Will Fauji Factor Work?

Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha (URM), a regional political outfit which was launched four months back, is likely to make a dent into the votebanks of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttarakhand. Founded by former BJP MP Lt Gen (retd) TPS Rawat, the party claims to enjoy the support base among ex-soldiers and their families in the state.

With an organisational team of ex-army officers and para-military officers, URM is hopeful of winning at least seven seats in the state. The known faces in the party include faujis such as Brig (retd) Jagmohan Rawat and Brig (retd) Raju Rawat of Garhwal Rifles and General (retd) Shailendra Raj Bahuguna of Kumaon Regiment, Bahuguna also happens to be a close relative of chief minister Maj Gen (retd) BC Khanduri. Read More...Hindustan Times

Benefit Schemes for Ex-servicemen

Andhra Pradesh State government is providing several schemes for the benefit of ex servicemen and their widows, said District Sainik Welfare Officer G. Satyanandam.

Under the Prime Minister Self Employment Scheme, the government will provide loans ranging between Rs.5 lakh and Rs.25 lakh from banks.

The government will give 25 to 35 per cent subsidy on the loan and the beneficiaries should bear five per cent of the investment cost.

Interested retired Army, Navy and Airforce staff are requested to avail the opportunities, said Mr.Satyanandam.

Published in THE HINDU: Vijayawada

NDA & Naval Academy Exam (I), 2012

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will hold the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (I), 2012 on April 15, 2012, for admission to Army, Navy and Air force Wings of NDA for 129th Course and for the 91st Indian Naval Academy Course(INAC) commencing from December, 2012.

Candidates are required to apply only through online mode. No other mode is allowed for submission of application. For details regarding the eligibility conditions, syllabus and scheme of the examination, centers of examination, guidelines for filling up online application form etc. aspirants must refer to the detailed notice of the examination published in the Employment News/Rozgar Samachar dated December 31, 2011 or the UPSC website www.upsc.gov.in

Global Peace Palace a ‘monument for war heroes’

ALAPPUZHA: Chief minister Oommen Chandy will inaugurate Global Peace Palace, a monument for war heroes and victims of terror attacks built by AKB Kumar, an ex-service man, at Thumboli near here on January 27. The construction of the monument, a replica of Agra's Taj Mahal, started on January 28, 2008.

"I have spent Rs1.25 crore for constructing this monument dedicated to India's war heroes who sacrificed their lives for the nation," said 61-year-old Kumar at a press conference.

Kumar was a chief petty officer in the Indian Navy. He had joined the Navy at the age of 15. During his 18 years of service, he participated in the Indo-Pak war in 1971. Read more.

RS committee urges ‘one rank-one pension’ for ESM

As published by The Pioneer, Rajya Sabha Committee on petitions on Monday,19th December, 2011, urged the Government to grant ‘one rank-one pension’ for ex-servicemen and said Rs 1,300 crore needed to meet this long pending demand which is not a “very big amount for a country of our size and economy”.

In its report tabled in the Upper House, the committee said, “It is not convinced with the version of the Finance Ministry that the grant of ‘one rank-one pension’ for defence personnel would eventually generate similar requests from the civilian work force under the Central and State Governments.

“It feels so because of the quite different terms and conditions of service of the two different categories of employments. The terms and conditions of the armed forces are tougher and harsher than the civilian Government employee. There are restrictions of fundamental risks to the armed forces and their family life is also non-comparable due to transfers and dislocation.”

As regards the projected financial liability of Rs 1,300 crore, the committee noted that “out of this amount Rs 1,065 crore would go to personnel below officer rank (PBOR) while the commissioned officers would be getting Rs 235 crore”.

Keeping in view this fact that officers constitute a small proportion of the entire defence forces, the Committee said, “It strongly recommends that this may be implemented so as to keep up the morale of the services.” The ex-servicemen are agitating for ‘one rank-one pension’ for the last few years and many of them returned their gallantry medals and other citations to the President as a mark of protest.

‘One rank-one pension’ implies that uniform pension be paid to the armed forces personnel retiring in the same rank with same length of service irrespective of their date of retirement and any future enhancement in the rates of pension to be automatically passed on to the past pensioners. This means bridging the gap between the rate of pension of current pensioners and the past pensioners. Click Here to read further..

