New Delhi, September 6
The Supreme Court today issued notices to the Defence and Petroleum Ministries on a petition alleging that many families of Kargil war martyrs had not yet been provided with the promised welfare schemes by the government.
A Bench of Mr Justice N. Santosh Hegde and Mr Justice S.B. Sinha sought replies from the ministries to a PIL seeking a direction to the government to act promptly in fulfilling the promises, including allocation of petrol pumps and gas agencies to the families of Kargil heroes.
The issue was brought before the court by Jyotsan Dwivedi, a law student of Delhi University, in a PIL. She said she was moved by a TV programme on the Kargil war heroes, in which it was stated that over 40 per cent of the war widows “have not got any benefit from the government and they are running from pillar to post for obtaining the promised welfare schemes.”
The court said why should the petitioner confine her plea only to the welfare schemes to Kargil martyrs? Why the other war widows not be included in the ambit of the welfare programmes, the court asked, while issuing notice to the Uttar Pradesh Government also, as the TV programme had specifically mentioned about a case in the state.
