NEW DELHI: The Indian Army is strong, capable, and prepared to handle any challenging circumstances at international borders, said Army chief General Manoj Pande on Thursday.

Addressing the annual press conference in New Delhi today, the Army chief said  India has kept a sufficient troop deployment along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and is prepared to handle any situation.

"Alongside the International Border area, the Indian Army is also building a vast road network. India is accelerating infrastructure projects close to the Indo-China border at the same time. All-weather roads will be used to connect the borders. In addition to the all-weather Road, tunnels and bridges are being built to reduce travel time to the border "said General Pande.

The Army leader described the situation at LAC as calm but uncertain. However, he asserted that China and India are undertaking negotiations to resolve the problems on both the military and political levels. He added that five of the seven issues were settled through the talks.

He did not elaborate much on the Doklam situation, but he did say that everything was being watched and that the situation was being constantly studied.

The Army chief said, over Rs 1,300 crore was invested in Ladakh over the past three years to meet the region's infrastructure and habitat needs. He noted that in the Eastern Ladakh area, housing for some 55,000 soldiers and 400 guns had been finished for the last two years.

He said that the ceasefire agreement for Jammu and Kashmir, which was reached with Pakistan in February 2021, has been working very nicely. Although cross-border terrorism still exists, he continued, "So we are staying vigilant."  The Army chief claimed that most northeastern states now enjoy calm while commenting on the situation. He credited the advances to the region's economic activity and development programmes.

The general remarked that India could learn from the Russia-Ukraine conflict when discussing how it affected India. "We conducted an analysis to determine the operational, strategic, and tactical lessons that can be applied to our situation. Contextualizing these teachings is necessary. We have included them in our plans for more powerful weaponry, cyberspace, and " he added.

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