Anantapur: Thesacrifices made by soldiers and ex-servicemen in safeguarding the nation are invaluable, said District Collector O Anand, while launching the Armed Forces Flag Day observance at the Collector’s camp office on Sunday.

The Collector contributed his donation to the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund, marking the formal commencement of this year’s campaign.

Ex-Servicemen Welfare Officer P Thimmappa felicitated the Collector with a bouquet and affixed the symbolic Flag Day sticker on his shirt. He briefed the Collector that the district collected ₹6.68 lakh for the Flag Day Fund last year. The Collector directed officials to mobilise higher contributions this year and appealed to the public to generously donate to the Army, Air Force, and Navy welfare funds. He added that steps were underway to allot land to eligible ex-servicemen and families of martyrs in the district.

Earlier, a Flag Day rally was organised from Government Arts College to Clock Tower to raise awareness and collect donations. Speaking during the rally, Officer Thimmappa said that since 1949, Flag Day has been observed every year on December 7 to honour soldiers, martyrs, and ex-servicemen. He urged NCC and NSS youth to draw inspiration from the armed forces and serve the nation.

He also highlighted the recent assistance provided by the State government to the family of Agniveer Mood Murali Naik of Sri Sathya Sai district, who was martyred in Operation Sindhoor, including ₹50 lakh, 5 acres of land, and a 300 sq. yd. house site, along with the construction of his memorial.

Several ex-servicemen, Veer Naris, college staff, NCC/NSS students, and donors participated, including devotee Ravishankar, who contributed ₹10,000 to the fund.