New Delhi [India], March 3 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday called upon the people to contribute wholeheartedly to the welfare of soldiers and their families, terming it the national duty of every citizen while addressing the Armed Forces Flag Day Corporate Social Responsibility (AFFD CSR) Conclave in New Delhi,
Rajnath Singh stated that India's soldiers always stand firm, vigilant and ready at the borders in difficult conditions to protect the country from all kinds of threats with courage and promptness.
"While the Government is committed to strengthening India's security apparatus and ensuring the welfare of its soldiers and their families, it is the nation's collective responsibility to come forward and support them in every way possible," Singh said.
He asserted that CSR is not about a two percent contribution; it is a matter of heart-to-heart connection with the brave soldiers and their dependents.
"Whatever contribution you make, it will not be ordinary. You should take full care that tomorrow, when your real balance sheet is ready, it has more assets of satisfaction and happiness than liabilities," he told the top corporate heads present on the occasion.
He reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government's commitment to enhance the participation of the private sector, stating that the goal of Aatmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat can be achieved through the concerted efforts of all stakeholders.
He exuded confidence that, with growing private sector participation, India will be among the top three economies of the world by 2027. He commended the corporate houses for their generous contributions to the AFFD Fund and felicitated top CSR donors on the occasion.
The Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence, has been working to improve the welfare and rehabilitation of war widows, wards of fallen soldiers, and ex-servicemen, including disabled ones, by providing financial assistance for their identified personal needs, such as penury grants, children's education grants, funeral grants, medical grants, and orphan/disabled children grants.
The conclave was attended by MoS (Defence) Sanjay Seth, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Secretary (Ex-Servicemen Welfare) Dr Niten Chandra, other senior MoD officials, members from the CSR fraternity, and serving and retired personnel of the Armed Forces.