Cabinet nod to benefits for soldiers’ dependents

The Council of Ministers today approved extending benefits to the dependents of martyrs/disabled soldiers after January 1, 1999. It also removed the condition of defence services personnel having been disabled or killed in “notified operations” with retrospective effect, January 1, 1999.
Consequently, the appointment of honour and gratitude and other financial benefits admissible under rules and instructions of the Punjab War Heroes Family Relief Fund will be given in all cases of “battle casualty” as declared by the Army authorities irrespective of any operation or any “specified area of operation”.
It may be recalled that benefits given to the families of war heroes on account of their death or disability included an ex-gratia grant of Rs 2 lakh and a plot at a reserve price of Rs 5 lakh in lieu of plot and a job in case of death or disability from 75 per cent to 100 per cent; Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia grant and a job in case of disability from 50 per cent to 75 per cent and an ex-gratia grant of Rs 50,000 for disability from 25 per cent to 50 per cent.
The Council of Ministers also approved to amend the Punjab Recruitment of Ex-servicemen Rules, 1982, to give benefit of annual increments and pension to those ex-servicemen who joined military service during the Second Emergency between December 3, 1971 and March 25, 1977, for a period during which they rendered the military service and subsequently joined the Punjab Government Civil Services on regular basis.
It further gave a green signal to bring the game of chess within the ambit of the Sports Gradation Policy to enable the state government to issue sports gradation certificates to those sportspersons who had participated and represented the state in Olympic Games, World Cup, Asian Games, Common Wealth Games, Afro Asian Games and Asian Championship in 33 disciplines already notified under the policy.
Besides first three positions, holders of international/ national/inter-university/state and district-level competitions were also given sports gradation certificates provided competitions were recognised by International/ National Sports Federations/ Indian Olympic Association/ Association of Indian University/ Sports Authority of India/ School Federation of India/ State Sports Association/ Punjab Olympics Association and Punjab Sports Department.
The game has not so far been included in the Sports Gradation Policy of the state though it has gained tremendous popularity in the state and the country in recent years. Even the Punjab Olympic Association has already granted recognition to the chess.
The state government’s recognition to the game is likely to open several new opportunities for chess players in the state and will also lead to marked improvement in standards of the game.
source:The Tribune