Lt Gen A K Choudhary lauds NGO working for ex servicemen

Lt Gen A K Choudhary lauded NGO working for ex servicemen
Report by Arvind Sharma; Dharamsala:
Counting with its policy of “Army Cares for its veterans”, GOC of the Rising Star Corps Lt Gen A K Choudhary, AVSM,SM,VSM, in a simple ceremony at Yol Cantt near here, presented a large No of gifts to a NGO “Himachal Pradesh Poorav Sainik Sahayta Sangathan”. These gifts were given to enhance functional efficiency on the NGO, were received by NGO Chairman Col (Retd) S C Sharma.
Addressing the large gathering Lt Gen Choudhary said “ Sangathan is doing yeoman’s services by helping fellow soldiers which is exemplary emulation for worthy and noble cause. I would like more people to come forward to help the ex servicemen by ex-servicemen contributory health scheme polyclinics and also establishing ex servicemen helplines at all station headquarters to assist them.
“Himachal Pradesh Poorav Sainik Sahayta Sangathan “ was established in 2001 at Sidhwari in Dharamsala. Since then the sangathan has taken a lot of steps and initiatives at the grass root level to address the problems of Ex servicemen and their families if the remote areas of Himachal Pradesh. NGO is helping in so many problems from pension of ex servicemen to preparing youth for army recruitments. It also helps war widows to rebuild their future.
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ECHS: Helpline- हेल्पलाइन

ECHS Helpline
1. In our continuous efforts to make ECHS services more efficient, transparent and responsive for our veterans we have implemented a 24 x 7 helpline supported by a dedicated call centre.
2. This exclusive helpline has two numbers toll number is 080-4300-4300 and toll free is 1800-103-8666. The call centre provided solutions to our Ex-servicemen on all types ECHS queries like enrollment/ empanelled hospital/ treatment procedure/ claim/ policy etc. The helpline is acting as a single point contact to answer the ECHS queries of ESM effectively.
3. In addition, ECHS Helpline is also welcoming ESM queries through SMS on their dedicated number 09741494300, wherein ex-servicemen can ask their query through normal text and send a SMS to get a response on the same through SMS.
4. We are enhancing the spectrum of our ECHS Helpline by introducing the Ambulance and Bed Boarding Services in the immediate future. With introduction of ambulance service the Helpline will be able to provide Ambulance to the ex-servicemen in case of an emergency. The provisioning of ambulance will be payable by the veteran utilizing it. To call the ambulance ESM has to register his demand at 080-4300-4300.
5. With the introduction of Bed Boarding System, the Ex-servicemen would be able to get the updated information on available beds in the empanelled hospitals of ECHS.
6. All these facilities would now be available throughout India through a single number support i.e. 080-4300-4300.
7. You are requested to give these facilities and telephone numbers wide publicity amongst your members.
(Gulshan Chadha)
Lt Col
Jt Dir (Est)
For MD ECHS

