Sending a stern message to China, Indian Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane said on Friday that no one should commit the mistake of testing “our (Indian armed forces') patience”.
Naravane's remarks came couple of days after he made it clear that the Indian Army is prepared to hold its ground in Eastern Ladakh as long as it takes to achieve national objectives. More than 50,000 troops are deployed by the Indian Army in response to the Chinese military's unprecedented mobilisation and forward concentration of troops on multiple locations along the Eastern Ladakh sector.
"Sacrifice of Galwan braves won’t go waste. Nobody should commit the mistake of testing our patience. Last year was a big challenge on northern borders, as China hatched a conspiracy to unilaterally change status quo on the border, but China was responded to strongly," General Naravane said, while addressing his troops on the occasion of Army Day. He added that “we are committed to finding the resolution of our disputes through discussions and political efforts”.
Multiple rounds of military- and diplomatic-level talks have taken place between India and China to resolve the military standoff, but all talks have been inconclusive. Now, both sides are working out the modalities to finalise the schedule for the ninth round of military commanders' talks, as last commanders' talks happened on November 6.
General Naravane also said that the Indian Army is taking concrete steps towards its modernisation. "Under emergency and fast-track schemes, Army procured equipment worth about Rs 5,000 crore and signed contracts worth Rs 13,000 crore in the last year under capital procurement," the Indian Army chief said. And to counter Chinese aggression, Union finance ministry has allocated an additional budget close to Rs 8,500 crore. It came in the revised estimate (RE Budget) category. While Rs 6,000 crore has been given under the revenue allocation to meet the day-to-day needs of deployed troops, Rs 2,500 crore is being given for modernisation under the capital allocation category.
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Talking about the western border with Pakistan, the Indian Army chief said that last year, the Army eliminated over 200 terrorists near the LoC and in counter-terrorism operations. He added that around 300-400 terrorists are sitting in training camps near the border to infiltrate into Indian territory. "Number of ceasefire violations went up by 44 per cent last year, which shows the nefarious intentions of Pakistan," General Naravane further said.
Meanwhile, for the first time ever, the Indian Army demonstrated combat swarm drones in the Army Day Parade.