Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has appealed to the nation to contribute generously to the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund, terming it the moral responsibility of every citizen to ensure the welfare of the soldiers and their families. Addressing the Armed Forces Flag Day CSR Conclave, organised by Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence, in New Delhi today, he expressed gratitude to the retired as well as serving Armed Forces personnel, whose valour & sacrifice, has safeguarded the sovereignty and integrity of the country. The Raksha Mantri made special mention of a soldier’s message enshrined on the Kohima War Memorial in Nagaland, which read ‘When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today’. He said, it is a collective responsibility of the nation to help the soldiers and their families.
“Since independence, whether it was to win wars or counter terrorist activities from across the border, our soldiers have given a befitting reply to all challenges with courage and promptness. In the process, many of them made the supreme sacrifice and many became physically disabled. The entire responsibility of their family rests on them. It is, therefore, our ultimate responsibility to come forward and support our soldiers and their families in every way possible. It is because of our brave soldiers, who are always alert at the borders, we sleep peacefully and live our lives without fear,” said Rajnath Singh. The Raksha Mantri also threw light on the fact that a large number of military personnel retire at the age of 35 to 40 years so that the youthful profile of the Armed forces is maintained. He described this as another reason for the people to extend all possible help to the ex-servicemen and their dependents.
