Dear veteran Himveers
Finally the day has come that we can proudly proclaim the birth of The AIEPWA. It has been possible because of consistent hard work and determination of our team, ably led by The Gen Secretary Shri Kabul Singh IG retd, and wholehearted participation and keenness of the Governing Body.
Ab initio, there were many requirements and formalities to be completed for the Registration of the Association. First, the Constitution had to be drafted, and Bye-laws framed. We had to take legal guidance from a few legal experts, who very meticulously took us through various stages, and finally many important decisions were to be taken regarding formation of Governing Council, and Executive and other sub-committees.Once the documents were submitted, the matter had to be pursued with the State Govt for Registration. With constant liaison and close monitoring, the Association was registered on 25th April 2018.
25 August 2018
After a series of meetings of Governing Body, sorting out minor but important issues, we are now up and running. We now have a Bank Account, a Post Office Box, a phone number, and a functional Office. Necessary records are being prepared, and we are now working to expand our membership base. A ‘WhatsApp’ group has been formed to communicate with Members, till such time The Website is populated and running smoothly.
As already set out in our Mission Statement, we will now embark on reaching out to Dte Gen ITBPF and other important local and national Institutions to introduce ourselves and seek their patronage to initiate actions to meet our Charter. A lot of hard work has been done, and more needs to be done in the days to come, to bring the Association to a firm footing. We will be needing your wholehearted participation, and assistance.
I also understand the expectations of our members, and to meet it we must work in close coordination. We will also seek help from our serving ITBPF brethren, to encourage, prompt and guide us. I will invite their suggestions to help us out in setting out our priorities, and key result areas, as also to improve the Website. All of you are requested to make extensive use of the Website so that it can be suitably tried out, and rectifications/ improvements made to enable its smooth running.
Once we are sufficiently well organised, it is intended to hold a Press Conference, and a General Body Meeting to interact intimately with you all.
With Best Wishes, and Jai Hind
From the Desk of President 23rd October 2018
Dear veteran Himveers
The AIPWA celebrates its first ITBPF Raising Day on the 24th Oct 2018 since its inception. It’s a matter of great satisfaction and pride, particularly for the veteran Himveers who have travelled the journey of growth and maturity of the Force. From a humble beginning in 1962 with only 4 Battalions, as an appendage to IB, today it is 88 thousand strong, and increasing. When I joined as a rookie Coy Commander in 1974, I dare say, we were not very hopeful of it turning out to be, as it is now. How has it been possible………? Firstly the foresightedness in a clear charting of path of our first DG R N Shivpuri, the resoluteness and dedication of likes of J M Qureishy and Joginder Singh, and the agile leadership of Vikram Shrivastava provided the foundations on which our brave and sincere middle and junior level leadership built its forte and reputation. The Force was fortunate to get some brilliant Commanders initially, who gave it a shape of a well disciplined and uniquely trained organisation. Today we remember them fondly. Now when we are celebrating the 56th Raising Day, we need to spare a few moments to those of our brave colleagues and veterans, who spent their prime in the service of the Nation, made the supreme sacrifice, and brought our elite Indo-Tibetan Border Police to these lofty heights.
We in the AIEPWA Gov Council, have been busy these past few months in consolidating our membership base, and reaching out to those members and comrades, who need our support, and this forum, to alleviate their condition in the post-retirement life. We have taken up a few grievances with Dte Gen ITBPF with tangible results. One of our unfortunate colleague, retd Ct Nirbhay Singh, who was rendered paralysed from the waist down due to a spine injury in 2001 after terrorists attacked their post in J&K. is living a life of misery, and needs help. Whereas we have been sensitizing The Deptt to do whatever is his due, I appeal to all of you to consider extending a hand by way of a monetary contribution. Please let me know what you feel about it.
Our Website (www.aiepwa.org) is up and running. I will need your valuable suggestions to improve it further. Please let me know at ‘president.aiepwa@gmail.com’ what more contents should we be including, and where corrections if any are required.
