IAF chief backs Rafale deal
New Delhi, Sep 12 : Amid the rising clamour on the Rafale deal, the Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, on Wednesday said by acquiring the French fighters the IAF was strengthening its depleting fleet.
"By providing the Rafale and the S-400 (anti-missile system), the government is strengthening the Indian Air Force to counter the shortfall of our depleting numbers of aircraft," he said at an event here.
Pointing to IAF's strength coming down to 31 squadrons from the sanctioned strength of 42, Dhanoa said India faced a shortage of fighter aircraft despite the threat of a two-front war with Pakistan and China.
"Very few countries are facing challenges like us. We have two nuclear-armed neighbours.We have to match neighbours Pakistan and China to tackle a two-front war," he said.
The IAF chief's comments come a day after former Bharatiya Janata Party ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "personal culpability" in the Rafale deal which they dubbed as the country's "biggest defence scam".
Earlier this month, the IAF Vice Chief, Air Marshal S.B. Deo too, had endorsed the Rafale, deal saying the aircraft will give India "unprecedented combat capabilities".
Besides BJP rebels Sinha and Shourie, the Congress led by its President Rahul Gandhi has been relentlessly attacking the Modi government over the jet deal that was announced by the Prime Minister in 2015.
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Over 13,000 teaching posts vacant in KVs, Navodaya schools: Education ministry
New Delhi (PTI): Over 13,000 teaching positions are vacant in Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) across the country, the Ministry of Education informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.
The information was shared by Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary in response to a written question.
"A total of 8,618 and 5,083 teaching posts are lying vacant in KVs and JNVs, respectively. Vacancies keep on arising due to opening of new schools, retirement, resignation, promotion of employees, transfer, employees going on lien to another department and upgradation of schools," Chaudhary said.
"Filling up of vacancies is a continuous process and efforts are made to fill up the vacancies as per the provisions of the relevant recruitment rules of KVs and NVs," he added.
The minister noted that teachers are also engaged on contractual basis for temporary duration by KVs and NVs to ensure that the teaching-learning process is not hampered.
"Efforts are made to recruit regular teachers at the earliest so that interest of students does not suffer. The consistently high percentage results achieved by KVs and NVs over the years clearly demonstrate that academic standards and students’ performance are duly maintained and are not compromised," he said.
