Chandigarh (Balwinder Singh)— No society or nation can ever truly repay the debt owed to the brave soldiers who protect the motherland, but governments remain fundamentally responsible for safeguarding their interests and supporting their families, declared Haryana Sainik and Ardhshainik Welfare Minister Rao Narbir Singh on Tuesday. Reflecting on the administration’s ongoing initiatives, Singh asserted that Haryana continues to lead the country by introducing comprehensive rehabilitation frameworks for soldiers, veterans, paramilitary personnel, and their dependents.
The Welfare Minister highlighted that since the dedicated Department of Sainik and Ardhshainik Welfare was established in 2016, the provincial government has steadily amplified its operational scope. In the 2026-27 annual budget presented by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, the state announced the formation of the Haryana Sainik and Ardhshainik Welfare Corporation to directly oversee employment generation and livelihood promotion for veterans. To effectively back these initiatives, the provincial government has proposed a massive 58.93 per cent increase in the department’s budgetary allocation, raising total funding to 178.14 crore rupees.
Demonstrating the government’s practical support for military families, Singh revealed that compassionate government employment has successfully been granted to 420 dependents of martyred soldiers during the current administration’s tenure. Additionally, the state plans to upscale the lump-sum ex-gratia gallantry awards provided to armed police forces and frontline personnel. Notably, Haryana has earned distinction as the first state in India to implement a comprehensive policy granting horizontal reservation in government job recruitments for returning Agniveers on par with traditional ex-servicemen, a policy formally ratified by the Haryana Cabinet.
To expand regional support networks, construction is actively underway for integrated Sainik Sadans, or veteran community hubs, across several districts including Gurugram, Palwal, Panipat, Jhajjar, Nuh, Fatehabad, Jind, Narnaul, and Rewari. A new district welfare office has been operationalized in Nuh to serve localized paramilitary families, while a dedicated military museum in Rewari and a state-of-the-art war memorial at Naseebpur in Narnaul are currently undergoing high-level administrative reviews.
Singh concluded by noting that Haryana historically contributes an immense proportion of its youth to the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, alongside federal paramilitary forces like the BSF, CRPF, and ITBP. To streamline access to state benefits, the government has launched an online registration drive for retired Central Armed Police Forces personnel on its official departmental portal. The minister appealed to local bodies, village councils, and veteran organizations to actively mentor and guide eligible ex-servicemen through the enrollment process to ensure no family is left behind.
