In a major reshuffle in appointments in the Indian Army, Lt Gen Jagbir Singh Cheema was appointed as Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (Information Systems and Training).
About Lt Gen Jagbir Singh Cheema:
Lt Gen Jagbir Singh Cheema, DCOAS (IS&T)
Lt Gen Jagbir Singh Cheema is an alumnus of NDA and IMA.
He has a distinguished career spanning more than 38 years during which he has tenanted critical command, staff and instructional appointments at various levels.
Lt Gen Jagbir Singh Cheema was the Director General of Infantry in Integrated Headquarters of MoD (Army) prior to elevation to the present appointment of DCOAS (IS&T).
Lt Gen Jagbir Singh Cheema has vast operational experience across the entire spectrum of conflict in both conventional and sub-conventional scenarios along the Western and Northern Fronts.
The General Officer has attended all the prestigious professional courses including the Defence Services Staff College, Long Defence Management Course and the National Defence College Course.
He is a proud recipient of AVSM, VSM and three Army Commander’s Commendation Cards.
“I assume the appointment of Director General Border Roads with a sense of pride, honour and humility”, he said.
About Lt Gen Sanjeev Kumar Shrivastava:
Lt Gen Sanjeev Kumar Shrivastava, 25th Director General of Border Roads Organisation
Lt Gen SK Shrivastava was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers from Indian Military Academy, Dehradun in 1980.
He has attended all prestigious courses of the Indian Army including Staff Course at Defence Service Staff College, Wellington, Higher Command Course at Army War College, Mhow and the National Defence College, New Delhi.
Before taking over as Director General Border Roads, he was holding the appointment of Director General Combat Engineers at Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army).
Lt Gen SK Shrivastava has held a various staff, instructional and command appointments including Command of an Engineer Regiment during ‘OP PARAKRAM’, Command of an Engineer Brigade, Staff Officer in the MS Branch, Colonel Q (Operations) of a Corps and Colonel Administration in College of Military Engineering, Pune.
He has also been the Directing Staff and Advisor at the Defence Services Command and Staff College, Lusaka, Zambia.
Not only this, Lt Gen SK Shrivastava has also tenanted the appointment of Chief Engineer (Northern Command) and later the Additional Director General Works (Army) in the Engineer-in-Chief’s Branch, Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army).
About Border Roads Organisation (BRO):
The BRO develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas and friendly neighbouring countries and is the only agency in India to do so.
It is staffed by officers and troops drawn from the Indian Army’s Corps of Engineers, Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Military Police and army personnel on extra-regimental employment.
The BRO undertakes projects in India and friendly countries. These projects typically include developing roads, bridges, and airfields in hostile environments shunned by private enterprises, whether due to security concerns related to hostilities or because of environmental challenges.
The BRO operates and maintains over 32,885 kilometres of roads and about 12,200 meters of permanent bridges in India.
Lt Gen Suresh Sharma took over as Engineer-in-Chief of the Indian Army on 1st February 2017. In his capacity as Engineer-Chief, he will serve as the Principal Advisor to Chiefs of Army, Navy, Air Force and the Ministry of Defence on all matters pertaining to engineering works services. Being the head of Military Engineering Services (MES), he will also steer the Corps of Engineers.
About Lt Gen Suresh Sharma:
Lt Gen Suresh Sharma
He was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers from the Indian Military Academy.
He is an alumnus of prestigious courses at Defence Service Staff College, College of Defence Management and National Defence College.
Lt Gen Suresh Sharma commanded an Engineer Regiment during Operation Parakram and has held key operational logistics appointments in an Infantry Brigade, an Infantry Division & a Strike Corps, all ranging from LoC to South-Western Theatre.
Within the Corps, the Lt Gen Suresh Sharma has commanded the Bengal Engineer Group and Centre, a premiere training institution, and tenanted the appointments of Chief Engineer (Indian Navy & Coast Guards) Mumbai Zone, Chief Engineer South Western Command and Director General Combat Engineers at the Army HQs.
He was assigned to the United Nations as an Advisor and served as Chief Operations Officer of the Mission in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Prior to taking over as the Engineer-in-Chief, he served as the 24th Director General of the Border Roads Organisation (DGBR), where he provided direction and renewed impetus to a number of strategic border area projects. Today, the BRO is a vibrant, effective and responsive government agency that stands tall in the pursuit of its vision.
