NEW DELHI: Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has approved setting up of four zila sainik boards or district soldier boards in as many districts of the national capital, a step for resettlement and rehabilitation of around 77,000 ex-servicemen (ESM), their widows and their families, officials said on Tuesday.
Districts, where these boards will be set up, include South-West, East/Shahdara, North-West and Central/New Delhi. Each will have a team of 10 officials.
They said the estimated cost of the project will be Rs 16.69 crore, of which the central government will bear a 60 per cent share while the rest will be borne by the government. However, while approving the proposal, the L-G noted the “unjustified apathy” of the government towards the ESMs by inordinately delaying a decision in this regard for about 3 years. They said the proposal to establish four district soldier boards was initially cleared and sent to Delhi government by the then L-G in 2019.
“The file to this effect, which originated in 2019, was cleared by a Cabinet decision after almost two and a half years in May, 2022 and sent to the L-G after being duly signed by the CM as late as on September 27 this year,” an official said.
The soldier boards are responsible for policy formulation and implementation of resettlement and welfare schemes for ex-servicemen, widows and their dependents residing in their respective states, union territories and districts. These boards will cater to the resettlement and rehabilitation needs of the ex-servicemen, an official said.