The Tata Defence Welfare Corpus, set up in the wake of the Kargil war, helps Indian soldiers maimed in combat rebuild their lives, thus repaying, in some small measure, the debt of gratitude we owe our fighting men

The soldier doesn't preach patriotism; he practises it. This is a universal truism, but the full force of the principle behind it is, perhaps, more evident in India than most countries. Caught up as we are in perennial conflict with hostile neighbours, it is inevitable that our armed forces have to bear the brunt of war, proxy or otherwise.

The individual suffering that springs from this tragic situation is much less visible than the gun-and-glory images of the battle itself. It was to lend a healing hand to war's immediate victims — soldiers and their kin — that the Tata Defence Welfare Corpus (TDWC) was created, back in 1999, in the aftermath of the Kargil clash between India and Pakistan.

The Corpus was supported generously by different Tata companies, with every Group employee contributing a day's salary to the fund, which raised Rs12 crore. A management committee comprising three Tata people — Tata Industries director Sujit Gupta, S. N. Batliwalla, of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, and S. K. Bharucha, a nominee of the Trust — and representatives of the army, navy and air force was constituted to look after the affairs of the Corpus.

Since the sum was substantial, it was decided not to merge it with the umbrella Armed Forces Welfare Fund. The money, now maintained with the Adjutant General's Office in New Delhi, has been put into government-approved securities. Investments and disbursals from it are monitored jointly by representatives of the armed forces and the Tata Group.

Every year 80 per cent of income earned by the Corpus is used to assist injured soldiers and their near ones; the rest is ploughed back to the fund to meet exigencies. The original objective of the Corpus was to give grants for higher education to the children and widows of those killed in action in Kargil. That idea was limiting, since those killed or maimed in Kargil had, for the most part, young children who were still in school.

Following a review of this position, the following changes in the objectives of the fund were agreed to by the armed forces and Tata Group representatives:

• That the fund should benefit those involved in the Bangladesh War (1972) and onwards.
• That the income of the Corpus be utilised for grants to members of the army, navy and air force — and not just the army, as earlier envisioned — in the proportion of 85, 10 and 5 per cent respectively.
• That the fund's income should be utilised not only for higher education (though that is the priority), but also vocational training, computer literacy, and for making available prostheses and motorised wheelchairs.
  

The Corpus has, up until now, disbursed more than Rs 1 crore for mobility equipment, artificial limbs, the rehabilitation of handicapped defence personnel, and higher-education grants for their children.

This support has manifested itself in various spheres, like, for instance, in the manner it has helped soldiers recovering at the army's Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre at Kirkee, Pune. At a function held in July 2002, 30 imported wheelchairs were presented to inmates so as to enable them to participate in international basketball tournaments for the disabled.

The Kirkee centre, which has received financial help from the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, is run simply and efficiently to cater to about 80 people with disabilities. Those living there are given medical help, free boarding and lodging, and physical and vocational training. The Corpus has now undertaken to upgrade the Kirkee centre, to make it more useful to those who depend on it.

Some of the inmates, particularly those paralysed from the neck downwards, need a constant care-and-support system, which their families are not always capable of providing. The Corpus is exploring avenues to, with the support of industries located near Kirkee, set up a residential colony that's designed to cater to the needs of the disabled, and also cement employment opportunities aimed at making these people economically independent.

Much good has already been done with the resources generated from the TADC fund, but much more needs to be done — and can be done. To this end, representatives from the armed forces and the Tata Group will shortly be working out a detailed agenda to turn the fund's goals into reality. It's the least we owe to those who have sacrificed so much for the country.

Uploaded on March 2005