Maj Gen Manish Luthra (R) and Hemant Sachdev signing the MoU. (Photo via special arrangement.)
New Delhi: The Indian Army has entered an understanding with the Tiranga Mountain Rescue (TMR) at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies in the Delhi Cantonment, on Wednesday. The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) took place in the presence of the Army chief, General Upendra Dwivedi.
Major General Manish Luthra, additional director general military operations (A), signed the MoU on behalf of the Army, while Hemant Sachdev, an accomplished mountaineer and Everest summiteer, represented the TMR.
This partnership moves marks a significant development in the Army’s capabilities for rescue and survival operations in mountainous regions. Under the terms of the MoU, the TMR will provide customized training programmes for Army instructors, enhancing their ability to train troops in avalanche rescue and survival techniques.
Gen Dwivedi praised the TMR’s efforts and expressed his appreciation for the collaboration. In recognition of their service, he presented Chief of Army Staff Commendation Cards to two members of the TMR's rescue team.
The deputy chief of the Army (strategy), Lieutenant General Tarun Kumar Aich, described the MoU as mutually beneficial for both organizations. He noted that the TMR has provided invaluable support in training and rescue efforts over the past nine years, saving numerous lives in the process.
Sachdev revealed that 15 TMR teams are currently deployed in various regions alongside the Army. He emphasized the significant number of lives saved by the TMR rescue teams in avalanche-prone areas.
This latest move builds upon an initial partnership established with Northern Army Command in 2016, which introduced dedicated avalanche and rescue support from the TMR. Subsequent agreements with the Eastern Army Command and the Central Army Command, in 2021 and 2024 respectively, further expanded this collaboration.
