Support families of armed forces

BANGALORE: Karnataka Governor Hans Raj Bharadwaj on Sunday said that the state government should coordinate with Sainik Welfare Board to prepare a computerized list of soldiers and their families that need urgent and regular help.At the inaugural function of ‘Smarananjali’, a programme organised to honour 369 soldiers from the state who have laid down their lives and 149 soldiers who were injured while serving the country, Bharadwaj said, “Such programs alone will not fill the vacuum left by the martyrs in the lives of their family members and it is our duty to reach out to their families.The aid that is being given and the programs to honour them are not sufficient.The armed forces have not let down their countries, even in those in which they are not being taken care of, and it is our duty not to let their families down in times when they need us the most.” Bharadwaj also said that our love for the armed forces should translate into a meaningful exercise that will help their families.The government and private corporate houses should set aside some jobs for the retrenched and retired defence personnel as they can carry out such jobs in a responsible manner.A review of the condition of the families of the defence personnel and the aid given to them should undertaken from next year onwards.The governor also handed over awards and medals to the family members of Maj. Sunil Ganapathi and Col. C N Nanjappa, who laid down their lives in the helicopter crashes while in service, and Sepoy Ravindra K S, who died in Kashmir.