Avalanches kill 20-25 Army personnel annually, says Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that 20-25 Indian Army personnel lose their lives in avalanches every year. He added that he was saddened to learn lives are lost, not in a war or terrorist incidents, but avalanches.

He was speaking with a team of Tiranga Mountain Rescue (TMR), a non-profit organisation affiliated with the Indian Army. He commended the rescue organisation for saving the lives of the Armed Forces personnel from threats like avalanches and training them to face such incidents and raising awareness about natural disasters.

A nation moves forward on the path of development only when the government and civil society work together, said the union minister. He added that government and civil society are the wheels on which the country can achieve the goal of all-around sustainable development.

The non-profit has been instrumental in training Indian Army personnel in mountain craft. Highly motivated and qualified avalanche rescue professionals are deployed in snow-bound and difficult areas during the winter season.

Mr Singh called Tiranga Mountain Rescue a "source of strength to the soldiers who are deployed in difficult areas and are exposed to various threats such as avalanches." He noted that there have been no casualties in the region where it is deployed.

The Defence Minister mentioned that incidents like avalanches may increase in the near future due to climate change and Tiranga Mountain Rescue has a big responsibility on its shoulders. He added that their work is a "shining example of the partnership between the government and civil society".