Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (NR)
Mangalore, Dec 17: The ‘Vijay Diwas’ for commemorating India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, was observed in the city on Sunday Dec. 16. Also on the occasion an ex-servicemen rally organized by the Army and the Department of Sainik Welfare and Resettlement (DSWR) was held at the Padua high school ground here since morning 8.30 am.
A M Prasad, the inspector general of police (western range) giving the inaugural speech exhorted the ex-servicemen to motivate and train youths in their locality to join the Indian army. He advised that citizens should not enter the armed forces with the sole motive of earning (good) remuneration, instead one should consider it as a prestige to be a soldier, he added.
Maheshwar Rao, deputy commissioner speaking at the function rued that the response to the army recruitment rallies in the district had been reducing drastically. He spoke about the peace situation prevailing in the Jammu and Kashmir valley currently and in this context urged the youth to serve the Indian Army which he averred offers all kinds of benefits to its soldiers.
Major general E J Kochekkan in his speech pointed out that a second career, proper medical facilities and education of their children are the major problems that haunt a service personnel once he is retired. Therefore he urged army men once they retire to utilize the ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) medical scheme available to them and the basic and higher education facilities offered to the children of service and ex-service persons by the Army properly.
A large number of ex-servicemen from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts attended the rally along-with senior military and civilian dignitaries. Also present on the occasion were colonel C M F Prabhu, brigadier R M Mittal and joint director of department of sainik welfare and resettlement Dr Prakash, who stayed back after the event to listen to the woes of the veterans.
The rally proved to be a platform for ex-servicemen to convey their views and requirements to the district administration and army authorities. It will also provide information and advice on various rehabilitation and resettlement schemes and other facilities like the ECHS.
The rally which is the first of its kind in the city began at 8.30 am and went on till 4 pm. In the morning a wreath laying ceremony took place at the war memorial in Kadri Hills. On the occasion several widows of ex-servicemen, ex-servicemen and dependents with pension related problems all were suitably compensated. A team of expert doctors too ran a medical camp on the occasion as well as stalls of ECHS and Army placement mode, CSD canteen, dept. of Sainik Welfare and Resettlement, recruitment organization and others were set-up at the venue.