NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday performed Shastra Puja with the troops at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and interacted with the troops deployed in the frontline locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
“Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday visited the forward posts in Arunachal Pradesh and carried out first-hand on-ground assessment of operational preparedness of the armed forces there,” the defence ministry said. Rajnath Singh expressed gratitude to the unyielding spirit, unwavering commitment and unparalleled courage of the troops who are deployed on the borders in tough conditions, and who ensures that the nation and its people are safe.
Tawang town is inhabited by more than 50,000 people. Called the little Tibet by China, it is one of the contentious areas which China claims as its own. The defence ninister also visited the Tawang War Memorial where he laid a wreath and offered tributes to the bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice during the 1962 war. He was accompanied by Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Eastern Command Lt Gen RP Kalita; GOC, 4 Corps Lt Gen Manish Erry and other senior officers of the Indian Army. Singh also visited the 4 (Gajraj) Corps Headquarters at Tezpur in Assam. Gajraj Corps handles the counter insurgency role in Assam and is also responsible for defence of the Line of Actual Control with China in Western Arunachal Pradesh.
In view of the current global scenario, Singh asserted that there is no option but to bolster the country’s security apparatus, underlining that all efforts are being made by the government to strengthen the nation’s military prowess through indigenous production of defence equipment.
Highlighting self reliance in defence, Rajnath Singh said, “Earlier, we used to rely on imports to upgrade our military. But today, a number of major weapons and platforms are being manufactured within the country. Foreign companies are being encouraged to share their technology and produce the equipment in India with domestic industry. In 2014, the value of defence exports was about `1,000 crore, but today we are exporting defence equipment worth thousands of crores,” he said.