Army Chief visits force formations in Uttarakhand to review operational preparedness

New Delhi: Amid border tension with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane is on a two-day visit to force formations in Uttarakhand to review the security situation and operational preparedness. As winter sets in, the troops braving harsh weather are deployed at various heights in Uttarakhand bordering China.

"General Naravane will be staying at Joshimath Cantonment, one of the important military stations of Indian Army today and would be interacting with senior officers," said a senior Army officer. The officer also said that Naravane on Thursday would be visiting forward locations and interacting with troops.

India and China are engaged in an eight-month-long standoff at the LAC. Despite several levels of dialogue the deadlock has not ended. Lately, however, there are constructive engagements between both the countries with three-step proposal of disengagement under consideration.

Last week, the Army chief went to Nepal for two days to strengthen bilateral relationship between both the countries that was on an edge lately.

Naravane visited Nepal between November 4 and November 6 where he met his Nepalese counterpart Gen Purna Chandra Thapa, Nepal's President Vidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

He was also conferred the honorary rank of general of the Nepali Army at an investiture ceremony. His visit to Nepal would be seen as an attempt to reboot relations with Nepal, based on modern tenets of diplomacy.

Last month, General Naravane along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Sukna Corp in Darjeeling district in West Bengal.

The Sukna Corp is tasked to protect India's borders with Bhutan and China. Both the defence minister and the Army chief visited forward areas and interacted with troops.