Rajnath Singh flies to Siachen glacier to review security situation, his first visit as Defence Minister

Rajnath Singh will meet troops at Siachen Glacier - the world's highest battlefield - in his first visit outside the national capital as Defence Minister on Monday. Taking to twitter, the  Defence Minister informed 'leaving New Delhi for Ladakh on a day-long visit to Jammu and Kashmir'.

Army chief General Bipin Rawat and other senior officials from the Defence Ministry will accompany him, news agency ANI reported. The Army will brief the new Defence Minister about routine operations, including air support provided by the Indian Air Force.

Northern Army Commander Lt General Ranbir Singh, 14 Corps Commander, and Kargil war hero Lt General YK Joshi are also expected to brief him about the security situation in the region.

Read: Modi Cabinet 2.0: Rajnath Singh Is The New Defence Minister, Full Portfolio Allocation Of The Second Narendra Modi-led NDA Government Out

The Indian Army has deployed a brigade in the area where some posts are located above the altitude of 23,000 altitude which even poses difficulty in breathing.

During the UPA-1 regime, there were calls for demilitarising the glacier but the Army had stressed on its importance. The Indian Army has been maintaining the Siachen Glacier since 1984 under the Operation Meghdoot where Army soldiers doubled as mountaineers to reach the peaks and capture them defeating the Pakistan Army.

The Defence Minister is also expected to visit the nearby areas of the Siachen Glacier.

Soon after taking over yesterday, Rajnath Singh asked the officers-in-charge of different departments to prepare a detailed presentation for him on the ongoing projects and program and brief him on them soon. The officers have also been asked to complete the projects in a time-bound manner to move effectively towards modernising the armed forces.

(With inputs from agencies)