Annual General Meeting of Veteran Sailors’ Forum Held at Naval Base, Kochi

Annual General Meeting of Veteran Sailors’ Forum Held at Naval Base, Kochi

The 10th Annual General Meeting of Veteran Sailors’ Forum, Kochi was held at Naval Base, Kochi on 18 November 2018. Rear Admiral RJ Nadkarni, VSM, Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command (SNC), presided over the meeting,  as the Patron of the VSF(Kochi), which was also attended by senior officers from Southern Naval Command. Over 200 naval ex servicemen (ESM) attended the AGM, wherein a large number of issues pertaining to Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), Indian Naval Canteen Services (INCS) and welfare schemes were discussed.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief of Staff said that measures undertaken in ECHS such as introduction of new 64 Kb SMART cards, Paperless Online Billing, Implementation of PWD Act 2016 covering wide array of diseases, and changes brought about in the referral system to choose one's hospital of choice, would enhance the satisfaction levels among the veterans community. As an initiative from SNC, a Pension Help Desk by Naval Pension Office, Mumbai and an ECHS Help Desk by the Regional Centre, ECHS, Kochi were also set up at the AGM, which helped many naval pensioners to address their grievances.

VSF(Kochi) Charter was set up at SNC to focus on welfare related issues concerning veterans and also interface with Naval Headquarters, as well as Central and State Government Agencies, towards availing benefits earmarked for ESM. Over the years, the VSF(Kochi) Charter has evolved into an effective platform for addressing the grievances and disseminating information concerning veterans.