AFVOA Newletters of Year 2002

Page 21 of 84 on telephone at 446 2222. He is one of the regular members, and one of his daughters who has taken an active part in earlier AFVOA meetings, is married to an Infantry officer serving with 6 Bihar. e) Maj Gen V Rangaswami VrC**, AMC, Maj A Siddarthan and Lt Col TK Vijayarangan, Arty could not make it to the meeting. We hope to honour them in subsequent meetings. The First Ever Visit by a Serving GOC! The invitation to Maj Gen AS Jamwal, AVSM, VSM, was the culmination of a long expressed desire by the committee and the members of the AFVOA that the heads of the Services in the city be invited, in turn, to the regular meetings of the AFVOA. The mutually beneficial interaction would, it was hoped, would strengthen the bonds that link the fraternity of officers, serving and retired. The General’s prompt acceptance of the invitation is a measure of his evident commitment to the cause of reaching out and helping Ex-Servicemen. Address by the Patron, Lt Gen C Sundara Rao, PVSM, EME The Patron traced the history of the AFVOA since its inception in 1994. He mentioned that the Association had rendered yeoman service. He suggested that the time was ripe for the establishment of a permanent secretariat of the AFVOA. He thanked Maj Gen Jamwal for the honour done to the Association by gracing the occasion with his lady wife. Talk by the Maj Gen AS Jamwal, GOC, ATNKK & G Area It was obvious that the pleasure that the veterans had in having General and Mrs Jamwal in their midst was more than reciprocated by the warm sentiments that the GOC had for his brethren of yesteryears from the three Services. The GOC thought the occasion was an apt one for outlining certain initiatives taken by the Area HQ in order to improve the lot of ex- servicemen. A brief outline of these is given below: Facilities at the MH: The GOC stressed that the situation regarding the availability of life saving and expensive medicines/drugs for retired personnel had improved. He mentioned that funds would not be a constraint. Establishment of Sainik Aramgahs: Chennai has some of the best tertiary Medicare facilities, which are covered by the Armed Forces Medical Benefit schemes. These include hospitals like Apollo, Malar, and Ramachandra. Besides Shankara Nethralaya is one of the foremost in the world for eye related problems. Thus a large number of retired personnel from all over the country visit Chennai for their treatment. The plan is to make available a Sainik Aramgah so that retired personnel can stay with their attendants in this facility on payment of nominal charges instead of being forced to stay in expensive or dingy lodges/boarding houses. Last rites for deceased ex-servicemen: It is planned to ensure that retired personnel who pass away are accorded dignified and befitting funerals. The initiative would be to establish and maintain contact with retired personnel and make them aware of the proposal. When necessary, the NOK would know whom to contact, so as to obtain necessary help to perform the last rites of the ex serviceman