IAS officers to adopt martyrs' families

In a unique initiative, IAS officers will adopt families of security personnel, who lost their lives in Maoist combat, anti-terror operations or maintaining law and order.
The bureaucrats will approach such families within their area of posting and offer themselves as facilitators to help them (families) get their dues like pension, gratuity or allotment of services like petrol pump, jobs etc, an association representing them said today.
The officers, however, would not be providing any direct financial help to such families, it said.
"Their job would be to help the families get their dues from respective governments. They may also help the children in such families to get admission in a school," Sanjay Bhoosreddy, honorary secretary of Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association, said.

The association represents all members of Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
Initially, about 700 young officers, of past four batches--2012 to 2015--will be asked to adopt at least one family in the area of their posting.

"Senior officers, or those from state civil services, can also adopt such families voluntarily," Bhoosreddy, a Joint-Secretary level IAS officer, said.
The officers will oversee whether the support (both in cash and kind) pledged by the state or local governments have been provided to the family concerned.
They will ensure that the children of the martyred soldiers continue getting good education and mentor them so that they can pursue the career of their choice based on their aptitude and talent, the association said.

The officers will also see whether any benefits can be provided to them based on various schemes being run by the government like Skill India, Start-up India, Digital India etc.
Bhoosreddy said the support system will cater to the families of central armed police forces like Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), those in Army and all others working with local police.
"The state governments have been asked to share with the association the details of such families," he said.
The official noted that the IAS officers, who work as Sub Divisional Magistrates (SDM), District Magistrate (DM) and at other senior positions in state and Central governments, have immense influence on the local administrative machinery.

He added that such an influence can be positively channelised to support and help the families of martyred soldiers in an effective and sustained manner.