NEW DELHI, Nov 26:
Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh is expected to take up the issue of raising an offensive Corps including around one lakh soldiers along the China border in a presentation soon to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the shortages faced by the 1.3 million-strong force.
In the briefing before the Prime Minister, Gen Singh is expected to discuss the issue and need for raising a Mountain Corps with offensive capabilities along the boundary with China in the northeastern sector, sources said here.
The Army had sent the proposal in this regard in 2010 but it was returned by the Government asking the three Services to work together on plans to strengthen their capabilities in that region.
The around Rs.64,000 crore proposal is in the final stages of being vetted by the three Services and is expected to be sent to the Government very soon, they said.
The Army has plans to raise the new Corps in Panagarh in West Bengal and a number of new armoured and artillery divisions along with it to be deployed along the Northeast.
The Army has been taking a number of steps to strengthen its defences along the China border and raised two Divisions there in recent past.
The IAF has also decided to deploy its C-130 Super Hercules transport aircraft in Panagarh only.
In the presentation before the Prime Minister, the Army Chief is also expected to brief the Prime Minister on the “hollowness” faced by the force in its defence preparedness.
The Army is in the process of identifying more areas where it is facing shortfalls and they will be added in the presentation before the PM, the sources said.
Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia is coordinating with all arms and services to prepare the list of equipment and platforms which are short in inventory and would be required by the force to maintain its operational preparedness.
During the recent Commanders’ Conference also, the Army Chief had said “hollowness” in the country’s Defence preparedness will be addressed by pushing for a new direction in modernisation.
“There was a need to address hollowness in Defence preparedness and undertake modernisation with added vigour,” he had said.
Gen Bikram Singh’s predecessor Gen V K Singh had highlighted the critical shortage of arms and ammunition faced by the various arms and services of the force in a secret letter written to the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, India is befriending China on one hand and remaining “cautious” on the other by deploying more troops in Ladakh region due to “threat” perception, having learnt lessons from the past, Union Minister Farooq Abdullah said today.
Addressing young students, scholars and scientists at the Northern Regional Science Congress here, Abdullah broached the topic when he was referring to the abundant wind energy resources available in Ladakh region.
“We people have Army there (in Ladakh). (We have) one full division there and now we are putting another division there because we have threat from China and I don’t say that outside but I am telling you because you are Indians.
“I want to tell you that in one place we are befriending China but we have also learnt a lesson from China and that is why we remain cautious as well because we had one division we will be keeping another one there,” he said.
The Minister also noted that China was indulging in huge infrastructure building on the Arunachal Pradesh border while “we are still thinking.”
On energy, he said India will be a power surplus country by 2030 and the Government is looking forward to produce energy through clean coal and nuclear energy as well.
Abdullah said the Government has set the target of producing 22,000 MW of energy through renewable sources by 2022.
He said the Government is offering subsidies for using solar power water heaters at homes and would also provide loans to buy appliances run on solar power and urged people to adopt solar and other alternative energies.
The minister blamed the US for global warming and said that India is one of the lowest producers of global gases even lower than China.
He also motivated young students and scholars to take up sciences and research as it is the only way to progress forward.
The Northern Regional Science Congress was organised by Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) and Department of Science of Technology , Government of India. (PTI)
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel