New Delhi, January 16
Discussing the new fronts of contactless warfare and challenges of cyber warfare and changing methods of war-fighting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said technologically advanced soldiers would play a key role in our armed forces.
The PM was addressing the first batch of Agniveers – the newly recruited troops of the Indian Armed forces – via video-conferencing. The first batch of Agniveers commenced training two weeks ago at multiple locations across the country.
Modi said the current generation of youth have this potential (the ability to use technology) and so the Agniveers would play a leading role in our armed forces in the times to come.
The ‘transformative policy’ was expected to be a game-changer in strengthening our Armed Forces and making them future-ready for the challenges that lie ahead, the PM said. The young Agniveers would make the Armed Forces more youthful and tech-savvy, he added.
The Prime Minster congratulated the Agniveers on being the pioneers of the Agnipath Scheme.
Hailing the potential of Agniveers, he said their spirit reflected the bravery of the armed forces which has always kept the flag of the nation flying high. He said the experience which they would acquire through this opportunity would be a source of pride for life.
The Prime Minister said the new India is filled with renewed vigour and efforts are under way to modernise our armed forces as well as make them Aatmanirbhar.
The Prime Minister also spoke about how the scheme would further empower women. He expressed happiness at how women Agniveers are adding pride to the naval forces, saying he looked forward to seeing women Agniveers in all three forces.
The Prime Minister also recalled how women are leading the armed forces on various fronts, citing examples of the woman soldier posted in Siachen and women flying modern fighter planes.
The Prime Minister said getting posted in different regions would give them an opportunity to get diverse experiences and that they should try to learn different languages, cultures and ways of living. He said teamwork and honing of leadership skills would add a new dimension to their personality.