Expressing satisfaction at the progress in the dialogue with China to resolve outstanding issues, Army Chief General J J Singh on Wednesday said that 'peace and tranquility' prevailed on India's borders with all her neighbours, including Pakistan.
"The enhancement in our relations with China will be further reflected in the joint military exercises scheduled to be held in October," he said.
General Singh said he will also visit Russia in the next couple of days, where the Indian Army was currently engaged in a joint counter-terrorism training exercise. The exercise started on Tuesday and will continue for a fortnight, he added.
However, Singh refused to comment on the political controversy surrounding the joint naval exercise with the US and other countries in the Bay of Bengal. He conceded that India wanted to cooperate with a growing number of countries in the world including the United Nations peace keeping force.
Asked to detail the nature of the proposed military exercises with China, the Army chief said it would be 'basic' in the beginning and will graduate into a large-scale operation. Earlier, General Singh laid down the foundation stone for the 'Jai Jawan Awas Yojana' under which low cost and high quality houses are to be built by the Army Welfare Housing Organisation at Hadapsar in Pune.
"While our men in uniform defend the borders, they should be able to discharge their duties without any worries on the family front. The housing scheme for jawans had become all the more relevant in view of the disintegrating joint family structure," he noted.
Singh said that the Army Welfare Housing Organisation project was a welfare measure to ensure financial stability for a professional Army which commands global respect.
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