Before taking over as DGBR, he was holding the appointment of Director General Combat Engineers at Army HQ.
Before serving in BRO, Lt Gen Suresh Sharma was Command Chief Engineer South Western Command and has been elected as Colonel Commandant “The Bengal Sappers and Military Survey” from August 1, 2015.
He is a qualified mountaineer and has participated in an International Mountaineering Expedition.
On 26 January 2016, Lt Gen Suresh Sharma was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) by the President of India.
AFCAT 1 2019 has arrived and we are here with some important GK questions that are crucial for the exam. General Awareness paper is the biggest hurdle for the aspirants and all aspirants work hard to clear the paper. Don’t try to score more in the paper. Rather try to get passing marks in the paper and score more in English or Maths as per your preference and aptitude. Some of the important G.K. questions are given below that will help the aspirant to get the idea of what kind of questions will be asked in the exam.
50 GK Questions For AFCAT 2019
Gautam Budha was born at – Lumbini
What is the name of Jain literature – Anga
During Maurya’s period, which place was famous for education – Taxila
Who was the writer of Vikramdevcharit – Bilhad
Who is the god of Konark temple – Sun
Kutubminar’s construction was completed by which famous ruler – Iltutmish
Which Sikh guru started Gurumukhi script – Guru Angad
Who was the founder of Sayyid dynasty – Khizr Khan
Most important feature of Government of India act 1919 was – Introduction of Diarchy
Who decides whether a particular bill is money bill or not – Speaker of Lok Sabha
Who started civil services in India – Lord Cornwallis
Jawahar Lal Nehru port is located in – Mumbai
Which is the biggest tribe of India- Gond
Tunami is created by which natural phenomenon – Earthquake
The largest ecosystem on earth is – Hydrosphere
The biggest gulf in the world is – Bay of Bengal
Khetri Rajasthan is famous for the mining of – Copper
Annaimudi is the famous peak located in – Sahayadri
Which instrument can generate waves of constant amplitude – Oscillator
Quantum theory was first enunciated by – Max Plank
The instrument used to check the velocity of the air is – Anemometer
Which element is used in storage batteries – Lead
The main ingredient of cement is – limestone
Which type of wave has lease penetrating power – Alpha particles
The process of production of fruit without fertilisation is – Parthenocarpy
Constituents of stainless steel are – Iron, Chromium and Nickel
The metal having maximum electrical conductivity – Silver
Cooking gas constitutes which hydrocarbons – Butane and Propane
Bagasse is used for the manufacturing of – Paper
Solid form of CO2 is called – Dry Ice
What kind of economy does India have – Mixed economy
Whose signature is there on one rupee note – Finance secretory
The purpose of SEZ is – to raise FDI
The formula of calculating national income is – NNP – Indirect Tax + Subsidy
Kisan credit card Yojna was started in – 1998
VAT was firstly implemented in which country – France
The language used in the literature of Sangam period – Tamil
Photometer is used for – Measuring the rate of Transpiration
The Uruguay round led to the establishment of – WTO
Kamarupa is the old name of which state – Assam
Delhi became the capital of India is -1911
Number of slabs in Vat are – 4 slabs
Indica was written by – Magasthenes
Who is the first chief of air force to receive the honour of Marshal – Arjan Singh
The cell theory was propounded by – Schleiden and Schwann
The International court of justice is situated in – Hague
First general election was held in India is -1951
The minimum age returned to become president of India is – 35 years
The chairman of public accounts committee is appointed by – Speaker
Chairman of UPSC and State PSC is appointed by – President
Conclusion – These G.K questions can be asked in the upcoming CDS exam. The questions can either be asked directly or in the statement form. Candidates need to stay clear and precise in attempting statement type questions. Candidates are advised to prepare their basic graduation subject better in order to score more in the General Awareness paper of CDS. So aspirants prepare hard and get your seat reserved in your dream academy.
Recently, we posted about two cadets who represented INA at a leadership conference at USNA. The conference was held in United States Naval Academy, Annapolis. It was aimed to deliberate on leadership challenges faced by military leaders in recent times.
Cadet Paritosh Singh and Cadet Rohan Singh Pal from INA accompanied by their Squadron Commander Lieutenant Commander Sandeep G Nair represented INA.
Less they knew that they would meet the man who changed the face of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, Admiral William McRaven.
