Samba, September 12, 2026: The Zila Sainik Welfare Office (ZSWO), Samba, organised an Ex-Servicemen Rally at Village Sanoora in District Samba today as part of its efforts to strengthen engagement with the veteran community and ensure that ex-servicemen and their families are aware of various welfare schemes and government benefits.

The rally was conducted under the guidance of Welfare Officer Lt Col Mehak Salathia (Retd), ZSWO Samba, along with her team. The initiative aimed at taking welfare services to the doorstep of veterans and addressing their concerns related to pensions, documentation and other entitlements.

Around 100 Ex-Servicemen, including 20 Veer Naris, besides war widows, Veer Matas and Veer Pitas, participated in the rally.

During the interaction, the veterans and their families were briefed about various government welfare schemes, pension-related benefits, grants and other entitlements available through the Sainik Welfare Department and other government agencies. The participants were particularly advised to maintain complete and updated documentation and submit the required documents on time to avoid delays in the processing of pension and welfare cases.

The ZSWO team also interacted with the veterans and addressed their queries and grievances concerning documentation, pensions and other welfare benefits. The interaction provided the participants an opportunity to seek clarification directly from welfare authorities regarding the procedures for availing various entitlements.

To broaden awareness about opportunities beyond conventional welfare measures, Dr Khujuria, District Chief Agriculture Officer, Samba, was specially invited to address the gathering. He briefed the Ex-Servicemen and their families about the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) and various agriculture and government initiatives aimed at providing additional livelihood and development opportunities.

The rally reflected the Sainik Welfare Department’s continued commitment to reaching out to veterans and their families and facilitating access to welfare services and government schemes.