Col G B Sethi, 77, and Brigadier C S Vidyasagar, 69, Hyderabad, help ex-servicemen claim their dues

 
When Kirti Chakra awardee (posthumous) Major Avinash Singh Bhadoria lost his life while taking on terrorists in Kashmir in 2001, his wife Shalini was promised ₹ 1 million by the Uttar Pradesh government. It remained an empty promise until Hyderabad-based Triservices Ex-servicemen’s Welfare Association (TSEWA) stepped in last year, with the dues being released immediately. Set up by retired Army officers Col G B Sethi (right) and Brigadier C S Vidyasagar in 2015 to help war widows, sepoys, disabled soldiers and other ranks (ORs) below officers and their dependents, the organisation has successfully tackled 500 cases including pending pensions, medical benefits and disability pensions. “While working with the Sainik Welfare Board of Andhra Pradesh I met war widows in the hinterland,” says Brigadier Vidyasagar. “I realised many of them didn’t have the means to get their arrears cleared.” Col Sethi, whose garage functions as the office of the organisation, adds, “As army officers, we believe in giving our best under any situation. It feels nice to reach out and benefit so many who were not even aware of their dues.” A casual chat between the two about the disparity in pension among officers led them to organise a protest rally demanding One Rank One Pension in Secunderabad in June 2015 and forming TSEWA immediately afterwards. As word spread, the duo was flooded with requests for help from hapless widows and veterans. Cases were taken up and cleared on a war footing. One of the beneficiaries, a colonel who prefers to remain anonymous, says, “Within six months of contacting them, I got my disability pension. Now I keep telling every fauji to join TSEWA.” Incidentally, when the above mentioned colonel’s pension was released, it benefitted 103 other officers and jawans with disabilities, whose dues were also cleared. With over 6,000 members across the country, TSEWA is currently working on 22 cases with the Armed Forces Tribunal. Promising to continue their war against red tape, they hope to reach out to as many people as possible through their website www.tsewa.in.

—Shyamola Khanna

Photo: Shyamola Khanna
Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
July 2017