The expenditure on the armed forces is an investment on which one gets full returns and it should not be seen as a burden on the economy, Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane said on Wednesday.
A nation can survive the shocks that wipe out the share market and leaves thousands of investors bankrupt only when the armed forces of that country are strong, he said addressing a gathering after releasing a book, titled 'Fifty Years of 1971 War: Accounts from Veterans,' at the Rashtriya Raksha University.
The book is compiled by the university and contains a message by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The book is an outcome of a series of webinars organised at the university and deals with various aspects of the 1971 war.
General Naravane's comments have come at a time when Russia and Ukraine are engaged in a war and there is eastern Ladakh border standoff between the India and China.
"Whenever we talk about the armed forces, and whenever we talk about investments and expenditures made for the armed forces, we should see this as an investment -- an investment on which you get full returns, and it should not be seen as a burden on the economy," the Army chief said.
He said one has seen how the economy suffers whenever there is a crisis.
"The moment there is a war anywhere, whenever there is instability in a region, straightway you can see the impact on the shares, on the stock market," he said.
Surviving such kinds of shock can only happen if the armed forces of the country are strong, he said.
While the armed forces play a major part in the security of a nation, other organs of the state play an equally important role, he noted.
"All of us are equal players and stakeholders in the safety and security of the nation," he said.
General Naravane also advised students of the university to do whatever they feel passionate about, and not because their parents asked them or out of peer pressure.
He said the Army has also opened up more avenues for women.
"We have made it more and more easy, and more avenues have been opened up for women to join the armed forces in more and more streams," he said, adding that even the Army Aviation wing has been opened up for women, and two of them will be graduating sometime in July.
"As time goes, more avenues will be available to women in the armed forces," he said.
General Naravane also talked about cooperation between the Indian Army and the Rashtriya Raksha University.
He visited the university's School of Information Technology where he was briefed about works done on cyber security, artificial intelligence and digital forensics, and how they can contribute to the national security.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU