Battle Casualities Welfare Fund - Enhancement by Four times of Ex-Gratia to War Widows

The Hon’ble Raksha Mantri enhancing the ex-gratia to a war widow four fold from the Battle Casualities Welfare Fund when Govt of India does not contribute even a paisa to it. The Indian public donates to the Battle Causualities Welfare Fund as a mark of gratitude to the soldiers who made supreme sacrifice in line of duty. The Corporates who donates get 100% IT relief and they are expected to expend 2% of their profits as part of their Corporate Social Responsibilities. The fund is administered by Min of Def. The Indian public is emotionally driven creature. They do not know War widows today get anything between Rs 80 lakhs to Rs 1.25 crores on martyrdom of husbands. They get liberalized family pension which is equal to the last drawn emoluments of her husband. She and her dependents get free bees right from rail travel, free education for her children, free health care to many other benefits. She also gets ex-gratia from State Government, 300 sq yd of house site and a government job (like in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana).

2.      What does a widow of an Ex-Serviceman who unfortunately dies within two or three years of his discharge from Armed Forces? She gets 50% of last drawn emoluments as her Enhanced Rate of Ordinary Family pension (against 100% of a war widow) for just 10 years and then it comes down to 30% of last drawn emoluments. She is still in her early 30s with responsibility of bringing up her children. She does not get a job. Her pension is not adequate to bring up her children and give decent standard of living to her kids. I have seen how such young widows suffer.

3.      This is not to show that war widows should not be given more financial assistance. After all, her husband has made ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. But Governments both at Centre and State do nothing to alleviate suffering of poor & young widows whose husbands died just within two or three years of discharge. She does not get a job because she is widow of an Ex-Serviceman. I have seen many such young & poor widows struggling to make both ends meet. She is thrown out of her home by her in-laws the moment her husband dies.  Smt Zalengkim of Imphal whom TSEWA helped to clear her debts of Rs 5.39 lakhs she owed to greedy money lenders is one such pathetic case when her husband died within 5 months of his discharge.

4.      War widows easily gets anything between Rs 80,000 to Rs 1 lakh per month if she invests her money even public sector banks. What does a widow of an Ex-Serviceman get? The Indian public does not know these details as they do meet such widows.