trainees undertake intensive observation of individual children over the course of one year. They discuss and reflect upon their observations in a weekly tutorial with a faculty member and produce a detailed case study capturing all aspects of child development by the end of the course.

• Ensuring continuing professional development for in-service teachers: Teachers need curriculum-aligned resources and opportunities that can help them evolve as professionals. They need to be empowered with the latest tools for lesson planning, assessments, integration of technology, inclusion in classrooms and promoting 21st century skills in students.

By using social networking platforms such as WhatsApp, teachers are already creating 'Communities of Learning' to share best practices on these areas with their peers.

Innovative teacher-mentor models are helping teachers improve their pedagogical skills, thereby empowering them for better classroom delivery. Sustained Mastery Programme run by 3.2.1 Education Foundation provides in-school coaching support to teachers after a two-day intensive workshop. The 1:1 mentoring where teachers get specific feedback on their classroom practice ensures that teachers are able to apply the knowledge they gained during the training workshop.

• Enhancing teacher motivation: By creating an enabling environment for professional development in the current school environments, teachers can be motivated to improve their classroom delivery.

STiR is working with around 10,000 teachers across India to empower them to become committed, skillful and influential teachers. It engages with teachers over a three-year period. During this, it focuses on building motivation and cultivating a growth mindset in teachers, training them to integrate best practices in the classroom and sharing learning in their networks. STiR certifies its teachers based on professional skills, facilitation skills, classroom practices, and subject matter expertise.

Centre for Teacher Accreditation (CENTA) offers assessment and certification services for teachers based on competencies expected from them. Their vision is to motivate teachers to take full ownership of their own professional development and therefore also catalyse demand for high-quality teacher development.

While these organisations are leading the way for innovation in teacher development, there is a need for concerted effort by government, donors and civil society to scale these innovative models and build the capacity of teachers in our education system. The government can create an enabling policy environment for fostering such innovations, and donors and civil society can collaborate to identify the specific needs of teachers and develop solutions accordingly.

Teacher quality is central to the problems and solutions of our education system. Great teachers not only make learning fun and stimulating, but can impact children's lives, empowering them to become responsible and productive citizens. As we celebrate Teachers' Day, let's recognise and celebrate the role that teachers play in changing lives and building nations, and commit to enabling them for the highest level of performance and education delivery.

