Welfare Branch
Brief History
1. India has always been proud of the rich tradition of enrollment of Nepal Domiciled Gorkhas (NDG) soldiers into the Indian Army: which is as historic as Eighteenth century. In accordance with the Tripartite Agreement, this unique practice has continued till date. Our beloved veterans, having spent considerable period of their life time in India and later by virtue of them getting settle down in Nepal, it was imperative to have an organisation which can look after them in their twilight years. 2. To ensure this, as part Indian Embassy in Nepal, Defence Wing was institutionalized Post Independence.There are approx. 1.22 Lakhs NDG pensioners who post-retirement are settled and leading peaceful life in various parts of Nepal. It has been our relentless endeavour to reach out to our veterans in the farthest areas of domicile by implementing multifarious welfare oriented schemes including various socio-economic projects. With this aim of fulfilling their welfare requirements in-situ, GoI has established Nepal Bharatiya Gorkha Sainik Board (NBGSB) {earlier known as Indian Ex-Servicemen Welfare Organisation in Nepal (IEWON)} which is working under Chairmanship and guidance of the Ambassador of India to Nepal. An unique Institution, NBGSB is functioning proficiently with pulsating involvement of concerned Ministries and Departments of the GoI.
Welfare Activities
3.The scrupulous execution of multifarious welfare projects has resulted in self-realization of our Ex-Servicemen (exsm) and also in betterment of their living standards. Positive results have been made possible by synchronized and assiduous endeavour of the Kathmandu based HQ NBGSB (comprising of all Branches of Defence Wing), both Pension Paying Offices (PPOs) and 25 District Soldier Boards (DSBs) functioning across Nepal. The Welfare Branch which came into subsistence in early Seventies has effectively transformed itself as per contemporary welfare needs of our NDG pensioners. For achieving this, Welfare Branch and HQ NBGSB are working in sync to expand further, the scope of multifarious aspects of welfare programs in Nepal. Various welfare schemes executed/ extended for the exsm and their dependents are as under :-
(a)Presentation of Ambulances. Though there has been significant improvement in the health care facilities in main cities and towns, still many remote places in Nepal are devoid of requisite medical care and life saving services. Understanding the very essence of this predicament, Welfare Branch in coordination with Development and Partnership Wing, Embassy of India (EoI) provides ambulances to our Exsm committees on the occasion of India’s Independence Day and Republic Day every year.
(b)Presentation of School Buses. Welfare Branch in coordination with Development and Partnership Wing, EoI provides school buses where there is a sizeable strength of children of exsm are studying. The scheme in addition helps the children of civiliansalso who are required to travel neighbouring towns to pursue their studies.
(c)Educational Assistance.Welfare Branch has been providing financial assistance to the wards of exsm in Nepal through various scholarship schemes. Every year we make an endeavour to enhance the scope of such scholarships and grants. Few popular educational assistance schemes are as under :-
(i)Children Education Allowance (CEA) for Wards of Battle Casualty (BC). The financial assistance for complete expenditure is provided by GoI to the children of Armed Forces personnel killed/declared missing/permanently disabled during war/operation including counter insurgency operations.
(ii)Educational Assistance to Children of Service Personnel Died in Harness (PC). Rehabilitation and Welfare Section, Ceremonial and Welfare Directorate, AG’s Branch, IHQ of MoD (Army) grants scholarships on yearly basis for wards of soldiers who died in harness.
(iii)General Education Assistance. Commenced in year 1978, the aim of this scholarship is to support deserving children of exsm studying in Class IX to Bachelor degree courses. The monetary entitlement under this scheme is NPR 15,000/- per annum for class IX and X and NPR 20,000/- for class XI to Bachelor degree courses.
(iv)Higher Education Scholarships. It is given to those deserving wards of exsmwho undertake professional studies either in India or Nepal. The monetary entitlement under this scholarship is NPR 50,000/- as one time grant.
(v)Education Assistance to Handicapped, Blind, Deaf and Dumb Wards of Exsm.This scheme was introduced in the year 1992 and aims to motivate handicapped, blind, deaf and dumb children of exsm to study. Under this scheme, a sum of NPR 30,000/- per annum is provided to all such children.
(vi)Teachers’ Training. This scheme empowers war widows and children of pensioners by making them self-reliant. A sum of NPR 30,000/- is granted per annum to all those pursuing B.Ed or M.Ed courses in Nepal or India.
(vii)Mahatma Gandhi Scholarships Scheme. Under this scheme, a sum of NPR 24,000/- is provided annually to eligible students studying in class XI and XII in Nepal. 25 seats are reserved for the wards of exsm.
(viii)Golden Jubilee Scholarships.This scheme is provided to students pursuing Medical, Engineering and Bachelors courses in Nepal. A sum of NPR 48,000/- per annum is granted to meritorious students in Medical and Engineering and NPR 36000/- per annum for other Bachelors course. Five seats are reserved for the wards of exsm.