Married Daughters Entitled for Dependent Certificates: HC

As per the source published in TOI on 19th of December, 2011, Punjab and Haryana high court has struck down a 'gender-biased' policy of the Haryana government which had excluded married daughters of ex-servicemen from getting dependent certificates.

"A girl is as good a child of her father as the married son. Such policies of the state would offend right of equality and amounts to discriminatory treatment to a married daughter, who is without an independent source of livelihood, by depriving her of a dependent certificate to secure a job," the HC held.

As per the existing policy, only a married dependent son of ex-serviceman, who does not have independent source of livelihood, was eligible for dependent certificate but a married daughter was not.

Rejecting the Haryana government's argument that married daughter is dependent on her husband, the bench held, "In the case of dependent married son, no condition has been imposed that his wife must not be earning."

Directing the state to amend the said policy dated October 11, 2001, the bench also observed that even Hindu Succession Act, 1956, has been amended and now the daughter of a coparcener have the same rights and liabilities in the coparcenery property as she would have had she been a son.

Following the order, now married daughter of ex-servicemen who do not have independent source of livelihood will also be eligible for dependent certificate from the Rajya Sainik Boards to get a government job.

The order was passed by a division bench of the HC comprising Justice M M Kumar and Justice Rajiv Narain Raina, while hearing a petition filed by a retired Naval personnel, Jai Narain Jakhar.

The petitioner had challenged the order of October 27, 2009 passed by the Rajya Sainik Board, Haryana rejecting his application for issuance of dependent certificate to his married daughter and directions to issue her ex-serviceman dependent certificate.

Contesting the petition, the Haryana government had taken a stand that a married daughter would be dependent on her husband and not on her father, therefore, in the policy a married daughter of the ex-serviceman has not been held entitled to the dependent certificate. Source: TOINews.

Devadiga among the veterans honoured in Moodubelle

Moodubelle: On December 16, 2011, being the 50th and 40th anniversaries of  the Wars of Liberation of Goa and Bangladesh respectively and in order to commemorate these two momentous historical events of great significance, the Lions Club of Moodubelle under the leadership of the Founder President, MJF Ln. Commodore  Jerome Castelino organized a memorial function, during which the War Memorial built by Commodore Castelino in his courtyard was inaugurated by the District Governor MJF Ln. Jayakar Shetty Indrali. Later, during the stage function held in  the Lions Seva Bhavan, Moodubelle, 34 Ex-servicemen from the Udupi District who had actively participated  in Goa Liberation War (1961) and Bangladesh War (1971) were honoured.

Ex-servicemen of Udupi district, who had actively participated in these two wars, were honoured on this occasion. They are Subedar Major Alex D’Almeida, Naib Subedar Achutha Rao, Wing Commander A S Bhojaraj, Sqn Ldr K L Baliga, Craftsman Bhaskar Kini, Commodore Jerome Castelino VSM, Sergant Chandrashekhar Suvarna, Subedar Clement D’Silva, Ldg Seaman Diwakar Devadiga, Corporal P Dinesh Naik, Corporal Desmond Fernandes, Master Warrant officer Frederick Noronha, Hon Capt Gopalkrishna Prabhu, Naik Gopal Shetty, Sepoy Henry Quadros, Havaldar Jagannath Bangera, Hon Subedar Major Kutty Shetty, Sapper Koragappa Kundar, Naib Subedar M K Kumar, Corporal H M Kamath, Corporal Monthu Adrian D’Souza, Hon Naib Subedar U Panduranga, Hon Subedar P Raghu Shetty, Gunner B Rama, Colonel B Ramachandra Rao, Subedar Robert D’Sa, Air Vice Marshal K Ramesh Karnik, Corporal B K Salian, Corporal Simon Piad D’Souza, Sergeant K P Talwar, Lt Col Victor F D’Souza, Hon Subedar Major Vittal Nayak, Aircraftsman Walter Rosario and Havaldar William Barboza.

Picture credits to: Bellevision.com (to see more pictures Click Here)
Ex-servicemen's names as published in: Mangalorean.com (to read full story Click Here)