Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday reviewed the operational preparedness as well as measures to fight COVID-19 with all the Commanders in Chief through a video conference.
Defence Minister in his address appreciated the role of the Armed Forces for the assistance extended to the local civilian administration and preparatory measures taken to fight COVID-19.
Rajnath Singh expected the Forces to ensure their operational preparedness, while they are battling COVID-19 and the adversary should not be allowed to exploit the current situation. He also directed the Forces to initiate measures to spend the financial resources, avoiding wastage in view of the economic burden imposed by COVID-19.
Stressing on the requirement of jointness of the Armed Forces, Rajnath asked the Commanders in Chief to identify and prioritise tasks that could be accomplished quickly and assist in revival of the economy after the lockdown is lifted.
During the conference the Commanders in Chief apprised the Defence Minister of various measures put in place by them to prevent virus infection among the Forces and assistance extended to the local civilian administration. These include issue of Standard Operating Procedures on COVID-19, introduction of appropriate modifications in protocols and drills as per the advisories issued by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and other agencies and taking care of the Ex-Servicemen and their families residing in their respective command areas.
The Commanders have apprised that isolation and quarantine facilities have been set up for use of the Forces as well as the local civilian administration. They have also expressed readiness to pitch in to maintain essential services locally if requested by the civilian administration.
