Ravi Krishnan Khajuria,Tribune News Service,Jammu, February 16

The state Home Department has sanctioned over Rs 14 lakh ex gratia to the next of kin of Army men martyred or rendered physically disabled in counter-insurgency operations.With reference to a communique from the Northern Command Headquarters on January 8, the Home Department has sanctioned an ex gratia relief of Rs 14,30,000 for Army personnel who were killed or permanently rendered disabled.Apropos of a government order, the Home Department sanctioned Rs 2 lakh each in favour of the next of kin of the five Army personnel who got killed on duty and Rs 65,000 each in favour of two Army personnel and Rs 75,000 each in favour of four Army personnel, who got permanently disabled during action against anti-national elements in the state.The martyrs have been identified as Rifleman Shishir Mall and Naik Srichitra Saikia, both from the 32 Rashtriya Rifles under the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Sepoy Jagdish Prasad of the 21 Rashtriya Rifles under the 15 Corps, Lance Naik Govind Singh Mehta of the 9 Para Special Forces and Lance Naik Shankar Lal Bochliya of the 6 Rajput under the Nagrota-based 16 Corps.Similarly, in the category of permanently disabled Army personnel, the Home Department sanctioned Rs 65,000 each to Major Sandhir Kotwal of the 6 Rashtriay Rifles and Sepoy Rashpaul Singh of the 24 Punjab.Four other soldiers, who have been sanctioned Rs 75,000 each, have been identified as Lance Naik Ashok Kumar of the 21 Rashtriya Rifles, Sepoy Ajit Kapoor, Sepoy Sidheswar Pradhan and Sepoy Naveen Kumar of the 22 Rashtriya Rifles.After verification of particulars, payment to beneficiaries shall be made through the respective commanding officers of the local units.On May 20 last year, then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed had also sanctioned an ex gratia relief of over Rs 21 lakh to Army personnel injured and rendered permanently disabled in counter-insurgency operations across the state.