Government of India
Ministry of
Defence
IAF Inaugurates Directorate of Air Veterans for Retired IAF Personnel
The Chief
of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, inaugurated the Directorate of
Air Veterans today. The Directorate would be committed to looking after the
pensionary and welfare aspects of all retired Air Force personnel. Inaugurating
the Directorate, the Air Chief said “It gives me great pleasure to dedicate the
new Directorate to the Air Warriors, who have contributed so much to the growth
of the IAF. The Directorate would provide value added services to both our
retiring as well as retired air warriors and coordinate all aspects, hitherto
being handled by different directorates”
The institution of Directorate of Air Veterans is an effort towards bringing
under one roof, the various departments dealing with different aspects of Air
Veterans, so that, the IAF veterans do not have to approach different agencies
for their welfare and pensionary problems. This directorate will function under
the Air Officer-in-Charge Administration (AOA), that would be headed by an Air
Vice Marshal who looks after the responsibility of Assistant Chief of the Air
Staff (Accounts) and would be re-designated as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff
(Accounts and Air Veterans) henceforth. To give focused attention to the needs
of Air Veterans, this single window to approach IAF for assistance with respect
to pensionary and welfare issues, will deal with various Civil Government
departments on matters pertaining to Veterans of the IAF, so that issues
affecting them are taken up in a consolidated manner effectively.
The Directorate will also operate through a website called
http://iafpensioners.gov.in/
for grievances related to pensionary aspects.
I feel it is an excellent idea and initiative put out by the IAF. It would be in fitness of things if the Army and the Navy also establish something on similar lines. The problems of veterans of the three services are almost identical and there are anomalies galore in the pensions of all classes of veterans. They are however, not being handled in a consolidated manner by a powerful organisation but are being handled in piece meal manner, not generating the desired effect. Many are resorting to long drawn out legal battles through AFT/Courts, without creating any salutary effect on the government functionaries, to uplift the lot of the veterans. A combined effort at that level may change the existing trend. - Col LK Anand Retd
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