From Our Correspondent
TURA, Dec 12: A mega ex-servicemen rally was organised by Headquarters 101 Area, Indian Army and Rajya Sainik Board, Meghalaya, here on Tuesday.
Tura MP Agatha K Sangma, speaking as the chief guest of the occasion, thanked the defence forces for the services rendered by them.
She said that many personnel retire at a young age and the government has initiated many schemes like the CM Elevate and Promotion and Incubation of Market Driven Enterprises (PRIME), wherein the personnel can upgrade their skills as well as employ the resources to hone their entrepreneurship.
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Ex-servicemen rally in Tura…
(Contd from P-3) She also stated that the state government is actively exploring the possibility of setting up a Sainik School in the state. She also applauded the record offices of 58 Gorkha Training Centre (GTC) and the Assam Regiment Centre (ARC) for actively ensuring that the ex-servicemen of Meghalaya faced very minimal pension-related issues.
Colonel Gautam Rai, the Director of the Rajya Sainik Board of Meghalaya, said that the rally in Tura has been organised so as to mitigate the trouble faced by the ex-servicemen and their families living in Garo Hills. He stated that it will be his endeavour to ensure that all the ex-servicemen and their families get all the support that they require to ensure that their post retirement life is as hassle-free as possible.
The rally at Tura was attended by ex servicemen and Veer Naris of the state.
It benefitted a large number of veterans in Tura and was aimed at ex-servicemen, war veterans, disabled soldiers and war widows to manifest solidarity and demonstrate that they remain inseparable members of the Armed Forces fraternity even post retirement.
The event had amenities of Unit Run Canteen Counters, Medical Camp and Grievance Cells by Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), Zilla Sainik Board (ZSB), and ICICI with an objective to address a variety of issues and to assist the ex-servicemen and their families.
Emphasis was given to tackle pension and SPARSH — System for Pension Administration (Raksha) — related issues as well as awareness about scores of benefits by ECHS, Army Welfare and Education Society (AWES), and the Central/State Government.
SPARSH is an initiative of the Ministry of Defence which seeks to provide comprehensive solutions to the administration of pension to the defence pensioners. It aims to address issues in parallel with the vision of Digital India, Direct GV Benefit Transfer (DBT) and ‘Minimal Government, Maximum Governance’.
Senior officers from the armed forces and other civil dignitaries also attended the rally. The Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) with all the basic medical facilities, which was flagged off by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on November 17, was ready to serve the personnel at hand. The rally provided an interactive platform to alleviate matters concerning pension, medical, healthcare, re-employment and redressal of grievances.
