Meerut (UP), Nov 14 (PTI) Attending an ex-servicemen programme in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that a soldier never retires and praised the contribution of the serving and retired military personnel towards the nation.
“We sleep peacefully today because our soldiers remain awake on the borders. Whether it is the ice-clad peaks of Siachen, the scorching sands of the desert, the depths of the ocean, or a disaster striking within the country — on every front, our soldiers are the first to stand ready,” he said at Poorv Sainik Punarmilan Samaroh.
“I believe that a soldier never retires. The uniform of a soldier may change, but the resolve of patriotism never changes. On the border, they serve as guardians of the nation, and upon returning to their villages after leaving the service, they become guides and a source of inspiration for their community and the village,” Adityanath said.
Ahead of the event, Adityanath wrote in a post on X: “This occasion would provide an opportunity to express gratitude to the 5.19 lakh ex-servicemen of the state and their families. This vast military family, comprising nearly 15 to 20 lakh people, is a symbol of the nation’s strength and glorious tradition.”
Underscoring that out of nearly 60,000 personnel retiring from the armed forces every year, 10,000-12,000 belong to Uttar Pradesh, he said this figure reflects the state’s significant contribution to the nation’s defence.
Claiming that previous governments kept the ‘One Rank, One Pension’ scheme pending, Adityanath said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “New India accords the highest priority to the honour and empowerment of its soldiers.”
“From the valour displayed by the Indian Armed Forces during ‘Operation Sindoor’ to the Uttar Pradesh Defence Corridor and BrahMos missile manufacturing in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh is emerging as a new hub of defence self-reliance.
“The double-engine government has taken concrete steps, including providing ex-gratia assistance of Rs 50 lakh to the families of martyrs, government jobs to one dependent of each martyr, 20 per cent reservation for Agniveers in the UP Police and 5 per cent reservation in Group ‘B’ posts, besides providing employment to more than 31,700 ex-servicemen,” he said in the post written in Hindi. PTI NAV AMJ
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