Saturday, June 11 2005 20:15 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Leh: Noting that no country can progress if its borders are not safe and secure, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today (Jun 11, 2005) assured the Defence forces that finance will be no constraint while ensuring their occupational readiness.

Addressing the troops in Leh, Singh hailed their contribution towards the country's unity and integrity and told them he was aware of the difficulties they were working in.

Describing his face-to-face with the soldiers in this border area as an "emotional moment", he said the Government was making efforts to ensure that the Defence forces got the best weapons and weapon systems.

"There will be constraints in terms of money" in ensuring operational preparedness of the forces, said Singh, who will visit Siachen glacier tomorrow (Jun 12, 2005), the world's highest battlefield and address troops there also.

He said although he had heard and read about difficulties being faced by the troops in border areas, he decided to meet them personally as it was a different experience.

Noting that this country had seen several problems immediately after the Independence, he said if Jammu and Kashmir was safely with India today, it was mainly because of the contribution of the Defence forces.

"No country can develop if its borders are not safe and secure," Singh said.

The jawans jostled with each other to shake hands with the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister's wife Gursharan Kaur was also seen interacting with the soldiers.