On January 14, 2023, the 7th Armed Forces Veterans Day was observed to recognize the contribution of the veterans of the Indian Armed Forces in serving the nation. Defence minister Rajnath Singh presided over the Celebrations.
Background:
- The day honours the services rendered by Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa OBE, the first Indian Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Indian Armed Forces.
- He led the Indian forces on the Western Front during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947. He retired on January 14 in 1953.
- The Armed Forces Veterans’ Day has been commemorated since January 14, 2017. Events honouring the ex-Servicemen and their families are held to recognise this day each year.
Key Points:
i.The veterans’ meeting at Dehradun, Uttarakhand was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the Chief of the defence staff, General Anil Chauhan.
ii.Rajnath Singh addressed an Armed Forces Veterans Rally at Jaswant Ground in Dehradun Cantonment and launched the ‘Soul of Steel Alpine Challenge’ which is a joint adventure sports initiative of the Indian Army and CLAW Global by flagging off a car expedition from Dehradun to Ghamshali located in the Niti Valley.
iii.The heads of the three services, Army Chief General Manoj Pande, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, laid wreaths at the National War Memorial (NWM).
iv.The day is being celebrated at 9 locations namely Juhunjhunu, Jalandhar, Panagarh, New Delhi, Dehradun, Chennai, Chandigarh, Bhubaneshwar and Mumbai by three Service Headquarters
v.‘We for veterans’ anthem – an ode to veterans was played for commemorating their valor and sacrifice.
vi.A yearly journal called SAMMAAN, published by the Director of Indian Army veterans (DIAV), was also released during the event. Indian Air Force also released a magazine named VAYU SEMVEDNA.
About Ministry of Defence:
Union Minister – Raj Nath Singh (Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS) – Ajay Bhatt (Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar, Uttarakhand)
