Punjab Governor flags of Rotary’s Diwali gift for Jawans

Chandigarh, October 22, 2024:  Governor of Punjab and Administrator UT Chandigarh, Gulab Chand Kataria flagged off the army trucks carrying gift of seven tons of Diwali mithai for the jawans serving on borders, from the Rotarians. 

This is the eighth year that Rotarians have been contributing funds to buy mithai and send it across to the jawans serving on the forward posts away from their families, which would be airlifted and distributed with the help of the Indian army and Indian Air Force. 

Kataria commended the Rotarians for their most generous and well-thought out gesture to remember our jawans who stand guard to protect the sovereignty of our country in the most harsh weather conditions.  “Aap Hain to Hum Hain”, is the most appropriate tribute to them, he said. 

Kataria flagged off the army trucks from Punjab Raj Bhavan, which would carry the boxes of sweets to the IAF base for airlifting and delivering to the forward posts.

Present on the occasion were past Rotary International President Rajendra K. Saboo, his wife Usha Saboo, Rotary District Governor Rajpal Singh, PDG Madhukar Malhotra, Rotary Club Chandigarh President Jatinder Kapoor, Project Chair Past President Anil Chadda, among others. 

The programme was conceived eight years back by Usha Saboo wife of former world president of Rotary International Rajendra K Saboo, who met a young soldier in the train during holidays who was leaving for the border just before Diwali. She shared the idea with Rotary Club of Chandigarh who took up the project, and now even the Rotarians from as far as Mumbai have also contributed for the project. 

The students of Bhawan Vidyalaya collected over Rs.4 lakh for this project to send their best Diwali wishes to the Armymen. 

Current Rotary District Governor Rajpal Singh, expressed gratitude to every Rotarian in his district which comprises Chandigarh, parts of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, UP and Uttarakhand for their overwhelming response to the project.
 
Past district governor Madhukar Malhotra thanked the IAF fleet in Chandigarh which airlifts the consignment to different destinations in the country promptly.