Working to normalise situation in Manipur: Army chief Manoj Pande

The overall violence in Manipur has come down, and the Army is working to normalise the situation to ensure stability, the chief of Army staff Manoj Pande said on Thursday. He added that the state saw violence last year in May but it has now come down with the combined efforts of the state administration, Army and Assam Rifles.

Interacting with the cadets at the NCC Republic Day Parade Camp in New Delhi, Pande also said that the situation is "stable but sensitive" in the northern border. He said that on the eastern Ladakh row, "We continue to hold talks at military and diplomatic levels to find resolution to balanced issues."

Pande added that the operational preparedness of the Indian Army is very high and deployment robust.

"We continue to maintain adequate reserves of personnel to deal with any situation," he said.

Also Read: Ongoing ethnic violence takes a heavy toll on economy of Manipur

He added that the ceasefire understanding is holding along the Line of Control, though there have been infiltration attempts. "We are foiling infiltration attempts along LoC; there is the overall drop in violence in the hinterland in J&K."

"Support for terror infrastructure in J&K continues," he added.

He also said that the Army has been restructuring the artillery unit. "We have started the process of reducing animals in our animal transport units and they are being replaced by drones...We have made a plan and optimise our strength by significant numbers."

"2024 will be the year of technology adoption for the Indian Army as part of the overall modernisation of force," he said.

On the Agnipath Yojana, Pande said that the first two batches of Agniveers have been fully deployed in the field units and the feedback is "exciting and positive".

"120 women officers who have been given permanent commission and are in command roles are deployed in field areas also and they are doing a good job there," Pande said.

(With inputs from ANI)