Arunachal Guv chairs high-level meeting with CM, Army Commander Lt Gen Anil Chauhan

ITANAGAR:

Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brig (Retd) Dr B D Mishra on Thursday said that the national interest and security down to the last person in the remotest part of the state have always been the top priority of the government.

Chairing a high-level security meeting with Chief Minister Pema Khandu and General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-C) of Eastern Command Lt General Anil Chauhan at Raj Bhavan, the governor advised for more interactions and meetings between defence and civil administration to further strengthen these priorities.

He stressed on the need for removal of any bottlenecks in building better coordination, particularly in sharing of information on the matters of the defence of the international borders.

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The meeting was convened to review the defence and security apparatuses, coordination amongst the forces and the defence-related infrastructure and communication necessities, an official communique said.

The governor said that Indian Armed Forces are second to none in their fighting calibre, both in terms of men and machine.

"With better relationships with the local populace, which is the 'second line of defence', we will surely defend our borders," Mishra said.

He appreciated the armed forces for the contribution in the people's socio-economic activities and thanked the army for developing enormous goodwill amongst the people of the state.

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The governor suggested to the Army Commander to help the local economy by procuring perishable goods, such as vegetables and fruits from local farmers.

"Such gestures will not only support the villagers in their economic activities but also arrest the migration from border areas to towns. It will give a thrust to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for 'Vocal for Local'," he added.

Participating in the discussion, Khandu appreciated the goodwill of the army, who are safeguarding the frontiers and at the same time generating bonhomie with local communities.

He shared with the Eastern Army Commander his interactions during his district tours with defence personnel posted in the remote high altitude posts.

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Earlier, the GOC-in-C briefed the governor and the chief minister about the ground situation and preparedness of the defence forces for any eventuality in the North East region. He acknowledged the goodwill of the people of Arunachal Pradesh for the Indian Army and the security forces.

GOC 3 Corps Lt Gen R P Kalita, Security Advisor to Arunachal Pradesh government Maj Gen SC Mohanty, Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) Chukhu Apa, ITBP DIG (NE Frontier) Swan Kartik Sharma and Superintendent of Police (Special Branch) John Pada also participated in the meeting among others, the communique added.