Shillong, July 30 — After his unsuccessful bid for Raisina Hill,
former Lok Sabha speaker Purno A. Sangma is set to float a new political
party next month, an aide said Monday.
"A new political party,
the National Indigenous Peoples' Party of India (NIPPI), will come into
existence sometime in August," a confidant told IANS on the condition of
anonymity.
Sangma finds himself at the crossroads after having contested and lost the presidential election.
The
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which he founded along with Sharad
Pawar and Tariq Anwar in 1999 after breaking away from the Congress,
refused to endorse his presidential candidature, forcing him to quit the
party June 20. He also gave up his membership in the 60-member
Meghalaya assembly.
According to sources close to Sangma, the new
party will draw most of its members from the NCP who had backed him
during the presidential election.
Thirteen NCP legislators in
Meghalaya voted for Sangma in the presidential election, going against
the party decision to support Pranab Mukherjee who is now the country's
president.
"The NIPPI will bank on millions of indigenous people
across the region ahead of assembly elections in three northeastern
states," said the aide.
Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura are scheduled to go for assembly polls in February next year.
IANS
was unable to reach Sangma for comment but his son and NCP legislator
Conrad K. Sangma said the state NCP unit had not discussed the formation
of the new party.
"We are still in a consultative mood to chart
out our future course of action. We have not reached that state to
discuss the formation of a new party," Conrad, leader of opposition in
the Meghalaya house, told IANS.
United States all set to become biggest supplier of Gold to India
India’s lust for gold is legendary. Indian households hold over $950 billion of the yellow metal.
NEW DELHI: India's lust for gold is legendary. Indian households hold over $950 billion of the yellow metal, revealed a recent research by Macquarie research. India imports most of its requirements: a quarter of all the gold sold globally is imported by us.
But in recent times, another country has matched India's hunger for gold. China, the largest producer of the precious metal, became a net importer in 2011, as domestic demand soared.
Sometime this year, China is expected to overtake India as the largest gold consumer. China, which is among the top producers of gold globally, has high entry barriers for private miners and also uses its production for building up national reserves.
Entry barriers for entrepreneurs are high in Russia as well. South Africa and Australia, both big producers of the yellow metal, are becoming unpopular due to, respectively, high taxation and high production costs.
Some European gold reserves, for example the Rosia Montana in Romania, the largest untapped reserves in Europe, are facing problems due to environmental regulations.
That begets the question: where will India get its gold from? The US, and other countries in the Americas. North America has always been significant in the global gold stakes.
Globally, there have been 99 significant gold discoveries (defined as a deposit containing at least 2 million oz of the metal) during 1997-2011.
The Americas hold the greatest share in these discoveries—not surprising given that the Americas have accounted for more than half the industry's discovery-oriented gold exploration spending during the period.
In 2010, the gold exploration budget rose to $5.4 billion, which was 59% more than in 2009. In 2011, mines in the US produced gold worth about $12 billion.
Gold mining companies are again flocking to the Americas. In Canada, miners are making huge new discoveries as well re-starting old mines that were deserted due to lack of funds. In 2011, production rose 21% year-on-year to Canada's highest output in five years. Mexico's large mineral belts have been equally attractive for gold miners.
North America Accounts for Lion's Share
With 2011 production coming in at an estimated 85 mt, Mexico has seen a 254% increase in output. In all, North America was responsible for 16% of mine production in 2011.
And with a year-on-year production growth of 9%, well above the global average, along with a bevy of ongoing junior exploration, North America will be pumping out gold from a lot of new mines.
 |
Mining companies without proven reserves—the so-called juniors— are equally enraptured by North America.
More than 70% of them own a project in North America, with over half owning a project in Canada, 17% in the US and 11% in Mexico, according to research by Zeal Llc, a consultancy.
MHA accuses Gogoi govt of ‘slow’ reaction
A Union home ministry team which visited the violence-hit areas of Western Assam has identified “land” as the root cause of the unrest, but also blamed the Tarun Gogoi-led state administration to reacting very slowly to the simmering tension, which later turned violent.
