Sanjha Morcha

Hold ‘Defence melas’ to raise funds for ex-servicemen, kin: Governor

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 24

The 79th annual meeting of the J&K Rajya Sainik Board, followed by 64th meeting of the State Managing Committee, for the Flag Day Fund was held at Raj Bhawan here under the chairmanship of Governor NN Vohra.The Governor appreciated the efforts put in by the Sainik Welfare Department to further enhance interaction between the ex-servicemen/serving soldiers and the civil population, including programmes organised during the Flag Day celebrations.The Governor mentioned that due to their presence in far-flung areas, the Army should be able to complement efforts of the Sainik Welfare Department in maintaining effective liaison with ex-servicemen/widows. He expressed his deep concern about the status of non-pensioner ex-servicemen/widows and observed that he had recently written to the Defence Minister to consider significantly enhancing the quantum of relief to non-pensioner widows below and above 65 years of age, which is presently too meagre to meet the cost of living.He suggested that the Sainik Welfare Department should consider organising “Defence melas” to raise funds for the welfare of ex-servicemen and their families.He called upon the citizens and civil society organisations to donate liberally for the J&K Flag Day Fund, which is used for promoting the welfare of ex-servicemen and families of martyrs.The Governor complimented the Northern Army Command Headquarters for developing software for the Sainik Welfare Department to computerise the database of ex-servicemen.He emphasised that an institutional framework should be put in place in facilitate re-employment of eligible and qualified ex-servicemen for the jobs available in the Central and state governments and impressed the importance of increasing awareness about the horizontal reservation of 6 per cent for ex-servicemen in jobs under the state government.The Governor observed that all welfare schemes for ex-servicemen and their wards should be regularly revised and updated to address their problems and stressed the need for an effective grievance monitoring system to be put in place at the district and state levels to ensure that their problems are solved expeditiously.The Rajya Sainik Board approved grants to the non-pensioner ex-servicemen and widows from the state Flag Day Funds being doubled to Rs 12,000 pm to help them financially. It increased the grant for decent last rites to Rs 5,000. For wards of ex-servicemen and widows figuring in merit list of Class XII, an incentive of Rs 5,000 has been approved and dependent children clearing the Civil Services Exams will get an award of Rs 10,000. Education grants to children of martyrs have been enhanced from Rs 1,200 to Rs 3,000 per annum.Earlier, there was no provision for widows to buy four-wheelers from the CSD, which has now been approved. The status of a number of other welfare schemes of the Centre and state governments for helping out ex-servicemen and their families in various fields, including daughter marriage, education, house repair and penury grants, was discussed and decisions taken.Brig Harcharan Singh (retd), secretary, Rajya Sainik Board, made a detailed presentation and provided details of the various measures taken for the welfare of the ex-servicemen and financial status of the board.Prominent among those present in the J&K Rajya Sainik Board meeting were BR Sharma, Chief Secretary; Lt Gen Devraj Anbu, GOC-in-C, Headquarters, Northern Command; Prabhu Dayal Meena, Union Secretary, Department of ESM Welfare, New Delhi; Umang Narula, Principal Secretary to the Governor; RK Goyal, Principal Secretary (Home) and Navin K Choudhary, Secretary, Finance.