Army Commander: “Status Quo Kept With China Over LAC In Ladakh”

Lt. Gen. Upendra Dwivedi, who is in charge of the Northern Army, said today that things are staying the same with China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh and that talks are going on at different levels. He also said that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is under control and that efforts are being made to stop terror attacks completely.

The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GoC) of the Northern Command, which is based in Udhampur, was speaking at a “Veterans Sampark” rally at a unit of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles at Digiana. More than 800 veterans and “veer naris” were there.

“On LAC, things stay the same with China. There are talks going on at different levels, and all of our formations are ready to go to work “Last year, on February 1, Lt. Gen. Dwivedi took over as Army commander of the Northern Command and Colonel of the Regiment of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles and Ladakh Scouts.

Since May 2020, the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have been fighting along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

Lt. Gen. Dwivedi also talked about how the ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan is still in place. He did say that there have been some attempts to sneak in, but the Indian Army has stopped them.

“Most things are under control in the countryside. Our anti-insurgency/anti-terrorism grid is fully working with civil administration, and efforts are being made to stop all terror attacks “he said.

Major General (Retired) Govardhan Singh Jamwal, Director, Sainik Welfare Department, J and K, Brigadier (Retired) Gurmeet Singh Shan, Commander, 92 Infantry Brigade, Brig S K Goswami, and Commandant, JAK Rifles regimental centre, Brig Rajesh Sharma were also at the rally, which was put on by 7 JAK Rifles and 26 Infantry Division.

“The goal of this rally is to reach out to the ex-servicemen of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, as well as their closest relatives and veer naris who live in the nearest district of Jammu and the areas around it,” said Lt Gen Dwivedi. “We want to solve their problems and problems with their pensions and get them medical help from experts.”

On that day, the latest information about the welfare programmes for ex-servicemen, their families, and veer naris run by the Indian Army and the central and state governments was shared.

The Northern Commander said that since most of the soldiers and ex-servicemen in the regiment are from Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab, the Army will hold more rallies in these areas to reach out to the ex-servicemen and solve their problems.

“I try to visit the homes of my former soldiers and brave women. We have met ex-servicemen and veer naris in Kupwara, Srinagar, Palampur, Leh, Akhnoor, Rajouri, and Dehradun. In the future, we will hold rallies in Anantnag, Amritsar, Jutogh, and Darjeeling “he said.

Lt. Gen. Dwivedi talked about the bravery of the JAK Rifles. He said that the regiment was formed in Jammu in 1820 and has done a great job of showing its bravery and willingness to sacrifice by taking over places like Tibet, Gilgit, Yasin, Darel, Hunza-Nagar, Chilas, and Chitral while General Zorawar Singh was in charge.

“Since 1820, the regiment has been in every war. It is now known as the Jammu and Kashmir Regiment and is an important part of the Indian Army. Our regiment was once again renamed in 1963. It is now called the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles regiment. This regiment has done a lot of good work for the country in many different ways. It has won a total of 2,365 awards, including two PVC, two AC, one Padam Bhushan, five MVC, 11 KC, and 11 KC “he said.

Referring to the Agniveer plan, 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 in for physical and medical tests.

He said that the Army wants to help its veterans find other jobs, so it has set up the Army Welfare Placement Organisation and the Directorate of Resettlement North Zone.

The Army commander also told the crowd about the transit facility set up by Garud Defense Guidance Cell (GDGC) at Raiwala and Rishikesh, which allows soldiers and their families to stay at Raiwala (Raiwala Retreat) and Rishikesh (Holiday Home) during their journey.

He said that later this year, the 14th Reunion and 31st Biennial will be held at the JAK Rifles Center.

As a sign of respect and gratitude for their service to the country, war veterans, people who won awards for bravery, veer naris, and their next of kin were honoured.