Over 1,000 Army veterans, including officers and war widows, participated in the ex-servicemen rally organised by 1 EME Centre at Secunderabad under the aegis of Headquarters, Dakshin Bharat Area, here on Wednesday.

As part of the event, stalls by various welfare agencies and organisations of the Army and civil administration — ex-servicemen grievances cell, recruitment information centre, udChalo counter, banking awareness counter — were set up at the venue to educate the veterans on new welfare schemes.

Lieutenant General S.T. Upasani, General Officer Commanding, Dakshin Bharat Area, expressed gratitude to the ex-servicemen and assured them that they would always remain an inseparable part of the Armed forces’ fraternity and their welfare would always be accorded importance. Major General N. Srinivas Rao, General Officer Commanding, Telangana and Andhra Sub-Area, appealed to the veterans to motivate youth to join the Armed forces. A medical camp with doctors from Military Hospital, Secunderabad, as well as ECHS Polyclinic was also organised.