Intelligence alerts looked into seriously, says Army Chief

Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Saturday said that the intelligence alerts received on a daily basis have helped them foil "BAT actions" near the Line of Control (LoC).

"LoC is very active. Intelligence alerts are received on a daily basis and they are looked into very seriously. Due to this alertness, we have been able to foil these actions known as BAT actions," the Army Chief General said on being asked about the threat posed by Pakistan Army and terrorists in the border areas.

Army Chief General Naravane also asserted that the Indian Army is "much better prepared today than ever before".

He, however, said that there is a shortage of officers and clarified that it is not because of lack of people applying for it.

"We have not lowered the standards for selection of officers in the force," he contended.

The Army Chief General said that the training of the first batch of 100 female jawans for induction into military police has started from January 6.

General Naravane took over as the 28th Chief of the Army Staff on December 30, succeeding General Bipin Rawat who has become India's first Chief of Defence Staff. Naravane previously served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff.