‘No reduction of army troops in J-K’, says Antony

MUMBAI - Defence Minister A K Antony on Friday ruled out the reduction of army troops in Jammu and Kashmir.

Denying the recent reports of removal of army from the strife-torn Kashmir Valley, Antony said only the paramilitary will be removed.

“There is no recommendation or proposal of reducing the army in Kashmir. But at the same time, by my understanding there is proposal to reduce the paramilitary,” said Antony.

Responding to queries on various army land scams in the country, Antony said the entire army land record is being computerised.

He also said that the system of granting No Objection Certificate for the sale of defence land is also being reviewed.

Italian-built fleet tanker, INS Deepak, was today commissioned into the Navy by Defence Minister Antony.

The tanker was commissioned at the Naval Dockyard here.

Antony unveiled the ship’s name plaque, marking the formal induction of INS Deepak into the Indian Navy.

Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma, Chief of Naval staff and Vice-Admiral Sanjeev Bhasin, the flag officer commanding in Chief of Western Naval Command and other dignitaries, attended the commissioning ceremony

Designed by Fincanteri Shipyard specifically for the Indian Navy, this ship is one of the largest ships of the navy, 175 metres long, 25 metres wide and has a full load displacement of 27,500 tonnes.

The ship has been designed, constructed and delivered in a record time of 27 months and is a second-generation ship. The erstwhile Deepak, commissioned in Nov 1967 was decommissioned in Apr 1996 after a glorious 29 years of service in the navy. (ANI)