पूर्व सैनिक अंशदायी स्वास्थ्य योजना हेल्पलाइन
1. हमारे दिग्गजों के लिए ईसीएचएस सेवाओं को और अधिक कुशल, पारदर्शी और उत्तरदायी बनाने के लिए हमारे सतत प्रयासों में हम 24 x 7 एक समर्पित कॉल सेंटर द्वारा समर्थित हेल्पलाइन लागू किया है.
2. यह विशेष हेल्पलाइन दो संख्याओं टोल नंबर 080-4300-4300 है और टोल फ्री 1800-103-8666 है. कॉल सेंटर के सभी प्रकार पर हमारे भूतपूर्व सैनिकों के लिए समाधान / नामांकन पैनल अस्पताल में इलाज / / प्रक्रिया / दावा नीति हेल्पलाइन आदि की तरह ईसीएचएस प्रश्नों एक एकल बिंदु संपर्क के रूप में काम कर रहा है ईएसएम के ईसीएचएस प्रश्नों का जवाब प्रभावी ढंग से प्रदान की.
3. इसके अलावा, ईसीएचएस हेल्पलाइन भी उनके समर्पित नंबर 09741494300 पर एसएमएस के माध्यम से ईएसएम प्रश्नों का स्वागत करते हुए, जिसमें पूर्व सैनिकों के सामान्य पाठ के माध्यम से अपनी क्वेरी पूछने के लिए और एक एसएमएस भेजने के लिए उसी पर एसएमएस के माध्यम से एक प्रतिक्रिया प्राप्त कर सकते हैं.
4. हम निकट भविष्य में एम्बुलेंस और बिस्तर बोर्डिंग सेवा शुरू करने से हमारे ईसीएचएस हेल्पलाइन के स्पेक्ट्रम में वृद्धि कर रहे हैं. हेल्पलाइन एम्बुलेंस सेवा की शुरूआत के साथ एक आपात स्थिति के मामले में पूर्व सैनिकों के लिए एम्बुलेंस प्रदान करने में सक्षम हो जाएगा. एम्बुलेंस का प्रावधान यह उपयोग के दिग्गज द्वारा देय होगा. एम्बुलेंस ईएसएम कॉल 080-4300-4300 पर उसकी मांग रजिस्टर है.
5. बिस्तर बोर्डिंग प्रणाली की शुरूआत के साथ पूर्व सैनिकों को ईसीएचएस के पैनल में शामिल अस्पतालों में उपलब्ध बेड पर अद्यतन जानकारी प्राप्त करने में सक्षम हो जाएगा.
6. इन सभी सुविधाओं को अब एक ही नंबर समर्थन यानी 080-4300-4300 के माध्यम से पूरे भारत में उपलब्ध होगा.
7. आप अपने सदस्यों के बीच इन सुविधाओं और टेलीफोन संख्या व्यापक प्रचार देने का अनुरोध कर रहे हैं.
(गुलशन चड्ढा)
लेफ्टिनेंट कर्नल
संयुक्त दीर (स्था.)
एमडी ईसीएचएस के लिए

Military Police Help Line Launched

Thursday, May 20, 2010 16:10 IST
The Indian Army has achieved a major milestone by activating the Military Police help line. The Facility was inaugurated by Army Chief General VK Singh on 19 May 10 during the biannual Army Commanders Conference being held at New Delhi. Common Military help line telephone number 155200 can now be accessed across the Nation to provide assistance to military personnel. The number is available at Mil Police Control Rooms and is instituted to provide immediate assistance and be instrumental in solving and mitigating crisis being faced by military personnel. In addition, it will provide an excellent facility for the civil police and the public to contact the Army Military Police to provide first hand information of any situation where military persons are involved or has potential to affect the military persons.

The telephone number has been allotted in coordination with department of telecommunication and can be accessed locally and from outside the locality by prefixing the STD code of that station. The facility has been activated presently at some of the Metro cities and State Capitals. The telecommunication Authorities have assured full support in extending the Services across the Nation at the earliest.
Veeredra/Rajendra
Military Police Help Line Launched: PIB

E Governance- Will ESM Grieviences Get the C-in-C attention?

Now, your complaint will reach President at the click of a mouse by Smriti Kak Ramachandran: : The Hindu
Rashtrapati Bhavan gets over 400 mails every day
— Photo: PTI GOVERNANCE: President Pratibha Patil inaugurates the helpline portal at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Friday.

NEW DELHI: With the click of a few buttons, complaints, petitions and prayers will now swiftly reach the President’s Office, find their way to the departments concerned, get tracked as they are processed and the information stored for later use.

With the launch of a new website http://helpline.rb.nic.in on Friday, reaching out to the President has become easier. Launched by President Pratibha Patil at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the website has been designed to simplify the process of grievance redress.

“The Rashtrapati Bhavan mail box receives over 400 mails every day. The portal is expected to reduce the time taken to dispatch the mail to the Central and State government departments concerned, following up on the action taken and finally maintaining the record,” said Secretary to the President Cristy Fernandes.

“We hope to process the applications within seven days of receiving them. And everybody who sends us a mail will be provided a unique registration number (URN), which will help them keep track of their application,” he said.

The portal, Mr. Fernandes said, was the President’s idea. “On assuming office, the President expressed the wish to modernise everything possible, from infrastructure to the style of working.”

The portal offers citizens a platform to voice their grievances. Of the total applications that the President’s Office receives, 70 per cent are through snail mail and the rest electronically.