It noted that the local ethnic Bodo community had been extremely worried over mounting pressure on land from people migrating from neighbouring districts, and that this tension had increased in the Bodoland Territorial Council areas since July 6.
The immediate cause of the violence was the lynching of four former Bodoland Liberation Tigers boys on July 20, the MHA team said, but it added the state government was not sincere in its attempts to stop the carnage.
While the state sought additional forces from the Centre, the home ministry noted it had advised Assam to use the 90 companies of paramilitary forces at its disposal, relocating them if needed. The state administration, however, instead of mobilising forces available within the state, kept waiting for 74 additional companies to be sent from West Bengal, Nagaland and Tripura, sources said. The MHA team’s report also pointed to serious lapses by the police and civil authorities in handling the situation on the ground.
The sources said while the Centre had rejected outright the All India United Democratic Front’s plea to dissolve the Bodoland Territorial Council, it was considering the demand for a CBI probe into the violence.
Union home minister P. Chidambaram will visit the violence-hit areas for two days starting Monday, and review the situation in the districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Dhubri and Bongaigaon. Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani, who as Union home minister in 2002 had signed the Bodo accord, which led to the BTC’s formation, will also visit the affected areas on Monday.
With the situation slowly returning to normal, curfew was relaxed for the day on Sunday in Western Assam. The MHA has advised the state to take initiative to restore confidence between the two communities.
It noted that the local ethnic Bodo community had been extremely worried over mounting pressure on land from people migrating from neighbouring districts, and that this tension had increased in the Bodoland Territorial Council areas since July 6.
The immediate cause of the violence was the lynching of four former Bodoland Liberation Tigers boys on July 20, the MHA team said, but it added the state government was not sincere in its attempts to stop the carnage.
While the state sought additional forces from the Centre, the home ministry noted it had advised Assam to use the 90 companies of paramilitary forces at its disposal, relocating them if needed. The state administration, however, instead of mobilising forces available within the state, kept waiting for 74 additional companies to be sent from West Bengal, Nagaland and Tripura, sources said. The MHA team’s report also pointed to serious lapses by the police and civil authorities in handling the situation on the ground.
The sources said while the Centre had rejected outright the All India United Democratic Front’s plea to dissolve the Bodoland Territorial Council, it was considering the demand for a CBI probe into the violence.
Union home minister P. Chidambaram will visit the violence-hit areas for two days starting Monday, and review the situation in the districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Dhubri and Bongaigaon. Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani, who as Union home minister in 2002 had signed the Bodo accord, which led to the BTC’s formation, will also visit the affected areas on Monday.
With the situation slowly returning to normal, curfew was relaxed for the day on Sunday in Western Assam. The MHA has advised the state to take initiative to restore confidence between the two communities.
Not missing the wood for the gold
India should keep out of the unseemly race for Myanmar’s resources and focus instead on its long-term interests in that country
In ancient Indian chronicles, Myanmar was known as Suvarnabhumi or the
“golden land”' already famous for its boundless riches. Its fabled
wealth of gold, silver, precious gems and much more, attracted invaders
and traders from around the world. There is now a 21st century version
of a “gold rush” beginning to take hold as Myanmar opens its doors to
the world. Nothing demonstrates this more starkly than the U.S.
government decision to lift the prohibition on new American investment
in Myanmar including doing business with state owned oil companies. This
is despite the public plea from the leader of the country’s democracy
movement, Aung San Suu Kyi, that such deals should be avoided until
these entities embrace transparent practices and remove corruption.
