MADIKERI: In recognition of his contribution to the country and the Indian Army, Field Marshal K M Cariappa should rec ei ve the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour, Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat said on Saturday.
Addressing a large crowd that 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 bronze statue s of Field Marshal Cariappa and General KS Thimayya, both of whom hail from Kodagu. The statues have been built at a cost of `32 lakh.
“No army can be strong without respecting its martyrs. The Indian A rmy will provide `10 lakh to fund the General Thimayya museum being constructed in Madikeri,” General Rawat added. Addressing a large gathering of ex-service men, he said that the army was providing skill -based training to enable ex-servicemen to take up jobs. He also added that polyclinics ha ve been ordered to procure medicines locally to provide good medical aid to ex-servicemen. General Rawat promised that the army would provide financial help for the weddings 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 Cariappa, a revered name in Kodagu, was the first Indian Commander in Chief of the Indian Army and was given the rank of Field Marshal in 1986. General Thimayya , who took over as Army Chief in May 1957, was awarded the Padma Bhushan .
Replying to a query on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call to the country’s army to be ready to fight, Rawat said, “Every army has to be prepared for a conflict.That is the task of the army. There is nothing new in it.”