Army plans mega 4-day rally for disabled soldiers

Army is planning a mega rally for disabled soldiers here later this year as it unveiled its programme to reach out to over 12,000 such soldiers spread across six northern states, reiterating its resolve to provide all possible help to mitigate their sufferings.

The rally planned for 1500 disabled soldiers in November at Mamun headquarters would be the main event in the long list of programmes chalked out for the benefit of former soldiers who were rendered immobile while serving the nation, General Officer Commanding of nine corps Lt Gen Y V K Mohan said today.

The army commander was speaking at the inauguration of the curtain raiser programme 'forever in touch', which was attended by over 100 disabled soldiers.

Country's first paraplegic Major-General S K Razdan, Major D P Singh, a kargil war veteran and India's first blade runner and Param Vir Chakra awardee Subedar Major (honorary captain) Bana Singh attended the event as "grand ambassadors".

Captain Satender Sangwan, also a Kargil war veteran who after losing his right leg in the battlefield became an athlete in Paralympics and later became an international badminton player, was also present on the occasion.

When the proposal to celebrate the undying spirit of the disabled soldier was being finalised, two options came up
A base hospital each in Guwahati, Delhi and other places is being set up to minimise the distance a disabled soldier (from the northern region) may have to travel for treatment, he said, adding his family also goes through the problems as a result