I extend my special ‘Thanks’ to some of my those serving colleagues, who have helped us in many various ways in propping up this Association, and would urge them to keep up their patronage. In the coming days, we plan to visit and call on DG ITBP, and hold a meeting with those retired colleagues, who are at Delhi/ NOIDA, and Dehradun. Calling on local dignitaries earliest is also on our agenda.
In concluding, a very HAPPY RAISING DAY to all of you, and May God Bless our fraternity, and our valiant Force
Jai ITBP and Jai hind
From the Desk of President 13th June 2019
Dear veteran Himveers
On 25 th of April, last year, we had the Association registered, and since then have been working to make it an efficient and compassionate Organisation, devoted towards the welfare and unity of ex-ITBPF and the serving personnel. The challenges were numerous, and we had to literally learn on the move. Many obstacles were tackled, and in due course we realised our strengths and weaknesses, and what was needed to be done. We were encouraged by most, and eventually, here we are, after an year, still in the run going steady and taking everyone along. Soon we will have our Delhi Chapter (Sub-Committee) too.
In my address to you last on 25th Aug 2018, I had informed about the formation of the Association, and laying out our Aims and Objectives. Our Website went ‘online’ on 25th Sep ’18, and we took up the job of making personal Contacts, getting to know of the grievances of retired Himveers earnestly by holding Contact Rallies at some of the places in North India and in Kerala. In between, we were reaching out to our comrades through a ‘WhatsApp’ group, and taking up their cases with Dte Gen ITBP, and other Govt Offices. I called on DG ITBP on 10 Dec ’18 in his Office and submitted a Memorandum of expectations and grievances of the retired veterans. In April and May, I wrote to DG ITBP and Cabinet secretary, Home Secretary, Spl Secy in PMO, Secy DOPT, and The Chairmen of Expert Committee on respecting the verdicts of Hon’ble Supreme Court/ High Court on the NFFU and OGAS case, apart from the case of Retirement Age. We have been receiving good cooperation from DIG Welfare at Dte Gen, though the compliance of most of the points submitted in the Memorandum to DG ITBP is still awaited.
There are many important issues concerning the retired and serving personnel which still remain in limbo/ unattended at the highest level, and I am sad to state, there is no urgency in resolving it. I am listing a few of them below………
- Waking up the slumber of WARB and making it a useful and effective Institution comparable to similar in Army
- Making CPC meaningful and beneficial for Himveers, their families and veterans
- Streamlining and simplifying the CGHS cover to serving and retired personnel
- Strengthening the apparatus of Contacts and Recognition between Veterans and ITBP Units/ Formation Hqrs/ Dte Gen
What I will like to stress here is that most of these are common issues, on which detailed orders and SOPs exist, but are ignored, and this is our genuine entitlement, and not a favour. Additionally, I have been also feeling that many of the Commandants and senior Officers are not earnest and sincere towards the welfare and amelioration of retired Personnel. Everyone has to retire one day sooner or later. We in the Association and the serving have common goals and need to coordinate and support each other well.
We need the help of Members in spreading the word regarding the Association in your respective areas, and enthuse them to join it. The Aims & Objectives, Vision and Mission Statement, policy initiatives and Key result Areas of Association are amply laid out in our Website, www.aiepwa.org, which you must visit and patronise. I will await your valuable Feedback too. The activities and news regarding various projects/ initiatives are uploaded on the Site regularly. In case you organise/ attend any assembly, or meeting of retired personnel, please inform us, and we will proudly display on our Site. We deserve a life of ‘Honour and Dignity’, which can be augmented by all of us getting united, taking care of each other.
We are 74 strong today and growing. On 1st June ’19, we celebrated our first year by holding ‘Annual General Meeting’, photos and details appear on our Website. We are very Thankful to those who helped us in its organisation. ITBPF is the Nation’s Second Line Of defence, and we the veterans are its ‘Third line of Defence’. When the opportunity will call, we will be there. We are proud of the Force, and have kept its Flag flying high when in service. The AIEPWA is committed towards its ideals and will strive in the service of veterans, and the Nation. Please keep writing to us your grievances, and suggestions, which we eagerly look forward to.
Jai Hind