Bhuj:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India cannot compromise on even an “inch” of land on its borders, adding the people believe in the strength of its armed forces for defending the country.

India’s enemies “see the end of their sinister plans” when they see the Indian armed forces, he said at Sir Creek in Gujarat’s Kutch district, as he kept up his tradition of celebrating Diwali with personnel of the armed forces.

The spot is located close to the Indo-Pak border.

“People of India feel their country is safe because of you; when the world sees you, it sees India’s strength, when enemies see you, they see the end of their sinister plans,” PM Modi said, addressing personnel of the Border Security Force, Army, Navy and Air Force.

“Today there is a government in the country which cannot compromise even on one inch of the country’s borders,” the prime minister added.

His government believes in the strength of the army to defend the country and does not depend on the words of the country’s enemies, PM Modi further said.

Notably, Indian and Chinese troops earlier this week completed disengagement at two friction points at Demchok and Depsang Plains in eastern Ladakh following an agreement between the two countries to end an over four-year-old stand-off along the Line of Actual Control.

The prime minister, meanwhile, also said that we see the Army, Navy and Air Force as different entities, “but their strength will increase manifold when they come together.” Development of infrastructure in border areas was a “top priority,” he added.

As the country is moving fast towards the goal of developed India, “you all are protectors of this dream,” PM Modi told the soldiers.

He also said that Kutch has immense tourism potential, and border tourism is an aspect related to national security which is not discussed much.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Lieutenant General Sadhna Saxena Nair has become the first woman to be appointed the Director General of Medical Services.

She was also the first woman to serve as the Director of General Hospital Services (Armed Forces) as well as the first woman to be the Principal Medical Officer of the Western Air Command.

She graduated from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune with a distinguished academic record and was commissioned into the Army Medical Corps in Dec 1985.

Lt Gen Nair holds multiple qualifications including a postgraduate degree in Family Medicine and diplomas in maternal and child health. She has undergone a two-year training Programme at Medical Informatics at AIIMS, New Delhi.

She did her schooling at St Mary’s Convent, Prayagraj and Loreto Convent, Lucknow.

She trained in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Warfare with the Israeli Defence Forces and Military Medical Ethics with the Swiss Armed Forces in Spiez, Switzerland.

Previously, Lt Gen Nair was nominated as an expert member of the prestigious Dr Kasturirangan Committee for drafting part of the medical education component of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2019.

For her meritorious service, she has been awarded the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of Western Air Command (WAC) as well as the Vishisht Seva Medal by the Hon’ble President of India.

Three generations of her family have served in the Armed Forces over the last seven decades. She is married to Air Marshal KP (Retired).

New Delhi:

Amid instances in the recent past where Shri was being used before names of Indian Coast Guard officers instead of their ranks, the President’s Secretariat in an RTI reply has explained that only ranks have to be used before names of Indian Coast Guard and defence officers in official communication.

The ceremonial section of the President’s Secretariat in May 2023 issued a letter that stated that for both serving and retired officials, only their ranks have to be prefixed before their names and Shri was not to be used.

In an RTI application filed by an individual, the President’s Secretariat confirmed that the order in this regard was applicable to Indian Coast Guard officials also, the RTI reply accessed by ANI showed.

Defence officials said that this is a step towards upholding protocol for the usage of titles for Indian Coast Guard Officers.

“In recent developments, a number of instances were coming where incorrect usage of titles for Indian Coast Guard (ICG) officers in various communications were noticed. This discrepancy is contrary to established service traditions, and notified government directives,” they said.

The usage of correct ranks in official communications is not merely a matter of formality; it is also an integral part of our service traditions.

This practice plays a pivotal role in maintaining mutual respect between services, fostering a professional environment, and upholding the dignity of the armed forces.

Defence officials have foreseen hope that the discrepancy would be promptly rectified by all services to ensure that the correct ranks of ICG officers are appropriately acknowledged in all official communications.

The President of India is the supreme commander of the defence forces of the country.

The Indian Army, Navy and Air Force along with the Indian Coast Guard are the four forces under the Defence Ministry and are governed by their different acts.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)