india

Updated: Apr 24, 2020 19:11 IST

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday asked India’s top military commanders to ensure that India’s adversary is not allowed to exploit the Covid-19 situation at a time when the Pakistan army continues to violate the ceasefire on the Line of Control to help terrorists sneak into Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan’s army has violated the ceasefire 247 times this month (up to April 22), taking the count of border violations to 1,391 this year so far. The total number of ceasefire violations by the neighbouring army stood at 3,168 in 2019 and 1,629 in 2018.

The minister, via video conference, asked the commanders from the three services to ensure the operational readiness of their forces while battling the coronavirus disease. The armed forces are an important institutional pillar in the country’s fight against the pandemic and are working on a war footing to deal with Covid-19, including setting up dedicated hospitals, flying medical supplies and operating quarantine facilities.

A statement issued by the Defence Ministry said Singh directed the armed forces to spend financial resources judiciously and avoid wastage in view of the economic burden imposed by Covid-19. Stressing on the need to strengthen jointness in the armed forces, Singh asked the top commanders to identify and prioritise tasks that could be accomplished quickly and would assist in revival of the economy after the lockdown is lifted.

Those who took part in the video conference included chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat, army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, defence secretary Ajay Kumar, secretary (defence finance) Gargi Kaul and commanders-in chief from the three services.

The commanders-in-chief briefed the minister on the steps taken by their commands to prevent the spread of the coronavirus among the forces as well as assistance being offered to the local civilian administration to combat the pandemic. The military has taken a string of preventive measures to stop the spread of the disease within its ranks.

The statement said that the senior military commanders appreciated the recent devolution of emergency financial powers by the defence ministry to ensure timely procurement of necessary medical supplies and bolster the hospital infrastructure. The commanders said they were ready to pitch in to maintain essential services locally if requested by the civilian administration.

Singh was to chair the Unified Commanders Conference (UCC) in Delhi on April 22-23 but the conclave was postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak. The UCC was to be attended by national security adviser Ajit Doval, chief of defence staff, the three service chiefs and a battery of senior officers of the armed forces and the ministry.

The army had earlier indefinitely deferred a conference of its top commanders that was scheduled to take place in Delhi from April 13 to April 18.

Such top conferences covers key issues such as the country’s security dynamics, emerging security scenarios, enhancing operational capability, taking steps to stay prepared for all challenges and budgetary aspects. Issues related to theaterisation would have also been discussed but the coronavirus outbreak has put many things on hold.