The Ministry of Defence has listed the promotion of Nari Shakti, self-reliance and border infrastructure as major highlights of 2023.
2023 was a landmark year for the Ministry of Defence as giant strides were made towards realising the vision of the Government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to create a strong, secure, self-reliant, and inclusive India, an official press release from the Ministry of Defence informed on Friday.
As per the release, efforts to achieve ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence and Armed Forces modernisation surged ahead with renewed thrust, with the country witnessing record defence exports and all-time high defence production.
“Strengthening border Infrastructure, utilising Nari Shakti and ensuring Ex-Servicemen Welfare has been at the core of the functioning of MoD under the guidance of the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and these have moved forward with unprecedented pace and vigour,” the release further stated.
It said that in 2023, the Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Rajnath Singh, approved in its meetings proposals worth a total of over Rs 3.50 lakh crore to enhance the operational preparedness of the Armed Forces.
118 infrastructure projects of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) were dedicated to the Nation by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh this year.
Currently, BRO is working on 20 tunnels with 10 under construction and 10 under the planning stage. In the current year, 3,179m of bridges have been completed. The second phase of the upgradation of the Amarnath Yatra Tracks commenced in September, it said.
Shattering the glass ceiling, Captain Shiva Chauhan became the first woman officer to get operationally deployed in Kumar Post, Siachen Glacier in January. Siachen is the world’s highest battlefield. In December, Captain Geetika Koul became the first woman medical officer to be deployed at Siachen after completing the induction training at Siachen Battle School. Days later, Captain Fatima Wasim became the first woman medical officer to be deployed on an operational post on the Siachen Glacier, as per the release.
The Government order for revision of pension of Armed Forces Pensioners/family pensioners under One Rank One Pension (OROP) effective from July 01, 2019, was issued on January 4, 2023.
The Indian Army maintained a high state of preparedness and ensured stability & dominance along all the frontiers including Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Line of Control (LC). Relentless Counter Terrorist operations were also carried out while maintaining high training standards and constantly reviewing emerging & future threats to national security, the release further stated.
“The Indian Army is completely committed to promoting gender neutrality,” it added. The induction of Women Officers (WOs) in the Regiment of Artillery is in progress. 10 Women officers were commissioned in the Regiment of Artillery during 2023.
Under the Agnipath scheme, the First two batches (40,000) have completed their training and are under posting to allotted units.
Indian Air Force marching contingent participated during Bastille Day Parade 2023 in Paris on 14 Jul 23 as part of the Tri-Services contingent. The parade was witnessed by the Prime Minister of India, who was the chief guest for the event.
The Har Ghar Tiranga campaign was undertaken as part of the Independence Day celebration from 13 to 15 Aug 23. The enthusiastic participation by air warriors and their families reflected the spirit of nationhood and commitment to taking our nation forward, the release stated.