Defence gets major financial boost
Sandeep Joshi
Uttarakhand raises gallantry award money for ex-Servicemen
Soldiers’ soldier: Uttarakhand Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri
NEW DELHI: The Uttarakhand Government has decided to take special care of defence personnel, retired as well as serving, hailing from the Himalayan State. To start with, Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri, who himself is a retired Major General, has announced a substantial increase in the award money for gallantry award winners from the State.
The State is also formulating new schemes to take care of the financial needs of retired Servicemen who form a sizeable population of Uttarakhand.
First State to take inititative
Stating that Uttarakhand is the first State in the country that has taken such a major initiative, Maj. Gen. Khanduri told The Hindu: “We have decided to increase the one-time award money for Param Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra awardees to Rs.25 lakh each. Earlier, the award money was just Rs.1.72 lakh and Rs.1.45 lakh respectively. Similarly, the annual grant to Param Veer Chakra awardees has also been raised to Rs.1.5 lakh from Rs.1,000, while Ashok Chakra awardees will now get Rs.1.2 lakh instead of a meagre Rs.800.”
“We have also raised the award money for Mahavir Chakra winners to Rs.15 lakh, besides an annual grant of Rs.1.14 lakh, which earlier used to be Rs.1.15 lakh and Rs.400 each year. Similarly, Kirti Chakra winners will also get Rs.15 lakh and Rs.1 lakh annually, which is a substantial hike from earlier sums of Rs.87,000 and annual benefit of Rs.350,” he informed .
The Chief Minister also said that the award money for Vir Chakra and Shaurya Chakra winners from the State had been increased to Rs.10 lakh each, which was earlier Rs.57,000 and Rs.45,000 respectively, while their annual grant has also been raised to Rs.66,000 and Rs.55,000. Similarly, the winners of Uttam Yudh Sewa Medal will now get Rs.1.27 lakh compared to Rs.75,000 given earlier.
In another major initiative, the State Government has also increased the monetary help in the form of accommodation benefit given to widows and dependants of martyred soldiers as well as handicapped ex-Servicemen from Rs.5,000 to Rs.25,000, while ex-Servicemen and their dependents can now avail the facility of toll-free telephone in the Capital and district headquarters.
Re-employing ex-Servicemen
“Apart from increasing the award money, we are also taking steps to re-employ ex-Servicemen at various places for which we have already constituted an ex-Servicemen board. These retired soldiers are being given security-related jobs in hospitals and other government institutions, while various units of the Eco Task Force comprising retired personnel are being formed to safeguard our forests and help preserve the rich flora and fauna of the Himalayan State,” said Maj. Gen. Khanduri.
“The BJP Government in the State is committed to the welfare of ex-Servicemen and their families. We are also trying to find out more employment opportunities across the State for retired Servicemen and their children. More such initiatives are in the pipeline and will be announced soon,” the Chief Minister added