Group Captain Premanand Ramanany (3453) was commissioned in the Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics) Branch of the Indian Air Force in November, 1947. He assumed command of a Base Repair Depot Air Force in July 1974. Very soon thereafter he took a series of carefully planned steps to improve both the repair, test and calibration capability of the Depot and the production capacity of its workshops.

Towards increased production, Group Captain Premanand Ramany completely reorganized the workshops for overhaul/ repair of Receivers, Teleprinters, VHF/DF and AD 210C equipment. By re­designing the lay out of the repair facilities and also the production lines he ensured optimum utilisation of available manpower. For instance, the manhours for the production of teleprinters were, without compromising the quality, reduced from 180 to 130. As a result there was marked increased in production in many important spheres. The repair of Canberra rotables increased from 36% in 1974-75 to 105% in 1975-76, over the same period the rotables production of Caribous increased from 63% to 101% and production of test equipment from 92% to 200%.

The officer also took a very special personal interest in the establishment of a Calibration Laboratory, a long­felt need of the Air Force. By rationalisation of availably test equipment and also supplementing those to some extent by collecting useful items from existing Air Force assets, he has now successfully set up a comprehensive Laboratory capable of under taking the calibration of no less than 150 varieties of test equipment. For optimum utilisation of the Laboratory by all units of the Air Force, the Depot has now also prepared a complete compendium of calibration facilities which are available at the Depot.

Apart from the many and varied steps he took to improve production and the capability of his Depot, Group Captain Parmanand Ramanany also gave deep thought to the evolution of a policy of preventive maintenance of all signals equipment in the Air Force and it is largely as a result of his initiative that a scheme has now been introduced for periodic preventive maintenance of major items. This initiative will also greatly facilitate the formulation of long term repair tasks, which in turn, will ensure proper provisioning of spares.

Throughout Group Captain Premanand Ramany has rendered distinguished service of an exceptional order.