Lure of opportunities
At the U.S.-Asean meeting at Siem Reap, Cambodia, which concluded on
July 13, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had her second meeting
with Myanmar President Thein Sein and the two later addressed the strong
business contingent accompanying Ms Clinton. It was announced that a
70-member U.S. business delegation would soon visit Myanmar to explore
trade and investment opportunities. Other western and Asian states are
likely to follow. Clearly the lure of commercial opportunities and
profit has triumphed over the hitherto careful alignment with the pace
set by Ms Suu Kyi. As this trend gains strength, Ms Suu Kyi will lose
one of the more potent bargaining chips she has in dealing with the
military dominated government, that is her ability to calibrate the
dismantling of western sanctions that have been in place for the past
two-and-a-half decades. This may well lead to opinion in India that we,
too, should join this rush or face further marginalisation in a key
neighbouring country.
This may not be the best strategy to pursue.
In Siem Reap, Mr. Thein Sein spelt out three reforms which were on the
top of his agenda. The first, he said, was to consolidate democracy,
build strong democratic institutions and restore the fundamental rights
of people, including the freedom of speech and assembly. The second was
to achieve lasting peace in the country by reaching out to the various
ethnic groups and bringing them into the national mainstream. And the
third was to transform an essentially centralised economy into a market
oriented one, open to foreign investment and commercial exchanges. In
each of these areas India can offer itself as a significant and
long-term partner, relevant to Myanmar’s own identified priority areas.
India should avoid falling victim to a herd mentality but instead focus
on establishing a long-term and sustainable presence in the country,
encompassing political, security and economic fields. Myanmar may
currently be the flavour of the month. For India, it must remain on the
menu as a key foreign policy and security challenge in a rapidly
changing environment.
Why is Myanmar important to India? Here is a neighbour with whom we
share a 1,600 km long land boundary. Four of our sensitive northeastern
States — Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram — lie along
this border. In dealing with the complex security situation prevailing
in this region, Myanmar's cooperation is often critical. The two
countries also share the strategic waters of the Bay of Bengal. Any
hostile or inimical presence along the Myanmarese coast or on its
off-shore islands facing India would be of great concern. Myanmar is
also critical to the success of India’s Look East policy. It is India’s
gateway to Asean and a transit country for trade and economic exchanges
with southern China. The sub-regional organisation of BIMSTEC, which
straddles both South and South-East Asia, gives a pivotal role to
Myanmar as a regional hub. India has long standing historical, cultural
and religious links with Myanmar which underpin a broad-based
relationship. There are cross-border ethnic links, too, with Naga and
Mizo tribes inhabiting both sides of the India-Myanmar border. The
prospects for an enhanced economic partnership, in particular, in the
energy sector will add to this substantive and comprehensive
relationship, but only as a significant component, not as a singular
rationale for engagement.
Significant presence
India’s interests require a significant, but not a dominant presence in
Myanmar. Countervailing China’s hitherto overweening presence in Myanmar
could not be an Indian preoccupation alone. Our interests are served as
Myanmar’s foreign relations become more diversified, lowering the
salience of Chinese influence.
In this context, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Myanmar in the
last week of May was a major initiative. India tried to align itself
with the priorities set by the Myanmar leadership itself, including Ms
Suu Kyi. The Prime Minister offered Indian expertise and support in the
setting up of strong democratic institutions and build capacity in
parliamentary practice and procedures. India’s own experience in
managing a multi-ethnic, multicultural and plural democracy is a useful
point of reference as Myanmar seeks to pursue reconciliation and
accommodation with its several ethnic minorities. On the economic side,
the visit resulted in a number of important agreements, the most notable
being the extension of a $500 million credit line to finance several
projects. The two sides agreed to launch a Border Area Development
Programme, which will seek to establish development corridors along the
ambitious cross-border transport links that are being put in place. This
will be of considerable relevance to the development of our own
northeast.
The Prime Minister met Ms Suu Kyi in Yangon and extended her an
invitation to visit India which she accepted. This will take place later
this year. The meeting was warm and friendly with both sides eager to
dispel the sense of disappointment which had resulted from India’s
engagement with the Myanmar generals while she was languishing under
house arrest.
