RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Dec 27: Six retired military soldiers and widows, who were being neglected by their families and society, now have a home in Jharkhand, where they are living happily and comfortably.
The destination is Vanaprastha Sainya Ashram. It is located in Manjha Toli in the Gumla district. It was established on March 31, 2021, by the then-governor of Jharkhand Droupadi Murmu.
Secretary of the Ashram, Anirudha Singh said all those presently staying in the asylum are from Jharkhand and UP. They are in the age group of 60 to 80.
The Ashram is spread over a 2.5-acre area and has all facilities including hot water for baths, food, television and a caretaker. The entire asylum is under CCTV surveillance. He said it is the first such asylum in Eastern India.
Asked about charges, Singh said approximately Rs 2500 is charged to inmates and for them affording the same from their pension is no problem.
“After it came to knowledge that some elderly defence personnel are not respected by their family members and their children love them only for sharing pension amounts, the decision was taken to give a dignified life to retired defence personnel. Apart from this, some of the defence personnel who became alone after marrying their daughters also need someplace where they can get proper care,” Singh said.
Singh said a meeting of the Ashram management committee is scheduled on January 14 and in the meeting decision will be taken for its further improvement and development to ensure that it can be utilised properly and retired elderly deference personnel can get a quality life at the last stage of their lives.
