Jammu, Mar 24 (IANS): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Siachen, the World’s highest battlefield, on Sunday.
Rajnath Singh will celebrate the Holi festival with the troops deployed to defend the most challenging frontier of the country.
Ahead of the Minister’s visit, Chief of Army General Manoj Pande reached J&K on Saturday and reviewed the security preparedness along the Line of Control (LoC) in Akhnoor sector of Jammu district.
The Defence Minister is reaching the Leh town of Ladakh Sunday morning and will fly to Siachen Glacier in an Army helicopter later.
He said in his X-post on Saturday, “.., I shall be in Siachen, the World’s highest battlefield. Looking forward to celebrate Holi with the armed personnel deployed there”.
The Minister will be accompanied by the Army Chief General Manoj Pande, GOC-in-C Northern Command, Lt. General M.V. Suchindra Kumar and GOC of Leh-based 14 Corps Lt. General Rashim Bali.
Siachen Glacier is situated at 20,000 ft above the sea-level in the Karakoram mountain range where the soldiers have to battle frostbite and high speed winds. Avalanches and landslides are common at the glacier during winter and temperatures drop to as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius during the winter months.
Rajnath Singh will spend two hours with the soldiers at the glacier and then return to Delhi later in the day.