Army Chief Dalbir Suhag presents a momento to Chief Minister Manohar Lal during an ex-servicemen rally at Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar district on Friday. Tribune Photo

Tribune News Service

Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar), June 3

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today announced to fill 3,000 posts in the Police Department under the ex-servicemen’s category, besides setting up the state’s third Sainik School in Jhajjar’s Matanhel village.Khattar was addressing an ex-servicemen’s rally after the foundation stone-laying and bhoomi pujan ceremony of a residential colony over five acres for serving and retired army personnel at HUDA Sector 7 in Bahadurgarh. Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu, Army Chief Dalbir Suhag and Lt-Gen KJ Singh were also present.“The welfare of serving soldiers and ex-servicemen is among the highest priorities of the state government. As many as 3,000 ex-servicemen will be given jobs in the police while the process to fill 1,000 posts under the ex-servicemen category is already going on,” said the CM, adding that classes in Matanhel’s Sainik School would begin next year.Khattar maintained the state government was planning to associate ex-servicemen with government schools with the twin aim of bringing about a qualitative improvement in the education standard and enhancing the strength of students in schools.“There are about 2.82 lakh ex-servicemen in the state and we want to use their experience for the betterment of the educational system,” said the CM.He also announced to give some relaxation in the norms to construct flats in the residential colony “As per rules, 400 flats can be built over the land but we have accorded special relaxation to construct 500 flats ,” Khattar added.The residential colony would be named after Major Rajiv Joon, a recipient of Ashok Chakra and Shaurya Chakra, who laid down his life fighting terrorists in Anantnag in 1994. The CM also honoured Rajiv’s brother, Paramjeet Joon, during the rally.Army plans educational complex in Sonepat Jhajjar: The Army has decided to set up an educational complex in Sonepat district to provide quality education to wards of serving and retired defence personnel. The complex would have law, management, IT and technical institutes along with hostels and these institutes would be affiliated to Delhi University. Army Chief Dalbir Suhag disclosed this while interacting with ex-servicemen in Bahadurgarh here on Friday. General Suhag informed he had talked to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar about the plan who not only approved it in principal but also assured to provide adequate land for the purpose. A degree college would also opened in the centre, said the Army Chief. About the one rank, one pension scheme, the Army Chief said war widows would now be able to get their full arrears under the scheme in one instalment while the proposal to pay the arrears to ex-servicemen over 80 years of age in one or two instalments was also being considered. Other ex-servicemen would be paid their arrears in four equal instalments.— TNS