Won't allow any bid to change status quo along border- Gen Narvane

Indian Army will not let any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo along the country’s borders to succeed. Speaking at the  74th Army Day parade o Saturday,January 15 in New Delh, General Naravane said, “Our message is clear- we will not compromise on this issue. Speaking about the standoff with China on eastern Ladakh, he said, “Joint efforts at various levels led to disengagement in many areas which is a constructive step. The 14th round of military-level talks was held between India and China recently to keep the situation under control.But last year was extremely challenging for the Army.” , The Army chief said the situation is better than previous year on the western border, but Pakistan is still harbouring terrorists. General Naravane said, the Army has taken major steps to give equal opportunity to women. Now they can be in a high position and take bigger responsibilities. This year in NDA (National Defence Academy), women cadets will be included and women will also join as Army pilots.

Earlier in the day, the three service chiefs – General Naravane, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar – paid their obeisance at the National War Memorial in Delhi to mark the day. The armed forces chiefs also laid a wreath at the war memorial.

Indian Army introduced a light and more climate-friendly combat uniform for its personnel on Army Day. Commandos of the Parachute regiment, clothed in the new uniform, marched at the parade ground in Delhi. The new Army Combat Pattern Uniform has been developed with the help of NIFT after going through options of 15 patterns, eight designs, and four fabrics. The camouflage uniform will be based on a ‘digital disruptive’ pattern and will be available in 13 sizes.

The new uniform has been designed to serve two purposes--Protection against harsh climatic conditions, and to provide soldiers’ outfits with field camouflage, to increase survivability. The Army's uniform is made of a combination of cotton and polyester in a ratio of 70:30. The fabric of the Indian Army's new uniform will be lightweight and will dry quickly, thus will be more comfortable for the troops during the operation. 

President Ramnath Kovind, Vice President Venkayya Naidu, Prime minister Narendar Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other dignitories have extended their greeting on Army Day.