Govt will leave no stone unturned to ensure welfare of ex-servicemen- Defence MoS
Friday, 15 July 2022 | PNS | Haldwani
The Union minister of State for Defence, Ajay Bhatt reiterated the government’s resolve to ensure all possible steps for the welfare of ex-servicemen. He said that the citizens in this country feel secure because of the valour of the armed forces. He assured that the government will leave no stone unturned to ensure the welfare and well-being of its veteran community. Bhatt said this while attending an outreach programme for ex-servicemen at Haldwani on Thursday. The programme was organised by the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
In a day-long outreach event, the minister laid the foundation stone of ECHS Polytechnic buildings in Vikasnagar, Raiwala and Paur via video link, and gave away 64-KB ECHS Smart Cards to ex-servicemen and their dependents. He also distributed job letters to ex-servicemen.
Addressing a gathering of veterans from nearby areas Bhatt said that the dedication and sacrifice of the armed forces for the motherland can not be adequately compensated, however, the government is committed to the welfare of the ex-servicemen in all circumstances. The government has disbursed Rs 50,000 crore under One Rank One Pension (OROP) and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to continuing the pension scheme. Highlighting the recent steps taken by the government for the welfare of ex-servicemen, he underlined that the dedicated Defence Pension Grievance Redressal Portal has been launched for the speedy redressal of pension-related grievances of ex-servicemen and their dependents. He informed that an amount of Rs. 398.18 crore was distributed as financial assistance to 1,84,198 ex-servicemen/dependents in the financial year 2021-22. He added that amount of Rs. 1.71 crore was provided for the purchase of modified scooters for divyangs, Strokes Resettlement Centres in Kirkee and Mohali, and as a grant for war memorial hostels.
Mentioning that an additional fund of Rs 320 crore was granted for the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund (AFFDF) during the financial year 2021-22, Bhatt said that an amount of Rs. 284 crore as an education grant and an amount of Rs.36 crore as marriage grant have been released for 7,583 applicants.
Talking about the Cheshire Homes that care for leprosy patients, mentally challenged patients and other serious and TB patients, Bhatt said that the Kendriya Sainik Board has increased the annual grant amount per resident from Rs 9,000 to Rs15,000 per year for Cheshire Homes in New Delhi and Lucknow and Raphael Ryder International Cheshire Home at Dehradun from the financial year 2021. He said that 15,957 beneficiaries were provided with a total amount of Rs. 53.24 crore under the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme (PMSS) during the financial year 2021-22. He further added that from FY 2019-20, the amount of scholarship for boys has been increased from Rs 24,000 to Rs 30,000 per annum and from Rs 27,000 to Rs 36,000 per annum for girls.
