Govt tables bill for better functioning of tri-services organizations

Govt tables bill for better functioning of tri-services organizations

Subject :Defense

Concept :

• The government on Wednesday tabled a bill in Lok Sabha to empower commander-in-chiefs or any other officers posted in tri-services organisations with disciplinary and administrative powers in respect of personnel serving in them.
• This has a direct impact on the command, control and discipline-related issues in the inter-services organisations like the Andaman and Nicobar Command, the Defence Space Agency, and joint training establishment like National Defence Academy, the bill said.

Current Procedure

• The service personnel of Indian Air Force, Army and Navy are governed by the provisions of the Air Force Act, 1950, the Army Act, 1950 and the Navy Act, 1957 respectively.
• Only officers of the respective services are empowered to exercise disciplinary powers over the service personnel under the respective service Acts under current norms and regulations.
• The Commander-in-Chief or Officer-in-Command of inter services organisations are not empowered to exercise disciplinary or administrative powers over the personnel belonging to other services.
• Salient Features of The Bill
• It includes empowering the central government to constitute inter-services organisation by notification, which may include a joint services command, comprised of units or service personnel subject to the Air Force Act, 1950, the Army Act, 1950 and the Navy Act, 1957.
• It also seeks to empower the commander-in-chief, officer-in-command or any other officer, specially empowered by the central government, with all the disciplinary and administrative powers in respect of personnel serving in or attached to their inter-services organisations, irrespective of the service to which they belong, for the maintenance of discipline and proper discharge of their duties, according to the bill.
• The proposed legislation will also pave the way for various other tangible benefits such as expeditious disposal of cases, saving of time and public money by avoiding multiple proceedings and greater integration and joint man ship among armed forces personnel.
• The tabling of the bill also comes amid the government’s ambitious theaterisation plan.

Andaman and Nicobar Command

• The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is India’s only integrated tri-services military command that has been playing a key role in keeping a strict vigil in the Indian Ocean.
• It was created in 2001 to safeguard India’s strategic interests in Southeast Asia and the Strait of Malacca by increasing rapid deployment of military assets in the islands.
• It is commanded by a three star officer from Navy, under whom officers and men from all three services (Navy, Air Force, Army) work.
• It conducts bi-annual coordinated patrols (CORPATs) with the navies of Thailand and Indonesia, the annual SIMBEX maritime exercise with Singapore, and the biennial Milan multilateral naval exercise.
• It also patrols India’s exclusive economic zone to suppress gun running, narcotics smuggling, piracy, and poaching, and conducts maritime surveillance, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).