By Bhupen Goswami

Guwahati : Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will celebrate Diwali with Indian Army troops posted on the China border in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Dibang Valley district. The minister will spend the festival of lights at a border location that is so remote that the nearest road head is almost 40 km away. The army post selected for the visit falls under the 3 Corps area of the Indian Army, a prestigious command that includes Gen Bipin Rawat and the present DG of Military Operations as past commanders. “Continuing the tradition of celebrating Diwali with the families of our soldiers, Smt @nsitharaman will celebrate Diwali this year at Dinjan (Assam), Andra La-Omkar and Anini (Arunachal Pradesh).” – Defence Ministry tweeted on Monday night:There are military posts separated from the nearest road-head by at least 30 km. The sparsely populated area has an average density of about one man per km. “Infrastructure has been a major challenge in the area. Several steps have been taken to improve roads in the forward areas,” said an official, adding the Defence Minister would be reviewing the progress of the ongoing infrastructure projects and also defence preparedness. Last year, Sitharaman celebrated the festival of lights with military personnel at tri-services command on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In her first visit to the strategically important command after assuming charge as the Defence Minister, Sitharaman had also reviewed its security preparedness and other operational matters.