Armed forces products of visionary leadership of veterans: Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar

New Delhi [India], January 14 (ANI): Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar and Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Saturday paid homage to ex-Servicemen on the 7th Army Veterans Day.

They were joined by Army Chief General Manoj Pande, as they laid wreaths at the National War Memorial on Saturday. Addressing ex-Servicemen on the occasion, the Navy chief said MoUs signed with nine corporates for the employment of ex-Servicemen and their next of kin show that the Indian Navy gives top priority to the “care and welfare of veterans”.

He added, “The landmark MoU signed between Indian Navy and DG shipping for the transition of ex-Servicemen towards merchant navy is a step in the direction of their welfare.”

“Indian navy follows a multi-prolonged approach, including care, creative solutions and communication,” the Navy Chief said.

He added, “The Armed forces today are a product of the efforts, visionary leadership, aspirations & selfless service put in by each one of our veterans.”
Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said, “Armed Forces Veterans day is a momentous occasion to commemorate & honour made by our veterans. I pay homage to all those veterans who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.”

Hailing the efforts of the Directorate of Air Veterans, he claimed it has been assisting air veterans with their financial matters while also helping them find jobs in the civil sector through dedicated placement cells.

“As part of the government’s Digital India initiative, ‘Sparsh’ (a pension scheme) has been operationalised. It will bring transparency to pension processing,” added Chaudhari.

The Armed Forces Veterans Day is celebrated on January 14 every year, as on this day, in 1953, the First Indian Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Indian Army, Field Marshal KM Cariappa, who led Indian Forces to Victory in the 1947 war against Pakistan, formally retired from the Services.

The First Armed Forces Veterans Day was observed on January 14, 2016. It was decided to commemorate this day every year by hosting events in honour of the ex-Servicemen and their families.