Sorry Obama, no defence pacts

New Delhi: Officials coordinating next month’s visit to India by US President Barack Obama have been told to rule out a big-ticket signing ceremony for two defence safeguards agreements that Washington has pressed for.



Senior defence ministry sources told Business Standard that Defence Minister A K Antony, during his visit to Washington last month, bluntly told US Defence Secretary Robert Gates that India would not sign the agreements, which Washington calls the "foundation" for transferring high-tech communications equipment to India.

The two agreements are a communications interoperability and security memorandum of agreement (CISMOA) and basic exchange and cooperation agreement for geo-spatial cooperation (BECA).



In addition, Antony also conveyed India's unwillingness to sign a logistics support agreement, or LSA, which would allow either country's military units to plug into the military logistics infrastructure of the other anywhere in the world, with accounting on a book-debit basis.

Remarked a defence ministry official, who was present at the Washington meetings: "People that believe Mr Antony is a mild-mannered man, who does not take strong positions, should have seen the clarity with which he told the US delegation that India sees no benefits in signing these agreements."



Advising Antony not to sign the CISMOA and BECA is India's military. The Indian Air Force believes that these seemingly innocuous agreements -- binding India to safeguard communication equipment and codes that the US military also uses -- would ensure that US sourced equipment with the IAF, such as the C-130J Super Hercules and the C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft, remains interoperable with US forces.

"The US is keen to operate with us," explained a senior IAF air marshall. "We see no benefits in being interoperable with them. So, why should we be hustled into signing these agreements?" The Pentagon has been arguing that, without the CISMOA and BECA, India would get less than cutting-edge electronics on the systems that it buys from the US. During a visit to New Delhi in January, Gates had remarked, "[These agreements] are preponderantly in India's benefit, because they give high-tech systems additional high-tech capabilities... are enablers, if you will, to the very highest quality equipment." But on Thursday, IAF head Air Chief Marshall P V Naik rejected that logic, insisting that the absence of CISMOA and BECA "will not make any substantial difference to our operational capabilities".



Now, leaked contract documents appear to support the air chief's viewpoint. A draft contract for the six C-130J Super Hercules transporters that India bought from Lockheed Martin (posted on Indian military blog Livefist and verified as correct by Lockheed Martin sources) reveals that just five items have been denied to India as a result of not signing CISMOA and BECA.



The draft contract notes that the five items "are deleted/changed from the C-130J India Air Force (sic) configuration at this time. These items may be added when CISMOA is signed between USG (US government) and government of India." These items are all communications interfaces between the aircraft and friendly forces on the ground. Since the C-130J is customised for special forces operations -- especially air-transporting commandos to a landing area that has been secured by friendly ground forces -- the aircraft needs secure communications links between airborne and ground forces, including an identification system to ensure that an enemy radio cannot lure the C-130J to an unsecured landing ground through a fake message.

The IAF believes it can make do with commercially available electronics fitted in the C-130J as alternatives to the US Air Force safeguarded systems.

Source: Buiness Standard

Fight the flu with these helpful guidelines

The rainy season ushers in flu and bacterial, viral and fungal infections. While we can’t do much about the rains, we can certainly beat the bugs by strengthening our immune system.



The simplest way to boost immunity is through good diet, plenty of exercise, yoga, adequate rest, sleep and stress control. A healthy immune system requires a number of nutrients, including proteins, essential fats, vitamins and minerals.

Conversely junk food, refined sugar and fats and white rice are low in vitamins and minerals, and if taken in excess can weaken the immune system.

Proteins play an important role in boosting the immune system, which is responsible for fighting infections. Inadequate amount of protein prevents the body from making the necessary antibodies.

Other nutrients that aid in immunity are beta-carotene, B complex vitamins, vitamins C and E, minerals like selenium, zinc, iron, copper and magnesium, folic acid and prebiotic and probiotic foods.





Vitamin A and beta-carotene are the first line of defence against bacterial, parasitic and viral attack. Good sources include greens like spinach and broccoli, and yellow and orange foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, mango, butter, egg yolk, cheese and fish liver oils. But a diet with excessive amounts of vitamin A does lower immunity.

Vitamin C deficiency lowers immune response to infection. Vitamin C is needed for lymphocytes and other cells of the immune system to function properly. It also acts as an antioxidant, which protects against harmful reactive chemicals (free radicals). Good sources of vitamin C include amla, citrus fruits, tomatoes, green peppers, leafy vegetables, kiwi, broccoli, and strawberries.

Vitamin E also boosts immune functions through lymphocyte activity. Vitamin E is present in wheat germ, whole grains, nuts, seeds, apples and leafy vegetables. Zinc too is vital for immunity. Good sources of zinc are nuts, seeds and whole grains.



Selenium too is an important mineral and antioxidant. It plays a key role in boosting the immune function and fighting infections. Selenium can be found in brown rice, wheat germ, whole wheat bread, poultry, fish, garlic, meats and seafood. Other immune-boosting foods include probiotics and prebiotics.

Probiotic, the friendly bacteria, in adequate amounts promote the body's natural immunity and helps in digestion. They are essential and help keep harmful bacteria suppressed. Probiotics are found in yogurt, buttermilk and lassi. Prebiotic, a substance that feeds probiotics, is found in whole grains, pulses, beans, vegetables, fruits and seeds.





Special Dietary guidelines for Flu:

- The diet should be light in fat and easily digestible.

- Oily, rich food should be avoided.

- Bakery products and food made of refined flour should be avoided.

- Hot liquids, like soups, broths, hot milk, hot water and tea infused with ginger provide relief and help fight infections.

- Anti-inflammatory foods such as coconut, fenugreek, garlic, onion seeds and turmeric should be consumed.

- In the initial stages of a cold, ginger with honey provides relief, prevents accumulation of phlegm and has anti-expectorant effects.

- A half teaspoon of turmeric boiled in milk has anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.

- Two-three cloves of crushed garlic help boost immunity and act as a decongestant.

- If symptoms persist, probiotic supplements and foods are useful to boost immunity.

Source: Ishi Khosla, Indian Express