Women’s Commission Recognises Need To Equip Widows Of Armymen With Skills; Is Working Towards Concrete Plan

A survey conducted on widows of martyred soldiers of the Indian Army has emphasised the need for skill training for widows in rural settings, and has also recommended the formation of a Veer Nari Niketan in Satara, reports The Indian Express.

Anuradha Gore has conducted the survey and has submitted it to the Maharashtra Women's Commission. Gore had lost her only son, Captain Vinayak Vishnu Gore, during Operation Rakshak in 1995 in Kupwara (J&K).

According to the IE report, Gore has authored 16 books on the Army, and surveyed almost 150 families from Satara, Pune, Kolhapur and Mumbai in Maharashtra and several other states as part of the survey reports.

Her research has recommended provision of counselling services to parents and widows of martyred soldiers of the Army.

“Even though the Sainik welfare office looks after most of our (widows and parents of soldiers) needs including medical and financial support, it has its limitations. Several women are in need of psychological support,” Gore was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

The research finds that compensation provided for the families of martyred Armymen in cases of death due to other reasons is low. Gore cited an incident where, Major Prasad Mahadik, died near the Indo-China border in Tawang district in 2017 after his tent caught fire. Her research found that his wife, Gauri, a Virar resident, received lower compensation because he did not die in combat.

The survey also quoted widows in rural areas condemning stone pelting (in J&K) as a disgrace. "Soldiers risk their lives for people. The government should bring a legislation to curb this,” Gore added.

Meanwhile, Vijaya Rahatkar, Chairperson of the women’s commission, said the commission had taken note of the research. “We found that army widows require skill training and social support and is considering deploying counsellors and psychiatrists to Sainik Kalyan mandal,” said Rahatkar.

The women’s commission will reportedly constitute a committee to consider the recommendations of the research. “There are recommendations for the Central government too. I have written to the Union defence minister for a meeting to discuss the same,” said the chairman.