The Punjab Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is committed to the welfare of ex-servicemen and their families. In this regard, Cabinet Minister Mohinder Bhagat chaired a high level meeting with officials from the Defence Services Welfare Department and PESCO at the Punjab Civil Secretariat on Wednesday.
During the meeting, Minister Mohinder Bhagat reviewed the activities of both departments and gave directions for effective implementation of various schemes for ex-servicemen and their dependents. The Minister also sought reports on the Sainik Rest Houses under the department and directed necessary measures to improve these.
Additionally, discussions were held regarding the allocated budget for the current financial year and the budget for the upcoming financial year 2025-26 to ensure the availability of required funds for the welfare schemes for ex-servicemen. Minister Bhagat emphasized that the government's primary focus is to ensure the well-being of ex-servicemen and their families.
He further instructed that quarterly meetings of the Sainik Board be held at the district level under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner to address ex-servicemen’s issues in a timely manner. He also directed that reports of meetings conducted by the District Defence Services Welfare Officers be sent to the government.
To facilitate employment opportunities for ex-servicemen and their dependents, Minister Bhagat directed to coordinate with the Employment Generation, Skill Development and Training Department. He also instructed that efforts be made to fill vacancies in the department and take appropriate action to strengthen coordination at the ground level with ex-servicemen and their families, enabling them to access the various schemes run by the Punjab Government.
Prominent attendees at the meeting included Additional Chief Secretary of Defence Services Welfare, J.M. Balamurugan, Managing Director of PESCO, Major General Harmandeep Singh, Director of Defence Services Welfare Brigadier Bhupinder Singh Dhillon, Commander Virk and other senior officials.