The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : 31 soldiers remembered; cash given to families

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 22, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

31 soldiers remembered; cash given to families

Staff Reporter

Badge of Sacrifice presented to next of kin of the brave martyrs

SOLEMN OCCASION: Lieutenant General A.S. Jamwal, Adjutant General of the Army, at a ceremony to remember martyrs in Bangalore on Friday. — Sampath Kumar G.P.

Bangalore: At a solemn ceremony held at the Madras Engineer Group (MEG) and Centre on Friday, 31 soldiers of the Madras Sappers who died in service were remembered with honour and gratitude.

The next of kin of these brave martyrs were presented with Rs. 30,000 each and a Badge of Sacrifice by Lieutenant General A.S. Jamwal, Adjutant General of the Indian Army. Lieutenant General Jamwal thanked all the relatives present and praised the performance of Madras Sappers. He said welfare of the serving and the "served" was one of the main concerns of the Army.

Speaking to presspersons, he said the Army had many welfare schemes for its men such as Army group insurance. It had set up the Army Welfare Society and Army Welfare Housing Organisation, he added.

The Army also managed 120 schools and 11 professional colleges for the benefit of the children of its men. Jai Jawan Yojana, a welfare programme, gave loans to soldiers to build houses. The loans were recovered from theie salary, he said.

Last rites scheme of the army ensured every served and serving men of its fold, a decent burial, he said.

He said the Army was planning to come up with the veteran hostels which would be a refuge to ex-service men in their old age. He explained about "Ex-service men Contributory Health Scheme". Ex-service men could avail themselves of the facilities in 516 hospitals empanelled by them in India. He added that the Army was intending to establish 227 polyclinics across the country by March 2008. Retired officers had to pay a gratuity of Rs. 18,000 and havildars Rs. 7000 to register for the scheme.

Gangu Kumbar, widow of Havildar Basavanappa Kumbar, who suffered gunshot wounds in a cross fire with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and died, was one of the recipients of the Badge of Sacrifice and financial assistance.

Brigadier A.S. Chand, Commandant of the MEG and Centre, several senior serving and retired officers, soldiers were present.

In memory of a brave son

A thatched hut, a tomb-stone that stands as a memorial next to it, children saluting at the memorial every day and hoisting of flag on Independence Day, all these narrate a poignant tale of a brave soldier who made the supreme sacrifice for his country. Not many soldiers get the same honour.

Trying to forget the agonising memories of January 8, 2005, when he heard about the death of his 23-year-old son, Promod C.S. while clearing a snowed-in route, in the borders, Soman has erected the memorial next to his hut in Karikumlam village in Neyattinkara district of Kerala, by the compensation he received from the Army.

Recalling the initial difficulties faced by his son, when he had no proper uniform to wear while going to school, Soman has started the custom of distributing 50 sets of free uniform to the poor children in the vicinity on August 15.

Rarely we find people of this sort trying to utilise the money given as compensation in a novel way. Soman has no interest in changing his lifestyle, but wants his son's service to the nation to be remembered and appreciated.

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