Must take cues from Arthashastra, says Rawat

New Delhi, Jan. 8: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday called for modernisation of the armed forces, adding that the time has come to take cues from the Arthashastra and Chanakya Niti.

Gen. Rawat also said that every arm and service was looking for upgrades as the future wars would be fought in more difficult circumstances.

Addressing a gathering at the Army Technology Seminar in Delhi, Gen. Rawat said, “There is a huge requirement of modernisation of our armed forces, in every field. The future wars will be fought in difficult terrains and circumstances and we have to be prepared for them.”

He noted there would be proper utilisation of technology if the government assisted the armed forces.

“A good headway has been made in light weight bullet-proof material and fuel cell technology. The journey has begun and this must continue. We are confident that if we get support from industry, we will walk the extra mile to ensure that we utilise the

WE WOULD like to gradually move away from imports (in defence technology), because for a nation like ours, the time has come to ensure that we fight the next war with homemade solutions. — BIPIN RAWAT

technology they give us,” he added.

General Rawat said that imports in defence technology needed to be lowered down as India should fight the next war with homemade solutions.

“We would like to gradually move away from imports (in defence technology), because for a nation like ours, the time has come to ensure that we fight the next war with homemade solutions,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Army Chief General later said Indian and Chinese troops had resolved an issue over the recent attempt by Chinese teams to build a road on the Indian side of the border at Tuting in Arunachal Pradesh.

Government sources said two excavators, brought in for road building activities by the Chinese teams, were returned on Saturday following an amicable resolution of the Tuting incident at a Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) between the two sides in Arunachal.

They said the Indian side had conveyed its concerns over the incident to China, which said that the teams had crossed into India by mistake and would no longer engage in such activities.

“The Tuting incident has been resolved,” Gen. Rawat told reporters on the sidelines of an event, adding that a meeting of border personnel was held two days ago. — Agencies