Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviews operational and COVID-19 preparedness of Armed Forces

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday reviewed the operational preparedness as well as measures to fight COVID-19 in a video conference with operational commanders of the armed forces along with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat.

Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane, Chief of Navy Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar and Secretary Defence (Finance) Gargi Kaul participated in the conference.

Rajnath Singh in his address appreciated the role of the Armed Forces for the assistance extended to the local civilian administration and preparatory measures taken to fight COVID-19.

The Defence Minister expects the forces to ensure their operational preparedness, while they are battling COVID-19. He said that the adversary should not be allowed to exploit the current situation.

He directed the forces to initiate measures to spend the financial resources, avoiding wastage in view of the economic burden imposed by COVID-19.

The Defence Minister asked the Commanders in Chief to identify and prioritise tasks that can be accomplished quickly and assist in the revival of the economy after the lockdown is lifted.

During the conference, the Commanders in Chief appraised the Defence Minister of various measures put in place by them to prevent coronavirus infection among the forces and assistance extended to the local civilian administration. These include the issue of SoPs on COVID-19, the introduction of appropriate modifications in protocols and drills as per the advisories issued by Ministry of Health and other agencies and taking care of the Ex-Servicemen and their families residing in their respective command areas.

The Commanders appreciated recent devolution of emergency financial powers by the Ministry of Defence that has ensured timely procurement of necessary medical supplies, to bolster the health infrastructure of the hospitals.

The Commanders have apprised that isolation and quarantine facilities have been set up for use of the Forces as well as the local civilian administration. They have also expressed readiness to pitch in to maintain essential services locally if requested by the civilian administration.

( With inputs from ANI )

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