The Union Budget was hailed as “once-in-a-century” budget when introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in February this year, but the second wave of Covid-19 threatens to derail the move, if a Reuters report is to be believed.

“The budget aimed to revive Asia’s third-largest economy via investing in infrastructure and health care, while relying on an aggressive privatisation strategy and robust tax collections—on the back of projected growth of 10.5%–to fund its spending in the fiscal year,” said the report as it added that at the time, a massive Covid-19 vaccination drive and a rebound in consumer demand and investments had put the economy on track to recover from its deepest recorded slump.

With India reporting more

than three lakh daily infections and many parts of the country under “varying degrees of lockdown”, most of the growth projections that the budget was built around are now mired in uncertainty, Reuters added.

Earlier this week, Moody’s said that India’s severe second wave will slow the near-term economic recovery and it could weigh on longer-term growth dynamics. It cut its GDP forecast to 9.3% from 13.7%.

While the government maintains it is too early to revise its own numbers, as per Reuters, officials privately concede growth will be much more muted that previously anticipated if social distancing measures continue.

Covid-19 has also hit the bureaucracy hard with many key officials infected by the virus, slowing decisions on privatisations, among other proposed reforms. Two senior officials told Reuters that the privatisation of assets such as oil refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp and national carrier Air India, where processes are well advanced, may now be pushed into early 2022—some three months later than previously planned. “The virtual data room for BPCL has been opened for initial bidders but given the lockdown, physical verification of assets is unlikely right now,” one of the officials said.

The delays will affect a series of other privatisation plans including two banks, insurance and energy companies, that are at the centre of reforms proposed by the budget. The pandemic is also likely to delay the listing of India’s largest insurer Life Insurance Corp, they told Reuters.

Another official said the lockdowns will start affecting tax collections by June, potentially lowering revenues 15%-20% from what was estimated for the quarter.

With the projected fiscal deficit target pegged at 6.8% of gross domestic product and a soaring borrowing programme, delays in the privatisation plan and the anticipated shortfalls in tax revenues are already prompting cuts to some of the government’s previously earmarked expenses, two officials said. “We are looking to press a pause button on some of our non-priority spending,” Reuters quotes one of the officials as saying.

Lockdown in Delhi has been extended by another week even as the national capital sees a decline in the Covid-19 cases for the past few days. The lockdown in Delhi has been extended till May 24, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Sunday.

“We are extending the lockdown by one more week in Delhi,” the CM announced as he said that the gains made so far in combating Covid-19 cannot be lost due to any relaxations now.

Meanwhile, Delhi witnessed a further dip in positivity rate and reported 6,456 new coronavirus cases on Sunday. This is the third consecutive day in over a month that the number of new cases is below the 10,000 mark. The positivity rate has come down to 10.40 per cent, which is the lowest since 12 April.

The national capital reported 262 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to a health bulletin by the Delhi government. The death toll in Delhi has mounted to 21,506, while the cumulative fatality rate has increased to 1.55 per cent. The total case count in the city stands at 13,93,867, including 62,783 active cases.

During a visit to the GTB Hospital, the CM said that Delhi has recorded a “good level” of Covid-19 recoveries in the past few days and the number of cases is also reducing “very fast”.

“But we do not want the gains made in the past few days to be lost all of a sudden. So, the lockdown is being extended for another week till 5 am on May 24,” Kejriwal said.

The lockdown, imposed on 19 April, has been extended for the fourth time till 24 May morning. It was scheduled to end at 5 am on Monday.

CM Kejriwal on Saturday announced setting up of oxygen concentrator banks from 15 May. At least 200 oxygen concentrator banks will be set up in every district in Delhi for urgent and timely supply of medical oxygen for effective treatment of Covid-19 patients.

The Delhi government will also provide doorstep delivery of oxygen concentrators for Covid-19 patients who are recovering in home isolation.

Moreover, the Delhi government has started an Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) for Covid-19 management. Data related to hospitals, oxygen, vaccination and other aspects of Covid-19 management will be collected, collated and analysed on real time basis.

