PROA MEET (CHANDIGARH CHAPTER) - 29 OCT 2017

PROA Meet, Chandigarh Chapter was held on 29 Oct 2017. Lt Gen RR Nimbhorkar UYSM,AVSM’ SM**,VSM, COR, presided over the meet. A total of 52 members to incl ladies attended the meeting. After discussing various regimental issue, the meeting was followed by lunch organised by the Association.

MINUTES OF PROA MEET (CHANDIGARH CHAPTER) HELD AT DSOI, SECTOR 36, CHANDIGARH ON 11 OCT 2015

1.     The Chandigarh Chapter of PROA meet on 11 Oct 2015 at DSOI, Sector 36, Chandigarh. The meet was presided over by Lt Gen RR Nimbhorkar, AVSM, SM**, VSM, Colonel of The Punjab Regt and Patron.

2.     The meet was followed by lunch. List of members who attended the Meet is att as Annx.

3.     The proceedings began with the members observing a two minute silence to pay homage to the brave hearts and veterans who had left for the heavenly abode since the last meet was held :-

4.     The proceedings commenced with a welcome address by Col Rajinder Singh (Retd), Chairman, Chandigarh Chapter who welcomed all present and in particular expressed his appreciation on the regimental spirit shown by Brig KS Chandpuri, MVC, VSM (Retd) who had come to attend this meet despite being in the ICU a few weeks back and also some ladies (Veer Nari/Widows) who had come to attend this mtg from other stns. He, thereafter gave a brief overview of the Old Age Home being run by his family. He requested members to direct any homeless & helpless veterans of the Regt to him who would be looked after by him without any charges.

5.     Thereafter, mementoes were presented to Lt Gen RR Nimbhorkar, AVSM, SM**, VSM, the Colonel of the Regt to welcome him to the Chandigarh Chapter and to Lt Gen BS Sachar, AVSM, SM, VSM** (Retd), the previous Colonel of the Regt, to bid him farewell and for the yeoman services rendered by him as the ‘Colonel’.

6.     Lt Gen RR Nimbhorkar, AVSM, SM**, VSM, later addressed the members in which he gave an overview of achievements of various Bns and discussed issues concerning the veterans. He informed the gathering that the performance of our Bns as also that of the affiliated RR Bns has been excellent and greatly appreciated by their fmn Cdrs. A no of our bns have stood first in their divisions and earned the Championship Banner. He also highlighted the excellent all round performance of the offrs which was reflected in the four of our offrs getting approved for the coveted rank of Brig, eleven offrs being approved for the Cols rank and nomination of 12 offrs on competitive professional courses (Higher Comd/HDMC/DSSC).

7.     The Gen Offr had a special word of praise for the ladies (Veer Nari/ Widows) who had come to attend this meet from far off places which showcased the fine Regimental spirit & ethos of our Regt.

8.     Thereafter Brig GPS Sisodiya, Comdt, The Punjab Regt Centre made a detailed presentation regarding various activities and achievements of the Regt incl the Centre since the previous PROA meet. The changes in Commanding Officers, loc of units and various initiatives/measures undertaken for the convenience of the veterans, Veer Naris and widows were brought out. The Centre Comd reiterated his request to Veterans for their help in identification and recruitment of suitable sports persons in the Regt.

9.     The Centre Comdt also apprised all members that due to steep escalation in costs of printing as well as addition of a new mag “Galley Darpan” which is published in Hindi, the earlier revised subscription of Rs 2000/- for regimental publications such as Galley Journal, Galley Darpan & Calendar need a de novo look. He apprised the gathering of the following subscription proposal : -

(a)     Gold. On a one time refundable subscription of Rs 8000/- the members would get all three publications i.e. Galley Journal, Galley Darpan & Galley Calendar. The existing PROA members could upgrade to this scheme on a one time refundable subscription of Rs 6000/-.

(b)     Silver. On a one time refundable subscription of Rs 2000/- the members would be eligible for Galley Journal only.

(c)     Bronze. Similar to Silver but with change of mag. In this the members would be eligible for Galley Darpan only.

10.     The presentation by the Centre Comdt comprehensively updated all the members on the activities within the Regt in the past one year and was greatly appreciated by the audience.

Meeting of PROA Members

11.     Passing of Mins of PROA Meet on 05 Oct 14. The mins of previous PROA Meet held on 05 Oct 14 alongwith the prog on the issues raised were read out by Col Rajinder Singh. The mins were duly passed by all members after being proposed by Brig BS Taunque (Retd) and seconded by Brig KS Chandpuri, MVC, VSM (Retd).

Pts from Members

12.     Receipt of Regtl Magazine Directly From Centre. Lt Col JS Samra (Retd) stated that the Regtl mag should be directly sent to the offrs. The Centre Comdt clarified that the mag is supplied only to subscriber members of ‘Galley Journal’ and not all members of PROA. However, it can be supplied directly to all the members who take the new subscription as was outlined in the presentation.

13.     Recruitment of Personnel Sponsored by Ex-Servicemen. Brig BS Taunque (Retd) reiterated that though he had raised this point last year but satisfactory response has not been forthcoming from the TA bns. He was assured that this aspect would be looked into.

14.     Provision of Crested Crockery. Brig BS Taunque (Retd) requested that the Centre maint adequate stock of Crested Crockery incl glasses which could be supplied to the veterans as per their demand. The members were apprised that the same was available with the wet canteen contractor and samples were also displayed outside the venue of the meet. Members can place their demand accordingly.

