Meerut, 14 November. Making three major announcements in the interest of ex-servicemen and martyr families, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced doubling of the lump sum amount and annuity of all gallantry awards including Paramvir Chakra, Mahavir Chakra, Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra in the state. He also announced exemption in stamp duty on property worth up to Rs 50 lakh for the dependents of martyred soldiers to buy or build a house and to provide a government job to one member of the family in the home district or nearby district.
The Chief Minister was addressing the ex-servicemen reunion ceremony organized at Kulwant Singh Stadium in Meerut Cantonment on Saturday. During this, he paid tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of the army and honored the brave women, ex-servicemen and soldiers. Also inaugurated Sainik Welfare and Rehabilitation offices built in eight districts at a cost of Rs 27.50 crore.
The amount of bravery awards will be doubled
The Chief Minister said that the lump sum amount of Rs 52 lakh and annuity of Rs 3.12 lakh received by the Param Vir Chakra winner will be doubled. Similarly, the amount and annuity of other gallantry awards including Mahavir Chakra, Veer Chakra, Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra will also increase. Awards of Army Medal and various war service medals will also be doubled.
Exemption in stamp duty on property up to Rs 50 lakh
Yogi Adityanath said that ex-servicemen and dependents of martyred soldiers will now get exemption in stamp duty on purchasing property up to Rs 50 lakh. Earlier this limit was Rs 20 lakh. Apart from this, a dependent of the martyr will be given a government job in his home district or the nearest district. For this, the Sainik Welfare Department will take the details of vacant posts from other departments and proceed with the recruitment process.
Targeted at previous governments
Accusing the previous governments of neglecting the soldiers, the Chief Minister said that earlier the brave soldiers had to struggle for their rights also. He referred to the alleged ill-treatment of Kargil warrior Ganesh Kumar Shukla in 2016 and the lack of administrative arrangements when the mortal remains of Lance Naik Hemraj Singh reached Meerut in 2013.
He said that today the identity of Meerut is changing. The connectivity of the district has improved with projects like Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Rapid Rail and Ganga Expressway. The sports industry is getting a boost here and Major Dhyanchand Sports University is also being constructed.
Uttar Pradesh is moving ahead in defense production
The Chief Minister said that the new India gives top priority to the Army. The military system has been strengthened with the fulfillment of the demand for One Rank One Pension and creation of the post of Chief of Defense Staff. He claimed that the country's defense exports have increased 55 times to Rs 38 thousand crore compared to the year 2013-14.
He said that Uttar Pradesh is now not only a state providing soldiers but is also becoming a major center for manufacturing defense equipment. BrahMos missile is being manufactured in Lucknow, while most of the components of AK-203 rifle are being manufactured in Lucknow and Kanpur.
Assistance of Rs 59.50 crore to 150 martyr families
The Chief Minister said that the state government stands strongly with the families of the martyrs. Before the year 2017, the ex-gratia amount given to the martyr families was Rs 20 lakh, which was increased to Rs 50 lakh. So far, financial assistance worth more than Rs 59.50 crore has been given to 150 martyr families.
He said that five percent reservation in Group 'B' posts has been made for ex-servicemen and 20 percent horizontal reservation has been made for firefighters in police, prison and forest departments. Out of about 60 thousand soldiers who retire every year in the state, about 12 thousand are from Uttar Pradesh.
Inauguration of Sainik Welfare Offices in eight districts
The Chief Minister inaugurated newly constructed District Sainik Welfare and Rehabilitation Offices in Auraiya, Amethi, Gorakhpur, Chandauli, Shamli, Sant Kabir Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar and Sonbhadra. Accommodation and leisure facilities have also been developed in these offices. On this occasion, the book Shaurya Gatha was released, which contains details of the bravery of the soldiers awarded Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra of the state.
Honoring brave women and ex-servicemen
At the ceremony, the Chief Minister honored the families of the martyred soldiers by giving them checks and tunics. These included Archie Singh, wife of Major Amit Sharma, Usha Sharma, mother of Major Ketan Sharma, Abrisha Khatoon, wife of Kirti Chakra winner constable Ajmer Ali, Vimlesh Devi, wife of Sapper Satish Kumar and Meenu Tomar, wife of Shaurya Chakra winner Anil Kumar Tomar, and other brave women. Ex-servicemen Lance Naik Pripal Singh and Rifleman Harbir Singh were also honoured.
Minister of State (Independent Charge) Dr. Somendr Tomar said that the image of Meerut is changing and the district is setting new dimensions of development with better connectivity. He said that employment has been provided to about 31 thousand ex-servicemen through the corporation. Employment fair and eye camp will also be organized soon.
Central Command's GOC-in-Chief Lieutenant General Sanjay Mitra, Major General Sumit Rana, Major General Anupam Aggarwal, Minister Dinesh Khatik, MP Arun Govil, Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Laxmikant Vajpayee, Mayor Harikant Ahluwalia, MLA Amit Aggarwal, MLC Dharmendra Bhardwaj and Ashwani Tyagi including senior army officers, ex-servicemen and brave women were present in the program.