Major General Ajay Misra, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Telangana & Andhra Sub Area (TASA) recently called upon the Chief Minister Mr Nara Chandra Babu Naidu and held a crucial meeting to discuss various aspects pertaining to the Army and state.

The discussions overall pertained to the importance of the Army’s involvement in Nation and State building initiatives as per the initiatives of Headquarters Southern Command.

Among the various points discussed, Defence Technology was one of the key topics. The two discussed exploring opportunities for collaboration in development of niche defence technology.

In regards to this a need for establishing an Army technology cell at Amravati for facilitating Army – Industry interactions was talked upon.

Discussion on land-related issues and requirements of land for Army & ESM at Amravati, exploring opportunities for collaboration in development of niche defence technology was also spoken of.

In addition the need for Defence Industry Clusters was discussed and for the State government to establish defence industry clusters to promote growth of local industry.

Similarly many other points such as need to build a War Memorial in the new state capital (Amravati) for honouring sacrifice of our soldiers, key issues affecting the welfare of ex-servicemen and potential solutions to address their needs, Opportunities to the large body of disciplined ESM to partner in State building activities were discussed.

A need for coordination between the Army and State authorities to enhance disaster response and management, Protocol for Police Forces for interaction with Armed Forces Personal with a Need for formulating a SOP and Protocol for ensuring appropriate interaction and response to requests by Armed Forces personnel was also talked upon.

The Chief Minister appreciated and acknowledged the disciplined lifestyle of forces and emphasized the need for a suitable presence of Army at the new capital for regular interaction.

He also promised to facilitate darshan for Armed Forces personnel at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTDS) and Srisailam Temples. The protocol meeting highlighted the importance of continuous engagement & cooperation between the Army and State government in promoting development, security, and welfare initiatives.