Ms Suu Kyi focussed on the development challenges facing her country,
particularly the alleviation of poverty among her people and was keenly
interested in India’s own experience in this regard. As member of
Parliament, she has declared her intention to work hard for the
betterment of the lives of people, promote inter-ethnic harmony and
national reconciliation and contribute to the consolidation of democracy
in her country. She recognises that the way ahead is full of risks and
uncertainties. One cannot say that the reform process is irreversible.
Ms Suu Kyi has also been careful in her statements on the ethnic issue,
which could erupt in dangerous ways. The Kachin insurgency lingers on
and the recent violence in the Rakhine province involving the Rohingyas
has confronted her with difficult political challenges which are not
easy to resolve. In the initiatives that Ms Suu Kyi may adopt to take a
leadership role in addressing these challenges, India could be a
friendly and supportive partner.
India should, therefore, avoid being distracted by the gold rush and
remain focussed on the long term. It has a unique opportunity to align
itself with the priorities set by the leaders of Myanmar and make its
own contribution to enabling a successful political and economic
transition in a strategic neighbouring country.
This is a more sensible way of ensuring India’s political, economic and
security interests in its strategic neighbourhood than joining the
unseemly grab for resources that appears to have gripped Myanmar’s
erstwhile detractors.
(Shyam Saran is a former Foreign Secretary. He is currently Chairman,
Research and Information System for Developing Countries and Senior
Fellow, Centre for Policy Research.)
Higgs Boson Controversy: Was Indian Physicist Satyendra Nath Bose Snubbed?
By KATY DAIGLE
NEW DELHI -- While much of the world was celebrating the
international cooperation that led to last week's breakthrough in
identifying the existence of the Higgs boson particle, many in India
were smarting over what they saw as a slight against one of their
greatest scientists.
Media covering the story gave lots of credit to British physicist Peter Higgs for theorizing the elusive subatomic "God particle," but little was said about Satyendranath Bose, the Indian after whom the boson is named.
Despite the fact that Bose had little direct involvement in theorizing the Higgs boson itself, in India the lack of attention given to one of their own was seen as an insult too big to ignore.
"He is a forgotten hero," the government lamented in a lengthy statement, noting that Bose was never awarded a Nobel Prize though "at least 10 scientists have been awarded the Nobel" in the same field.
The annoyance marks yet another case in the ever-growing list of perceived global snubs Indians feel they suffer, from the U.S. airport searches of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan to the naming of a superbug after New Delhi, where it was found.
"Indians are touchy about this. All post-colonial societies are touchy about this," said political psychologist Ashis Nandy of the Delhi-based think tank Center for the Study of Developing Societies. "The sooner we get out of that, the better."
Nandy, who interviewed Bose before his death in 1974, said the scientist himself was "least concerned about rankings and prizes."
The boson is named in honor of the Kolkata-born scientist's work in the 1920s with Albert Einstein in defining one of two basic classes of subatomic particles. The work describes subatomic particles that carry force and can occupy the same space if in the same state – such as in a laser beam. All particles that follow such behavior, including the Higgs as well as photons, gravitons and others, are called bosons.
Higgs, the English physicist, and others proposed the Higgs boson's existence in 1964 to explain what might give shape and size to all matter. Laymen and the media sometimes call it the "God particle" because its existence is key to understanding the early evolution of the universe.
By
then, Bose was living in his Indian city of Kolkata after 25 years
running the physics department at Dacca University, in what is now
Bangladesh. Bose died aged 80 in 1974. The Nobel is not awarded
posthumously.
Indian newspapers decried the fact that Bose was mostly ignored last week when scientists announced the Higgs boson breakthrough, made using a giant atom smasher at the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland.
Bose "remains unmentioned in most news stories about this discovery," read an opinion piece in the Hindustan Times written by Yale University professor Priyamvada Natarajan, who says Western scientists often gain credit for major discoveries.
"It is harder for scientists to be recognized if they are seen as outliers and if their gender, race or work do not let them belong," she said.
