Situation 'unpredictable' at northern borders, women officers in combat role soon: Army chief Manoj Pande

As far as the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, "the ceasefire understanding which came about in February 2021 is holding well". However, "cross-border support to terrorism and terror infrastructure remains", Army Chief General Manoj Pande was quoted by ANI as saying.

"Our adversary (Pakistan) has tried to target minorities to cover up their failure in the Kashmir valley. Army and CRPF have increased their presence in these areas. Investigation has been handed over to NIA to find more about it," he said while speaking on Rajouri terror incident.

The Indian Army will commence the induction of women officers into the Regiment of Artillery, which entails a fair share of frontline combat. Army Chief General Manoj Pande said a proposal for the same has been sent to the government, and "we hope that it will be accepted", adding, "This step will ensure enhanced career progression avenues for women officers."

During the press conference, Army Chief General Manoj Pande said the Indian Army had incorporated software 'ASAAN', which would be used to record and manage the database for Agniveers. He said 'INDRA' would be used to integrate the database of all record offices, and 'DHANVANTRI' would be used to link all military hospitals pan India.

The Indian Army has also established Veterans’ Helpdesk and Veerangana Sewa Kendra to enhance connection with veterans and "veer naris" and address their queries in a faster timeframe, he said

"The Army has decided to undertake the transformation of the Indian Army, which essentially spans five key domains - starting from force restructuring and optimisation, modernisation and technology infusion and Human resource management philosophy," Army Chief General Manoj Pande said.

He said the Indian Army has "revamped its Unarmed Combat training and has standardised it as Army Martial Arts Routine (AMAR) ", which will help in dealing with combat situations. "It (AMAR) is an amalgamation of different martial arts in the country," he added.

Army chief General Manoj Pande said 25-28 buildings (of the Army) had developed minor cracks, and the soldiers have been temporarily relocated. "If needed, they will be permanently relocated to Auli," he said.

"As far as the bypass road (in Joshimath, Uttarakhand) is concerned, the work has been temporarily halted. But our accessibility to forward areas and operational readiness has not been affected. We will provide all assistance to the local administration," he added.