Haryana to increase financial grants to gallantry award winners

 by Haryananewswire (Balbir)

CHANDIGARH, JAN 22

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today announced to increase the amount of lumpsum financial assistance and annuity of the gallantry award winners of the state. He also announced to get a survey conducted  to assess  repair and renovation of all the existing Sainik rest houses to be done as per their need and to construct a new Sainik rest house at Dadri.

          The Chief Minister was speaking as chief guest in the 30^th annual sammelan of All India Ex-services Welfare Association organised at new Anaj Mandi, Dadri today.

          He said that the state government had decided to increase the award money of the winners of Paramvir Chakra and Ashok Chakra from Rs 25 lakh each to Rs 31 lakh each, of Mahavir Chakra and Kirti Chakra from Rs 15 lakh each to Rs 25 lakh each and of Vir Chakra and Shaurya Chakra from Rs ten lakh each to Rs 15 lakh each. Similarly, the amount being given to the winners of Vayusena medal, Navsena medal and Sena medal had also been increased from Rs five lakh to Rs 7.50 lakh and the amount for Mention-in-dispatches from Rs 2.50 lakh to Rs 5.50 lakh.

         He said that the annuity for the winners of Paramvir Chakra, Ashok Chakra and Mahavir Chakra had been increased to Rs 2.50 lakh, Rs two lakh and Rs 1.90 lakh respectively. The winners of Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra and Sena medal would get annuity of Rs 1.50 lakh, Rs 70,000 and Rs 40,000 respectively. Annuity for mention-in-dispatches had been increased to Rs 20,000, he added.

          Mr Hooda said that it was a matter of great pride that Haryana with 1.37 per cent of the  geographical  area of the country  was contributing a lot to the Armed Forces of the country. Every tenth soldier of the Armed Forces belonged to Haryana.The youth of Haryana were safeguarding the borders of the country and the farmers of this sacred land were producing foodgrains for the teeming millions. Despite better availability of employment in the state, the youth of Haryana preferred to join Army. The number of serving personnel and ex-servicemen of the state stood at 19.38 lakh. The state government was committed to the welfare of serving personnel, ex-servicemen and their dependents. For the welfare of these persons, the state government had made a provision of Rs 33 crore in the annual budget for the year 2011-12.

          Giving details of the incentives being given to the serving personnel and ex-servicemen by the state government, he said that ex-servicemen above the age of 60 years and their widows, who are not getting any pension, were being given financial assistance of Rs. 1000 per month.  The war widows were being given a financial assistance of Rs 1000 per month besides their monthly pension. The ex-servicemen, who took part in World War II and who were not getting any kind of pension, and their widows were being given a financial assistance of Rs 1500 per month by the state government. The blind ex-servicemen and handicapped ex-servicemen, who were not getting any kind of pension, were also  being given a monthly financial assistance of Rs 1000.

          A monthly financial assistance of Rs 1000 was being given to paraplegic, tetraplegic and hemiplegic ex servicemen. Financial assistance of Rs 51000 was being given  for the marriage  of the orphan daughters of ex-servicemen and Rs 11000   to the widows of ex-servicemen on the occasion of marriage  of their daughters, he added.

Mr Hooda said that  ten per cent residential plots  floated by Haryana Urban Development Authority  and five per cent houses built by Haryana Housing Board have been reserved for ex-servicemen and serving personnel. Defence colonies were being set up at Rohtak, Rewari, Jhajjar, Hisar, Narnaul, Bahadurgarh, Jind, Dadri and Karnal by HUDA. One per cent exemption in stamp duty had also been given to ex-servicemen and serving personnel. Professional courses,  such as- computer,  stenography, sewing and embroidery, fashion designing were being run at Sainik Pariwar Bhawan for ex-servicemen, war widows and the wards of serving personnel. The ex-servicemen  with more than  25 per cent disability had been given the facility of free travel in the buses of Haryana Roadways.The goods sold by CSD canteen had been exempted from VAT.

Mr Hooda reminded that the issue of one rank one pension was raised  vigorously by him  in the Standing Parliamentary Committee on Defence Affairs when he was Member Parliament and Sharad Pawar was Defence Minister in 1991.He had been supporting this issue and would continue to support in future as well. On the demand of granting the status of class II to the Secretaries and Welfare Organisers in the Zila Sainik Boards, he  gave an assurance to take action  on this issue.

Mr Hooda honoured war widows and the ex-servicemen who had done commendable work for the All India Ex-services Welfare Association. He announced to give a financial assistance of Rs ten lakh from his discretionary fund to the Association.

The Chairman of All India Ex-services Welfare Association, Lt. Col. Inderjeet Singh said that  ten vocational centres  were being set up across the country  by the association and of them six would be set up in Haryana.

Those present at the function included Haryana Minister for Cooperation and Housing Minister, Mr. Satpal Sangwan, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Rao Dan Singh, former Governor Mrs. Chandrawati, Political Advisior to Haryana Chief Minister Prof. Virender Singh  and senior civil and police officers.