JOIN USFree sites, BMTC passes for State's ex-servicemen
Minister for Home and Transport R Ashoka said here on Tuesday that the Army Welfare Committee had been asked to furnish a list of the eligible. The condition is that the applicants must have provided a residential address (of any place in Karnataka) while joining the Armed Forces.
Furthermore, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation would issue free passes to the families of soldiers who have participated in war or anti-terror operations.
For 15 families
The passes, valid for 10 years, have already been issued to 15 families so far. The facility will be extended to the buses of the State Transport Corporation in future, the minister said. He was speaking at a function to mark Armed Forces Flag Day at Raj Bhavan. “It’s a way of saying thank you to military personnel who put their lives at stake to protect us,” Ashoka said. He urged the youth to join Armed Forces in the service of the nation.
Donation to Welfare Fund
It was declared that the Transport Department would donate Rs one lakh to the Army Welfare Fund. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation handed over the money collected from the sale of Armed Forces Flag Day stickers, on the occasion.
Governor Bhardwaj, who spoke on the occasion, underscored the need to provide financial security to war widows. “I know personally how difficult it is to serve in Armed Forces under tough conditions. We cannot pay them back for their services, but certainly can take steps to improve their lives,” he said.
‘No shielding’
Meanwhile, speaking to presspersons, Ashoka refuted the allegation that the Monday’s notification delineating the probe into land scam cases was aimed at ‘shielding’ tainted former minister Katta Subramanya Naidu.
“There is no such intention. The Constitution empowers a State government to order judicial inquiry into any matter. The Lokayukta has been investigating a lot of other cases and let him continue with it,” he said.
He also denied the charge that there were attempts to withdraw the FIR filed against Katta on December 2.
Ashoka said it was a wrong notion that only the present Government has ordered a judicial probe bypassing the Lokayukta. “Previous governments have ordered far more number of judicial inquiries,” he said.
When visibly unconvinced journalists persisted with more questions, Ashoka said he would comment at ‘an appropriate time’ as the matter was sub judice.