Lok Sabha Question No. 44 (STARRED), answered on 2016-02-26
Subject: Deployment at Siachen
Ministry: DEFENCE
Asked by: V. SATHYABAMA, BALASUBRAMANIAM SENGUTTUVAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DEFENCE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

## LOK  SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO.44

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 26 TH  FEBRUARY, 2016

## DEPLOYMENT AT SIACHEN

- *44. SHRIMATI  V. SATHYA  BAMA: SHRI   B. SENGUTTUVAN:

Will the Minister of DEFENCE be pleased to state:

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- (a) whether the defence  personnel deployed  at  Siachen are  being  given  any  special allowance and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the number of the defence personnel died due to avalanche in Siachen during each of the last three years and the current year;
- (c) the  details  of  the  compensation  paid  to  the  families  of  these  martyrs  including special compensation, if any; and
- (d) the  details  of  provisioning  made  for  high  altitude  clothing  and  other  gadgets  / equipments for safety and security of soldiers posted at Siachen along with funds made available during each of the last three years?

## A    N    S    W    E    R

MINISTER OF DEFENCE                                            (SHRI MANOHAR PARRIKAR)

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(a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 44 FOR ANSWER ON 26.2.2016

## (a)      Defence  Service  personnel  deployed  at  Siachen  are  granted  Siachen Allowance at the rates given below:

| (i)   | Officers                                               | -   | Rs.21,000/-p.m.   |
|-------|--------------------------------------------------------|-----|-------------------|
| (ii)  | Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO)/ Other Ranks (OR) - |     | Rs.14,001/-p.m.   |

In addition to above, Service personnel posted at Siachen also gets Highly Active Field Area Allowances at the following rates:

|                       | Lieutenant Colonel & above and equivalent   |   12600 |
|-----------------------|---------------------------------------------|---------|
| OFFICERS              | Major and equivalent                        |   11640 |
|                       | Captain and equivalent                      |   10650 |
|                       | Lieutenant and equivalent                   |   10170 |
| Person Below          | JCO & equivalent                            |    8730 |
| Officers Ranks (PBOR) | Havildar & equivalent                       |    5820 |
|                       | Naik / Sepoy & equivalent                   |    4860 |

## (b)     Details of defence personnel who have died due to avalanche in Siachen during the last three years and the current year are as under:-

| Year   | Died due to avalanche in Siachen Glacier   | Died due to avalanche in Siachen Glacier   |
|--------|--------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|
|        | Officers                                   | JCOs / ORs                                 |
| 2013   | -                                          | -                                          |
| 2014   | -                                          | -                                          |
| 2015   | 01                                         | 03                                         |
| 2016   | -                                          | 14                                         |

- (c) Details of compensation etc. paid / payable to the Widows / Next of Kins (NoKs) of soldiers [Battle Casualties (Fatal)] are as Annexed.
- (d) The  Allotment  and  Expenditure  for  provisioning  of  high  altitude clothing and stores in last three years are as under:

(Amount in Crore)

| Financial Year   | Budget Allotment   | Expenditure              |
|------------------|--------------------|--------------------------|
| 2012-13          | 90.37              | 88.72                    |
| 2013-14          | 126.02             | 123.19                   |
| 2014-15          | 143.28             | 94.07                    |
| 2015-16          | 207.75 (RE)        | 101.19 (as on 20.2.2016) |

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## ANNEXURE-I REFERRED IN THE REPLY GIVEN IN THE STATEMENT IN PART (c) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 44 FOR ANSWER ON 26.2.2016 FINANCIAL  COMPENSATION  PERTAINING  TO  FAMILIES  OF  MARTYRS  WHO

## DIED DUE TO AVALANCHE IN SIACHEN (2015 & 2016):

The  details  of  payment  to  the  Next  of  Kin  (NoK)  of  the  Martyrs  are  as under:-

- (A)  Year 2015:
- (1)  Officer:-  Captain Ashwani Kumar:
- (a) Rs.60 lakhs from Army Group Insurance (AGI) Fund.
- (b) Rs.1 lakh from Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) Officers' Benevolent Fund.
- (c) Rs.50,000/- unit contribution by all personnel from 403 Field Hospital.
- (d) Rs.15,000/- from Central Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) Fund.
- (e) Rs.10,000/- from OP BABA Fund.
- (f) Defence  Services  Officers  Provident  (DSOP)  Fund  and  leave  encashment are under process.
- (g) Family  Pension  and  Death  cum  Retirement  Gratuity  (DCRG)  documents awaited from NoK.
- (h) Ex-gratia Grant - Case is under process.

## (2)  Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) / Other Ranks (ORs):-

| S. No.   | Army No., Rank & Name      | Regt/Corps   | Financial Assistance (Rs.) paid to the NoK.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|----------|----------------------------|--------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| (1)      | 2491127Y LNK Amarjit Singh | 28 PUNJAB    | Final Settlement of Accounts (FSA)- 126127 Armed Forces Personnel Provident Fund(AFPP FUND)- 662483 Army Central Welfare Fund(ACWF) - 30000 AWWA-15000 AGI(Insurance)- 2500000 AGI(Maturity)-190930 DCRG-370212 Liberalised Family Pension(LFP)-14590 Ex-Gratia-1500000 |

.......2/-

:  2  :

| (2)   | 2493817W LNK Prakash Chand    | 28 PUNJAB   | FSA-373677 AFPP FUND-608069 ACWF-30000 AWWA-15000 AGI(I)-2500000 AGI(M)-190180 DCRG-370212 LFP-14590 Ex-Gratia-1500000   |
|-------|-------------------------------|-------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| (3)   | 2499001H LNK Dharminder Singh | 28 PUNJAB   | FSA-22092 AFPP FUND-405539 ACWF-30000 AWWA-15000 AGI(I)-2500000 AGI(M)-179430 DCRG-348744 LFP-13750 Ex-Gratia-1500000    |

(B)  Year  2016:-Payment  of  Compensation  /  Benefits  to  the  14  (fourteen) martyrs in 2016 is under process and would be made expeditiously.

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