Rajnath Singh reviews LAC infrastructure at Sukna and tells the Air Force to harden cyber defences at Bagdogra

Addressing soldiers at the Barakhana, the shared meal that cuts across rank, Mr Singh called Sukna and the region around it a critical hub for moving supplies, weapons, food, medical provisions and personnel to forward locations. He described it as a vital link in the security architecture of Eastern India and said its geographical sensitivity demands round-the-clock readiness.

The government, he said, is working to strengthen supply chains so that soldiers at forward posts have what they need. He added that budget allocations for roads, tunnels, border infrastructure and modern equipment have been increased. The ministry's release carries no amounts or year-on-year comparison, so the scale of the increase is not on the record.

He also pointed to Indian start-ups and industries that are now making drones, anti-drone systems and other equipment for the forces, and said the armed forces are learning drone operations and cyber security. He told officers to spend quality time with their soldiers, and spoke about mental health, encouraging personnel who feel stress from separation from their families to talk openly with comrades rather than suppress it.

On the north-east, he said the region is the first edge of India rather than the last, because it is where the morning sun first falls. He called the Barakhana a reflection of togetherness and equality that brings personnel from different regions, cultures and languages together as one family, and told them and their families that the government remains committed to their safety, dignity and well-being.

Bagdogra: cyber resilience and the Agniveer decision

At Bagdogra, meeting IAF personnel, he asked the forces to keep the highest level of operational readiness, with special focus on domain awareness, cyber resilience and information integrity. The security landscape, he said, has become more complex. Warfare now extends beyond conventional engagements on the border to asymmetric warfare, proxy wars, cyber attacks, drone swarms, information operations and narrative management.

According to the ministry, he described an adversary who avoids direct confrontation and exploits vulnerabilities instead, including by using social media to sow doubt among local people and soldiers with misleading information. In that situation, he told the airmen, their role goes beyond that of an ordinary soldier.

He described Bagdogra as a strategically important region and a crucial link in India's security framework, particularly for the North-East, and said the airmen deployed there are a robust shield for the eastern sector. Discipline and courage stay indispensable whatever the technology, he said, and the conduct, bearing and restraint of personnel shape how local communities see the military. He urged them to engage more with people in and around Bagdogra: the more they do, he said, the weaker the adversary's conspiracies will become. He praised the forces for adopting indigenous technology and learning new skills in drone operations and cyber security, and stressed the need to make the military more technology-driven to meet future challenges. Indian start-ups and industries, he said, are making a growing contribution to drones, anti-drone systems and advanced equipment, in line with the government's resolve for self-reliance in defence.

Mr Singh also spoke about the Cabinet's approval of a second tour of duty for Agniveers, calling it a significant Diwali gift. As the ministry reports his remarks, Agniveers will get another opportunity to serve, and on completing the extra engagement period all of them will have a chance to be enrolled as regular soldiers, subject to their willingness and the selection criteria. The release does not give the length of the extension or the number of Agniveers it covers, and those details sit with the Cabinet decision itself.

He thanked the airmen's families for their sacrifices and said the nation will always stand by them. Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of the Air Staff, and Air Commodore Manish Sharma, who commands the station, were present.

What the releases leave open

The two releases are speeches and a review, not announcements of new orders. They name no new project, contract or deployment, and they give no numbers on infrastructure or budgets. What they do record is how the Defence Minister frames the eastern sector's needs: dependable supply lines, indigenous drones and counter-drone systems, and defences against cyber and information attacks that target both machines and morale.

Both stops took place on 7 November, a day before Diwali. The Ministry of Defence posted the Bagdogra release at 1:44 pm and the Sukna release at 8:03 pm.