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WORLD: INDIA INTERNATIONAL RECORDS – / U.N. PEACEKEEPING: Most Soldiers Killed in Action during UN missions were Indians
The UN Operation in the Congo between 1960 and 1964 was the deadliest for Indian troops.
The United Nations observed the 75th anniversary of its peacekeeping missions last Thursday. During a ceremony to pay tribute to the more than 4,000 peacekeepers who have died on duty, Secretary-General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, requested hundreds of military officers and diplomats in uniform to observe a moment of silence in their honour. He then awarded medals to ambassadors from the 39 home countries of the 103 peacekeepers who lost their lives in 2022.
The first military observers were sent by the UN Security Council to oversee the Israeli-Arab Armistice Agreement in May 1948. Indian troops and experts have played a significant role in the UN’s peacekeeping missions. Data show that since the inception of UN peacekeeping missions, most of the lives lost during peacekeeping missions due to malicious acts were of Indian troops.
Chart 1 | The chart shows the number of peacekeepers, country-wise, who died due to malicious acts during peacekeeping missions.
In total, 1,115 peacekeepers have died on the field due to malicious acts, of which 69 were from India followed by Chad (64), Ghana (53), Nigeria (44) and Pakistan (44). In total, 4,298 peacekeepers have died — 1,481 due to illness, 1,386 due to accidents, 316 due to other causes, and the rest due to malicious acts.
The United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC) between July 1960 and June 1964 proved to be the deadliest for Indian troops and experts, with 15 deaths due to malicious acts. A front-page article published on November 24, 1960, in The Hindu, described the attack of the Congolese soldiers on Indian officers in detail. It spoke of how Indian Army Majors were taken out of their residences at bayonet points and severely injured with rifle butts. A colonel who was in charge of the Indian contingent was stopped by Congolese soldiers who had submachine guns and his car was taken away. By the end of March 1963, most Indian troops returned. The then Deputy Defence Minister, D.R. Chavan, said in the Lok Sabha that 36 Indian armed force personnel were killed during the mission.
Chart 2 | The chart shows the Indian fatalities due to malicious acts across various peacekeeping campaigns
Following the ONUC, the United Nations Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM) between March 1993 and 1995 resulted in the loss of 12 Indian troops and experts due to malicious acts. Among ongoing missions, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) recorded the deaths of seven Indian troops.
Chart 3 | The chart shows the country-wise number of military/police personnel, mission experts and staff officers currently serving in UN peacekeeping missions
With 6,097 such personnel, India stands third after Bangladesh (7,237) and Nepal (6,264). It is followed by Rwanda (5,935) and Pakistan (4,334). Four of the top five contributions come from the Indian subcontinent. Notably, most of the troop and expert contributions have come from poor- or middle-income countries. The 71 operations conducted till date have seen participation from 2 million peacekeepers from 125 nations.
Chart 4 | The chart shows the number of troops (dark blue), experts (red), formed police units (peach), police (light blue) and staff officers (grey) from India who are part of the ongoing peacekeeping missions
Most Indians (2,426) are part of the UNMISS, followed by the UN stabilisation mission in Congo (MONUSCO: 1,971) and United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL: 875).
Mr. Guterres lamented that those striving to guide countries out of conflict are now situated “on the front lines in some of the world’s most dangerous places.”
vignesh.r@thehindu.co.in
Source: Department of Peace Operation, U.N. Peacekeeping, story inputs from AP
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)
06
INTERNATIONAL: INDIA IN THE WORLD: 05 Women Peacekeepers from India Received Prestigious UN Medals for Serving For Peace at UNMISS Award Ceremony
In a notable first, an Indian Army women’s officer, Major Jasmine Chattha, led over a platoon of over 1,000 Indian Peacekeepers at the ceremony where they were awarded UN medals.
For their vital work in South Sudan, exactly 1,171 Indian Peacekeepers have been honoured with the prestigious UN Medal on Thursday,” tweets the UN Mission in South Sudan.
However, what grabs more attention are the experiences of the female peacekeepers deployed in Upper Nile, who have also been honored. Of the total 1,171 troops awarded, five were female.
Taking to Twitter, the United Mission in South Sudan elaborated on the details of the award ceremony.
“Take a bow, India! Exactly 1,171 of your finest sons and daughters have received UN medals for their vital UNMISS work in Upper Nile, South Sudan. Major Jasmine Chattha and a couple of her female colleagues tell us more about their experiences.”
Breaking stereotypes, Indian women peacekeepers have bravely served in and around various conflict-torn countries in the past—on medical duties and as military observers. As part of the Indian Battalion in the United Nations Interim Security Force, the Indian Army recently deployed its largest contingent of women peacekeepers in the United Nations mission at Abyei, UNISFA.
