Dec/03/2011

MiG-21crashes in Haryana, pilot ejects safely

A MiG-21 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed due to a technical snag near Mangalia village, 34 km from Sirsa in Haryana on Friday.

However, pilot Commander J.D.Singh bailed out and was safe, an official spokesman of the Haryana government said here.

Several fire-tenders were rushed to the spot to bring the flames under control. Sirsa Deputy Commissioner Samirpal Srow and Superintendent of Police Devender Singh also reached the spot.

A 19-year- old girl working in the fields nearby went into a state of shock on hearing the explosion. She was being treated at the General Hospital, Sirsa, Mr. Srow said.

‘INS Arihant on track'

 

The first indigenous nuclear submarine programme, INS Arihant, is on track and it is expected to go in for sea trials over the next few months, but the aircraft carrier being built at the Cochin Shipyard had suffered a setback, Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma said here.

INS Arihant comes under the Advanced Technology Vessel programme that was launched in July 2009 in Visakhapatnam.

The vessel, Admiral Verma said at his annual press conference, was undergoing wide ranging trials to test the various systems onboard. “This will be followed by extensive sea trials, before it is commissioned into the Navy.”

On the other hand, there were problems with some key equipment that were to be fitted into the IAC (Indigenous Aircraft Carrier). Efforts were on to make up for the lost time by doing structural work at the shipyard.

Sources in the Navy said the IAC, which initially suffered a setback on account of an accident in the generators, also faced a problem of alignment. The trouble had to be set right before the vessel was ready for trials.

The Navy Chief, however, expressed satisfaction over the pace of acquisition and stressed that within the budget projections, the force was aiming at building a multi-dimensional capability, congruent to its increasing challenges.

Gopal Gandhi is Chairman of Kalakshetra Foundation 

Gopalkrishna Gandhi

The former West Bengal Governor, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, has been appointed Chairman of the Kalakshetra Foundation, according to a Central government notification.

Director of the Foundation Leela Samson said, “Mr. Gopal Gandhi has for long been a friend of the Kalakshetra. Not only are his credentials impeccable, but he is also a connoisseur of arts and culture. We, at Kalakshetra Foundation, look forward to an exciting new chapter under his chairmanship.”

Mr. Gandhi, over a 24-year tenure in the Indian Administrative Service, served as Secretary to the Vice President of India, and as Joint Secretary to the President.

After his voluntary retirement from the IAS, in 1992, he served as the Minister (culture) in the High Commission of India, United Kingdom, and Director of The Nehru Centre in London.

He served as High Commissioner to South Africa and Lesotho and the High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.

During the period as the Ambassador in Norway, he held the additional charge of Ambassador to Iceland. He also served as Secretary to the President.