Focus on improving internal health of Army, says new chief Gen

New Delhi, April 1 (PTI) General V K Singh Thursday took
over as the new Army Chief of India and declared that
improving the force' "internal health" and core values will be
high on his agenda.
Making his intentions known, 59-year-old Singh, who will
be the country's 26th army chief, made it clear that till the
time the country's internal health is good it would not be
able to fight the external threats.
Singh, a trained commando, was in the media glare when
he had, as the Eastern Army Commander in Kolkata, recommended
the sacking of his predecessor Deepak Kapoor's Military
Secretary Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash in the Sukhna land scam case.
The new chief, who has vast experience in counter-
insurgency and high altitude operations, said the forces were
well prepared and would "stand up to and measure up to" any
challenge that the nation faced from China.
"Internal health is very important. And for any
organisation to do well, it must ensure the internal health is
good.
"To that extent, that's why I said that our core
values, our ethos, tradition will receive due attention,"
Singh told reporters.
He was replying to a question on the issue of
corruption charges against Prakash in the Sukhna land scam.
"Till the time our internal health is good, we would
not be able to fight the external threats. So, we will focus
attention on improving internal health," he added.
Singh, who took over from Gen Deepak Kapoor, will be at
the helm of the 1.13 million personnel-strong Army for over
two years. He also took the salute in a Guard of honour
given by 2 Rajput Regiment, the battalion he had commanded as
a Colonel.
Asked how the Indian Army measured up vis-a-vis the
Chinese Rapid Action Force, Singh said: "I can assure you that
for any challenges that are against us, we are very well
prepared."
The General said it was a moment of pride and he felt
humbled having to head the Indian Army. "We intend ensuring
that our core values, our rich traditions and professionalism
gets a boost and that would be my main priority".
Prakash was a senior adviser to former Army chief
General Deepak Kapoor and was caught in a controversy for
allegedly 'influencing' the sale of a 71-acres land near the
Sukna military base in Darjeeling district of West Bengal to a
private realtor.
Three other General-rank officers were also indicted
by an Army probe in the scam with Gen Kapoor, who retired
yesterday, initiating disciplinary proceedings against two of
them and administrative action against others. PTI