15.     Provision of Regtl History. Maj Parminder Singh (Retd) put fwd the point that performance of own units in various wars especially 1965 & 1971 should be compiled and fwd to members for their knowledge. Members were apprised that the same was already available in own books on Regtl history, Galley Museum at the Centre apart from data in open domain on the internet. However, specific reqmt of any member could be considered. During the same discussion, a pt came up that books highlighting achievements of own units should be procured. This was readily agreed to and the members were requested to suggest the names of the books for procurement.

16.     Contribution of Articles to Regt Magzines by Veterans. Brig NR Babu brought out that as previous Dy Comdt of the Centre, he experienced great difficulty in obtaining articles from the veterans. He requested that unless the veterans shared their experience with the present & coming generation, it would be lost to posterity.

17.     Guest Room at Chandigarh. Capt Amarjeet Kumar (Retd) wanted a Guest Room/Hostel constr at Chandigarh on the land obtained at concessional rates from the State Govt for utilisation by veterans. It was brought out that a similar proposal was pursued earlier too without much headway. Brig HS Ghuman, SC (Retd) and Maj PS Pannu (Retd) then suggested that feasibility of utilisation of excess def land be explored. It was assured that this would be looked into for its viability in light of existing policy.

18.     Acceptance of Membership Fee in Cash. Capt Amarjeet Kumar (Retd) pointed out that the membership fee for PROA for one of his friends in USA was not being accepted in cash and instead a DD was being asked for. This issue was resolved immediately with acceptance of cash.

19.     Membership of PROA for Dependent. Lt Col Hardyal Singh (Retd) brought out that D/O Late Maj SPS Waraich of 15 PUNJAB should be made a member of PROA. He was apprised that requisite action in this regard may be taken by the member.

20.     Voting Rights of Serving Pers. Brig HS Ghuman, SC (Retd) requested that requisite measures should be taken by all concerned to make all serving pers aware of their rights regarding voting at the place of posting. He was apprised that same is being done within constraints and exigencies of service and the rights of the soldiers would be protected.

21.     Legal Help. Brig BS Taunque (Retd) brought out that as a practicing lawyer at the Punjab & Haryana High Court he is more than willing to help any veteran/ serving pers in any of their legal cases at this court. This offer from him was welcomed and he was assured that he would be contacted as & when any such a need arose.

22.     Selection of a New Mgt Committee. Col Rajinder Singh (Retd) brought out that he has been Chairman of Chandigarh Chapter since 2009 and requested for a new mgt committee to be selected. He had earlier expressed a similar desire in 2013. This request was unanimously turned down by all members who requested him to continue with the excellent work he has been performing as Chairman.

23.     Vote of Thanks to Outgoing COR. Maj Gen Shiv Dev Singh (Retd) proposed a vote of thanks to place on record the tremendous work done during the tenure of Lt Gen BS Sachar, AVSM, SM, VSM** (Retd) in extending his whole hearted sp & coop to the PROA members and in looking after the veterans, veer naris as well as serving all rks of the Punjab Regt as the Col. He brought out that the Regtl spirit, concern & tireless efforts shown by the Gen offr in taking care of each & everyone of the Punjab Regt is worth emulating. In fact, both Lt Gen & Mrs BS Sachar brought in freshness and warmth in their interactions and reached out & connected with all Punjabis everywhere for which the entire Galley Fraternity was extremely grateful to them. This was seconded by Brig MS Kalra (Retd) and unanimously passed by the gathering.

24.     Vote of Thanks to Mgt Committee, Chandigarh Chapter. Similarly, Maj Gen Shiv Dev Singh (Retd) proposed that gratitude of all members be placed on record for the single handed & tireless effort of the Chairman & the Mgt Committee in keeping the Chandigarh chapter functioning magnificently despite their busy schedule and hy commitments. This was seconded by Brig MS Kalra (Retd) and unanimously passed by the gathering.

Closing Remarks from COR

25.     The COR thanked all the members for their contribution to the Regtl Association and for their valuable inputs in formulating focus areas for carrying fwd the legacy of his predecessors. He assured all members that connect with the veterans and their welfare was his top most priority and he would leave no stones unturned to achieve the same.

26.     Bal Bhawan at PRC. The COR was happy to state that children at Bal Bhawan in PRC were being looked after well and being provided proper education facilities. He said that there are 14 wards of ex-servicemen as against capacity of 40 wards and therefore despite best efforts of all, the facility remains under utilised. This was primarily due to the loc of the centre and therefore, may require a change in loc probably in Meerut to utilise its full potential.

27.     Regimental Gurudwara at Meerut. The COR brought out that the Regtl Gurudwara at Meerut was being managed extremely well by 19 PUNJAB and welcomed any suggestions for its further improvements.

28.     Vis by Veterans to PRC. The COR requested the veterans to vis PRC at their convenience to observe first hand the overall improvements carried out in all spheres.

29.     Problems of JCOs/OR. He asked the veterans to bring problems/grievances of retd JCOs/OR of the Regt, to the notice to PRC so that they could be assisted by the Regt.

30.     Affiliation of 45 CAV. The members were apprised that the case for affiliation of 45 CAV with the Punjab Regt was in an adv stg and is likely to be approved shortly.

Felicitations

31.     Capt MS Bhullar, IPS, ex DGP of Punjab (ex 13 PUNJAB) and Capt Sukhjinder Singh, ex IG, CRPF (ex 3 PUNJAB) were felicitated by the Col of the Regt by presenting them with a Regimental Tie.

32.     There being no other pts, the Colonel of the Regt thanked all organisers and especially CO, 102 Inf Bn (TA) PUNJAB for the excellent arngts and coord during the conduct of the event, following this the meet was declared closed.

ATTENDANCE : PROA MEET

PHOTOGRAPHS : PROA LUNCH (CHANDIGARH CHAPTER) OCT 2015