About Admiral William McRaven:
William McRaven is known for his leadership of the military operation that led to the death of Osama bin Laden. He graduated from UT in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in Middle Eastern Studies.
McRaven has served in the United States Navy for 37 years and has contributed to a variety of projects, including the development of an “Iron Man” advanced combat suit. McRaven currently commands 67,000 special operations forces around the world.
During the Iraq War, McRaven led the shadowy Task Force 121, which tracked down Saddam Hussein in December 2003. Much of the public credit for Saddam’s capture went to conventional army units, but it was, in fact, the Special Operations forces under McRaven’s command who did much of the work to find the Iraqi dictator.f
But it was the killing of Osama Bin Laden that ensured his place in the pages of history. He was the head of the Joint Special Operations Command, stationed in Afghanistan.
Despite his chosen career path, his journalism degree did not go to waste. In 1995, he wrote a book that has become compulsory reading for special operations commanders.
The author, who by this time was a senior member of the Seals, identifies six principles for success: simplicity, security, repetition, surprise, speed and purpose.
After the operation, Adm. William McRaven handed over the reins of Special Operations Command to his successor, Gen. Joseph Votel.
Many candidates who have attended the CDS Exam this year are looking for the CDS Exam Cut Off Marks. There is a written exam cut off marks which you have to clear to qualify for the SSB interview, and you will clear the SSB Interview if you clear the CDS exam final cut off marks.
The Final CDS Exam Cutoff 2017 will be decided considering the CDS written exam and SSB Interview marks. The candidates in the SSB Interview will have to secure the minimum qualifying marks. The commission will prepare a separate cutoff score for the SSB Interview. On the basis of the CDS Final 2017 Cutoff score, candidates will be provided admission to the various defence services. However, the candidates will have to satisfy the criteria fixed by the medical board.
UPSC CDS Final Cut Off 2017 [Expected]
Course Name
Expected CDS Cutoff
Indian Military Academy, Dehradoon
225-230
Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala
225-230
Air Force Academy, Hyderabad
255-265
Officers Training Academy, Chennai (For Women)
163-170
Officers Training Academy, Chennai
160-168
Previous year final Cutoff score
CDS Cut Off 2015 (Final)
Academy
CDS I
CDS II
IMA
225
227
INA
225
227
IFA
264
269
OTA (Men)
168
166
OTA (Women)
172
170
CDS Cut off 2014 (Final)
Academy
CDS I
CDS II
IMA
224
225
INA
224
206
IFA
257
256
OTA (Men)
268
154
OTA (Women)
170
152
CDS Cut off 2013 (Final)
Academy
CDS I
CDS II
IMA
225
231
INA
206
231
IFA
256
266
OTA (Men)
154
158
OTA (Women)
152
160
CDS Cutoff – Previous Year Cutoff Trends
CDS Cut off 2017 – Important Factors
The Cutoff of CDS exam will be evaluated on many factors. Some ofthe factors are mentioned below
Number of candidates appeared for the CDS Exam
No of candidates passed the exam
Difficulty level of question paper
No. Of vacancy for this exam
Cutoff may also be sectional wise
CDS Sectional Cut Off Marks
Course
Minimum qualifying marks in each subject (may vary)
CDS Result will be announced for those candidates who will secure the minimum qualifying marks in the exam. The result of CDS 2 2017 written exam will be declared in the month of Jan/Feb 2018. Candidates qualifying the written exam will be called for the SSB Interview.
The 26/11 attacks on Mumbai is one of the darkest chapters of India’s history. Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists carried out a series of 12 attacks on Mumbai which lasted over 3 days. It killed 166 people and injured over 600. Just like any other dark chapters, it is during these moments that heroes emerged. One such unsung hero is a then US Marine Captain Ravi Dharnidharka, who saved 157 lives during the siege of the Taj hotel.
Captain Ravi Dharnidharka was a Captain in the US Marine Corps and had spent four years flying more than 200 combat missions in Iraq, including in the bloody battle of Fallujah in 2004. In November 2008, this 31-year-old Indian American Marine was in India after more than a decade to spend his holidays with his family who stays near Badhwar Park in Mumbai.
US Marine, Captain Ravi Dharnidharka
Ravi knew something bad was going to happen because, unlike hotel security, he didn’t miss the beeping sound of the metal detector when he entered the hotel.
