KCR announces Rs 2.25 cr for .......recipients

Hyderabad, January 17: The Telangana State government will give a cash reward of Rs 2.25 Cr to any army personnel from Telangana who receives the Param Veer Chakra and Ashok Chakra. This will be the highest cash reward that is being by any state government for the recipients.Chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced in the assembly on Tuesday that for the first time in the country, TS was creating a Fund for the Army Welfare and collect Rs. 80 Core towards the Fund. This Fund will be spent on the welfare of the Army personnel and their families. The Chief Minister and ministers will contribute Rs. 25,000 per year, MLAs, MLCs and MPs will contribute Rs. 10,000 each per year. The employees have decided to forgo their one day s wages.The army widows are eligible for one pension only either from the center or the State government but in Telangana the double pension scheme to the retired army personnel and army widows.Pointing out that the Centre and State governments were giving cash rewards to the personnel who receive the gallantry awards such as Param Veera Chakra, Mahavir Chakra, Veer Chakra, Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Sourya Chakra, and Sena Medal, KCR said the Telangana State government had decided to give a substantial cash award to the gallantry awardees much more than that is being offered in other States.The Punjab government gives Rs 2 Cr as cash award to recipients of Param Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra. The United AP government had announced Rs 10 Lakh each for the same award."Now we have decided to pay Rs 2.25 Cr to the Telangana Army personnel who get these awards. For Mahavir Chakra and Kirti Chakra awardees, the Punjab government is giving Rs 1 crore each which is the highest in the country. United AP used to give Rs 8 Lakh. The Telangana government will give Rs 1.25 Cr each to the Army Personnel from the State who get these awards," he said.