By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 11 Dec: During the Foundation Day celebrations of the ‘Prantiya Rakshak Dal’ (PRD) held at the Youth Welfare Directorate Ground in Nanurkheda here, today, Cabinet Minister for Youth Welfare Rekha Arya made several key announcements. These included providing financial assistance of Rs 50,000 for the marriage of PRD personnel’s daughters and the establishment of a training centre for retired personnel to help them develop new skills for future employment.
Minister Arya made these announcements during the ceremonial parade. She first inspected the parade and then took the salute as the departmental minister.
In her address, Minister Arya noted that the Foundation Day of the PRD was not celebrated regularly in the past, but under the leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, it was decided in 2022 that this would be observed annually. She directed departmental officials to organise the Foundation Day in every district.
She highlighted the significant contributions of PRD personnel in various state events such as elections, the Char Dham Yatra, and law and order situations, and emphasised that their involvement would also be crucial in the state’s Silver Jubilee year.
Minister Arya also shared various decisions made by the government for the welfare of PRD personnel, such as amending the Act to increase the service age limit from 18 to 60 years and raising the daily honorarium to Rs 650. She assured that the honorarium would likely be increased again before 2027. Furthermore, she stated that female PRD personnel would now be entitled to 180 days of maternity leave without any salary deductions, a long-standing demand that the government has fulfilled by amending the Act.
To further support PRD families, she announced that scholarships would be provided to PRD personnel’s children. Additionally, the government will assist in the marriage of PRD personnel’s daughters by providing Rs 50,000, each.
During the event, the Cabinet Minister distributed checks of up to Rs 1.5 lakh to the families of deceased PRD personnel and injured personnel. A total of Rs 15 lakh was distributed as assistance.
On this occasion, MLA Umesh Sharma ‘Kau’ praised Minister Rekha Arya’s tenure as the departmental minister and expressed confidence that she would continue to make significant decisions in the interest of PRD personnel.
A significant highlight of the event was the announcement regarding the establishment of a training centre for retired PRD personnel. This centre will provide professional training to help retired personnel transition into civilian employment.
The Foundation Day parade included 10 PRD units, and based on their performance, the Victoria Cross Darban Singh Negi Battalion was awarded the first place, followed by Veer Madho Singh Bhandari Battalion in second place and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Battalion in third place. Minister Rekha Arya honoured the parade commanders at the conclusion of the event.
Minister Arya further shared that, since 2022, the government has provided employment to 101 dependants of deceased PRD personnel, a new initiative that was not previously available. She assured that the government would continue to support the families of PRD personnel who are injured or lose their lives on duty with full responsibility and sensitivity.
The Minister distributed checks of Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 1 lakh to the families of PRD personnel who died in various incidents, while injured personnel received checks of Rs 50,000 each. Among the recipients were Pooja Thapa, Darshani Devi, Meena Devi, Vikra Devi, Suman Devi, Rajni Devi, Lalit Singh, Parvati Devi, Rajendra Prasad, Harish Chand, Gautam, Suresh Manwal, Gagandeep Singh, and Renu.
Minister Arya also distributed Rs 1 lakh assistance checks to those retiring from the PRD after completing 3,650 days of service. She expressed that this financial support would help the retirees in their future endeavours, including starting businesses.
The event was attended by MLA Umesh Sharma, Secretary Amit Sinha, Joint Director Ajay Agarwal, Deputy Director Shakti Singh, Rajesh Mamgai, along with PRD personnel and their families.