The severe cyclonic storm ‘Tauktae’ over east central Arabian Sea moved nearly northwards with a speed of about 9kmph in six hours and intensified into a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ on Sunday, reported the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

It lay centred over the east central Arabian Sea, about 150 km southwest of Panaji, Goa. The IMD said that it is very likely to intensify further during the next 12 hours. The cyclonic storm is very likely to reach the Gujarat coast in the evening hours of 17 May and cross between Porbandar and Mahuva (Bhavnagar district) around early morning on 18 May.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with the Chief Ministers of Gujarat and Maharashtra and the Administrator of Daman and Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli to assess the preparedness of states and Union Territories and Central ministries and agencies concerned to deal with ‘Tauktae’. He also spoke to the Goa Chief Minister.

Shah reviewed the preparedness of all health facilities in the areas likely to be impacted by the cyclone and directed the state administration and district collectors to make adequate power backup arrangements in all Covid hospitals, labs, vaccine cold chains and other medical facilities. The Home Minister also directed Maharashtra and Gujarat to plan in advance for keeping a buffer stock of oxygen for two days and the movement of oxygen tankers allocated to the states, so that supply is not impacted in case of any disruption.

“A 24×7 control room is functioning in MHA, which can be contacted at any time for any assistance by the states. The Indian Coast Guard, the Navy, Army and Air Force units have also been put on standby and surveillance aircraft and helicopters are carrying out aerial sorties,” Shah said.

The Home Minister also directed senior officers to take every possible measure to ensure that people are safely evacuated and all essential services maintained, including health and oxygen facilities, power, telecommunications, drinking water and that these are restored immediately in the event of damages.

Though the cyclonic storm is heading towards the Gujarat coast, it is causing continuous downpour and gusty winds in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.

All flights to and from Goa have been cancelled. The official Twitter handle of Airports Authority of India, Goa International Airport tweeted, “Considering prevalent weather conditions in, around, en route Goa due to very severe cyclonic storm ‘Tauktae’, all airlines have cancelled their flight operations to and from Goa for today.”

Incidents of trees falling on railway tracks at five places between Margao and Thivim railway stations were reported by Konkan Railway officials. Though some trains are running late, there’s no disruption in train traffic on the Konkan Railway route, they added.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that roads are blocked and the power supply disrupted in the state due to the destruction caused by the cyclone. He stated that two deaths have been reported, besides reports of more than 500 trees falling and around 100 major houses and 100 minor houses being damaged. 

The dialysis unit of Manipal Hospital in Goa has been affected by the cyclone and the hospital has sent an SMS to inform patients of the damage and ask them to book slots at nearby hospitals.

In Maharashtra, the IMD has predicted extremely heavy rainfall in Raigad and heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places in north Konkan, Mumbai, Thane and Palghar on Monday.

The IMD had informed the Mumbai civic body that the city is not in the direct line of threat. However, as a precautionary measure, it has decided to shift as many as 580 patients from three Covid care facilities.

In Karnataka, four people were killed and 73 villages in six districts—three coastal and three in hilly regions of the Western Ghats—were destroyed due to Tauktae. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa stated the situation is being closely monitored and rescue and relief operations have been ensured.

An orange alert has been sounded in three districts of Kerala, namely Malappuram, Ernakulam and Idukki, and a yellow alert in all other districts, after torrential rains and fierce winds and high tidal waves wreaked havoc in the state over a few days.

All districts experienced very heavy rainfall and many low-lying areas and roads were flooded. Two lives were lost in rain-related incidents in Ernakulam and Kozhikode. Several houses were damaged, many trees were uprooted and power lines were snapped in various parts of the state.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reviewed the preparedness of states and Central agencies to deal with the situation arising out of the cyclone. The National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) has deployed a total of 101 teams across the states that will most likely be affected. As many as 79 teams, along with 22 on standby, have been deployed. Rescue and relief teams of the Army, Navy and Coast Guard, along with ships and aircraft have also been deployed.

WITH AGENCY INPUTS

Given the global challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic and the international partnerships required to face them, Ugo Astuto, the EU Ambassador to India, spoke in an interview about the EU’s civil protection mechanism providing help to India, what lessons can be learn from the EU regarding Covid management, and whether the TRIPS waiver can provide a relevant opportunity during the crisis. Excerpts:

Q: First of all, congratulations and gratitude for the much-needed aid that had and has been pouring from the 27-nation European Union.

