Addressing the nation on Independence Day, the prime minister also spoke on renewable energy and the need to maintain a balance between development and the environment. Referring to the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), launched in January 2019, Modi said, "A special campaign is being worked out to reduce pollution in 100 selected cities with a holistic approach."
The two sides have already held at least 12 rounds of talks between local commanders and three rounds of talks between major general-rank officials but no positive outcome came out from the discussions, they said.
At the talks, the Indian side insisted on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to May 5 when the standoff began following a clash between the two armies in Pangong Tso, they said.
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This is the first such incident along the border with China that Indian armed forces personnel have been killed after a gap of nearly 45 years.
Sources indicated that during Saturday's talks, India will insist on a faster disengagement process in remaining areas to bring down tension in the region, which has witnessed a tense standoff between the two militaries for over nine months.
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Will never let the sacrifice of our braves of Galwan go in vain, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said.
'The Indian Army is fully prepared for a long and permanent deployment if the PLA does not retreat.'
On December 7, 1990, Srinagar had recorded a low of minus 8.8 degrees Celsius.
Army chief General Naravane said the ongoing dialogue will sort out all the perceived differences between the two countries.
Indian Army officers are convinced China is maintaining the pretence of dialogue and negotiations in order to create the opportunity to occupy more Indian territory. Senior Indian planners apprehend this might be a Chinese ploy to divert attention from Depsang, in Northern Ladakh, which might be China's actual target.
The sources said the focus of the talks was to take forward the disengagement process in friction points like Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang in eastern Ladakh.
The decisions were mentioned in a joint statement issued by the two armies late Tuesday, a day after the sixth round of Sino-India Corps commander-level talks that lasted for 14-hours.
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi arrived in Kashmir on Thursday afternoon and proceeded straight to Leh and Kargil for laying the foundation stone of a tunnel that will link the valley with Ladakh.
Indian cricket team captain and goodwill ambassador of the Indian army, Mahendra Singh Dhoni reached Ladakh as a part of his two-day tour and inaugurated a newly-constructed army ground in Leh.
'India knows very well that China will not be at a disadvantage in any China-India military operations along the border area'
'Rezang La was a unique battle.' 'It was not a large scale battle like the Battle of Kohima which involved a large number of troops.' 'Here there was just a company that fought it out till the last man.'
It is the first highest level face-to-face meeting between the two sides after the border row escalated in eastern Ladakh in early May.
'We should have seen these signals and reacted earlier.' 'We miss out on a certain strategic advantage by arriving late on the scene.'
The border guarding force is also moving its mechanised column assets like SUVs, all-terrain vehicles, snow scooters and trucks to forward locations in the midst of the projected increase in the number of troops at border units and fresh directives to undertake 'additional' patrols.
Seven paramilitary Border Security Force troopers including an officer were injured in a militant ambush in south Kashmir's Pampore town late on Monday.
'Their air force is no match to ours!'
Intense cold wave gripped Kashmir, with Kargil becoming the coldest place this winter.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing in Beijing that "at the moment the situation in the boundary region between China and India is overall stable and controllable".
The use of firearms along the LAC marks a serious escalation in border tensions as the previous instance of shots being fired at the de-facto border was in 1975.
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'Having tied himself in knots, he just might take a decision which is dangerous, one that could take his nation to war.'
'The government will ensure that India's pride is not affected as far as the situation along Indo-China border is concerned'
'Delhi was not concerned.' 'It would continue sleeping for several more years, with the result that Indian territory is still occupied by China today,' says Claude Arpi.
India's top military and strategic brass on Tuesday reviewed the overall situation in eastern Ladakh amid indications that the latest round of talks between senior military commanders of Indian and Chinese armies on the next phase of disengagement of troops may not have produced encouraging results, people familiar with the developments said.
Srinagar recorded a low of minus 3.2 degrees Celsius, an increase of two degrees from the previous night's minus 5.2 degrees Celsius, a spokesman for the MET department said in Srinagar.
Amidst the ongoing hostilities with Pakistan, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the Modi government will not allow anyone to dent India's honour and every citizen has faith in the country's armed forces.
'We think we are ready to have a practical, rational, logical kind of discussion whereas on the other side there is this kind of defensiveness,'says a senior Indian diplomat.
The formal process of disengagement of troops began on July 6, a day after a nearly two-hour telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on ways to bring down tensions in the area.
Indian military sources said no firearms were used in the clashes and that most of the injuries were sustained following stone-pelting and use of rods by the Chinese side.
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