Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi said on Tuesday that the status quo with China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh remains and talks are on at various levels. The situation in Jammu and Kashmir is under control. Efforts are on to completely stop terrorist incidents in Kashmir.
The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC), Northern Command was addressing a Mega Veterans Sampark Rally organized at Digiana. More than eight hundred veterans and Veer Naris from a unit of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles participated in the rally. On this occasion, Lt Gen Dwivedi said that the status quo with China on LAC remains. Talks are going on at various levels. Lt Gen Dwivedi took over as the Army Commander of the Northern Command on February 1 last year.
Lt Gen Dwivedi also talked about the continuity of the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan and said that there have been some infiltration attempts which have been successfully foiled by the Indian Army. He said the situation in the hinterland is largely under control. Our Counter Insurgency/Counter Terrorism Grid is fully working with the civil administration and efforts are on to completely prevent terrorist incidents.
Lt Gen Dwivedi said that the objective of the rally is to reach out to the ex-servicemen of J&K Rifles, their next of kin and Veer Naris living in Jammu and adjoining areas, to address their problems and anomalies related to pension and medical.
On this occasion, the latest information was given about the welfare schemes being run by the Indian Army and the Central and State Government for the ex-servicemen, their families and Veer Naris. The Northern Commander said that it is my endeavor to meet our ex-servicemen and brave women at their homes. We have met ex-servicemen and Veer Naris in Kupwara, Srinagar, Palampur, Leh, Akhnoor, Rajouri and Dehradun and will hold rallies in Anantnag, Amritsar, Jatog and Darjeeling in future.
Talking about the bravery of JAK Rifles, Lt Gen Dwivedi said the regiment was raised in Jammu in 1820 and had served in areas like Tibet, Gilgit, Yasin, Darel, Hunza-Nagar, Chilas and Chitral under General Zorawar Singh. While conquering, he has given a wonderful example of his bravery and sacrifice.
Regarding Agniveer Yojana, he said that under the new policy there will be a written test first and only those who pass the written test will be called for physical and medical tests. He said that the Army is committed to provide alternate career options to its veterans and has established Directorate of Army Welfare Placement Organization and Rehabilitation North Zone.
At the end of the program, as a mark of respect and gratitude, war veterans, gallantry award winners, Veer Naris and next of kin were felicitated for their contribution in the service of the nation.