------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | New on Goanet's website's A&E section - http://www.goanet.org | | Book in Review: A Kind of Absence - Joao da Veiga Coutinho | | POEM: SUSEGAAD - Cynthia Gomes James | | http://www.goanet.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=216 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.financialexpress.com/latest_full_story.php?content_id=114698&pn=0
Air Force to guard Indian economy PRESS TRUST OF INDIA Posted online: Monday, January 16, 2006 at 1916 hours IST GANDHINAGAR, JANUARY 16: The growing economy has altered the focus of Indian Air Force which is now concentrating on providing security to economic installations in the country, Chief of Air Staff S P Tyagi said on Monday. "The Indian economy is unstoppable and so we have altered our focus from geo-political issues to geo-economic issues," he told reporters on the sidelines of commanders' conference at South Western Air Command (SWAC) headquarters here. "Today the concern for economic security has become stronger than political factors," Tyagi said, adding the IAF is now concentrating on providing security for trade and energy installations of the country. "Today trade and energy needs of the country are on the rise. So we need better reach and more exploitation of air space," he said. "It is a whole new ball game". The Air Chief said in the era of globalisation "geographical boundaries known as borders are vanishing and IAF is looking 25 years ahead." Page 2 of 3 "The core-areas we are concentrating on are extending our reach through long-range aero planes. We have flight re-fuelling capacity and we need more, we need radar cover for our planes and so we are getting AWACS which will be delivered by the end of 2007," Tyagi said. "We have our goal in place and the time frame of how our plans progress depends on the budgetary allocations for defence," he added. [Page 3 omitted] ------------- Let's hope the bases from which this strategy is launched are not themselves interfering with thriving economic activities such as at Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad etc. IAF bases should spearhead economic development of 'remote areas'. Once criticial mass is reached, IAF should look out for other places to move to and develop in this manner. Closing of civil enclaves after greenfield airports are built to get around constraints there should become history now. Let's hope the Civil Aviation Ministry is listening to what the IAF chief is saying and taking the right cues from it (including for Navy's Dabolim so that Mopa can be planned properly).