Once affirmed the hotel was under attack, Ravi, along with a few others who were ex-commandos from South Africa working for personal business, gathered and decided to take matters into their hands.
Time passed. The staff at Taj did not let services stop. People kept getting whatever, beverage and food one asked for. Then there were two tremendous explosions. The terrorists had set off RDX in the heritage towers of the Taj. The impact was felt all the way through to the 20th floor.
The hall which became full with 157 civilians was darkened, the doors were barricaded with every available heavy object, and people were asked to stay quiet. They barricaded the fire escape inside the hall and asked the hotel staff to unblock the stairs if they had to make a quick exit.
The fire had started spreading upwards, which could complicate things further by blocking their exit, cutting their power supply, or even suffocating them. It was time move out.
The commandos made sure the path was clear. Ravi helped people vacate the hall slowly. It was realised that an 84-year-old lady among them couldn’t climb down 20 flights of stairs. She insisted on being left there, but Captain Dharnidharka wouldn’t allow that. He took help from one of the waiters and carried her downstairs in his arms.
The staircase was narrow. The group led by the South Africans and Taj security men moved slowly. They were followed by women and children, who were followed by more security men. The men along with Captain Dharnidharka came out last. Crossing each landing carried its own risk. Slowly and rapidly, Ravi Dharnidharka and six of his teammates that were South African guided 157 people out of the hotel.
Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral R.C. Wijegunaratne led a four-member delegation on a visit to India from 29 Jan to 2 Feb 2017.
The visit aimed at consolidating bilateral naval relations between India and Sri Lanka and to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.
Vice Admiral R.C. Wijegunaratne’s Training in India:
The Vice Admiral, as a Sub Lieutenant, had undergone afloat training in 1983-84 and later in anti-submarine warfare in 1989 in Kochi.
Vice Admiral R.C. Wijegunaratne had also undergone a course at the prestigious National Defence College New Delhi in 2010.
Commander of Sri Lankan Navy, Vice Admiral R.C. Wijegunaratne
Highlights of Vice Admiral R.C. Wijegunaratne’s Visit to India:
During his visit, the Commander interacted with Sri Lanka Navy personnel who are undergoing training with Indian Navy at Kochi and visited the Anti-Submarine Warfare School.
He had visited Delhi and Goa prior to arriving in Kochi.
He held bilateral discussions with Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff and other senior officials of the Indian Navy on 30th January 2017.
Vice Admiral R.C. Wijegunaratne, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy on his official visit to India met Admiral Sunil Lanba
Vice Admiral R.C. Wijegunaratne also met the Chief of the Air Staff, Chief of the Army Staff as well as the Director General, Indian Coast Guard. Calls on of the Hon’ble Minister of State for Defence and Defence Secretary were also scheduled as part of his official meetings in New Delhi.
In addition to New Delhi, Vice Admiral R.C. Wijegunaratne proceeded to Goa where he visited Naval War College and Goa Shipyard Limited besides interacting with Flag Officer Commanding Goa Area.
Vice Admiral A.R. Karve, Flag officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, held discussions with the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy in which he was given an overview of activities conducted by the Southern Naval Command.
Vice Admiral R.C. Wijegunaratne also held discussions with Rear Admiral M.A. Hampiholi, Flag Officer Sea Training, on issues concerning work-up.
CDS 1 2017 exam was conducted by UPSC on 5th Feb 2017. Candidates who have written CDS 1 2017 exam can check for CDS 1 2017 cutoff marks and CDS 1 2017 answer keys. In this article, we are providing the CDS 1 2017 questions papers. Candidates can download the pdf copy of CDS 1 2017 questions papers of Maths, English and General Knowledge. CDS 1 2017 question papers will be available on UPSC official website very soon. Candidates who are looking for the CDS 1 2017 question paper can keep an eye on this page. The Union Public Service Commission UPSC conducts one of the most renowned exams to join Indian armed forces. Question Paper of CDS 1 2016 is available in PDF Combined Defence Services (CDS) Exam. Aspirants who are preparing for the CDS 2017 exam can check out the CDS previous question papers here.
