NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday visited the forward areas of three (Gajraj) Corps in Anini, a village in Dibang valley of Arunachal Pradesh.
Singh, who is on a two-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh, was accompanied by Army Chief General Manoj Pande, Commander of Eastern Command Lieutenant General R P Kalita along with other senior officers.
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.”
Defence Minister interacted 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.
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Shri Rajnath Singh termed 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 in 2014, with a focus on equipping the services with state-of-the-art weapons/equipment through an ‘Aatmanirbhar’ defence industry.
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command Lieutenant General RP Kalita and other senior officers of the Indian Army also interacted with the troops posted in the area.
As part of the day’s engagements, the Raksha Mantri also interacted with the members of the second religious expedition to Athu Popu, an annual trek of the local Idu Mishmi tribe which is being facilitated by the Indian Army since 2021 as part of the outreach and continued efforts towards supporting the locals and development of tourism.