99-year-old Army veteran hailed online after contribution to fight against COVID-19

The battle against COVID-19 requires efforts from citizens across the nation. Apart from every person being expected to follow social distancing, wear masks, maintain hygienic conditions and get vaccinated, numerous  individuals and organisations have been helping many of those affected because of the pandemic.  To aid such an effort, a 99-year-old Indian Army veteran recently donated Rs 1 lakh.

Army veteran donates Rs 1 lakh for fight against COVID-19

A retired Armyman Lance Naik Kesho Lal Verma is winning praises online for his contribution at his age. The ex-serviceman recently walked in to the station commanders office in Jalandhar and handed over a cheque of Rs 1 lakh to Brigadier HS Sohi. The ex-solider also came wearing his medals that he had been bestowed with before India even gained independence.

Many other veterans of Army hailed him and hailed his ‘solddierly spririt’, ‘dedication toward nation’.

Even Union Minister of State, Shripad Y Naik praised a soldier’s will to serve the nation and wrote that he was ‘delighted and inspired’ with the 'kind' gesture.

Born on November 22, 1922 Verma had enrolled into the Army in 1942, and served  the nation for 16 years, reports said. He served with the Army Services Corps, Royal Indian Army Service Corps and North-West Frontier Province , and was deployed with the British Army's South East Asia Command. He had also bee taken as a prisoner of war during the second World War.

After his retirement, he was employed with a Punjab Government-run roadways company.

The Indian Army has been making headlines for its  efforts to combat COVID-19 in various parts of the country. This includes setting up COVID-19 care care centres and hospitals in areas near LoC, and other places like Faridabad and Jammu and Kashmir. Right from spreading awareness on COVID-19 norms in J&K to Indian Army engineers finding solution to convert liquid  oxygen to low-pressure O2 gas,  the defence forces have been helping out immensely.