UPSC CDS 2017 Exam Pattern
Indian Military Academy IMA/ Naval Academy/Air Force Academy
English Objective
100 Marks
General Knowledge
Elementary Mathematics
Officer Training
English Objective
100 Marks
General Knowledge
IMA NA AFA SSB Interviews OTA
300 Marks
200 Marks
CDS Age Limit 2017
19 to 22 years – Naval Academy
19 to 23 years – Air Force Academy
19 to 24 years – Indian Military Academy
19 to 25 years- Officers Training Academy
Candidates are required to practice the question from cds exam daily to succeed during cds exam in 2017. Candidates can also join the best cds coaching here which is fully online.
CDS 1 2017 question paper is very useful to candidates as those who never appeared or will be appearing in CDS Exam in 2017 and 2018. They will easily get an idea as to what kind of question they will face during CDS written exam and how to prepare for it. We suggest that from proper time limit try to solve CDS previous year question papers in PDF of English, Mathematics, General Knowledge. Sometimes what happen that one or two questions come repeatedly that will save your time. CDS question papers are given in series like A, B, C, D.
Few good warriors can send their scanned CDS question papers to us.
At about 1820h on 08 June 2016, whilst transiting off Goa in heavy weather, INS Trikand was contacted on radio by Merchant Vessel, MV Infinity One anchored off Grandi Island. MV Infinity One reported a crack in starboard ship’s side (right side) with water entering the ship and requested de-flooding assistance in the emergency.
Lt Cdr Neeraj Kumar is the Nuclear, Biological, & Chemical Defence (NBCD) Officer on board INS Trikand. Immediately, INS Trikand closed MV Infinity to render assistance.
The weather was extremely unfavourable, with heavy rain, low visibility, winds gusting to 25-29 KN, pitch dark night conditions and sea state 3-4.
Undeterred by the challenging weather conditions, Lt Cdr Neeraj Kumar sprang into action and quickly mustered a four-man Damage Control (DC) team along with dewatering pumps and leak stopping gears. During embarkation of the DC team and stores into the ship’s boat, the boat and ship were rolling excessively in the heavy seas and the scramble net swayed precariously throughout the descent into the boat.
Keeping his cool and displaying unflinching courage, Lt Cdr Neeraj Kumar led from the front and ensured all men and stores were loaded into the boat in record time. Motivating his team all along the way and closely monitoring their movements, he led the team personally on an extremely demanding transit across the choppy seas to the marooned Merchant Vessel.
Upon embarkation, onboard the Merchant Vessel at 2020h on 08 June 2016, the MV crew were assessed to be poorly trained and motivated, with many seemingly in shock. The forward hold of MV Infinity was half flooded and the ship was listed excessively to starboard with sea/swell breaking over the weather deck. The only access to the forward hold was via a catwalk that was on the starboard edge of the weather deck, which was constantly awash with sea and spray. Catwalk and upper decks were caked with bitumen dust from the ship’s cargo, which along with the heel to starboard, aggravated by the pitch-black night and falling rain created treacherous underfoot conditions.
The Forward Hold itself was in complete darkness and was accessible only via a narrow lobby above. All onboard pumps of the MV had burned out or suction was choked by bitumen cargo in the hold.
Displaying tremendous professional poise and composure in such trying conditions, Lt Cdr Neeraj Kumar marshalled his team expertly and swiftly rigged up portable submersible pumps in the forward hold of the MV. When MV crew were unable to provide a power supply for the pumps, Lt Cdr Neeraj Kumar and his team proactively took matters into their own hands, searched all nearby compartments, identified compatible supply breakers and rigged up direct electrical tapping from those points to energise the pumps. After two hours of sustained de-flooding of the forward hold using the pumps operationalised by Lt Cdr Neeraj and his crew, the list of the MV was observed to gradually reduce and by 0315h on 09 June 2016, the list had reduced to five degrees and the MV was declared out of the danger by the Master.
LT CDR NEERAJ KUMAR, Naosena Medal
Military leadership, courage in adversity and ability to overcome all odds displayed by Lt Cdr Neeraj Kumar are in the best traditions of the naval service. Technical and seamanship skills as well as sheer guts displayed by the officer ensured the successful rescue of a Merchant Vessel in distress at sea and saved the lives of all 14 MV seamen of Indian nationality. For his intrepid leadership and bravery, Lt Cdr Neeraj Kumar is awarded Nao Sena Medal for Gallantry.
![CDS Exam Final [SSB Interview] Cut Off](https://www.ssbcrack.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/CDS-Exam-Final-SSB-Interview-Cut-Off-.jpg "CDS Exam Final [SSB Interview] Cut Off")