(ix)Bachelor of Engineering Scholarship. Two scholarship vacancies in Engineering Under-Graduate Degree courses in India are reserved for the deserving wards of exsm/ serving soldiers of Indian Army.
(d)Financial Assistance to School.This is an extremely popular scheme, as besides our BhuPuus, local population also gets directly benefited. Welfare Branch provides financial assistance to schools for expansion and repair of existing school buildings, purchase of furniture, books, sports items, computer etc.
(e)Distress Grant (Natural Calamities). A number of our exsm and their dependents suffer from heavy losses due to natural calamities every year. Welfare Branch provides monetary assistance to affected exsm/ dependents to compensate for their losses.
(f)Carriage Grant. Carriage grant was introduced in the year 2002 to provide monetary aid to our handicapped, paralysed and elderly pensioners who are unable to reach pension camps on their own. The pensioners who are carried on back by their dependents to seasonal pension camps are given NPR 1,000/- as a monetary help.
(g)Demise Grant. The fixed monetary assistance amounting to NPR 11,200/- is provided to the NoK of deceased exsm on their demise.
(h)Distress Grant (Penury Grant). Distress grant is given to pensioners/ dependents who are in distress/penury and are facing severe financial hardships due to various genuine reasons.
(i)Financial Assistance from Directorate Indian Army Veterans (DIAV). Financial assistance under various welfare schemes extended by Rehabilitation& Welfare Directorate, DIAV, AG’s Branch is disbursed by Welfare Branch to NDG exsm/NoK as per details given below :-
|
S |
Type of Grant |
Amount |
Remarks |
|
(i) |
Fatal Battle Casualty. (One Time Grant) |
12,80,000.00 |
1st Tranche-1,60,000/- |
|
(ii) |
Fatal Physical Casualty. Where death is attributable to/ not attributable to mil service including those missing & presumed killed,where Central Govt Ex gratia is not paid to the NOK(One Time Grant) |
2,00,000.00 |
1stTranche-80,000/- |
|
(iii) |
Fatal Recruit Casualty (Physical Casualty)(One Time Grant) |
80,000.00 |
|
|
(iv) |
Daughter’s marriage/ orphan son’s marriage/ re-marriage of widow |
1,60,000.00 |
Eligible for both BC/PC (Fatal) cases. |
|
(v) |
Modification of Car/Modified Auto scooter /Secondissue of ModifiedAuto Scooter (After 15 years of firstissue). Soldier disabled while in service. The individual should be an amputee, paraplegic and quadriplegic only. |
1,12,000.00 |
|
|
(vi) |
Wheel Chair/ Second issue of Wheel Chair (After 7 years of first issue. Soldier disabled while in service. The individual should be an amputee, paraplegic and quadriplegic only. |
80,000.00 (Max) |
|
|
(vii) |
Modification of Bathroom. |
64,000.00 |
(j)Vocational Training. Knitting, stitching and beautician courses are conducted to impart training to the veer naris, widows and dependents of exsm. Presently, 13 Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) are running at DSBs namely Gulmi, Baglung, Butwal, Turture, Surkhet, Ilam, Palpa, Dang, Gorkha, Pokhara, Dharan, Kohalpur& Waling. Every year 300-350 students are trained at our VTCs.
(k)Financial Assistance to AR Pensioners. Financial assistance/aid to Assam Rifles pensioners and dependents is paid through Welfare Branch. The monetary assistance for various schemes for AR pensioners is as under :-
|
S/No |
Type Assistance/Aid |
Amount |
|
(i) |
Financial assistance during natural calamities |
19,200.00 |
|
(ii) |
Funeral grant (to retired personnel only) |
19,200.00 |
|
(iii) |
Marriage grant (to two daughters of Widows only) |
32,000.00 |
|
(iv) |
Medical aid in any form (to retired personnel and wife only) (for indoor patients only) |
1,44,000.00 |
|
(v) |
School education grant for class - XI to XII(yearly) |
8,000.00 |
|
(vi) |
Higher education grant for Professional Courses only(M Tech, MBA, B Tech, MBBS, BDS and similar Professional Courses) |
9,600.00 |
|
(vii) |
One time Old Age Grant on attaining the age of 75 years(to all AR Ex-servicemen) |
40,000.00 |
|
(Viii) |
Constant attendant allowance to physically handicapped(Visual and Paraplegic Patients) |
1,280.00 |
(l)Welfare Placement Cell (WPC). The WPC was opened at Welfare Branch, Kathmandu in 2019 and works in coordination with Army Welfare Placement Organization (AWPO), New Delhi. It collects the data for all jobs related information from environment in which there is a quota for exsm and disseminates the information to the job seeking exsm. Based on the information received from various placement nodes in India, relevant jobs that are suitable for NDG exsm are published by WPC through a weekly placement order, which is then circulated throughout Nepal by DSBs and BhuPuuSamitis.