Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday directed the concerned departments to strengthen welfare delivery, grievance redressal, healthcare access and institutional support for veterans, Veer Naris, widows and dependents.
Chairing the 81st Meeting of the Jammu Kashmir Rajya Sainik Board at Lok Bhavan, the Lieutenant Governor reviewed a range of issues concerning the welfare of ex-servicemen and their families, including pension-related matters, healthcare facilities and strengthening of institutional mechanisms for addressing their concerns.
The Board discussed the establishment of a Zila Sainik Welfare Office (ZSWO) at Kishtwar and stressed the need for better coordination on pension-related matters to ensure the timely resolution of grievances.
The Lieutenant Governor reiterated the administration’s commitment to the welfare of veterans and their families, stating that every possible step would be taken to honour their sacrifices and ensure that they lead a life of dignity.
The meeting also discussed the empanelment of government hospitals with the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) to improve healthcare access for veterans and their dependents. The hospitals under consideration include AIIMS Jammu, Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri, GMC Doda and Government Hospital Kupwara.
The meeting was attended by Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Northern Command; Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo; Maj Gen Paramvir Singh Dagar, Chief of Staff, HQ White Knight Corps; Maj Gen KS Dhadwal, Chief of Staff, HQ Chinar Corps; Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, Shailendra Kumar; Principal Secretary, Home, Chanderkar Bharti; Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor, Dr Mandeep K. Bhandari; Principal Director, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Government of India, Neena Mishra; Brig Pankaj Chib (Retd), Director, Sainik Welfare Department, J&K; Brig Sandeep Kaushal, Commander, 21 Sub Area; Air Commodore VP Singh; Col Pradeep S Karki, Director, DRZ (North); Brig Virender Singh Slathia (Retd) and other senior officials.
The Lieutenant Governor also chaired the State Management Committee (SMC) meeting on the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund, where welfare-oriented proposals related to medical and health support, infrastructure, outreach, education and skill development were considered.
The Committee proposed several initiatives aimed at strengthening support systems for beneficiaries, including education and career incentives, deployment of psychological counsellors in identified areas, skill-development assistance and improvement of welfare infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Brigadier Chirag Ghura, Chief Engineer, Project Beacon of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at Lok Bhawan and briefed him on the ongoing development and maintenance of the track for the Shri Amarnathji Yatra.
Ghura was accompanied by Brigadier S Deepak, Chief Engineer (designate), Project Beacon.
During the meeting, the BRO officials briefed the Lieutenant Governor on track development for the Amarnath Yatra and discussed various other ongoing BRO infrastructure projects across the Union Territory.
The annual Shri Amarnathji Yatra, which commenced on July 3, was suspended earlier this year due to track maintenance necessitated by heavy rainfall in the Valley. The pilgrimage had been scheduled to conclude on August 28, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan.
The discussions on track development come as authorities continue to focus on strengthening infrastructure and ensuring better preparedness for the pilgrimage in view of challenging terrain and weather conditions.
