Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Friday (September 29) said that the firm manner in which the Indian troops stood up to the Chinese forces during the Galwan Valley stand-off in May 2020 made the world take note of India’s political and military resolve.
"The resolute and firm manner in which we stood up to our northern adversary during the events of April-May 2020 has made the world take notice of our political and military resolve of a rising India. Many nations today also appear ready to take our Northern adversary on various issues head-on," Pande said while addressing the PHDCCI's annual meeting.
The Army Chief referred to China’s rising economic clout and said that the country has been looking at geopolitical and trade agreement as zero-sum game.
"With its economic heft, China has been looking at geopolitical and trade agreements as a zero-sum game. Concurrently, Chinese belligerence is evident in its continuous propensity to project power outside its region and present a threat to rule-based organisations," he said.
Citing the Russia-Ukraine war, General Pande said that India’s stance on the issue is a good example of how the country approached the legitimate pursuits of its national interest.
“Our stance on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict is a good example where we stood steadfast and clear towards addressing legitimate pursuits of our national interest. The dividends are evident in our pursuits as part of a bilateral and multilateral grouping, international solar alliance, global bio-fuel alliance, coalition for disaster resilient infrastructure, trade agreement,” he said.
General Pande further emphasised on the self dependency and said that “we continue to hold trials and provisioning for Research and development”.
The Army Chief also mentioned the Agnipath scheme for the youths and called it a “path-breaking initiative” adding that Agniveers will stand empowered after four years.
Agnipath is a scheme wherein selected candidates will be enrolled as Agniveers for a four-year period. After a 4-year period, Agniveers will go to society as a disciplined, dynamic, and skilled workforce for employment in other sectors.
Based on organisational requirements, Agniveers will be offered the opportunity to apply for a permanent cadre. Up to 25 per cent of Agniveers will be selected for enrollment in the Armed Forces as regular cadres.
(With inputs from agencies)