A: Thank you very much. We are trying to reciprocate and to help as much as we can, just like India helped us in the past few months when it exported the medic events and vaccines all around the world. We have set in motion what we call European civil protection mechanism, a mechanism to coordinate help from all of the 27 member states in case of need.

Q: There have been funds that have been allocated separately that have been provided to the WTO to go ahead and help India. In the grants format there’s another set of funds that have been segregated. Please tell us more about them.

A: It’s a coordination mechanism. So, this is the civil protection authorities of the 27 member states coming together and seeing how best they can pull the capacities and resources in order to avoid duplication and optimise support, and the mechanism itself can help with logistics and funding of transport. So far we have had the support in kind coming from member states for an amount of around 100 million euros which makes it probably one of the largest operations so far. We have had flights coming and landing in Delhi for the past week or so from Romania, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy. Now we see more coming from the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, the Czech Republic and Spain. This is a very robust and massive contribution from a number of member states and as we speak others are joining in. The European Commission has also mobilised 2.2 million euros in emergency funding and to respond to Covid, for instance, to strengthen testing capacity. But that’s separate to European civil protection mechanisms.

Q: At the recently held summit between India and the EU, the French President came out in support of India and said that India does not require lectures when it comes to the vaccination programme and the help that it has provided to various nations. What is the message that the EU would like to give to other nations?

A: As you say, at the Leaders’ Summit, we were on the same page, where all 27 member states recognised the extraordinary effort made by Indians in the past few months in exporting vaccines. And I can say that the same has been done with the European Union. We started from the same proposition here that we want the response to this global crisis to be based on solidarity and the European Union has exported almost as many doses as it has used domestically so we believe it’s important that we follow the same example and allow the export of vaccines and not disrupt supply chains.

Q: What lessons could be learned by India in view of all the programmes and vaccination drives being carried forth in the EU?

A: Well, I don’t know whether there are lessons to be learnt. I think we are learning by doing all this together in the international community, facing the successive ways of the virus in the European Union. Europe was in a pretty bad situation until recently. Now it’s the time of India, unfortunately. So we are all, unfortunately, facing unforeseen circumstances. In the EU, we took important decisions at the very outset to procure the vaccines together. I think that was a turning point in our reaction and you could ensure that the response when it came to the procurement of vaccines was cohesive and coherent. You could negotiate good terms with the pharma company. We procured from a number of potential suppliers. We have run into some difficulties with one supplier but others have come up. At this stage, I can say that the roll-out of the vaccines all over the 27 member states is proceeding smoothly.

Q: In the wake of China facing a lot of criticism from a number of European nations, the US and Asian nations, could there be an opportunity lurking here for India to be an important source point for the 5G roll-out in the future for the EU?

A: As open societies and democracies we start from the same starting point from the same assumptions because we want the digital transition to be taking place in an environment which is competitive, which fosters innovation but also that respects our democratic setting, human rights and individual freedoms, privacy. So, we want the digital transition to take place in a secure context. So, the challenges are very similar that we face in Europe and India. That’s why we believe that the conversations around these challenges are particularly open to us. When it comes to data protection, India is in the process of passing its own set of regulations. In Europe, we did a couple of years ago, which is the first of its kind, so inevitably it’s sort of a parameter and has set some criteria which is of interest also to India on the security of networks. The roll-out of 5G is something we are both looking into in the EU and in India and we are both concerned about the security of this network. In the EU, we have set up a toolkit meant to establish objective criteria to identify secure providers which do not pose a risk to the security of our network and the privacy of our citizens. These criteria are of some interest to India and it’s a topical subject that we have already touched on without Indian interlocutors. The digital transition has a number of other aspects of interest, the development of artificial intelligence, for instance. The commonality of the challenges and the intention to face them is challenging. Starting from a human-centric vision, we want a digital transition which meets the expectations and needs of our citizens.

Q: Recently, the issue of the intellectual property waiver, which has been proposed by India and South Africa and gotten cognizance from the US; what is the stand of the EU on this?