“People who are left with no options write to the President. There are some limitations that the office faces as far as keeping track of these applications, updating their status and preserving these applications is concerned. But with the launch of this portal, we hope to address these issues,” said Mr. Fernandes.

The new system is being integrated with the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System which will monitor the progress of the petition.

The portal, currently available in English, will gradually be available in Indian languages as well. It will allow lodging of lengthy e-petitions and enable supplementary attachment of scanned documents.
Now, your complaint will reach President at the click of a mouse
President Helpline: click me

Ex-servicemen help family get body

Mohali, May 25
Members of various bodies of ex-servicemen gathered at Fortis Hospital here today to get the body of a defence personnel released who had died at the hospital. According to reports, warrant officer Baldev Raj (64) died at the hospital, but the management was allegedly not handing over the body to members of his family because the pending payments were not cleared.

Daughter of a warrant officer thanks the president of the Ex-Servicemen Grievance Cell, Col SS Sohi (Retd), for getting the body of her father from Fortis Hospital, Mohali, and (inset) the deceased Baldev Raj. Tribune Photo: Vicky Gharu
Ex-servicemen help family get body
Related reading:
After kin protest, Fortis Hospital releases ex-serviceman’s body
Kin fight over release of body

Dear Col S Sohi,
1. We are proud of You for your excellent and fabulous work and selfless sacrifice to the cause of needy ESM, their widows, children at all times.
2. We are aware that you sit in front of CSD Canteen on all Saturdays from 0900h to 1400h under a Tree Shade without even a hand fan in this scorching summer heat. This sacrifice is for the ESM community, so that ESM visiting CSD Canteen can contact you to resolve their problems. The Army Authorities i.e Western Command under whose jurisdiction the CSD falls does not even accommodate you with a small room with a table and chair or any other facility like electricity/ drinking water.
3. Hats off to you," Hamra Tuje salam". You have many feathers in you cap (Turban) since last 15 years, Keep doing good job we are with you, any contribution required call us any time. I pray to God if other ESM League also contribute One day in a week to function from The CSD canteen in remote area to facilitate ESM for easy personal contact.
4. We also pay our gratitude to the Print media for highlighting the camaraderie of ESM Community and have become source of inspiration for ESM Leagues to continue good work for the needy ESM.
With warm Regards
Col Khera (Retd)

Comment: We need more and more dedicated Veterans like Col SS Sohi to look after our brethren and their wards in their twilight years. All Veteran Officers should be dedicated to a cause and continue to help our fraternity especially the powerless and simple Jawans who continue to be exploited.

Travails of ESM

Whatever may be the claims of the Army authorities and the civil administration regarding the rehabilitation and welfare of ESM, the former soldiers are at the mercy of private security agencies when it comes to getting a job.
The attitude of the political parties is also apathetic. The ESM are being hired on a contract basis for peanuts, at about Rs 2,500 per month, is outrageous.

Full story at ESM a Harried Lot

Comments
The same status prevails in all the 28 States and 7 Union Territories of India. Ninety Five percent of ESM are simple Jawans, after having served in the Armed Forces for approximately 20 years, are literally taken for ride in the civilian Job Market. The pittance paid to a honourable Soldier is despicable and the current trend needs to to be corrected. The guidelines laid down for employment of ESM, as security personnel, are flouted at all levels. The enforcing agencies have no teeth nor clout to deal with the erring State Governments. The monitoring and overseeing agency DGR should be armed with constitutional powers to streamline and reduce dishonour being meted (if not showered) to our Jawans. The outfit, attire and gear worn by Jawans employed by Security Agencies is comical at times. These are the reasons for general slide of Military prestige amongst civilian population. Can we set this straight?
On the other hand States are vying to give cash handouts to gallantry award winners ranging from mere Rs 15,000 to lavish Rs 15 lakhs (hundredfold jump). It certainly does bring out the competitive spirit amongst states, but at the expense of uniform evaluation of courage and sacrifice. This has utterly baffled and perplexed the authorities of the Armed Forces! Are the states playing truant to outwit each other or is it a political gimmick, or is it truly out of genuine concern for the welfare of the courageous Jawan. How can each State Government's magnanimity be made more meaningful if not uniform?