Amritsar: Air veterans want change for better in welfare schemes

Amritsar, April 12

Ahead of Lok Sabha elections, the Air Veterans Welfare Society, Amritsar, released a charter of demands regarding pension and other welfare facilities for the veterans and their dependents. The Society has been raising the demand over the last few years.

Expressing a certain degree of satisfaction over various initiatives implemented over the past few years, Chairperson of the Air Veterans Welfare Society, Amritsar, Nirmal Singh called for abolishing the discriminatory behaviour being faced by veterans at the hands of officials during dissemination of financial and other welfare schemes. The veterans have pointed to some pertinent schemes in need of improvements such as One Rank One Pension (OROP), System for Pension Administration, (Raksha Sparsh) and the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), but also demanded inclusion of medical facilities and upgrade for officials of certain rank including nursing officers in the scheme. They also demanded a revision and review of the OROP scheme as soon as possible and life insurance and other banking benefits for veterans.

Terming the armed forces veterans and their dependents as an important voter base, they said that over the years, problems being faced by veterans have been ignored by political representatives. “These issues need attention by political parties and we have been raising them over the years, while nothing is taken up substantially,” said Nirmal Singh. One of the key expectations from the next government is to help veterans from PBOR (Personnel Below Officer Ranks) category get better services in the delivery of pension and healthcare benefits, especially in rural areas.