The Sunday Times of India noted other eminent Indian scientists who "never got their due," including physicist G.N. Ramachandran who died in 2001 after making biological discoveries like collagen's triple-helix structure and 3-D imaging used in studying the human body.
It also said living Indian scientists, Varanasi-based molecular biologist Lalji Singh and New York-based E. Premkumar Reddy, should be candidates for awards. Both men reportedly said they were not interested in lobbying for prizes.
"Many people in this country have been perplexed, and even annoyed, that the Indian half of the now-acknowledged `God particle' is being carried in lower case," The Economic Times wrote in an editorial Monday. What most don't realize is that the naming of all bosons after Bose "actually denotes greater importance."
Media covering the story gave lots of credit to British physicist Peter Higgs for theorizing the elusive subatomic "God particle," but little was said about Satyendranath Bose, the Indian after whom the boson is named.
Despite the fact that Bose had little direct involvement in theorizing the Higgs boson itself, in India the lack of attention given to one of their own was seen as an insult too big to ignore.
"He is a forgotten hero," the government lamented in a lengthy statement, noting that Bose was never awarded a Nobel Prize though "at least 10 scientists have been awarded the Nobel" in the same field.
The annoyance marks yet another case in the ever-growing list of perceived global snubs Indians feel they suffer, from the U.S. airport searches of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan to the naming of a superbug after New Delhi, where it was found.
"Indians are touchy about this. All post-colonial societies are touchy about this," said political psychologist Ashis Nandy of the Delhi-based think tank Center for the Study of Developing Societies. "The sooner we get out of that, the better."
Nandy, who interviewed Bose before his death in 1974, said the scientist himself was "least concerned about rankings and prizes."
The boson is named in honor of the Kolkata-born scientist's work in the 1920s with Albert Einstein in defining one of two basic classes of subatomic particles. The work describes subatomic particles that carry force and can occupy the same space if in the same state – such as in a laser beam. All particles that follow such behavior, including the Higgs as well as photons, gravitons and others, are called bosons.
Higgs, the English physicist, and others proposed the Higgs boson's existence in 1964 to explain what might give shape and size to all matter. Laymen and the media sometimes call it the "God particle" because its existence is key to understanding the early evolution of the universe.
Indian newspapers decried the fact that Bose was mostly ignored last week when scientists announced the Higgs boson breakthrough, made using a giant atom smasher at the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland.
Bose "remains unmentioned in most news stories about this discovery," read an opinion piece in the Hindustan Times written by Yale University professor Priyamvada Natarajan, who says Western scientists often gain credit for major discoveries.
"It is harder for scientists to be recognized if they are seen as outliers and if their gender, race or work do not let them belong," she said.
The Sunday Times of India noted other eminent Indian scientists who "never got their due," including physicist G.N. Ramachandran who died in 2001 after making biological discoveries like collagen's triple-helix structure and 3-D imaging used in studying the human body.
It also said living Indian scientists, Varanasi-based molecular biologist Lalji Singh and New York-based E. Premkumar Reddy, should be candidates for awards. Both men reportedly said they were not interested in lobbying for prizes.
"Many people in this country have been perplexed, and even annoyed, that the Indian half of the now-acknowledged `God particle' is being carried in lower case," The Economic Times wrote in an editorial Monday. What most don't realize is that the naming of all bosons after Bose "actually denotes greater importance."
Meet held to wish woman boxers a success in Serbia event
The Hindu
The Indian woman junior boxing team selected to participate in the
Golden Gloves of Vojvodina Intenational Meet during a camp being held at
Port Stadium in the city on Monday. Photo: C.V.Subrahmanyam
One of the boxers, Lalenkawli, who won gold in last year’s World meet
in Turkey, expressed confidence that she would win a medal.
The Andhra Pradesh Amateur Boxing Association organised a function at
the Port Stadium here on Monday to wish success to the eight Indian
junior woman boxers who are participating in the Golden Gloves of
Vojvodina International Meet to be held in Serbia from July 5 to 8.