A: These are important topics to discuss and we are ready to discuss them but we should also be aware of the fact that these are topics for the short-term or even for the immediate time. What we should do is to not lose sight of the urgency. As quickly as possible, I will ensure that these boxes are fairly distributed around the globe. The EU has exported vaccines for around 200 million dollars. India has also been a major exporter of vaccines. It’s important that other players follow this example and allow the export of vaccines. We need to increase production and support the vaccination roll-out internationally. That’s why the EU has been, since the beginning, a strong supporter and leading voice behind the creation of COVAX, which is meant for all those who need vaccines, irrespective of where they live. We are one of the major contributors, with 2.2 billion. In short, the priority now is to ramp up production of vaccines and make them available to all those in need.

Q: Do you think the TRIPS waiver is going to help developing nations, including India, ramp up the production of vaccines and other allied medical treatments?

A: In our view, that’s not the key matter. What we try to do is to ramp up production and help the international community roll-out vaccines, which is universal because we are all in this together. So we need to have vaccinations all around the world, not just in one region or another. So we definitely believe that’s a major objective for the international community to pursue.

Q: Why has the US already gone ahead and showcased its support for the waiver? The EU has raised objections, demanding the US administration to lift off the duties on the number of medical exports that it brings about in the entire world. Your comment.

A: It’s a matter of priorities. What is most necessary is to ramp up production and we believe that unimpeded supply chains are one of the key factors now.

Q: Before I let you go, Ambassador, one message that you would like to give to Indians and the entire mankind fighting this menace? 

A: It is a global challenge and the only way to address this is to act together.

Amid the reports of a rapid surge in Covid-19 cases in rural India, with the country reporting 311,170 new infections and 362,437 recoveries in the last 24 hours, the Centre on Sunday issued new guidelines for containment of the coronavirus.

The new SOP advised that peri-urban and rural areas plan a minimum 30-bed Covid Care Centre for asymptomatic cases with comorbidities or mild cases where home isolation is not feasible. Provision of Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits should be made at all public health facilities including sub-centres or health and wellness centres and Primary Health Centres, the Union Health Ministry said.

Noting that besides urban areas reporting a large number of cases, a gradual ingress is now being seen in peri-urban, rural and tribal areas as well, the ministry released the “SOP on Covid-19 Containment and Management in Peri-urban, Rural & Tribal areas” to enable communities strengthen primary level healthcare infrastructure at all levels to intensify Covid-19 response.

It said Covid Care Centres (CCC) can admit a suspect or confirmed case but should have separate areas for suspected and confirmed cases with preferably separate entry and exit for each. “Suspect and confirmed cases should not be allowed to mix under any circumstances,” the SOP said.

“Symptomatic cases can be triaged at village level by teleconsultation with Community Health Officer (CHO), and cases with comorbidity/low oxygen saturation should be sent to higher centres,” it said.

Covid-19 patients should also be counselled to isolate themselves till test results are available. “Those asymptomatic but having history of high-risk exposure to Covid patients (exposure of more than 15 minutes without a mask within 6 feet distance) should be advised quarantine and tested as per ICMR protocol.”

Noting that nearly 80-85 per cent of Covid-19 cases are asymptomatic/mildly symptomatic, as per the SOP, these patients do not require hospitalisation and may be managed at home or in Covid care isolation facilities.

For monitoring of active cases in the home isolation, the Ministry said that it is desirable for each village to have an adequate number of pulse oximeters and thermometers for Covid patients.

“The Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Committee (VHSNC) through local PRI and administration should mobilise resources to make provisions for these equipment. A system of providing the pulse oximeters and thermometers on loan to families with a confirmed case of Covid should be developed through ASHA/ Anganwadi workers and village-level volunteers. The pulse oximeters and thermometers should be sanitised after each use with cotton/cloth soaked in alcohol-based sanitiser,” it said.

Follow-ups for patients undergoing isolation/quarantine could be done through household visits by a frontline worker/volunteers/ teacher duly following required infection prevention practices including use of medical mask and other appropriate precautions.

