Army commander’s conference put off on COVID surge

With the country recording more than 2 lakh new COVID cases for the second successive day and the national capital declaring a 2-day lockdown, the Army Commander’s Conference (ACC) has also been put off, reports senior journalist Sanjib Kr Baruah.

New Delhi: It is déjà vu time. Just like this time last year when the coronavirus had struck leading to the postponement of the apex level Army Commander’s Conference (ACC), the upcoming meet scheduled to be held at the national capital from April 26-30, 2021 has been postponed due to the spike in the number of COVID cases across the country, sources have told ETV Bharat.

Held usually in March and October every year, the ACC is an important event in the planning and execution process of the Indian Army that undertakes a 360-degree look at the current emerging perspectives on issues relating to operations, logistics, administration, human resources and welfare.

The upcoming ACC has assumed particular significance because of several issues which need brainstorming at the highest level.

These issues include the face-off situation with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) which seems to have moved into an impasse, the ongoing ceasefire with Pakistan, the move to set up theatre commands in what is being seen as one of the biggest reform measures of the Indian military in its history besides a host of other issues relating to organizational and functional reforms, deployments, etc.

To ensure due diligence, decisions taken in the ACC are taken through the collegiate system comprising army commanders and senior officers.

The last ACC was held in New Delhi from October 26-29, 2020 when the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic had somewhat subsided.

While the defence minister addresses the top military brass, the meeting, chaired by the Army chief, is usually attended by heads of defence public sector undertakings and director-generals of various military arms and branches.

As of Friday morning, India recorded 2,17,353 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, marking the second successive day that the country recorded more than 2 lakh new cases. In the last 24 hours, 1,185 people have died due to COVID-related complications.

The total number of cases in the country now stands at 1,42,91,917 of which 15,69,743 are active cases.