Rajnath Singh performs 'Shastra Puja', celebrates Vijayadashami with armed forces in Gangtok

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh performed 'Shastra Puja' and celebrated the festival of Vijayadashami with the armed forces personnel in Gangtok, Sikkim on Saturday.

He applied tilak to the armed forces personnel who greeted them, saying 'Jai Hind.'

The Union Minister also posed for a picture with the armed forces personnel.

Earlier in the day, he extended Vijayadashami greetings to the nation.

Later in the day, he is scheduled to e-inaugurate 75 infrastructure projects worth Rs 2,236 crore to the nation, giving a major boost to military mobility and logistics support in forward areas along the China border.

The inauguration of these bridges holds special significance in the Chenab Valley region of Jammu and Kashmir, where these bridges connect the Jammu-Srinagar Highway with Dhar Road.

Additionally, these bridges are also located on the Bani-Bhaderwah road, which provides an alternate route from the Kathua region.

The structures to be inaugurated include four major bridges in the Jammu Parliamentary constituency: Korga, Sanu, Chenani, and Darsu. Apart from this, Sewa Do, Byalu, Khudwa, and Swan bridges in Udhampur will also be inaugurated.

The Minister is on a two-day visit to Sikkim, to address the Army Commanders' Conference 2024, which began on Friday.

Major issues such as the growing importance of a multi-pronged national security strategy that incorporates integration of Civil-Military Fusion and the Diplomatic, Information, Military, and Economic (DIME) pillars to counter contemporary threats besides the need for developing low-cost technologies and alternate strategies to counter the rapidly evolving character of warfare, will be discussed during the two-day session.

The conference will serve as a forum for Senior Commanders to review current operational preparedness, deliberate on critical strategies and outline future directives.

During the event, the Union Minister will be briefed on the emerging security challenges and the response of the Force in the security domain.