NEW DELHI (REUTERS) - India has strengthened military forces along its disputed Himalayan border with China, President Ram Nath Kovind told a joint session of Parliament on Friday (Jan 29).

The neighbours' troops have been locked in a face-off on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), or de facto border, since last year, and several rounds of military and diplomatic talks have failed.

"My government is fully committed to protecting the interests of the country and is also vigilant," Mr Kovind said in a speech outlining governance priorities for the year.

"Additional forces have also been deployed to protect India's sovereignty over the LAC."