Allow retired defence personnel to return home: Punjab CM

Chandigarh, April 24 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday urged Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to grant special permission to defence personnel who have retired from service to return to their home states amid the countrywide lockdown due to COVID-19.In a letter to the Union minister, Amarinder Singh said in case it was not feasible to enable them to return home immediately, then the Command Headquarters across the country should be directed to take special care of them until they are able to get the requisite permissions.Amarinder Singh said every month a significant number of defence personnel retire from the services and a large number of them hailing from Punjab are unable to come back to the state in view of the lockdown and continue to be stationed in their last place of posting."Undoubtedly they are facing considerable mental trauma because of the inability to be reunited with their near and dear ones," he said.
--IANS vg/vd