Mysore/Mysuru: MLC C.N.  Manjegowda, who is also an Army Veteran (Ex-serviceman), paid a courtesy visit to the Office of city-based VeKare Ex-Servicemen Trust recently. During his visit, the MLC discussed various Ex-servicemen welfare issues put forth by Trust President Mandetira N. Subramani, who is also a retired Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of Indian Air Force. They also discussed problems faced by Ex-servicemen’s widows in Mysuru, Mandya, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, Hassan and Chikkamagalur and to find suitable solutions to resolve them. Some of the issues are:

1. All the rules pertaining to welfare of Ex-servicemen should be modified as applicable for granting cash in lieu of land for those decorated with Gallantry Awards and also to those who are decorated with Peace Time Awards such as PVSM, AVSM VSM. The welfare schemes for Ex-servicemen formulated by Government of Karnataka should be extended only to sons of the soil and to those non-Kannadigas who joined the armed forces from the State having permanent place of residence in Karnataka.

The MLC assured Subramani that he would impress upon the Chief Minister and Ministry concerned to implement the same.

2. 10% of housing sites / houses earmarked for Ex-servicemen by MUDA, BDA and KHB should be allotted only to Ex-servicemen who are sons of the soil or to their widows  first under reserved quota. If there are any excess sites, it could be allotted to Ex-servicemen from other States who wish to settle down in Karnataka. However, they should be barred from reselling the allotted sites.

3.  Reservation of seats under ESM quota in Medical, Engineering and other professional courses should be allotted to  children of  ESM who are sons of the soil first and excess seats to those from other States.

4. Presently, exemption of 50% house tax is given to ESM and to widows of Ex-servicemen if the property is in the name of the widow. However, if the house property is registered in the name of living wife, then she has to wait till her ESM husband dies to become a widow and claim that 50% exemption! Hence, the Trust requested the MLC to intervene and get the existing policy modified so that the ESM’s wife could be eligible for exemption on par with the widow of Ex-servicemen. Others issues taken up for discussion includes 10% reservation in employment of  Ex-servicemen in State and Central Governments, PSUs, Autonomous Bodies in Karnataka; Increasing Book Grants / reimbursement of fee for children of Kannadiga Ex-servicemen.

Case of two widows

VeKare Ex-Servicemen Trust also brought to the notice of MLC the case of the widow of late Ex-Hav Meederira C. Bheemaiah of Badagarakeri in Ponnampet, Kodagu, who died eight months ago.

According to his widow A.N. Kamala Kumari (Ajjikuttira),  the concerned jurisdictional Revenue Inspector and  Village Accountant, colluding with the children of the first wife (who is no more), got the Death Certificate issued to them not in the name of living widow A.N. Kamala Kumari, the second wife, who married the deceased Ex-serviceman during 2016. Instead, the Death Certificate was issued mentioning the name of late Damayanthi without mentioning the word ‘late’ (she had died on March 8,  2015 prior to deceased Bheemaiah’s marriage with Kamala Kumari).

The Death Certificate was manipulated by Revenue Inspector and Village Accountant to facilitate the children of first wife to claim the entire property left behind by the deceased Ex-serviceman.

In another case, Death Certificate of late Sepoy Moodera A. Arjuna, who died 18 months ago at Kokeri village in Napoklu, Kodagu, is yet to be issued to his wife M.A. Jaji.

After giving a patient hearing, MLC Manjegowda agreed to speak to Kodagu DC and resolve the issue on priority for VeKare Ex-servicemen Trust to project Kamala Kumari and M.A. Jaji’s  just causes to Chief of Army Staff for getting their  family pension sanctioned from military side and also with concerned Regional Provident Fund Commissioner at Mysuru for getting their  PF family pension sanctioned.

The MLC assured that he would impress upon Kodagu DC to intervene and direct the concerned Tahsildars  to issue both the above Death Certificates on top priority as without the certificate  they cannot claim Military Family Pension.