Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday proposed a comprehensive training package for the local youth to enable them to join the defence forces.
The Chief Minister, presiding over a meeting of the state Sainik Board, urged members to be more responsive to the problems of armed force personnel, both serving as well as ex-servicemen and their families.
There are about 36,000 registered ex-servicemen, which include 3,850 widows in Assam, the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister also gave assurance that he would look into the issue of recruitment of personnel from the armed forces who retire from service at the age of 35-45 years, in government jobs.
He pointed out that the state government had revised a handful of welfare schemes introduced in 1986 with a new comprehensive scheme for the ex-servicemen community.
"In 1986, there were only six welfare schemes as against 26 schemes now," he added.
The meeting discussed revision of ex-gratia grant for those killed in action, enhancing grants for inmates in paraplegic home, setting up a war memorial for World War II veterans, scholarships, reservation of 10 per cent flats for ex-servicemen under Assam State Housing Board.
The meeting also discussed several other issues including setting up of Zilla Sainik Boards in Kamrup (Rural), Bongaigaon, Sivasagar, Hailakandi and Golaghat districts, enhancement of two additional seats reserved for students of defence personnel in the new medical colleges of the state and revision of norms for seats reserved for defence personnel in medical colleges.
PTI
