Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat addressed a press conference with three armed services chiefs. (Source: ANI)
Emphasising that armed forces are solidly behind those fighting the coronavirus pandemic, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Friday said the Air Force will carry out flypasts across the country on May 3 to display their gratitude to all “corona warriors”.
CDS General Rawat also said Navy warships will be lit up and their choppers will be used for showering flower petals on hospitals treating Covid patients. His statement comes as India extended lockdown by two more weeks, starting May 4.
While addressing a joint press conference with three armed services chiefs,—Army chief General M M Naravane, Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria— CDS General Rawat said the Air Force will conduct a flypast from Srinagar to Thiruvananthapuram and another from Dibrugarh to Kutch on May 3. He also said that the fixed-wing and fighter aircraft of the Air Force will also participate in the flypasts on May 3 evening.
Stressing that there will be no let-up in counter-terror operations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Army Chief General Manoj M Naravane said that the terrorists killed in operations are handed over to the civil administration to do the needful. He also said that the Army so far has had only 14 cases of Covid-19, out of which five have been cured and they have returned to work. He also pointed out that there has been an increase in the number of infiltration attempts along the LoC.
CDS Bipin Rawat underlined that concluding coronavirus as a result of biological warfare will not be proper. He further said that no operational task has been affected or will be affected due to the coronavirus pandemic.
India has extended the nationwide lockdown for two more weeks starting from May 4. Public transport will be allowed in green zones, not in red or orange. In green zones, buses can operate with up to 50% seating capacity and bus depots can operate with up to 50% capacity.
CDS General Bipin Rawat said the nation will witness some special activities from armed services. "Air Force will conduct flypast from Srinagar to Trivandrum and another one starting from Dibrugarh in Assam to Kutch in Gujarat. It will include both transport and fighter aircraft," he said. The Army on its part will conduct mountain band displays along some of the Covid-19 hospitals in almost every district of the country, he said, adding that the armed forces will also lay wreathe at the police memorial on May 3 in support of the police forces.
Addressing a joint presser, CDS General Bipin Rawat praised the frontline healthcare workers for their efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic. "On behalf of armed forces, we want to thank all COVID-19 warriors. Doctors, nurses, sanitation workers, police, home guards, delivery boys and media which has been reaching out with the message of government on how to carry on with lives in difficult times," Bipin Rawat said, news agency ANI reported.