combined Lower subordinate services prelims exam 2015

PLAN OF EXAMINATION : The competitive examination comprises three successive stages
viz : - (1) Preliminary Examination (Objective Type) (2) Main Examination (Objective &
Conventional) (3) Interview
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION
The preliminary examination will consist of the one paper (General Studies) of which answer
sheet shall be on OMR sheets. The syllabus is mentioned in appendix-5 of this advertisement The
prescribed time for paper is two hours (9.30 am. to 11.30 am.) and prescribed maximum marks for
paper is 300 & No. of questions will be 150.
MAIN (WRITTEN) EXAMINATION
The main examination will consist two compulsory papers - lst question paper General Studies
(Objective), Maximum marks 200, Time 2 hours (9.30 am to 11.30 am.) & no. of question 120 and
IInd question paper (Conventional) General Hindi & Hindi Essay, Total marks 200, Time 3 hours
(2.00 pm. to 5.00 p.m.). This question paper contains two parts (first part General Hindi - 100
marks and Second part Hindi Essay - 100 marks). The syllabus whereof is mentioned in Appendix-
6 of this advertisement.
Appendix- 5
SYLLABUS FOR GENERAL STUDIES (PRE. EXAMINATION)
M.M. -300 Time-2 hrs. No. Of questions- 150
(1) History of india and Indian National movement :- in History of India emphasis should be
on broad understanding of social, economic and politic, aspects of Indian history. In the Indian
National movement, the candidates are expected to have synoptic view of the freedom movement,
growth of nationalist and attainment of Independence.
(2) Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of india and the
World :- Questions on the Geography of India will relate to Physical, Social & Economic Geography
of lndia In World Geography only general understanding of the subject will be expected.
(3) lndian Polity and Governance, Constitution, Political system, Panchayati Raj & Public
Policy, rights-issues etc :- Indian polity and Governance questions will test knowledge of
country’s constitution, political- system including Panchayati Raj and Community Development.
(4) Indian Economy and Social Development :- The candidates will be tested with respect to
problems and relationship between population, Environment, Urbanisation, broad features of
economic policy in India and Indian Culture.
(5) Current Events of National and lnternational Importance :- This will also include questions
on Games & Sports.
(6) lndian Agriculture :- The candidates will be expected to have general understanding of
agriculture in India, agricultural produce and its marketing.
(7) General Science :- Questions on General Science will cover general appreciation and
understanding of science including matters of everyday observation and special study of any
scientific discipline. This will also include questions on role of science and technology in the
development of India.
(8) Elementary Mathematics up to class 10th level :- Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry.
Note:- The candidates are expected to have general awareness about the above
topics with special reference to UP.
Appendix-6
SYLLABUS FOR GENERAL STUDIES (MAIN EXAMINATION)
PAPER-1
M.M. - 200 Time -2 hrs. No. of questions -120
(1) Current Affairs of National and International Importance - This will also include
questions on Sports & Games.
(2) Logical and Critical Reasoning and Analytical Ability.
(3) General Mental Ability - Questions as would test candidates‘ result-oriented aptitude. (4)
Statistical Analysis - Graphs and Diagrams, as would test the candidates’ ability to draw
common sense conclusions from information presented in statistical, graphical or diagrammatical
form.
(5) General Awareness and Knowledge of lndian Constitution and Panchayati Raj system
(6) Computer Knowledge - introduction to computers, Hardware & Software, Computer
Network, Internet & E-mail.
(7) Gandhian Thoughts - Political, Social and Economic spheres.
(8) UP. specific questions - On Education, Culture, Agriculture, Population, Trade & Commerce,
Social Customs, industries etc.
(9) Interpersonal Skills including Communication Skills, Decision making and Problem-solving.
(10) General Human behaviours - Discipline, Morality, Leadership, Women-empowerment.
(11) General Science - Questions on General Science will cover general appreciation and
understanding of science including matters of everyday observation and special study of any
scientific discipline. This will also include questions on role of science and technology in the
development of india.
PAPER-2
meeceevÙe efnvoer SJeb efveyevOe
DeefOekeâlece Debkeâ -200
meceÙe- 3 IeCšs ØeLece KeC[ meeceevÙe efnvoer
eqveOee&efjle Debkeâ-100
1. Deheef"le ieÅeebMe keâe meb#esheCe, Gmemes mecyeefvOele ØeMve, jsKeebefkeâle DebMeeW keâer JÙeeKÙee SJeb Gmekeâe GheÙegòeâ Meer<e&keâ~
2. MeemekeâerÙe, Deæ&MeemekeâerÙe, JewÙeefòeâkeâ leLee JÙeJemeeefÙekeâ mecemÙeeDeeW bkesâ efvejekeâjCe nsleg mecyeefvOele keâes mecyeesefOele he$e, keâeÙee&ueÙe DeeosMe, DeefOemetÛevee
Deewj heefjhe$e mecyevOeer he$euesKeve/DeeuesKeve~
3. DeveskeâeLeea Meyo, efJeueesce Meyo, heÙee&ÙeJeeÛeer Meyo, lelmece SJeb leÆJe, #es$eerÙe, efJeosMeer (Meyo YeC[ej), Jele&veer, DeLe&yeesOe, Meyo- ™he, mebefOe, meceeme,
ef›eâÙeeÙeW, efnvoer JeCe&ceeuee, efJejece efÛevn, Meyo jÛevee, JeekeäÙe jÛevee, DeLe&, cegneJejs SJeb ueeskeâesefòeâÙeeb, G.Øe. keâer cegKÙe yeesefueÙeeb leLee efnvoer Yee<ee kesâ
ØeÙeesie ceW nesves Jeeueer DeMegefæÙeeb~
efÉleerÙe KeC[ efnvoer efveyevOe efveOee&efjle Debkeâ -100
Fmekesâ Devleie&le oes GheKeC[ neWies~ ØelÙeskeâ GheKeC[ mes Skeâ- Skeâ efveyevOe (kegâue efceueekeâj oes efveyevOe) efueKeveW neWies~ ØelÙeskeâ efveyevOe keâer efJemleej meercee
700 Meyo nesieer~ efveyevOe nsleg efvecveJeled #es$e neWies :-
(De) (i) meeefnlÙe, mebmke=âefle (ii) je°^erÙe efJekeâeme ÙeespeveeSb/ef›eâÙeevJeÙeve (iii) ke=âef<e, GÅeesie SJeb JÙeeheej~
(ye) (i) efJe%eeve, heÙee&JejCe (ii) Øeeke=âeflekeâ DeeheoeSb SJeb Gvekesâ efveJeejCe (iii) je°^erÙe, Devleje&°^erÙe, meeceefÙekeâ meeceeefpekeâ mecemÙeeSb/efveoeve~
(3) Personality Test ( Viva - voce) - Total Marks - 50
The test will relate to the matter of general

combined Lower subordinate services prelims exam 2015,samveg ias

combined Lower subordinate services prelims exam 2015

Last Date for Deposition of Examination Fees in the Bank : 29.09.2015
Last Date for Receipt of Application : 03.10.2015
The U.P. Public Service Commission shall hold a Preliminary Examination at various Centres of the Districts mentioned in Appendix-2 of this advertisement for selecting suitable candidates for admission to the Combined Lower Subordinate Services (Gen. Rectt./Special Rectt. (Main) Examination 2015