In a press statement released earlier by UNMISS, Major Chattha was quoted as saying, “It has been an honour to represent my regiment on this special day. By positioning women as leaders, we are sending a strong message to the citizens of South Sudan in general and its women in particular. In our work, for example when we repair roads or try to mitigate floods, we are in contact with the local population, and they can see that we, women, are leading a team and we are both respected and listened to.”
The Indian contingent deployed with the UN Mission in South Sudan has been assisting in building and repairing critical infrastructure while also ensuring the protection of civilians as part of their mandate.
Captain Karishma Kathayat, an engineer, serving with the mission, said, “It is a great feeling to contribute to a better standard of living of the people we are here to serve. Our engineering work is something we take great pride in.”
Out of the many daunting tasks, the Indian Peacekeepers are also offering health services.
The Indian Medical Peacekeeping Staff deployed in the region since September last year has performed critical emergency surgeries that have saved the lives of many.
Major Amanpreet Kaur, who is also a doctor, shared her experience and said, “We have already learned a lot by providing healthcare to both UNMISS staff and our South Sudanese hosts who come for emergencies or special treatment they cannot find elsewhere. Seeing previous patients coming back in good health is a priceless experience.”
Notably, the Indian contingent is also well known for its frequent mobile veterinary clinics in various parts of Upper Nile State. Notably, thousands of cows, goats, donkeys, sheep, and other animals, including the occasional dog, have been given precious veterinary services rarely available to cattle owners in the country. Vets earlier treated 1,749 animals in Renk, the country’s capital, in just two days.
source/content: newsonair.com (headline edited)
04
03
ASIA: SPORT / HOCKEY: Junior Men’s Asia Cup Hockey | India Emerge Champions for the 04th time, beats Pakistan 2-1 in final
This was India’s fourth title, having earlier won the tournament in 2004, 2008 and 2015. Pakistan have won the tournament in 1987, 1992 and 1996.
India’s junior men’s hockey team maintained its continental supremacy as it beat arch-rivals Pakistan 2-1 to emerge Asia Cup champions for the fourth time here on Thursday.
Angad Bir Singh (13th minute) and Araijeet Singh Hundal (20th) scored for India while Pakistan managed to pull one back through Abdul Basharat (37th).
This was India’s fourth title, having earlier won the tournament in 2004, 2008 and 2015. Pakistan have won the tournament in 1987, 1992 and 1996.
Recognising the team’s effort and the unbeaten record in the prestigious tournament which saw the country qualify for the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup in Malaysia, the Hockey India Executive Board announced a cash award of ₹2 lakh each for the players and ₹1 lakh each for support staff.
India went on the offensive from the first minute as they quickly earned a penalty corner through their first move. It was Sudeep Chirmako, who entered from the left wing and found the feet of a Pakistani defender but the subsequent chance went abegging.
India’s failure to convert penalty corner again came to light in the sixth minute when Sunit Lakra’s drag-flick was saved by the Pakistani goalkeeper.
However in the 12th minute of the opening quarter, India drew first blood when Angad Bir Singh tapped one home from close range after Araijeet Singh Hundal’s shot was deflected off the goalmouth melee.
Hundal, one of the brightest talents among Indian hockey’s Gen-Next, increased the lead to 2-0 as he received a delivery at the centre of the striking circle. He controlled and took a turn and smashed the ball home.
India made repeated raids into the Pakistan defensive third but the finish was lacking on most occasions even as they took a healthy 2-0 lead at half-time.
However, Pakistan pressed hard after the breather and it was Abdul Basharat, who pulled one back in the 37th minute when Abdul Shahid set the former up with a perfect assist.
The final quarter saw Pakistan make a flurry of attacks with as they got at least three penalty corners in quick succession.
In the 50th minute, Indian custodian Mohith Shashikumar made a diving save when Arbaz Ayaz tried to deflect a penalty corner from the left side of the Indian goal.
They got another penalty corner but Nadeem Khan’s attempt was off-target. The Indians managed to stave off the waves of attack and then did well enough in the final moments to keep their slender one-goal lead intact.
Congratulating the team, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey said, “The team has shown great promise over the past few months, particularly after their historic win at the Sultan of Johor Cup they have become a dominant force and I believe this big win will hold them in good stead for the Junior World Cup later this year.
“Hockey India has decided to honour the players for this feat with a befitting cash award. I congratulate the team and the support staff for their efforts.”
