Dehradun: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh harked back to his days when he was the country's Home Minister while talking about the cold weather conditions at Dehradun. He was at Dehradun Cantonment on Saturday for the seventh Armed Forces Veterans' Day celebrations. Dehradun recorded 17 degrees Celcius on Saturday.
"When plans for my visit were being drawn, I was told Armed Forces Veterans Day is being organised in Dehradun which is very cold. I said, as the country's Home Minister, I have been in -14°C at night. So, why should I be scared of coming to the cold in Dehradun?" the Defence Minister said. Rajnath has earlier served as the Union Home Minister in 2014 when the Modi government came to power for the first time defeating the Congress-led UPA.
On a personal note the Defence Minister said, "Whenever I come to you, my head bows with reverence. The visuals of your bravery and sacrifice keep flashing in front of my eyes." Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the seventh Armed Forces Veterans' Day celebrations at Dehradun Cantonment. He presided over the event and addressed a veterans' rally at Jaswant Ground. Singh also launched the 'Soul of Steel Alpine Challenge', a joint adventure sport initiative of the Indian Army and CLAW Global, by flagging off a car expedition from Dehradun to Ghamshali in the Niti Valley.
The 'bravehearts' of Uttarakhand have displayed their indomitable courage and valour to protect the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country whenever the country has needed, Rajnath said in his addess. "You are assets of our nation. Pension, medical and other facilities that the country gives you are small ways of showing respect to you," he said. Rajnath Singh paid homage to the supreme sacrifice and the dedicated service of India's armed forces. He dedicated Shaurya Sthal -- developed by the Uttarakhand War Memorial Trust to the Indian Army.
This year, the occasion is being celebrated at nine locations -- Juhunjhunu, Jalandhar, Panagarh, New Delhi, Dehradun, Chennai, Chandigarh, Bhubaneshwar and Mumbai -- by the three Service Headquarters. The event in Chennai was presided over by the Minister of State for Defence. During the event, the veterans were felicitated with medals, souvenirs and recognition certificates, among others.
The Armed Forces Veterans' Day is celebrated on January 14 as on this day in 1953, the Army's first Indian Commander in Chief (C-in-C) -- Field Marshal KM Cariappa, who led the Indian forces to victory in the 1947 war -- formally retired from service, the ministry said. Veterans' Day was first celebrated in 2016 and it was decided to commemorate the day every year by hosting such interactive events in honour of the veterans and their families, it said. (With Agency inputs)
