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| Uniform ex-gratia for troops killed in action | | Defence Ministry sends counselors to J&K | | B L KAK
NEW DELHI, NOV 29
Alarmed by an increase in suicide cases among the Army personnel, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has alerted the Army Medical Corps (AMC), apart from putting in place a plan to ensure better work atmosphere for all categories of jawans and officers. The Army Medical Corps has rushed junior commissioned officers to Jammu and Kashmir as psychological counselors.
The AMC has also taken care of other sectors elsewhere in the country. The psychological counselors will interact with troops and alleviate their stress-related problems. Other measures initiated by the Ministry of Defence include increased formal and informal interaction between senior and junior officers, improved accessibility of leaders and frequent interaction of junior leaders with soldiers, better man management and prompt atendance to grievances.
The Defence Minister, AK Antony, has informed the Rajya Sabha that as many as 128 personnel of the Armed Forces committed suicide from January 1 this year to November 14. They included five oficers, five junior commissioned officers (JCOs) and 118 other ranks (ORs). Antony admitted that in majority of the cases, the extreme steps was resorted to due to personal and family problems like marital discords, medical problems, depression, property issues and also organisational factors.
The Defence Minister told the House that the government had ordered liberalized leave policy to enable the Armed Forces personnel to atend to their respective domestic problems. Antony also spelt out other measures adopted by the government.
They include organising buddy system and strengthening time tested reporting and feedback system in the defence unit, identification and counselling of persons who are at higer risk of comb at stress by regimental medical officers, junior leaders and unit commanders, counselling by religious teachers, psychological counselling by psychiatrists, rotation of units and indivduals to minimize exposure to stress and training capsules in relaxation exercise including yoga and meditation.
The Union government is likely to announce in near future uniform ex-gratia Rs 10 lakhs in case of death of a soldier or officer in war and war-like engagements and counter insurgency operations. A proposal of the Ministry of Defence in support of uniform ex-gratia payments is under government's consideration.
As per the extant government orders, Rs 5 lakhs are paid in case of death occurring due to accidents in course of performance of duties, Rs 5 lakhs in case of a soldier's death in circumstances attributable to acts of violence by terorists and anti-social elements and Rs 7.50 lakhs in case of death as a result of border skirmishes and during action against militants, terrorists and extremists. Rs 10 lakhs are paid to the next of kin of a soldier or officer killed during enemy action in international war or war-like engagements, which are specifically notified by the Defence Ministry. |
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