No winter troop reduction as 'a degree of China standoff stays'
patrolling in disputed areas of eastern Ladakh, Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi has said that some degree of standoff on the larger China border still remains and there are no plans to reduce deployment of troops in the winters as of now.
Budget with ET
Budget 2025 can position India as the world’s China Plus One hub with manufacturing prowess
Will India's robust GST kitty help Sitharaman stick to fiscal glide path?
Budget 2025’s starry aim: Does India need more funds to fuel its cosmic dreams?
He said that two rounds of verification patrolling have been carried out in Depsang and Demchok and there is a requirement for a broader understanding to be reached on the border to restore trust and next steps will be taken on the guidance received from further rounds of special representative talks and diplomatic consultations.
The Army chief said that a review of troop deployments will be undertaken after the winter season ends. «We have two kinds of deployment, called the summer deployment and winter deployment. Definitely, during this winter deployment, the number of troops comes down. So therefore, at least in the winter strategy, we are not looking forward to any (further) reduction of troops. When it comes to the summer strategy, we will take a review based on how negotiations, conferences and meetings have taken place. Based on the indications and assurances, we may like to review at that point of time,» he said at his annual press meet ahead of Army Day.
He added since April 2020, both sides have carried out
