‘I salute Nirmala Sitharaman, Defense PRO and especially people on Social Media and also Navbharat Times, I could get the right of the entire pension, thanks to these people.’ said Kargil war hero Satbir Singh who bravely fought for the nation. He was left disabled when he took six bullets for the country during the 1999 war. He was someone who was never scared of anything that came in his way.
Like other soldiers, his motive was to safeguard the nation. He was someone who did his duty even at late nights and sometimes, he didn’t sleep too. This serves as a testament to the fact that he is considered as ‘a real-life hero’. He gave his heart out for the nation. This is why we must adore him to the core.
Despite giving everything for the nation, he was forced to run a juice shop and as per the reports, politicians also looted his one-acre land which was gifted by the central government. Life was not that easy for the Kargil war hero. However, all those problems came to an end.
On behalf of Defense Ministry, Satbir Singh received three letters, in which details of the sanctioned pension from the beginning till now, with the details of the half-sum amount that reached in his account, has been written and then the other 42,000/month rupees pension will be available. Altogether, the official announcement has been made to transfer Arrears of 14 lakh rupees into his bank account, an amount which was not transferred to his accounts in the previous few years.
On behalf of the Defense Ministry, from the Army Headquarters, the spokesman added that during the Kargil Operation Vijay, the Indian Army is immensely proud of the sacrifice, courage and extraordinary tale of bravery of Rifleman Satbir Singh (Retired). Retired Rifleman Satbir Singh was discharged from Indian army service on May 23, 2000.
His impeccable contribution to Indian army has never been in doubt. His exemplary service in the army spanned 13 years, 11 months and 15 days. Finally, all honourable dues had been paid to him on his retirement. Disability amount of Rs 1,12,500, massive injury during the war, 3,770 per month, Army Central Welfare Fund Rs 4,50,000, National Defense Fund for the education of Rs 1 lakh, 36,918 rupees of Army Group Insurance Fund. Besides all this, it was also claimed that till today, Rifleman Satbir Singh is being offered a handsome pension of Rs 40,332 every month.
Principal Spokesperson, Ministry of Defence, Government of India clarifies:
“Recent reports in a section of media about a Kargil War hero – Ex-L/Nk Satbir Singh who is forced to wash utensils in his own juice shop as he wasn’t provided with land and petrol pump. In this regard, it is ascertained that all due financial compensations have been paid to the brave war hero from the MOD and he is in receipt of the regular monthly pension.
Ex-L/Nk Satbir Singh had been issued two Eligibility Certificates by DGR for allotment of Oil Product Gas Agency under the 8% Defence Quota Scheme. The certificates have been issued under the GP Category. He was informed that 500 retail outlets/LPG agencies sanctioned by MoPNG was for the rehabilitation of the next of the kin of those who attained. Regarding allotment of land by the State Government, he has been advised to approach Rajya Sainik Board through Zilla Sainik Welfare Office.”
The Youth Team has been stressing it out day and night to expose the mishaps happening behind the scenes. There were several instances where the team has worked beyond the bounds of possibility to force the government to take action when it mattered the most. When a 16-year-old Indian girl Muskan Kirar defeated Malaysia and Japan to become Asia’s Champion, hardly any media praised her. But The Youth reported the achievement and in no time, it went viral all over the internet. After seeing our article, the MP state government rewarded her with a cash prize of Rs 75,000.