No. of Vacancies:  Presently, Approximate No. of Vacancies is 470 for General Recruitment and 20 vacancies for Special Recruitment



http://uppsc.up.nic.in/Notifications.aspx

Seventh Pay Commission is no ogre

ts recommendations’ impact need not give us jitters because the rise in government wages will amount to only 0.8 per cent of GDP.

The report of the Seventh Pay Commission (SPC) is set to be released soon. The new pay scales will be applicable to Central government employees with effect from January 2016. Many commentators ask whether we need periodic Pay Commissions that hand out wage increases across the board. They agonise over the havoc that will be wrought on government finances. They want the workforce to be downsized. They would like pay increases to be linked to productivity. These propositions deserve careful scrutiny. The reality is more nuanced.

Critics say we don’t need a Pay Commission every ten years because salaries in government are indexed to inflation. At the lower levels, pay in the government is higher than in the private sector. These criticisms overlook the fact that, at the top-level or what is called the ‘A Grade’, the government competes for the same pool of manpower as the private sector. So do public sector companies and public institutions — banks, public sector enterprises, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and regulatory bodies — where pay levels are derived from pay in government.

The annual increment in the Central government is 3 per cent. Adding dearness allowance increases of around 5 per cent, we get an annual revision of 8 per cent. This is not good enough, because pay at the top in the private sector has increased exponentially in the post-liberalisation period.

Competition for talent

A correct comparison should, of course, be done on the basis of cost to the organisation. We need to add the market value of perquisites to salaries and compare them with packages in the private sector. We cannot and should not aim for parity with the private sector. We may settle for a certain fraction of pay but that fraction must be applied periodically if the public sector is not to lose out in the competition for talent.

True, pay scales at the lower levels of government are higher than those in the private sector. But that is unavoidable given the norm that the ratio of the minimum to maximum pay in government must be within an acceptable band. (The Sixth Pay Commission had set the ratio at 1:12). Higher pay at lower levels of government also reflects shortcomings in the private sector, such as hiring of contract labour and the lack of unionisation. They are not necessarily part of the ‘problem with government’.

Perhaps the strongest criticism of Pay Commission awards is that they play havoc with government finances. At the aggregate level, these concerns are somewhat exaggerated. Pay Commission awards typically tend to disrupt government finances for a couple of years. Thereafter, their impact is digested by the economy. Thus, pay, allowances and pension in Central government climbed from 1.9 per cent of GDP in 2001-02 to 2.3 per cent in 2009-10, following the award of the Sixth Pay Commission. By 2012-13, however, they had declined to 1.8 per cent of GDP.

This happened despite the fact that the government chose to make revisions in pay higher than those recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission.

Today, Central government pay and allowances amount to 1 per cent of GDP. State wages amount to another 4 per cent, making for a total of 5 per cent of GDP. The medium-term expenditure framework recently presented to Parliament looks at an increase in pay of 16 per cent for 2016-17 consequent to the Seventh Pay Commission award. That would amount to an increase of 0.8 per cent of GDP. This is a one-off impact. A more correct way to represent it would be to amortise it over, say, five years. Then, the annual impact on wages would be 0.16 per cent of GDP.

The medium-term fiscal policy statement presented along with the last budget indicates that pensions in 2016-17 would remain at the same level as in 2015-16, namely, 0.7 per cent of GDP. Thus, the cumulative impact of any award is hardly something that should give us insomnia.

There are a couple of riders to this. First, the government is committed to One Rank, One Pension for the armed forces. This would impose an as yet undefined burden on Central government finances. Second, while the aggregate macroeconomic impact may be bearable, the impact on particular States tends to be destabilising.

The Fourteenth Finance Commission (FFC) estimated that the share of pay and allowances in revenue expenditure of the States varied from 29 per cent to 79 per cent in 2012-13. The corresponding share at the Centre was only 13 per cent. The problem arises because since the time of the Fifth Pay Commission, there has been a trend towards convergence in pay scales. The FFC, therefore, recommended that the Centre should consult the States in drawing up a policy on government wages.

