Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], February 8 (HBTV): Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Friday honoured two veterans, Major General Alok Raj (Retd) and Havildar Gurprem Singh (Retd), with the 'Veterans Achievers Award' during his visit to Jaipur Military Station.

During the visit, the Army chief interacted with a large number of veterans and encouraged them to continue contributing to nation-building and the vision of 'Viksit Bharat 2047.'

Last week, General Dwivedi felicitated Indian Army contingents and bands for their performances on Republic Day 2025 and at the Beating Retreat Ceremony, the Indian Army said in a statement.

The Best Marching Contingent Award was won by the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, while the Jat Regiment secured the runner-up position.

The Best Military Band Award was presented to the Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre, with the 14 Gorkha Training Centre as the runner-up. The Best Pipe Band Award went to the Madras Regimental Centre, while the Sikh Regimental Centre received the runner-up award.

Interacting with the troops, General Dwivedi commended all participants for their efforts and urged them to strive for excellence, the statement said.

Meanwhile, last month, the Cabinet Committee on Security approved a project to procure over INR 10,000 crore worth of ammunition for the Indian Army's Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher systems.

In his annual press conference on January 13, General Dwivedi stated that the government was expected to approve contracts for Pinaka weapon system munitions, including INR 5,700 crore for high-explosive ammunition and INR 4,500 crore for area denial munitions.

(ANI)