CM seeks Rs 1 crore aid for Uri attack martyrs

AGE CORRESPONDENT

Published : Sep 28, 2016, 2:42 am IST

Updated : Sep 28, 2016, 2:42 am IST

Felicitating freedom fighters and their families on the occasion of the 110th birth anniversary of Sahe-ed Bhagat Singh, CM Arvind Kejriwal appealed PM Narendra Modi to give Rs 1 crore relief to each

Felicitating freedom fighters and their families on the occasion of the 110th birth anniversary of Sahe-ed Bhagat Singh, CM Arvind Kejriwal appealed PM Narendra Modi to give Rs 1 crore relief to each martyr of Uri attack.

Mr Kejriwal said that for the last one-and-a-half years, the Delhi government has been giving compensation of `1 crore to families of soldiers and policemen who lose their lives in the line of service.

“The Delhi government didn’t go bankrupt by paying compensation to them. In fact, the people of Delhi paid many more extra crores in taxes. I am very certain that the Central government will not go bankrupt as well,” he said, adding that the Modi government should consider giving compensation to all soldiers who die defending the country’s borders.

According to the government, 190 freedom fighters and family members of the martyrs from various states attended the Tuesday function. At the start, Mr Kejriwal felicitated the family members and grandson of Bhagat Singh and the family members of Sukhdev.

“The incidents that happened in Uri and Pathan-kot has saddened and pained the entire nation. It’s the enemy country’s dharma to attack us, but have we become so weak that we continue sitting in silence. Times like these remind us of Bhagat Singh and other freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives,” Mr Kejriwal said.

“I don’t say there should be a war, war is not a solution, but there are 100 other ways to respond to such attacks,” he added.

Remembering the supre-me sacrifice of Bhagat Singh for the country’s freedom, the chief minister announced for setting up of “Shaheed Bhagat Singh Foundation” by the Delhi government to honour the memory of the great martyr. He also launched a web portal shaheedkosh.delhi. gov.in developed by the city government to prepare a database of freedom fighters and martyrs from all over the country.

“The government of Delhi has a dedicated cell to serve the freedom fighters and their families,” a statement issued by the government said.