Sending a strong message a day after taking over as the new Army chief, General VK Singh said on Thursday that the Army needs to look within and concentrate on core values and ethos, besides improving its internal processes and work culture.
Singh, who has taken over at a time when the Army?s image is at its lowest following the recent spate of controversies?including the land scandal involving top officers, said his priority would be to focus attention on improving the ?internal health? of the organisation.
?For any organisation to do well, it must ensure the internal health is good,? he said. He was replying to questions on the recent scandals that have rocked the Army, including the Sukna land controversy. Singh, in his capacity as GoC-in-C, Eastern Command, had recommended action against top officials in the land scandal.
?No organisation can do well without its own internal audit, in terms of how things work. The Army has very strong traditions and very strong core values. These are the things that will make a difference to me,? he said, indicating that issues like corruption and malpractices would be dealt with strictly. ?We want to set our own culture, we want to ensure the image and dignity of our soldier improves,? he said. On the modernisation front, he said there is a need to improve the internal system and work culture to ensure that procurement procedures are shortened. ?The focus will be to make our own systems and work culture better. In our own house also there can be problems, I am looking at that,? he said.
Acknowledging that there are ?hollow areas? in terms of weapons and systems, Singh said his aim would be to make the internal processes of the Army faster. ?In our combat units, there are certain things that are authorised but all of them may not be available. It can be as mundane as a knee pad, and can range to weapons and ammunition. I am looking at ensuring that our deficiencies are made up in a shorter time,? he said.