The ministry said that the home isolation kit shall be provided to all such cases which should include required medicines such as Paracetamol 500 mg, Tab. Ivermectin, cough syrup and multivitamins (as pre

scribed by the treating doctor). Besides a detailed pamphlet indicating the precautions to be taken, medication details, monitoring proforma for the patient’s condition during the home isolation, contact details in case of any major symptoms or deterioration of health condition and the discharge criteria.

The guidelines further said that patient/caregiver will keep monitoring their health, but immediate medical attention should be sought if serious signs or symptoms develop. According to the ministry, these could include difficulty in breathing, dip in oxygen saturation (SpO2 < 94 per cent on room air), persistent pain/pressure in the chest, and mental confusion or inability to arouse. It said that if SpO2 goes below 94 per cent, the patient should be referred to a facility with an oxygen bed (DCHC or DCH depending on the SpO2 level).

“Patients under home isolation will stand discharged and end isolation after at least 10 days have passed from onset of symptoms (or from date of sampling for asymptomatic cases) and no fever for 3 days. There is no need for testing after the home isolation period is over,” it added.

The ministry said the health infrastructure planned for peri-urban, rural and tribal areas shall be aligned to the already mentioned 3-tier structure—Covid Care Centre (CCC) to manage mild or asymptomatic cases, Dedicated Covid Health Centre (DCHC) to manage moderate cases and Dedicated Covid Hospital (DCH) to manage severe cases, according to the document.

The SOP said that such COVID Care Centres should also have a Basic Life Support Ambulance (BLSA) networked among such CCCs equipped with sufficient oxygen support on 24×7 basis, for ensuring safe transport of patients to dedicated higher facilities if the symptoms progress from mild to moderate or severe. In addition, the districts may consider providing additional ambulances for networking among nearby CCCs for referral services.

Meanwhile, as new Covid cases continued to decrease, 4,077 Covid-related deaths were reported across the country, a slight increase from Saturday’s figure (3,890). At least 3,26,098 new Covid cases were reported on Saturday. The total positive cases in the country stands at 2,46,84,077, including 2,07,95,335 recoveries and 36,18,458 active cases. The death toll, meanwhile, stands at 2,70,284.

A total of 18,22,20,164 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered across the country so far. A total of 31,48,50,143 samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to May 15. Of these, 18,32,950 samples were tested on Saturday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) informed.

WITH AGENCY INPUTS

The recent circulars by University Grants Commission and All India Council for Technical Education are paving the way for offering National Cadet Corps training as an Elective Credit Course, did not occupy much media space ostensibly due to the pre-occupation of the nation with the pandemic. This step by UGC could not have been timelier and germane. Of late NCC has caught the imagination of the nation not only for the role played by young cadets in supporting the fight against Covid-19 but also for engaging in many social service and community development activities and bravely facing the challenges of current times.

