Just as tea refreshes the mind, the Army's initiative to keep the brave warriors active is commendable.

Veterans of Darjeeling and nearby Districts expressed their gratitude to Brahmastra Corps for the establishment of the Veteran Suvidha Kendra (VSK) at Gunga Ram Tea Estate (GRTE), which has been spreading awareness and assistance to the veterans of the area. Established by the Indian Army on 15 Jul 2022, the VSK @ GRTE covers the three districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri & North Dinajpur and prides itself of reaching out to over 880 Veteran, War Widow & Veer Naris in the area.

  

On retirement from active service, a veteran requires social and emotional sp which assists him to settle down in the civil environment. While the organisation extends all assistance and support, in fulfilling the essential needs of the Ex-servicemen (ESMs), occasionally on their demise, their Next of Kin are unaware of their rightful dues and latest revised Government policies. VSK through SATAT Milap teams follow the push model of interaction with ESMs/ Next of Kins/ Veer Naris & Widows thereby maintaining a personal touch with the Indian Army and creating awareness of their revised rights and dues.

Keeping up the IA tradition of looking after their own, the VSK@GRTE has been instrumental in resolving 2286 cases and disbursing dues of upto Rs 58 Lakhs since its inception.

Recently family pension of Smt Durga Devi resident of Chungabasti, widow of               Late Hav Kharga Bahadur Sonar (retd), who had expired in 2021, which had been with held due to her unawareness of documentation procedures, was restored due to the efforts of the VSK, resulting in her receipt of six months arrears. While all grievances are systematically addressed online, a number of widows remain without access or awareness. In a recent case, during an outreach to village Manishpur, the SATAT MILAP team of the VSK learnt about the issue being faced by Miss Marry Grace Marandi, differently abled daughter of Late Nb Sub Josheph Marandi, and was able to restore her family pension after a period of ten years.

The good work of VSK@GRTE continues to spread in the three Districts creating awareness and generating goodwill with a strong resolve to ensure the rightful dues of all ESM/ Veer Naris/ Widows and NoK’s in its AOR, or those who approach it for assistance.