The Government of Punjab State will start an ex-gratia grant of Rs 25 lakh for Armed Forces personnel in cases of physical casualty during service. Financial assistance for World War veterans would also be increased.
Chief Minister of Punjab , Bhagwant Mann made the above announcement after paying homage to the martyrs of the Kargil War at an event organised on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas at Punjab State War Heroes Memorial and Museum in Amritsar on Wednesday.
Mann said that Ex-gratia is given to soldiers who die in a battle or clash. But if any soldier dies during his duty because of an avalanche, in any accident or heart attack, brain hemorrhage, in such cases ex-gratia was not given. He announced that his government will now start giving ex-gratia in these “physical casualty” cases.
Punjab CM Mann also said that ex-gratia grant to physically disabled soldiers and financial assistance to non-pensioner ex-servicemen of World War I and World War II would also be doubled. Moreover , monthly financial assistance of non-pensioner ex-servicemen to World War I and II or their widows has also been increased from the existing Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000, according to the statement.
CM Mann said the state government is “duty-bound to secure the interests of these brave soldiers”.
“The countrymen will forever remain indebted to these national heroes for their bravery and selfless service to the nation,” said the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. He also said that his government had previously raised the compensation for the families of soldiers killed in action to Rupees one crore.
Mann recalled the day when he had organised a charity show in support of the Indian Army during the Kargil War in Patiala. Many artistes (Mann himself was an artiste then ) had participated in it to express their solidarity, he said.
