PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Haldwani
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that the life of soldiers is an example of dedication, discipline and sacrifice. He said that a soldier never retires and always remains a soldier. The CM was addressing an ex-servicemen conclave held at the MB PG College in Haldwani on Thursday.
He averred that anti-national ideology has no place in the country. Dhami said all the essential military equipment is being manufactured in the country making India self-reliant. He also mentioned the success of the indigenous BrahMos and Akash missile systems in the Operation Sindoor. Dhami said that the State government is fully committed to the welfare of soldiers and their families.
The CM showered flowers on the veterans present and congratulated them for their contributions to building of the State and national service. He said that every family in Uttarakhand can proudly say that someone from their family is dedicated to the service of mother India. He said that Devbhoomi Uttarakhand is truly a land of heroes, where the spirit of patriotism and sacrifice is deeply ingrained in its very soil.
The CM also made several announcements related to the welfare of soldiers on the occasion. He said that the Soldier Welfare department will be restructured and strengthened so that the benefits of schemes could reach every soldier’s family easily. Dhami announced that the offices and residential buildings of the department in Haldwani, Almora and Pauri will be renovated, providing better facilities to ex-servicemen and Veer Naris.
He said that the amount of assistance given to the women of martyred soldiers for the construction of residential buildings is being increased from Rs two lakh to Rs five lakh. In the programmes 31 Veer Naris from Nainital and 13 from Udham Singh Nagar were honoured by the CM.
Speaking on the occasion, Soldier Welfare minister Ganesh Joshi said that the sacred land of Uttarakhand has given the country numerous gallantry medal winners, including the Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra and Shaurya Chakra.
Addressing the programme, Forest minister Subodh Uniyal said that Uttarakhand is a soldier-dominated State and the government is consistently working for the welfare of the soldiers and their families.
BJP State president and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt, MLAs Banshidhar Bhagat, Ram Singh Kaida, Mohan Bisht, Haldwani mayor Gajraj Bisht and others attended the programme.
