Calling upon cadets of the National Defence Academy (NDA) to be prepared for future challenges, deputy chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia said on Thursday that in the near future Indian defence forces may need to be more alert in ensuring secure access to energy reserves in the Middle East.
Ahluwalia was addressing the convocation ceremony of the 125th course of NDA as the chief guest on Thursday. NDA commandant Air Marshal Kulwant Singh Gill was also present.
Ahluwalia highlighted the future challenges for the defence forces, particularly considering that India was a progressive state. “Middle East has been the biggest source of energy. However, in recent times, North America has progressed towards being self-sufficient in terms of energy. As their imports of energy will reduce, they will give less importance to safeguarding the energy access of the Middle East. On the other hand, as India progresses, our energy imports from the Middle East will increase and that is when the armed forces will have to play a major role,” he explained.
He advised the cadets to keep in mind the country’s progress in the next two decades. “Looking at the country’s economic progress, by 2030 India will have highest GDP in the world after China and US. However, in the next 20 years, there will not be any superpower, instead there will be a multi-polar world and accordingly the defence forces will have to prepare themselves to face new challenges in the multi-polar world.”
Lauding the efforts of defence forces, he stated that while many government institutions are under scanner, defence forces are making the country proud. He urged the defence forces to not only adopt new technology, but also to keep up its good work in the field of research and development and develop indigenous defence technology.
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