Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, as part of her maiden visit to the Eastern Command, arrived in Tezpur to review operational preparedness on Sunday.
The visit, which is part of her familiarisation with all the formations of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF), comes close on the heels of her visit to Northern Command recently and Sikkim on Saturday, said an official statement.
The Minister, who was accompanied by Vice Chief of the Army Staff Lt Gen Sarath Chand and GOC-in-C Eastern Command Lt Gen Abhay Krishna, was received at Tezpur Airforce Station by GOC Gajraj Corps Lt Gen AS Bedi and other senior dignitaries of the Army and the Air Force.
At the outset, the Defence Minister extended her good wishes to the Air Warriors on the occasion of 85th Air Force Day anniversary as she interacted with them at the strategically important Eastern airbase of Tezpur.
She also reviewed the operational readiness of the airbase, seeing the Sukhoi fighter aircraft & other IAF assets at first-hand, said the official statement.
She was also briefed about the overall security situation in Assam and the Kameng sector of Arunachal Pradesh and the operational preparedness. The Minister reiterated the Government’s resolve to give further impetus to development in the border areas.
The Defence Minister subsequently visited Solmara Military Station, Tezpur where she interacted with the officers and jawans.
Sitharaman expressed her satisfaction at the level of preparedness of the forces and extended her greetings to the troops for a happy Diwali before her departure for Delhi.