An AN-32 transport aircraft of Indian Air Force is being loaded with medical equipment which will be flown from Tambaram (Tamil Nadu) to Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) for the setting up of medical lab & facilities

As the number of coronavirus cases increase with each passing day in India, we are immensely grateful to doctors, nurses, para-medical staff, police, fire brigade, sanitary workers and others who are untiringly working day and night to keep us protected.

But aren’t we forgetting that a force of more than 14 lakh strong is also silently playing its part in battling the pandemic? Yes, the Indian armed forces which include the army, navy and the air force aren’t on everybody’s radar but they are fulfilling a vital duty of reaching out to the masses and delivering essential goods.

Like us, many in the armed forces are working from home but the rest are lending a hand ensuring that people in need around the country have enough stocks of essential supplies.

Working selflessly, soldiers, sailors and airmen are not only supplying essentials on the ground but are also transporting critically important things like personal protection equipment (PPE), medical equipment and medicines to parts of the country where they are in short supply.

They stay away from their family members, fearing their loved ones might get infected but they take this painful separation in their stride and carry on fulfilling their duty stoically.

As armed forces personnel are posted all across our vast country, they are best placed to feed workers, labourers and others who have been left jobless and away from their homes. In such places the armed forces are sharing the administration’s burden of looking after people who can’t look after themselves.

The armed forces are always training and preparing for war and this pandemic is nothing short of a full-blown war. They are not only collecting and distributing essentials but also setting up and managing quarantine facilities, which will help us in overcoming coronavirus.

So, as civilians it is our duty to help the men in uniform, who are sacrificing so much for us, by staying at home.