Indian Army to observe 2011 as 'Year of the Disabled Soldier'

New Delhi, Jan 15 (ANI): The Indian Army has decided to observe 2011 as the 'Year of the Disabled Soldier'.

"We have been giving great respect to our martyred soldiers and the time has come to give due honour to our soldiers who have been disabled in operations. For this, 2011 will be the year of the disabled soldier," said Army chief General V K Singh, while addressing the 63rd Army day parade here.

"A grant of Rs one crore has been sanctioned for the purpose and in the remaining part of the year, the Army will focus on providing rehabilitation, training and basic amenities to the disabled soldiers," he added.

Further announcing other welfare schemes for the families and personnel of the troops, General Singh said: "A grant of Rs 25,000 would be provided to widows of soldiers and an additional Rs 400 would be given every month for education of their children. An additional Rs 20,000 would be given to the wheel-chair bound soldiers."

Mentioning the achievements of the army in counter-insurgency operations, General Singh said: "Our units have been successful in maintaining peace and security in both Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast. We are also providing training to the police forces in the Northeast to enhance their capability to carry out internal security duties on their own."

"Today, 1,10000 troops of the Indian Army are taking part in the different UN missions and our efficiency in these operations has been praised. I am proud that our soldiers in blue berets (of the UN) are doing a splendid job there. We have the third largest contingent among troop contributing nations," he added, while lauding the performance of Indian troops in the UN peacekeeping missions. (ANI)