PM, President laud army for dealing with challenges

New Delhi, Jan 15 (ANI): The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and President Pratibha Devisingh Patil have lauded the efforts of the army in dealing with the challenges posed to the safety and security of the nation.

Extending his best wishes to the Army, Dr. Singh said the force had distinguished itself by its exceptional performance in the service of nation.

Dr. Singh said the nation was proud of the valor and professionalism displayed by the Army in meeting the challenges and expressed confidence that it would continue to rise to the occasion whenever there was a need.

President Patil, who is the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces, in her message on the Army Day today said: "the Army had withstood all challenges posed to the safety and security of the nation and was fully prepared to face them in future as well.

Army Chief General V K Singh has said the force to re-dedicates itself in the service of the nation whose safety, security and integrity remains high in their minds.

Mentioning the achievements of the army in counter-insurgency operations, General Singh today said: "Our units have been successful in maintaining peace and security in both Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast. We are also providing training to the police forces in the Northeast to enhance their capability to carry out internal security duties on their own."

"Today, 1,10000 troops of the Indian Army are taking part in the different UN missions and our efficiency in these operations has been praised. I am proud that our soldiers in blue berets (of the UN) are doing a splendid job there. We have the third largest contingent among troop contributing nations," he added, while lauding the performance of Indian troops in the UN peacekeeping missions.

The army has organized several functions to mark the occasion, as it was on this day in 1949 that General K M Cariappa became the first Indian to take over as Army Chief of independent India. (ANI)