Assam govt, Army deliberate on furthering cooperation, welfare measures in state

Guwahati, Aug 18 (PTI) The Assam government on Monday held discussions with a delegation of the Indian Army to deepen cooperation, strengthen welfare measures and foster a spirit of service and patriotism among the state's youth, Chief Secretary Ravi Kota said.

The issues taken up during the discussion ranged from proposal to increase existing quota for government jobs for ex-servicemen to veteran employment to absorption of Agniveers to basic military grooming in schools, he added.

"Chaired an important meeting today with Major General Hartej Singh Bajaj, VSM, Headquarters 4 Corps, along with a delegation of the Indian Army," the CS said in a post on his official X account.

The meeting was attended by senior officials from the home and political department, Assam Police, general administrative department, and personnel department, and focused on charting a roadmap for enhanced collaboration and deeper partnership between the Indian Army and the state government, he added.

Sharing the key areas reviewed and outcomes, Kota said a proposal to increase the reservation for ex-servicemen in Assam from the existing 2 per cent to 5 per cent was discussed.

"The personnel department will collect inputs from select states and prepare a statement for further processing of the matter," he added.

Regarding employment of veterans, a plan was deliberated upon for engaging 1,576 qualified and readily available veterans, including the possibility of a waiver in government jobs as per prescribed guidelines and eligibility criteria.

The home department was directed to assess the vacancy position.

Till December 2024, 332 veterans have been employed by Assam Police, and 284 have been engaged by the Indian Army across sectors such as finance, security and PSUs.

The Directorate of Sainik Welfare has been tasked with submitting a district-wise profile of all veterans, Kota said.

An initiative implemented since 2023 to provide necessary support to the next of kin (NoK) of soldiers (Army/Navy/Air Force) who made the supreme sacrifice was reviewed.

A proposal for extending government jobs to the NoK of martyred Central Armed Police Forces personnel was examined, the CS said.

For absorption of Agniveers, the Assam Police Headquarters was asked to submit a comprehensive report on recruitment norms to the home department.

The home department will coordinate with the defence counterpart, incorporate directions of the Ministry of Home Affairs and submit the report to the chief minister for guidance, Kota said in the post on X.

The home department and the chief minister’s office will also coordinate to strengthen engagement with Defence personnel.

The department will prepare a comprehensive list of ex-servicemen and institutionalise ‘Jan-Sunwai’ (public hearing) at regular intervals in identified districts for veterans’ benefit.

A SOP will be drafted by the department accordingly.

The idea of creating a dedicated ‘Sainik Samwad’ tab on the chief minister’s web portal for swift grievance redressal was also taken up at the meeting.

Following the Maharashtra model, the school education department will explore leveraging veterans to promote basic military grooming in government schools, the CS said.

For old age home for veterans, the home and political department was instructed to issue directions to the department of social justice and empowerment.

It will also coordinate with the Sainik Welfare Board to identify a feasible existing location or infrastructure.

Going forward, this initiative will be developed as a joint venture between the Government of Assam and the Indian Army, Kota said.

To inspire youth to join the armed forces, an institutionalised mechanism will be initiated wherein serving officers, veterans and spouses will visit educational institutions to deliver lectures on ‘Operation Sindoor’ and other nation-building themes.

For further beautification of the Guwahati War Memorial, the Army will share exhibits, flags and other items with the tourism department.

The state government and the Army will also collaborate on identifying and developing Military Tourism Circuits. PTI SSG SSG MNB