Uttam promises to shower sops on ex-servicemen

Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday promised that the ex-servicemen would be provided with housing plots and Rs 5 lakh grant to construct houses.

He said that two to three lakh strong ex-servicemen of the State would be provided with all the welfare measures being promised by the Centre through its orders. Addressing the media, he said, “The ex-servicemen spend the best time of their life in protecting the nation after joining the armed forces at a younger age. It is the duty of the governments to ensure them a better retired life.” 

He received memorandums from the Telangana Ex-Servicemen Federation. Uttam, who also retired from the Air Force as pilot of jet fighters, promised that the next Congress government would resolve all the pending
issues of ex-services. 

He said the State government neither allotted a housing plot nor provided cultivable land to any ex-servicemen during the last four-and-a-half years. He promised that the next Congress government would establish Sainik Colonies in all 31 districts of Telangana. The TPCC president said that the previous Congress regime had allotted lands to ex-servicemen and the Revenue Department did not give possessions of allotted lands and promised that immediately after formation of the government, all the allottees would be handed over possession of land. He said all ex-servicemen would also be given 5 acres of cultivable land across the Telangana State.

Uttam said he had joined the National Defence Academy at the age of 16 and then served Indian Air Force (IAF) as a fighter pilot. He said he had operated MIG-21 and MIG-23 fighter jets while defending the country on the borders of China and Pakistan.

The TPCC president promised that the Central laws of providing two per cent reservation in education for children of ex-servicemen would be implemented. Similarly, he said ex-servicemen were also eligible to get two per cent quota in government jobs and this would be implemented when the Congress comes to power. Though ex-servicemen are also appointed as Special Police Officers, they do not get salaries or other benefits on par with regular policemen.  Telangana Ex-servicemen Federation chairman Karunakar Reddy, Congress Manifesto Committee chairman Damodara Raja Narasimha and other leaders were present.