The largest and the oldest command of Indian Army, Eastern Command is one of the most powerful operational commands of the Indian Armed Forces. It is headquartered in Fort William in the city of Joy, Kolkata. The Eastern Command was formed on 1 November 1920.These warriors of the East are always actively engaged in the entire spectrum of operations to include conventional operations as well as Counter Insurgency and counter Terrorism in plains, dense forests, riverine terrain and high altitude icy region.
Now Eastern Command is going to organise a Defence Expo for the first time in Kolkata at ‘Biswa Bangla Mela Ground’ from July 7 to 8.
Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita announced this news earlier at a conclave in a city hotel at Kolkata.
“East Tech 2022” is an initiative to identify contemporary and niche technologies for capability enhancement in the Indian Army in general and Eastern sector in particular.
It is also an initiative to promote and provide a platform to various start ups and MSMEs , especially in the Eastern Region and major players of Indian Defence manufacturing Industry.
The event will give opportunity to start ups and MSMEs to showcase their products, Lt Gen R P Kalita said. Lt Gen Kalita who was speaking at a conclave on ‘Atmanirbhar Defence – Opportunities, Challenges and the Way Forward’ organised by Merchant Chamber of commerce, asked members of the industry to join the expo. He said the Armed Forces are in touch with premier educational institutions for research and development of new products and he had recently visited IIT Guwahati for the purpose. The nature of warfare is constantly changing and militaries across the world have to evolve and keep pace with technological developments and “Unless we try and infuse the technology into the method of warfighting, we will be left fighting tomorrow’s war with yesterday’s weapons,” the Eastern Army commander said.
“The EAST TECH 2022 is a unique initiative in cementing the defence-industry linkages in eastern India. CII is delighted to be a partner with the Eastern Command Headquarters and SIDM to further create business opportunities for the MSME space and position West Bengal as the next defence manufacturing hub. We are confident that EAST TECH 2022 with around 200 exhibitors will create an unprecedented B2B networking forum in the state.” Shiv Siddhant Kaul, Deputy Chairman, CII Eastern Region & Managing Director, Nicco Engineering Services shared his thoughts.
Lt Gen Kalita also added that the Russia-Ukraine war has taught us that a nation has to fight its war alone and that this signifies the importance of self-reliance.
Around 200 defence manufacturers are expected to attend the Defence Expo.
( Photo Courtesy : CII )
( Report – Pratyusha Mukherjee, a Journalist associate with a Western Media based in Kolkata. In her illustrated career she has covered many major events and achieved International and National media awards for Journalism.)
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