Downsizing needed?

It is often argued that periodic pay revisions would be alright if only the government could bring itself to downsize its workforce — by at least 10 to 15 per cent. From 2013 to 2016, the Central government workforce (excluding defence forces) is estimated to grow from 33.1 lakh to 35.5 lakh. Of the increase of 2.4 lakh, the police alone would account for an increase of 1.2 lakh or 50 per cent. What is required is not so much downsizing as right-sizing — we need more doctors, engineers and teachers.

Downsizing of a sort has happened. The Sixth Pay Commission estimated that the share of pay, allowances and pension of the Central government in revenue receipts came down from 38 per cent in 1998-99 to an average of 24 per cent in 2005-07. Based on the budget figures for 2015-16, this share appears to have declined further to 21 per cent. In financial terms, this amounts to a reduction of 17 percentage points over 17 years or an annual downsizing of 1 per cent. It’s a different matter that it is not downsizing through reduction in numbers of personnel.

It is often said that pay increases in government must be linked to productivity. We are told that this is where government and the private sector differ hugely. However, the notion that private sector pay is always linked to productivity is a myth. In his best-selling book, Capital in the 21st Century, economist Thomas Piketty argues that the explosion in CEO pay in the West has been increasingly divorced from performance. He also argues that the emergence of highly paid “supermanagers” is an important factor driving inequality in the West.

We are seeing a similar phenomenon in the private sector in India. The serious public policy challenge, therefore, is not so much to contain a rise in pay in the public sector as finding ways to rein in pay in the private sector. It is also ironical that people should harp on linking pay to performance in the public sector when high-profile firms in the private sector such as Google and Accenture are turning away from such measurement.

A better idea would be to conduct periodic management audits of government departments on parameters such as cost effectiveness, timeliness and customer satisfaction.

Improving service delivery in government is the key issue. Periodic pay revision and higher pay at lower levels of government relative to the private sector could help this cause provided these are accompanied by other initiatives. The macroeconomic impact is nowhere as severe as it is made out to be.

INS Trikand to Participate in Exercise ‘Konkan 2015’

INS Trikand to Participate in Exercise ‘Konkan 2015’

The Indian Navy (IN) and the Royal Navy (RN) have an unparalleled history of interactions due to our shared heritage. Recent operational interactions between the IN and the RN started in 2004 with the institutionalisation of Exercise KONKAN, named after the Western coastal region of India. Since then, the two navies have been meeting regularly at sea and the exercise has grown in complexity, scale and intensity after more than a decade of exercising together. These exercises, hosted in rotation by both the Navies, also provide opportunities for professional and cultural interaction between personnel. The bonds developed through such events further strengthen the established mechanisms of maritime cooperation between the two navies, while pursuing common goals of keeping the seas around us safe and secure.

Both the Navies share many common concerns such as protection of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), threats to maritime trade and commerce from piracy, illegal immigration and maritime terrorism. Maritime interactions under the aegis of KONKAN series of exercises have promoted synergy and inter-operability between the two Navies. The exercise also provides valuable opportunity to practice a wide range of maritime operations in realistic conditions.

KONKAN aims to promote mutual understanding and provide exposure to each others’ operating procedures, communication procedures and best practices. This allows the Navies to develop greater confidence to operate together, if required, during complex maritime missions. Periodic conduct of this exercise has helped to build on past experiences and further advance professional as well as operational engagements between the two navies. Such engagements between the two navies symbolize the growing friendship of two major powers in the world, with an aim to maintain peace and stability especially in the Indian Ocean Region.

This year, the IN will be represented in the exercise by a guided missile frigate, INS Trikand with integral helicopter and a team of marine commandos. The RN would be represented by HMS Iron Duke, an auxiliary vessel, a nuclear submarine and other shore based assets.

KONKAN 2015, the 10th edition in KONKAN series, will be conducted from 05 - 11 Sep 15, in two phases. The harbour phase at Devonport will involve professional exchanges, exercise planning conferences, sporting fixtures and socio-cultural events. The elaborate sea phase to be held off the South Coast of UK, will involve surface, sub-surface and air exercises of varying complexities. Explosive Ordinance Teams of both navies will also participate in the exercise.

The benefits of our operational interaction are clearly visible as both the Navies today have an improved and steadfast understanding. KONKAN 15 will further enhance our capability to work together at sea in complex situations and also contribute towards maritime security in the global commons