Keep abreast with new tech to protect country: Prez Pranab Mukherjee to Army

Noting that technology was at the centre of the challenges faced by the world, President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday urged young Army engineers to keep themselves abreast with new technology and "refine" it for the armed forces.

Speaking at a convocation ceremony of the College of Military Engineering (CME) here, Mukherjee told the students that as engineers they should be prepared for a "dual role of good engineers and good soldiers".

"New challenges are there in domestic and international domains... Technology is at the centre of the challenges faced by the world today... (And) you must prepare to provide the technological knowhow (to ensure the security of the country)," he exhorted the students.

He said the next challenge for the students would be to "refine technology for the armed forces".

"Building infrastructure in remote areas of the country is an enormous responsibility that rests on your shoulders," he told the graduates.

Seventy-one M.Tech and B.Tech students graduated from the premier technical and tactical training institution of the Indian Army, established in 1943.

Earlier, Lt Gen D R Soni, General Officer Commanding- in-Chief (GOC-in-Chief) of Army Training Command (ARTRAC), said the armed forces had been engaged in low-intensity operations in Jammu and Kashmir, and added that proxy war remained a challenge.

"We need to remain fully prepared for a full-scale war at all times in the present turbulent regional scenario. The Army must remain abreast with most advanced art and craft of warfare," he said.

The CME is one of the bedrocks of Indian armed forces and awards the degrees jointly with Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).