February 15, 2010 6:09 PM

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Raising of mountain divisions not against neighbour, says Defence Minister

Defence Minister A K Antony today said the Army is raising two new mountain divisions in the North-East, along the borders with China, but dismissed suggestions that the move is against the neighbour. Addressing a press conference on the occasion of the Sixth Defence Expo in New Delhi, he said, these are being raised under the overall policies to strengthen presence of the armed forces in the North-East. The Defence Minister asserted that India is not a war- mongering country and has not invaded even an inch of soil of any other country ever but added that the country will defend every inch of its territory. He said India had embarked on a modernisation programme for its armed forces that included securing the 7,500-km long coastline where the Navy and the Coast Guard were being strengthened. He said, for air defence, the IAF is being equipped with modern systems and for security of the land mass from Kutch in the West to North East, Jammu and Kashmir in the north to the southern most party of the country, the Army is being strengthened.<br/>The defence minister maintained that there is a long pending boundary question with China, but both the countries are trying for an amicable solution through discussions.

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