Northern Army commander interacts with students in J-K's Udhampur

A top Army commander on Tuesday interacted with a group of students at the force's Udhampur headquarters and asked them to work hard and contribute actively in the nation building process, a defence spokesman said.

The 40 students, including girls, hailing from remote areas of Doda district, were accompanied by four teachers and are on a week-long Army sponsored educational and motivational tour, he said.

The spokesman said the students visited Udhampur and interacted with General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh.

"The Commander shared his experiences while serving in these areas and motivated them to work hard and contribute actively in the nation building process. He also exhorted them to join the Indian armed forces and serve the nation," the spokesman said.

During the tour, which started on September 23 and will end on September 29, the students will visit educational institutes at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Udhampur, and Punjab University, Chandigarh, he said.

The spokesman said they are also being taken to places of tourist interest like Jallianwala Bagh and Qila Gobindgarh at Amritsar as well as Sukna Lake, Rock Garden and Elante Mall at Chandigarh to learn the lifestyle, standard of education, rich cultural heritage and healthy environment prevailing in other parts of the country.

"This initiative will also give them exposure to various career options and enable them to interact with renowned personalities," he said.

During the interaction with the Army Commander, the students and teachers praised efforts of the Army in organising the event, the spokesman said.