New Delhi: In the backdrop of several
allegations of misdemeanours by top ranking military officials
hitting the armed forces, Army Chief General V K Singh in a
strong message to his senior commanders today, said there
would be no compromise on upholding the image of the Army.
At the Army Commanders' Conference, the first under his
tenure, here, Singh emphasised on morals, ethics and value
systems of the Army and said, "there would be no compromise
with respect to the image of the Army."
He also highlighted the "professional commitment,
loyalty, sacrifice and integrity" and said these moral values
were the "need of the hour" to drive home the point.
Singh had, on the day he took over office as the new Army
Chief, said that he would work towards "improving the internal
health" of the Army, in the backdrop of complaints of misuse
of office by the previous Military Secretary Lt Gen Avadesh
Prakash to influence a transfer of land at the Sukna military
station near Darjeeling.
Prakash and four other General-rank officers are facing
Army action in the Sukna case.
Singh also took the opportunity to review the South Asian
regional security situation, when he talked of the asymmetric
means adopted by non-state actors and terrorists to achieve
their objectives.
He also mentioned the multi-spectral threats, which
directly affect military doctrines and restructuring.
Stressing on the need to transform the Indian Army so as
to customise its operational effectiveness, the Army Chief
said army training should be "realistic, imaginative and
practical."
Referring to low intensity conflicts, particularly those
in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-eastern states, he stressed
on "zero tolerance" of human rights violations by personnel of
his force.
The commanders also discussed anti-Naxal operations in
the country and it was highlighted that the Army had trained
46,343 personnel of Central Police Organisations so far.
The Army also decided at the conference to hold
personality development programmes as part of its training
curriculum for new recruits and it was recommended to be
held on a trial basis for two years from now, an Army press
release said.
With respect to empowerment of jawans, the Army would
launch three programmes called 'Gyan Deep', 'Kshamta' and
Vocational Training Centres (VTC).
'Gyan Deep' would provided certified educational courses
for jawans through Indira Gandhi National Open University
(IGNOU), 'Kshamta' would focus on developing Information
Technology and English-speaking skill of jawans, and the VTC
would be provided in the last year of a jawan's service
through Centres of Excellence that would be established at
select locations.
The conference would also discuss issues on a macro level
pertaining to prevailing security challenges in the country
and the neighbourhood, military strategy, operational
logistics and matters impacting the welfare and enhancement of
satisfaction levels among all ranks of the Army.
The operational preparedness and plans, and modernisation
process of the Army too would be reviewed by senior
commanders.
PTI
First Published: Monday, May 17, 2010, 21:30