Former MLA and chairman of the Olympic Association of Visakhapatnam
P.V.G.R. Naidu handed over a cash award of Rs. 5,000 to S. Marthamma, a
member of the team hailing from the district.
The eight boxers were selected from 36 players who are undergoing
training at SAI STC at Port Stadium for the Asian and World
championships. This will be a preparatory programme for the bigger
meets.
President of District Basketball Association T.S.R. Prasad, Sports
Officer of Visakhapatnam Port Trust and former Olympian M.V. Manikyalu,
Dronacharya awardee E. Prasada Rao, coach of the team and Dronacharya
awardee I. Venkateswara Rao, and others were present.
Ambition
One of the boxers, Lalenkawli, who won gold in last year’s World meet in
Turkey, expressed confidence that she would win a medal. Winning a gold
medal in the Olympics was her ambition, said the Mizoram boxer.
Prez flags in Army Everest expedition
New Delhi, July 4 : President Smt Pratibha Devisingh Patil on Tuesday flagged in the Indian Army Women Everest Expedition Team here, which has created history by putting seventeen climbers on top of Mount Everest on May 25-26.
One of them, Subedar Rajendra Singh Jalal climbed Everest without using supplemental oxygen, the first Indian Army man to do so.
It took one full year of training and two phase selections, one at Siachen Base Camp and the other at Manali, to find and prepare the final team of seven women and ten male climbers along with the support staff.
The expedition was led by Colonel Ajay Kothiyal an experienced mountaineer.
The expedition was flagged off by Lieutenant General Ramesh Halagali, Deputy Chief of Army Staff, on 12 Mar.
They set off for Kathmandu on 22 Mar from Delhi and after a strenuous trek of eighteen days, the team reached the Everest Base Camp on 14 Apr. Thereafter, the mettle of each member was tested in a climb which took 45 days to achieve their mission.
The conditions at Everest are unusually difficult this year. More than 200 mountaineers aborted their mission and went back to their countries because of these adversities, the team leader informed.
The overall increase in temperature was 10 0C in the Everest region which caused unstable snow/ice conditions in Khumbu ice fall, triggered frequent avalanches and caused slides of rocks and stones enroute.
The Army team attempted to reach the summit on 19 May but was forced to come back to base camp due to hostile weather conditions and heavy winds enroute to the Everest.
The team started again from Base Camp on 23 May to make their second attempt to reach the summit and this time they succeeded with flying colours.
All seven women and ten men of the team stood atop Mt Everest proudly on 25 and 26 May.
Subedar Rajendra Singh Jalal climbed Everest without supplemental oxygen and became the First Army Man to have done so. Major N Linyu and Captain Smitha became the first women from Nagaland and Karnataka respectively to have climbed Mt Everest.
Apart from marking these records, the team has brought accolades and enhanced the image of the country by helping other groups tremendously.
The expedition team comprised of Major RS Jamwal, Deputy Leader (Jammu and Kashmir), Captain Nitin Balram Ahuja, Medical Officer cum Base Camp Manager (Maharastra), Major N Linyu (Nagaland), Major Neha Bhatnagar (Rajasthan), Captain Namrata Rathore (Uttarakhand), Captain Poonam Sangwan (Haryana), Captain Prachi R Gole (Maharastra), Captain Deepika Rathore (Rajasthan), Captain Smitha L (Karnataka), Subedar Rajendra Singh Jalal, (Uttarakhand), Subedar Tajpal Singh Negi, (Uttarakhand), Subedar Prabhudayal Bisht (Uttarakhand), Subedar Khim Chand, (Himachal Pradesh), Havildar Sherab Palden (Jammu and Kashmir), Havildar Praveen Thapa (Uttarakhand), Havildar Sonam Targais (Jammu and Kashmir), Havildar Hoshiyar Singh (Himachal Pradesh), Havildar Chander Bahadur Thapa (Uttarakhand), Lance Havildar Sudhir Singh (Punjab), Naik Unnikannan (Kerala) and Lance Naik Daljinder Singh (Punjab).
