Jaipur: Emphasising that welfare of veterans is a National priority, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that the creation of Chief of Defence Staff will further facilitate in achieving it.
Mr Singh alongwith Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat visited Jaipur Military Station and addressed veterans of all three services in Sapta Shakti Auditorium, Rajasthan-based Defence PRO Col Sombit Ghosh said in a statement.
He expressed gratitude towards all veterans for their glorious service to the Nation and lauded their sense of National Pride.
The minister also stated that a soldier never retires, “Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier”.
After the address, the minister and Gen Rawat interacted with veterans personally over tea.
Commemorating Veterans Day is a unique initiative of the services to acknowledge and honour the selfless devotion and sacrifice by our veterans, he added.
14th January every year is commemorated as Armed Forces Veterans Day as mark of respect and recognition of services rendered by all our veterans which also coincides with superannuation of Field Marshal KM Carriappa, OBE, the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army who became a veteran himself on 14 January 1953.
