Date:18/03/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/03/18/stories/2006031811050400.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Passing-out parade at Tambaram IAF station

Staff Reporter

It involved over 400 Airmen, including 15 foreign nationals

BEST TRAINEE: Air Vice Marshal Ambrish Kumar, Senior Maintenance Staff, Officer Training Command, Bangalore, handing over a certificate and prize to G.W.G. Upul of Sri Lanka for being the best foreign trainee, during the passing-out parade at the Ind ian Air Force Station, Tambaram, on Friday. — Photo: A. Muralitharan

CHENNAI: After reviewing the passing out parade of more than 400 Airmen, including 15 foreign nationals at the Indian Air Force Station in Tambaram on Friday, Air Vice Marshal Ambrish Kumar, Senior Maintenance Staff, Officer Training Command, Bangalore, urged new recruits to make sustained efforts to keep themselves updated with the latest developments and trends. Stating that the operational efficiency of the IAF was dependant on the maintenance and administrative support, Mr. Ambrish Kumar pointed out that IAF was fast turning into a technology intensive service with constant induction of high performance, state-of - the-art and high precision military hardware, as the prevailing environment called for safeguarding the safety and integrity of the nation.

He called upon the new recruits to work with complete dedication and discipline. Reminding them that career prospects had substantially improved in the IAF, Mr. Ambrish Kumar urged them to reach greater heights. He also lauded the staff and officers of the Tambaram IAF station for imparting excellent training skills and moulding the youth as excellent Airmen.

Among the passing out Airmen, 22 were classified as Leading Air Craftsmen, while 14 from Sri Lanka and one from Cambodia also passed out. Naveen Kumar Chaturvedi and Ashok Kumar Yadav were given trophies for being the best all rounder from Mechanical and Workshop Training Institutes respectively. G.W.G. Upul and Kams Kariyapperuma were adjudged the best foreign trainees. Air Commodore M.S. Ahluwalia, was also present on the occasion.