New Delhi: Amidst the ongoing standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat assured the members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that India is fully prepared for any challenge along the India-China border.
Meanwhile, the Indian Army soldiers went through aggressive training, vigorous exercise, and meditation in the rough climate conditions and terrains of the Eastern Sector in Arunachal Pradesh near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The soldiers also demonstrated a drill in the Tawang sector near the LAC to tackle any threat from the Chinese side. They also practiced a battle drill to destroy enemy tanks in the Tawang sector near the LAC.
The eastern Ladakh border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 last year after a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas.
When CDS was asked in the PAC meeting on Wednesday about the unrest in the Ladakh region along the LAC and if we are ready to deal with unforeseen situations, he replied, "India is fully prepared on the LAC and we are in a position to give a strong reply," as per sources.
The official agenda for the PAC meeting was "Oral evidence of the representatives of Ministry of Defence on the subject 'Provisioning, Procurement and issue of High Altitude, Clothing, Equipment, Ration and Housing' based on C&AG Report of 2019."
About a dozen of senior officers from the Indian Army including CDS participated in the meeting on the above issues and gave in-depth information about equipment procurement, the position of jawans in high altitude areas and accommodation of Indian jawans on LAC including clothing and ration details, the source said.
Recently, Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Manoj Pande on Tuesday said the Chinese Army's activities have increased marginally in in-depth areas across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which is under tight surveillance of the Indian Army.
"The annual training exercise that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) carries out, there has been some increase in the level of activities but that is in the depth areas. Some of the reserve formations of the PLA which were mobilised have continued to remain in their training areas but that again is in operational depth. We have enhanced our surveillance both in LAC and depth areas," Lieutenant General Pande said.
