Hyderabad: The Army is observing 2019 as the ‘Year of Next of Kin’, and plans to reach out to the next of kin of martyrs and those wounded in action to inform them of the financial benefits and welfare schemes they are entitled to, and provide help in resolving their pension-related problems.
The families of several retired personnel as well as those who die or are injured in action face hardships due to Incorrect and incomplete documentation, said the Army.
“Ex-servicemen located in remote and foot hill areas are not able to accrue benefits from various outreach initiatives launched by the Army. The remoteness of
the area coupled with old age of individuals precludes the veterans (ex-servicemen/veer naris/next of kin) located in such areas to communicate their grievances to the authority. Therefore, their grievances remain unaddressed. In this regard, a team of officers are being sent to address such issues,” an official statement of the Army said.
A team comprising an officer, a junior commissioned officer and six soldiers of ‘Sehjra Gunners’ of Bison Division on Friday began a nine-day cycle expedition. They will cover about 465 km and the expedition ends on August 7. On the way they will reach out to the next of kin settled in the remote villages of three districts of Tamil Nadu - Vellore, Tiruvannamalai and Krishnagiri.
The cycle expedition was flagged-off by General Officer Commanding, Bison Division, at Secunderabad.
