General Rawat says army can fight with whatever weapons are at its disposal

General Bipin Rawat played down a concern that the army had raised over delayed weapons procurement.

Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Sunday said the Indian army is ready to fight with whatever weapons are available and that the process of arms procurement is on.

Army Chief Bipin Rawat (second from left) with Uttarakhand chief minister TrivendraSingh Rawat at the inauguration of Garhwal Rifles War Memorial Boys and Girls Hostel in Dehradun on Sunday.(PTI)

His statement comes days after the parliamentary committee submitted a series of reports in Parliament, including one where the army flagged a financial crunch preventing it from purchasing new equipment and modernising itself. The army had told the committee that the financial crisis was crippling its combat capabilities.

On the reports that the army’s weapons are becoming obsolete, the army chief said, “Weapons don’t become obsolete overnight. What is new in these reports? This has been said in the past years too. Our jawans are trained in a manner that they can fight with whatever weapons are available with them. The paramilitary forces are also using these weapons.”

Answering a question on the challenges of a two-front war with limited budget to buy weapons, he said, “Weapon procurement is not an overnight process. It’s not that you go to a grocery store, pay the amount and get the weapons. The process is on.”

General Rawat was in Dehradun to attend the inauguration of Garhwal Rifles War Memorial Boys and Girls Hostel. The facility was inaugurated by chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.

Asked about the parliamentary panel’s suggestion that five years of military service must be made compulsory for anyone desirous of joining government service, General Rawat said that it is good if people want to join forces. “The National Cadet Corps is a good platform to start with. At least the youth should opt for it,” he said.

He also said the army was working on recruiting more women into the force.