After 24 years, widow of Kargil War hero from Nacharam receives gallantry pension

Hyderabad: On Kargil Diwas (July 26) this year, P Anuradha, a 49-year-old resident of Nacharam, Hyderabad, received her long-overdue recognition and support pledged to her as the widow of a gallant Air Force hero. It took 24 years for the financial assistance from the gallantry award to reach her.

Anuradha’s late husband, Sgt PVNR Prasad, was posthumously awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) for his exceptional valour during the Kargil War in May 1999. However, due to administrative oversight, Anuradha remained unaware of the monetary benefits accompanying the gallantry award.

Going back in time, Anuradha said, “After receiving the gallantry award, I left for Rajamundry, my late husband’s hometown. I was there for two months and then came back to Hyderabad, I wasn’t aware that I had to register with the Sainik Welfare to receive the benefits for the gallantry award. I thought, ‘What would I do with that?’ It was only three years ago, after I registered with the Sainik Welfare and met Colonel Ramesh did I understand the significance of the award and the respect it carried.”

Anuradha was 22 years old when her husband passed away. She is currently running an LPG gas dealership in Nacharam under her late husband’s name.

Colonel Ramesh’s timely intervention

Expressing his commitment to supporting the families of brave soldiers, Col Ramesh Kumar said, “In our efforts to support the families of soldiers who bravely sacrificed their lives on the battlefield, the Indian defence forces provide them with a special pension. There have been instances where the recognition of their gallantry and bravery took time to be acknowledged, leading to delays in providing benefits.”

“One such case was the delay in extending benefits to a widow of Mahavir Chakra award recipient. When I asked her about the benefits, she said everything was fine. However, upon examining her documents, I found that even though the Army had mentioned Mahavir Chakra in them, the benefits were not provided to her. From there, I started working on finding more such cases,” said Col Ramesh Kumar.

Explaining his process, Col Kumar said, “I began to diligently review all the cases of soldiers being awarded gallantry medals, cross-checked their documents, ensuring that they and their families received the benefits that were rightfully theirs. This process led me to discover Anuradha’s issue, who was marked for monetary allowance for the gallantry award of the Vayu Sena Medal but hasn’t been receiving it. I informed her immediately.”

The Colonel said, “Over the years, the additional defence pension amount that is awarded for gallantry awards has increased. It was Rs 250 per month in 1999, then increased in 2006, and in 2016 it was made Rs 2,000 per month. Anuradha will now receive the current amount along with the arrears accumulated since the time of the award, which is 1999.”