Sitharaman visits forward Army, Air Force bases along LAC

Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited a forward army post in Arunachal Pradesh and an Indian Air Force base in Assam along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), on Sunday.

The minister was briefed on the situation and defence preparedness along the LAC during her visit to the forward army post of Kibithu in Eastern Arunachal Pradesh.

She also interacted with the troops and appreciated their dedication to the service and efforts in such a remote and an inhospitable terrain.

Sitharaman also visited the important Eastern air base of Chabua, where she took stock of the operational preparedness and infrastructure development of the base.

The strategic base presented a static display of the combat assets available at the station to Sitharaman, which included the Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft and modern missiles.

The minister also interacted with the Air Force personnel serving in this eastern most region of the country and had lunch with them.

She appreciated the air warriors for their professional approach, commitment in the service, the operational readiness, ongoing infrastructure development and the high morale at the base.

The visit to the forward army post and the Air Force bases was preceded by her respective visits to Bomdilla and Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh where she attended the inauguration ceremony of the Buddha Mahotsav 2017 and called on Governor Brig D.B. Mishra (retd).