Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on July 26 announced that the ex-gratia given to the families of martyrs will be increased from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh. Mr. Dhami, who was addressing a public gathering to mark the 25th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas, also added that the State is preparing to give reservations to Agniveers in government jobs upon their return after serving in the armed forces.
“The amount given to the families of martyrs will be increased from 10 lakhs to 50 lakhs. Now the family members of our soldiers, who have sacrificed their lives for the country, will be able to apply for government jobs for five years instead of two years,” Mr. Dhami said adding that no grant or honour can be enough for the supreme sacrifice that soldiers do for the country.
He added that hitherto the dependents of the martyrs used to get appointment only when there were vacancies in Group C and D posts in the District Magistrate’s office, but now vacancies will be given for the said group posts in other departments as well.
“The State government is also fully dedicated to the welfare of soldiers. There should be no disagreement on the grant amount given to soldiers. We are working on ensuring that their parents and wives both get the benefit of this,” Mr. Dhami added.
Mr. Dhami also announced that the contract workers of the Sainik Welfare Department will be given leave equivalent to that of permanent employees in the department.
“We are making provisions and bring an Act to give reservation to Agniveer in government jobs,” Mr. Dhami said.
While paying tributes to the martyrs of Kargil at the Shaheed Smarak in Dehradun, Mr. Dhami also honoured their families. Around 75 soldiers from Uttarakhand had sacrificed their lives in Kargil war.
The CM said that being a soldier’s son he has seen the struggle of a ‘fauji’ and their families.
“At the time of the Kargil war, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. We won the war and also won diplomacy at the global level,” Mr. Dhami said.
Praising PM Narendra Modi, Mr. Dhami said that the Indian Army is not only becoming more capable and strong than before but its fame and glory is also increasing under PM’s leadership.
“On one hand our government is emphasising on the modernisation of the army, on the other hand it is also increasing the facilities available to the soldiers and their families. The PM is constantly increasing the courage and morale of the soldiers and this is the reason that the army is responding bullet for bullet today,” he added.
Published - July 26, 2024 10:28 pm IST