NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday visited the forward areas of 3 (Gajraj) Corps in Anini, a village in Dibang valley of Arunachal Pradesh. Explaining Rajnath’s visit, the Ministry of Defence in a statement said, “Defence Minister made an on-the-ground assessment of the country’s defence preparedness along the LAC by taking stock of the entire gamut of security-related aspects.”
Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, Lieutenant General R P Kalita and other senior officers of the Indian Army also accompanied the Raksha Mantri who interacted with the troops posted in the area.
The defence ministry carried out an interaction with Armed Forces personnel also in Tezpur, Assam. In his address, he commended the dedication and sacrifice of the soldiers posted at the borders, bravely protecting the sovereignty, unity and integrity of the country.
Singh termed that the Armed Forces as the very reason behind the strength and confidence of the Nation.
He said, “Strengthening India’s military prowess has been the Government’s top priority ever since it came to power since 2014, with focus on equipping the Services with state-of-the-art weapons/equipment through an ‘Atma Nirbhar’ defence industry.”
As part of the day’s engagements, the Raksha Mantri also interacted with the members of second religious expedition to Athu Popu, an annual trek of local Idu Mishmi tribe which is being facilitated by Indian Army since 2021 as part of outreach and continued efforts towards supporting the locals & development of tourism.