Private Sector Should Provide Jobs To Ex-Servicemen: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urged the private sector to provide employment opportunities to about 60,000 soldiers who retire at a very young age every year.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has appealed to the nation to contribute generously to the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund, terming it the moral responsibility of every citizen to ensure the welfare of the soldiers and their families.

Addressing the Armed Forces Flag Day CSR Conclave, organised by the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence, in New Delhi on Tuesday, he expressed gratitude to the retired as well as serving Armed Forces personnel, whose courage & sacrifice, has safeguarded the sovereignty and integrity of the country.

He mentioned a soldier's message enshrined on the Kohima War Memorial in Nagaland, which read 'When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today.' He said it is the nation's collective responsibility to help the soldiers and their families.

"Since independence, whether it was to win wars or counter terrorist activities from across the border, our soldiers have given a befitting reply to all challenges with courage and promptness. In the process, many of them made the supreme sacrifice and many became physically disabled. The entire responsibility of their family rests on them. It is, therefore, our ultimate responsibility to come forward and support our soldiers and their families in every way possible. It is because of our brave soldiers, who are always alert at the borders, we sleep peacefully and live our lives without fear," said Rajnath Singh.