Rajnath Singh approves reform of Army headquarters
New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the first batch of reforms in the Army including relocation of 206 officers from the Army headquarters, setting up of a separate vigilance cell and forming an umbrella organisation to focus on human rights issues.
Last year, the Army, based on 12 independent studies, finalised a reform roadmap to make the 1.3 million-strong force leaner and meaner as well as to enhance its combat capabilities.
"The defence minister has approved certain decisions regarding re-organisation of Army headquarters," the defence ministry said.
It said 206 Army officers are being relocated from the Army headquarters and they will be be made available to various field formations and units. The officers to be relocated include three major generals, eight brigadiers, nine colonel and 186 Lt Colonel/Major.
Another key approval given by Singh is to set up a separate vigilance cell under the Army Chief with tri-services representation. Presently, the vigilance department operates through multiple agencies and there is no single point interface.
"An independent vigilance cell will be made functional under Chief of Army Staff (COAS). Accordingly, Additional Director General (vigilance) will be placed directly under the COAS for it," the ministry said.
The vigilance cell will have three Colonel-level officers, one each from Army, Indian Air Force and Navy. According to officials, the umbrella organisation for human rights issues will operate under the Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS). Officials said it is being set up to accord high priority to human rights convention and values.
"It has been decided to set up a special human rights section headed by ADG (Major General rank officer) directly under the VCOAS," the ministry said.
The organisation will be nodal point to examine any reports of violation of human rights.
"To enhance transparency and ensure the best of investigative expertise is available to the section, a Police officer of SSP/SP rank will be taken on deputation," said the ministry.
The reform initiatives were finalised by top commanders of the Army in October last year to usher in transformative reforms in the force. The reforms will also include restructuring the Army's officer cadre, bringing down age of key commands, arresting rising revenue expenditure and "right-sizing" the force.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