Speaking about the tense final, India team captain Uttam Singh, who was adjudged the Player of the Match, said, “After the 1-1 draw in the round robin stage, we were very aware of the areas we had to do well in order to beat Pakistan. It was quite a nervous Final. The team had never played in front of such a big crowd but I think created early goals helped us stay in control of the game.” India coach C.R. Kumar said the win was a good team effort.
“It came down to executing our opportunities. Though I feel we could have scored a few more goals, when you are playing a big opponent like Pakistan there is a lot of pressure. But I am very happy with the way the players controlled their emotions and played to their potential.”
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)
INTERNATIONAL: SCIENCE & MEDICINE : India joins Centralised Laboratory Network (CLN), a Global Collaboration for Testing Vaccines
The new members of the CLN now are Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV), Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) (Senegal), KAVI Institute of Clinical Research (KAVI ICR) & University of Nairobi Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (UNITID) (Kenya), Synexa Life Sciences (South Africa) and Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) (Uganda).
India has joined the Centralized Laboratory Network (CLN) which currently has 15 partner facilities in 13 countries that works to test vaccines which can be used during pandemic, epidemic disease outbreak. CLN is a part of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the Network is the largest global group which has standardised methods and materials for testing.
The new members of the CLN now are Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV), Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) (Senegal), KAVI Institute of Clinical Research (KAVI ICR) & University of Nairobi Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (UNITID) (Kenya), Synexa Life Sciences (South Africa) and Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) (Uganda).
CEPI-funded network aims to identify the most promising vaccine candidates rapidly and accurately against emerging infectious diseases and the expanded network is working at supporting sustainable regional outbreak preparedness infrastructure also.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)
NATIONAL: ARTS & CRAFTS: 900 Craftsmen behind Carpets for new Parliament building
The intricacies of the workmanship are so grand that as many as 120 knots per square inch were woven to create the carpets — amounting to over 600 million knots approximately in total.
At least 900 master craftsmen from two villages in Uttar Pradesh — Bhadohi and Mirzapur — worked for about 18 months and hand-knotted carpets to adorn the new Parliament building, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. They crafted 158 carpets for Lok Sabha and 156 for the Upper House before stitching them into a single carpet in the form of a semi-circle to sync with the architecture of both Houses covering an area of 35,000 square feet (sqft).
The intricacies of the workmanship are so grand that as many as 120 knots per square inch were woven to create the carpets — amounting to over 600 million knots approximately in total. While the carpets in Lok Sabha have the most intricate motifs of the peacock — symbolising India’s national bird, the rugs in Rajya Sabha showcase the exquisite motifs of the national flower — the lotus. Their colour has been primarily inspired by the shade of Kokum Red.
These carpets, adorned with meticulously crafted patterns and embellished with 20-25 shades, stand as a testament to India’s unparalleled artistry. The shade of floor covering in the Lok Sabha is based on Indian agave green, with inspiration from the plumes of the Indian peacock.
Rudra Chatterjee, Chairman of Obeetee Carpets, the company which had prepared the carpets, said that the mammoth exercise to create the magnificent carpets for Parliament took over a year and a half. “We began the project in 2020 right in the middle of the pandemic.
The weaving process started by September 2021 and it was over by May 2022, and the installation commenced in November 2022. Crafting each carpet with a high density of 120 knots per square inch took approximately seven months. Being entrusted with the Central Vista project is an incredible honour for us at Obeetee,” he said.
The workers spent a whopping 10 lakh man-hours, Chatterjee said. The craftsmen hailing from Bhadohi and Mirzapur are carrying on a legacy dating to Mughal Emperor Akbar. As the legend goes, Akbar had an exceptional fondness for carpets so he decided to bring the finest Persian artists and weavers to India. During that journey, when they reached Gopiganj, a small town in modern Uttar Pradesh, their caravan was attacked by bandits. The weavers who survived that onslaught took shelter in villages around that area, this making Mirzapur famous for carpet weaving.
“The carpet designs were conceived with great reverence for the halls, exuding intricate artistry, vibrant colours, and subtle elegance. Crafted at Obeetee’s own factory headquarters in Mirzapur, the manufacturing procedure was a tedious process as the weavers had to craft the carpets for halls measuring up to 17,500 square feet each,” Chatterjee added. Obeetee was founded around 103 years ago by three British entrepreneurs, soon after World War 1 — the name of the company resembles the initials of their three names.
Carrying on Akbar legacy
The craftsmen from Bhadohi and Mirzapur are carrying on a legacy dating to Emperor Akbar. As the legend goes, Akbar had fondness for carpets so he decided to bring the finest Persian artists, and weavers to India.
source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)