On Wednesday, Punjab Cabinet relaxed rules to give government jobs to married siblings of three soldiers who were killed in the Ladakh’s Galwan Valley in June this year.
Two of them were killed fighting the Chinese troops and the third soldier died while he was patrolling near a river close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
According to ThePrint report, the decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Punjab’s Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in recognition of the supreme sacrifice made by Sepoy Gurtej Singh, Sepoy Gurbinder Singh and Lance Naik Saleem Khan according to a statement.
The existing rules state that only dependent family members or next of the kin are provided government jobs in such cases. As no dependent family member existed in the case of the three soldiers, the government chose to make an exception and give the jobs to their married brothers.
The brothers of the three soldiers had already applied for an appointment in the state services despite not falling under the definition of dependent members of the war heroes said a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office.
The spokesperson defined dependent members according to the existing policy and said that a dependent member is defined as a widow or wife or dependent son or dependent unmarried daughter or adopted dependent son or adopted unmarried daughter.
One of the Dependent unmarried brothers/ unmarried sisters are allowed for appointment under the policy in the case of an unmarried war hero, the spokesperson added. According to the report, Sepoys Gurtej Singh and Gurbinder Singh were among the soldiers who were killed fighting the Chinese troops in Ladakh’s Galwan valley.
Naib Subedar Mandeep Singh and Naib Subedar Satnam Singh were also among the other soldiers who were killed in the clash. Lance Naik Saleem died on June 25 when he was patrolling near a river close to the Line of Actual Control.
According to the Army Headquarters, such deaths are declared as battle casualties and the next of their family are given financial assistance and even offered government jobs
But out of the five soldiers who died three were unmarried.
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