MADIKERI: In recognition of his contribution to the country and the Indian Army, Field Marshal KM Cariappa should receive the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour, chief of army staff general Bipin Rawat said on Saturday.
Addressing a large crowd which had assembled in Gonikoppal, in Kodagu district, General Rawat said that the army would recommend that the Field Marshal be bestowed with the award as he was eligible to get it. General Rawat also unveiled a bronze statue of Field Marshal Cariappa as well as General K.S. Thimayya, both of whom hail from the Kodagu district. The statues have been built at a cost of Rs 32 lakhs.
"No army can be strong without respecting its martyrs. The Indian army will provide funds of Rs. 10 lakh to fund the General Thimayya museum which is being constructed in Madikeri," General Rawat said.
Speaking to the large gathering of ex-servicemen who had come to listen to his speech, he said that the army was providing skills-based training to enable ex-servicemen to take up jobs after they leave the army.
He also added that polyclinics had been ordered to procure medicines locally in order to provide good medical aid to them. General Rawat promised that the army would provide financial help for the marriages of the daughters of ex-servicemen.
Praising the contributions of two of Kodagu's most famous warriors, he praised the district and its contribution to the army and said that more such warriors should be born in Kodagu.
Field Marshal Kariappa, a revered name in Kodagu, was the first Indian Commander in Chief of the Indian Army and was given the rank of Field Marshal on April 28, 1986.
General Thimayya was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1954 and took over as Army Chief in May 1957.