With academic institutions shut for the most part of the last year, the NCC cadets were busy doing online NCC training, National Integration Camps, and participating in a host of social campaigns, culminating in an impressive march past in the Republic Day Parade 2021. And if that was not enough, they also attended mandatory NCC camps and B & C Certificate Examinations from February to March 2021. There was never a dull moment for them throughout the pandemic. Appreciating the role played by NCC cadets in strengthening national integration, the Prime Minister on 15 August 2020 announced the expansion of NCC to the border and coastal areas The world’s largest voluntary uniformed youth organisation was raised by Parliamentary Act No XXXI in 1948 with 20,000 cadets. It has grown in stature and size over the years and currently has a sanctioned strength of 15 lakh cadets who undergo basic military-like training for two years in the junior wing and three years in the senior divisions. The curriculum and syllabus of NCC cater for character building, leadership, mental and physical toughening, critical thinking, problem-solving, team building, and a host of other soft skills apart from exposing them to limited military subjects. The capabilities and qualities thus imbibed by the cadets prepare them for the real world and help them combine these with academic knowledge to become more effective professionals in their chosen areas. NCC alumni swear by the qualities and capabilities they developed during NCC Camps and training. The list of distinguished NCC alumnus is endless and includes the likes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh, Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, Sushma Swaraj, and so on. Thus, it is evident that the NCC training syllabus and curriculum is closely interwoven with the professional and personal development of a student into adult life. If that be so, should NCC continue to be treated as an extra-curricular activity as hitherto? Well, the UGC and the AICTE circulars provide the answer. The circulars not only underline the importance of NCC training in a student’s life but more importantly, recognise the necessity and possibility of adopting it in the main academic curriculum. These steps by UGC and AICTE are also in line with the New Education Policy 2020, which intends to remove the hard separation between curricular and extra-curricular activity as also expects Higher Educational Institution (HEIs) to migrate to Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) and offer community development, social service and other such youth development activities as credit courses. These steps would also be seen as major motivational boosts for lakhs of NCC cadets, who spend a large quantum of their non-academic time in undergoing NCC training and participating in a plethora of social service and community development activities, but currently do not receive corresponding academic weightage for the focused time they have spent and valuable lessons they have learnt. The newly designed NCC Elective Course is proposed to carry 24 credits spread over six semesters with specific credits for attending rigorous 10 days mandatory camp. In the first phase of implementation, NCC as an elective course/subject will be offered only in those colleges which already have NCC senior platoon or company, and to only those students who enrol as NCC cadets. This implies that a student of UG Course, who also enrols as an NCC Cadet, can partially offset his total credit score requirement for a UG degree with that earned in NCC. Students of other colleges who join under open quota vacancy will also get the benefit. Likewise, private colleges which are allotted NCC under the Fully Self-Financed Scheme (FSFS) will also be allowed to offer NCC Credit Course. The importance of the circulars also needs to be weighed against the felt need or otherwise of conscription or compulsory military training for youth. Many analysts and strategic thinkers have written about it, mostly in favour and some against it. It is the mammoth economic cost and logistic challenge that makes this proposition almost unviable. In August 2016, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar stated in parliament that the government has not found it feasible, in terms of infrastructure and resources, to make NCC training compulsory in schools and colleges. The potential outcomes of offering the NCC Credit Course needs to be viewed in the backdrop of this statement. If the FSFS experiment is successful, in future it may pave the way for possible expansion of NCC beyond the current sanctioned strength at an economical cost to the government. In case the government finds it viable and necessary in the national interest, HEIs in future may also be able to offer NCC to private students for just one or two semesters to receive basic NCC training and gain academic credits as well. This model has the potential to expand limited NCC training to cover a much larger population of students at a minimal economic cost. Well, while the UGC and the AICTE circulars apparently open up a wide range of possibilities, the implementation of the very first phase itself is expected to be a big challenge. The circulars by UGC and the AICTE specifically refers to the DG NCC letter of 16 March 2021 which not only elaborates on the proposal but also mentions a uniformly designed NCC General Elective Credit Course which would be available on the NCC website. Universities can make use of this universal model and adopt it as per CBCS norms after suitably modifying it as per respective academic norms and regulations. The ready availability of a pre-designed Credit Course model this time around, that can pass the muster of scrutiny by academic councils and board of studies of universities overcomes a major impediment. Hence, the success will therefore hinge on the level of involvement of the stakeholders which includes, MoD, MoE, DGNCC and the State Govts since the majority of the colleges that have NCC fall under state universities. State Directorates of NCC and NCC units at the grass-root level will play a vital role in consensus building and supporting the operationalisation of the circular in concerned colleges. As per informal feedback, the NCC student community is excited and eagerly awaiting implementation. The vast population of NCC alumni hails the UGC proposal almost unanimously. Further, the security situation in our neighbourhood, the uncertain world order, the damaging impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and other such looming global threats, underlines the necessity of strengthening and expansion of a disciplined and voluntary uniformed organisation like NCC. The circumstances today are more conducive, aspirational and essential; than ever before. It is now for the stakeholders of NCC to decide, how far they wish to go, to transform the aspiration of lakhs of NCC cadets into a reality, and in the words of the Prime Minister, take NCC into a higher plane as it turns 75 in 2023.

Maj Gen Indrabalan is currently serving as ADG NCC Bihar & Jharkhand and is concurrently pursuing PhD in social economics from NIT Patna. He headed the DGNCC Study Committee on the introduction of NCC as a Credit Course in Indian Universities. Prior to this, he was a faculty in  Army War College. A veteran of the Kargil War 1999, he has represented India as a military observer in UN Mission in Sierra Leone.