Amarinder meets Rupnagar jawan Kulwinder’s parents, announces lifetime pension
Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh met parents of slain CRPF constable, Kulwinder Singh, at their home in Rauli village, about 30km from district headquarters, near Nurpur Bedi on Sunday. He expressed his grief and condolences, and extended his government’s full support to Kulwinder’s father, Darshan Singh, and mother Amarjit Kaur. He also announced a lifetime special monthly pension of ₹10,000 per month to either or surviving parents since they had no other children. Kulwinder had not married.
“The pension will be given in lieu of a job to the next of kin of the martyr, and will be in addition to the ₹7 lakh ex gratia and ₹5 lakh cash in lieu of land which the family is entitled to,” he added, also announcing that a local school and the link road connecting the village to Anandpur Sahib would be named after the martyr.
“The pension would be paid by the department of defence services welfare. An agenda note for the same will be presented before the council of ministers in the next meeting,” a spokesperson said later.
The CM refused to respond to a question on the remarks made by Punjab local government minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on the Pulwana terror attack.
AMBIKA SONI SEEKS SPECIAL FUND FOR MARTYRS
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Ambika Soni, also met the family on Sunday.
At the village, she told reporters, “There should be a special fund at the national level for providing compensation to those who attain martyrdom for the country.”
Soni’s response came to a query on the ₹12 lakh announced by the Punjab government for each of the four CRPF jawans killed from the state. She also assured the family of financial assistance from her MPLAD.
Senior Congress leaders Ramesh Goyal, Gurinder Pal Singh Billa, Yadavindra Kang, Amarjit Singh Saini, Ashwani Sharma and JPS Dher also met the parents.
PPCC PAYS TRIBUTE
The Punjab unit of Congress paid tributes to four soldiers from the state killed in the terrorist attack in Pulwama on February 14. Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunil Jakhar paid floral tributes to the martyrs at the Punjab Congress Bhawan.