The team’s brief stay in Nepal was marked with great bonhomie and camaraderie between Nepal Army and Indian Army climbers. Gen Chhatraman Singh Gurung, The Chief of Nepal Army visited the expedition members at Everest Base Camp, prior to their summit attempt and subsequently hosted a private dinner for the team at his house.
Indian Army Women Everest Expedition Team members also met all Nepalese women mountaineers who have summited Mt Everest during the past few years.
One of them, Subedar Rajendra Singh Jalal climbed Everest without using supplemental oxygen, the first Indian Army man to do so.
It took one full year of training and two phase selections, one at Siachen Base Camp and the other at Manali, to find and prepare the final team of seven women and ten male climbers along with the support staff.
The expedition was led by Colonel Ajay Kothiyal an experienced mountaineer.
The expedition was flagged off by Lieutenant General Ramesh Halagali, Deputy Chief of Army Staff, on 12 Mar.
They set off for Kathmandu on 22 Mar from Delhi and after a strenuous trek of eighteen days, the team reached the Everest Base Camp on 14 Apr. Thereafter, the mettle of each member was tested in a climb which took 45 days to achieve their mission.
The conditions at Everest are unusually difficult this year. More than 200 mountaineers aborted their mission and went back to their countries because of these adversities, the team leader informed.
The overall increase in temperature was 10 0C in the Everest region which caused unstable snow/ice conditions in Khumbu ice fall, triggered frequent avalanches and caused slides of rocks and stones enroute.
The Army team attempted to reach the summit on 19 May but was forced to come back to base camp due to hostile weather conditions and heavy winds enroute to the Everest.
The team started again from Base Camp on 23 May to make their second attempt to reach the summit and this time they succeeded with flying colours.
All seven women and ten men of the team stood atop Mt Everest proudly on 25 and 26 May.
Subedar Rajendra Singh Jalal climbed Everest without supplemental oxygen and became the First Army Man to have done so. Major N Linyu and Captain Smitha became the first women from Nagaland and Karnataka respectively to have climbed Mt Everest.
Apart from marking these records, the team has brought accolades and enhanced the image of the country by helping other groups tremendously.
The expedition team comprised of Major RS Jamwal, Deputy Leader (Jammu and Kashmir), Captain Nitin Balram Ahuja, Medical Officer cum Base Camp Manager (Maharastra), Major N Linyu (Nagaland), Major Neha Bhatnagar (Rajasthan), Captain Namrata Rathore (Uttarakhand), Captain Poonam Sangwan (Haryana), Captain Prachi R Gole (Maharastra), Captain Deepika Rathore (Rajasthan), Captain Smitha L (Karnataka), Subedar Rajendra Singh Jalal, (Uttarakhand), Subedar Tajpal Singh Negi, (Uttarakhand), Subedar Prabhudayal Bisht (Uttarakhand), Subedar Khim Chand, (Himachal Pradesh), Havildar Sherab Palden (Jammu and Kashmir), Havildar Praveen Thapa (Uttarakhand), Havildar Sonam Targais (Jammu and Kashmir), Havildar Hoshiyar Singh (Himachal Pradesh), Havildar Chander Bahadur Thapa (Uttarakhand), Lance Havildar Sudhir Singh (Punjab), Naik Unnikannan (Kerala) and Lance Naik Daljinder Singh (Punjab).
The team’s brief stay in Nepal was marked with great bonhomie and camaraderie between Nepal Army and Indian Army climbers. Gen Chhatraman Singh Gurung, The Chief of Nepal Army visited the expedition members at Everest Base Camp, prior to their summit attempt and subsequently hosted a private dinner for the team at his house.
Indian Army Women Everest Expedition Team members also met all Nepalese women mountaineers who have summited Mt Everest during the past few years.
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