India upgrading defence infrastructure along China border: Defence Secretary R K Mathur

AGARTALA: India is working on upgrading its defence infrastructure along its border with China in the northeastern region, Defence Secretary R K Mathur said today.

"We have to make developments there (northeastern border with China). Our infrastructure has to improve, our war preparedness has to improve. We are working on that," Mathur said here.

"We are not doing any defence deal with China, but a deal has to be on border management," he said, adding, border disputes would be discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China in May.

The Defence Secretary said India is procuring some Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from Israel and the country's Defence Minister would visit India this month.

Moshe Ya'alon's trip will be the first India visit of any defence minister from Israel.

"Israel is a major defence partner and we have been buying a lot of things from them as we are buying from many other countries. We would buy Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) from Israel and we have placed order for that," said Mathur.

DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) are jointly developing the Barak 8 air and missile defence system that will be used by both Israeli Navy and Indian Defence Forces.

"We have increased the FDI from 26 per cent to 49 per cent and we have agreed that more FDI is needed," Mathur said.

He said India is increasing its defence exchange programme with neighbouring Bangladesh and the USA.

Mathur, former Chief Secretary of Tripura, said he came here as per the instruction of the Prime Minister as he wanted every secretary of the union government to visit the state of his own cadre.