Gonikoppal (Kodagu) :  Lieutenant General Dewan Rabindranath Soni, the current General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Southern Command of the Indian Army, has called upon Ex-servicemen to come forward to find employment under Prime Minister’s Skill Development Project.

He was addressing a massive rally of ex-servicemen of Indian Army’s Karnataka and Kerala Sub-Area Command at Cauvery College in Gonikoppal, South Kodagu yesterday.

Listing out various schemes introduced by the Union Government for re-settlement and welfare of ex-servicemen, Lt.Gen. Soni appealed ex-servicemen to encourage their wards to join the Army. Stressing on the need for ex-servicemen to maintain physical, mental fitness and health, he said that ex-servicemen should keep their knowledge updated on various Government schemes such as pension, land grant, reservation for children of ex-servicemen and the like.

He also highlighted that ex-servicemen will get cashless treatment at ECHS Hospitals across the country.

Maj.Gen. Sanjeev Narayan, in his address, said that ex-servicemen should properly utilise the pension scheme and other welfare schemes of the Government.

Lauding the contribution of Kodavas in armed forces, he called upon ex-servicemen to maintain values and discipline advocated by the Army. Emphasising on the need for ex-servicemen to have official ID cards issued by the Sainik Welfare Department, such cards will be crucial for getting benefits and facilities extended to them by the Government.

He called upon ex-servicemen and their dependents to visit  Sainik Welfare Department at their respective district headquarters to get complete information on the whole range of Government facilities and benefits extended to them.

Sainik Welfare Department Joint Director Lt.Col. Geetha said that ex-servicemen and their dependents  can apply online for availing various benefits and facilities, which include reservation for children in admission to educational Institutions, job reservation, student hostel admission in big towns, ECHS hospitals, land allotment, housing etc.,

Pointing out that more than 400 applications seeking land remained pending in the department’s district office, Lt. Col. Geetha said that these applications will be disposed off in stages in the days to come after consulting the concerned authorities.

Lt.Gen. D.R. Soni presented mementos to ex-servicemen and their dependents.

He was accompanied by his wife Colonel Suman Soni (retd.), who served in the Army as a gynaecologist for twenty-two years.

Field Marshal K.M. Subbaiah, Convenor Maj.B.A Nanjappa, Gonikoppal Cauvery College Secretary K.G. Uttappa, Principal Prof. Pattada Poovanna, Tahsildar Govindaraju and others  were present.