COVID-19: Ex-servicemen come forward to volunteer with J-K administration

Jammu, Jun 17 (PTI) Nearly 2,500 ex-servicemen from Jammu and Kashmir have volunteered to be 'COVID-19 warriors' to augment the existing manpower of the Union Territory administration to fight the deadly virus, a defence spokesman said.

Out of these, 171 volunteers are actively deployed by the civil administration in various districts of the UT, the spokesman said.

He said the yeoman services being rendered by the ex-servicemen have been appreciated by the deputy commissioners and chief medical officers of the districts concerned.

The Sainik Welfare Department, which is spearheading the campaign, has nominated nodal officers at district, tehsil and village level, the spokesman said.

He said the ex-servicemen (ESM) are organised into teams under nominated ESM coordinators.

“The teams interact closely with local police, village sarpanch and revenue authorities. Details of nodal officers and coordinator volunteers have been shared with the civil administration of all districts,” he said.

The volunteers are rendering services such as spreading awareness among the population, motivating people to take up vaccination, security duties, counselling, crowd control at vaccination centres and hospitals, the spokesman said.

In addition, the staff of Sainik Welfare Department is also regularly reaching out to the ex-servicemen and 'veer naris' on a daily basis to enquire about their well-being and to render assistance, if required, the spokesman said. PTI AB TAS HDA