India Has To Watch Out In Defence, Says Mulayam

ON BOARD SPECIAL IAF AIRCRAFT

India cannot afford to slow down with its defence preparedness if it wants to be respected as a leading nation in the world, defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav said yesterday.

By going slow in defence matters in the last 10 years, we are already lagging behind, and now we cannot afford to dilly-dally anymore, he said while returning from a two-day trip to Assam and Tripura to take stock of the insurgency situation there.

To be respected in the world fora, a country needs an independent and strong foreign policy, and that one can have only if backed by strong armed forces.

Yadav, however, clarified that Indias need for strong armed forces was not to attack anyone but to give a fitting reply to anyone who dares to attack us.

Emphasising that India wants good relations with its neighbours, he said the recent talks with Pakistan should go a long way in normalising relations between the two countries.

Praising the armed forces for their role in defending the countrys frontiers and internal duties, Yadav said the government had taken note of the dissatisfaction among the forces personnel over the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission.

I have met the chiefs of the three wings of the armed forces, and discussed the matter with the Prime Minister in their presence and also separately.

The recommendations will not be implemented in a form which is not to the satisfaction of the forces, he said, adding that a decision on it would be taken before July 31.

He denied that the attraction of the youth towards the armed forces had decreased in recent times, and said though there had been a slackened interest, it was not as serious as projected in the media.

To attract more youths to join the forces, we have now decided to allow National Cadet Corps (NCC) C-certificate holders to be directly commissioned, and also considering utilising the services of the NCC teaching corps in the forces.

Special priority will be given to the B-certificate holders to get into the forces, he said.