Historic decision to allow women in field operations, says Rajnath Singh. (File)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday laid the foundation stone of a building that will house several offices of the Army headquarters in Delhi Cantonment area and said it will be a “source of inspiration that will remind the people of the country about the sacrifices made by our soldiers”.
He said it will also “represent the unsung heroes of the armed forces who have sacrificed their lives for the country”.
The Defence Minister credited the sacrifices made by the nation’s soldiers for India emerging as one of the powerful nations in the world.
He also stressed on the importance of integration among the armed forces and referred to the creation of the Department of Military Affairs and the post of Chief of Defence Staff that he said will work towards bringing jointness among the three services.
On Thursday, Army Chief General M M Naravane had said that the new Thal Sena Bhawan “will bring all Army headquarters offices under one roof thereby improving the working efficiency, while reducing the carbon footprint and logistics requirements”.
He had said the new office, since it will be in the cantonment, “will also allow more family time for all soldiers” during peace posting at Delhi as they won’t have to travel to Central Secretariat or other offices scattered around the city.
The Army Chief had clarified though that the offices of senior functionaries of the force, like the Army Chief and Vice Chief will continue to be located where the Defence Minster’s office will be.
The new building, to be completed within five years, will come up in an area of 39 acre and will be a multi-storey green building, adopting Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment.