11 GR Welfare Association

1.         This is on Association of Retired/Released Regimental officers and ladies and children.  Office of the Regimental Officers' Association is also located in the Centre's premises. This Association provides facilities to promote fraternity amongst retired, serving and associated regimental officers and for promoting projects/schemes for the betterment of welfare/morale of all ranks of the Regiment, their families and dependents. It is responsible to print News Letters and Annual Journal to keep all ranks informed, maintain the Regimental website and supervise the work of Kiranti Veteran’s App and E-Library. The Association helps in maintaining contact with the retired officers and inform them about the Regimental 'gup - shup' as also creates awareness about the latest  orders/instructions on welfare measures etc announced by the Government from time to time. Ex-servicemen Associations at Darjeeling, Dehradun and Bagdogra are also affiliated to 11 GR Welfare Association.

(a)       Name of the Society. The name of the society shall be “11 GORKHA RIFLES WELFARE ASSOCIATION”.

(b)       Address of the Association.

11 GR Welfare Association

C/o 11 Gorkha Rifles Regimental Centre

Kiranti Lines, LUCKNOW-226002 (UP)

(c) Operating Area of the Association. The Association shall operate in whole of India.

2.         Aims and Objectives.

(a)     Aim. The Association shall be a charitable institution for providing facilities to promote fraternity amongst retired, serving and associated regimental officers and for promoting projects/schemes for the betterment of welfare/morale of all ranks of the Regiment (serving, retired and associated) as also their families and dependents.

(b)     Objectives. The Association shall be a secular and non-political body which shall not be affiliated to any political organization/institution directly or indirectly and shall have the following objectives:-

(i) To promote brotherhood, foster a sense of belonging, camaraderie and esprit-de-corps amongst its members and enable them to keep in touch with each other and the Regimental Centre and the regular/affiliated units including the TA.

(ii) To acquire, preserve and display articles of historical/educational value.

(iii) To print and publish books/periodicals/News Letters/pamphlets and publications.

(iv) To create an interest in the Regiment amongst the public.

(v) To undertake such activities as will enhance the image of the Regiment and preserve its cultural ethos and spiritual values.

(vi) To hold periodic meetings and get-togethers on matters of interest to the Regiment or to the retired personnel and/or their families.

(vii) To raise donations in cash or in kind to attain aims and objectives of the Association.

(viii) To provide fees, books, equipment, freeships, and/or scholarships to deserving persons.

(ix) To provide food to poor students in regimental schools and hostels.

(x) To provide help to deserving persons for marriages/ sickness.

(xi) To set up and operate technical and other educational institutions/ classes/ Museums/ laboratories and polyclinics.

(xii) To give donations to deserving institutions.

(xiii) To conduct nutritional and health services programmes and provide medicines and health care.

(xiv) To institute awards and prizes to provide incentive to deserving persons.

(xv) To engage in such other activities as may be incidental and conducive to the attainment of aforementioned aims and objectives, e.g., Vocational

Training.

3.         Membership of the Association.

(a)       Members. Any serving retired regimental officer including those of affiliated units, and officers who have been associated with or have served in the Regiment during any part of their service and wives of such officers shall be eligible to become member of the Association on voluntary basis. Children of members are also eligible to become member of the Association.

(b)       Ladies and Children of the categories specified in (a) above.

(c)        Honorary Members. Persons ready to abide by the rules and regulations of the Association and work for the attainment of the aims and objectives of the Association shall be member of this category when nominated by the President.

(d)       In special cases, membership may be given to officers from other

Arms/Services duly approved by the Patron.

(e)  Formats for application for membership are at Appx  A, B & C.

4.         Bodies of the Association.

(a) General Body.

(i)         The General Body shall comprise all members of the Association. The Col of the Regt shall act as the Patron of the Association. In his absence, the

officer nominated by him will officiate. At all times, the then Colonel of 11

Gorkha Rifles shall act as ex-officio President of the Association.

(ii)        At all times, the then commandant of 11 Gorkha Rifles Regimental

Centre shall act as the ex- officio Secretary of the Association and the Deputy

Commandant as the ex-officio convenor-cum-treasurer.

(b) Managing Committee.

The Managing Committee of the Association shall be a body of office bearers and members and shall be responsible for the management of the affairs of the Association. The committee comprises the following:-

(a) Patron – Col 11 GR.

(b) President – Senior most former Col 11 GR.

(c) Vice Presidents - All Former Cols 11 GR.

(d) Secretary – Comdt 11 GRRC.

(e) Convenor-cum-Treasurer – Dy Comdt 11 GRRC.

 (f) Executive Secretary – Elected/Nominated Member.

(g) All Chapter Presidents (Delhi, Dehradun, Darjeeling, Lucknow, Mhow and Chandigarh).

(h) All Commanding Officers including those of the affiliated units.

(j) Additional Members, to be nominated by the Managing Committee for specific purposes on as required basis.

 (c) Executive Committee.

(i)         The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the day to day

functioning of the Association. Composition is as  follows:-

 

Patron                                                -           COR

Secy                                                  -           Comdt 11 GRRC

Convenor-cum- Treasure                  -           Dy Comdt 11 GRRC

Exec Secy                                         -           Elected/ Nominated Member

Miscellaneous

Publications.           With effect from Mar 2018, publication of six monthly News Letters has been discontinued.  Presently, only annual KIRANTI is being published which also contains the News Letter Section giving news of the Centre and units covering the period from  Jan to Dec of the year. Expenditure is met out of the grants received from the Centre (Rs. 60,000/-) and eight Battalion (Rs. 30,000/- each) i.e Rs. 3,00,000/-, plus amount generated through advertisement (Rs. 50,000/- on an average).

Kiranti Veterans App

(a)       For the benefit of Veterans and NOK of 11 GR, an ‘Android’ based application had been created as per the idea conceptualized   by Lt Gen Atulya      Solankey,  AVSM, SM, Col 11 GR & Sikkim Scouts.

(b)       This app will enable the fraternity to have inter-action with the COR  and the COR can pass important messages and members’ problems/ grievances / suggestion can be communicated to the COR. Important events /happenings can be uploaded. Useful forms can be easily downloaded and used. It would also enable to carry out a survey about any issue where opinion of the fraternity is required.

Website.        Created under the supervision of the Executive Committee, the website (assn11gr.org) was inaugurated by Lt Gen JBS Yadava, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM in 2005.  Later, it was updated with the support of Lt Gen GM Nair, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, when he was GOC of a Corps. Lt Gen Atulya Solankey, AVSM, SM, the COR, gave the guide lines to re-structure and the needful had been done. It was being updated from time to time.  Important notices, useful information and selected articles are uploaded on this Website for the information of Kiranti Diaspora. Besides, articles written by members, with more number of pages, were uploaded, in full, on the website and only extracts were published in Kiranti Journal. However, in Dec 2022, this website was hacked. On investigation it was revealed that the said website was of 2005 vintage using PHP programming version 4.x which is easy to hack.  The website has now been upgraded with PHP 8.x at a cost of Rs. 47,200.00/ and data will be uploaded in due course after getting inputs from 11 GRRC and approved by Comdt 11 GRRC.

.E-Library. E-Library has been subscribed till Jan 2024 by 11 GRRC for concurrent  login of 1500 users at one time. 11 GR WA has paid Rs. 10,000.00/- for 200 Veterans @ Rs 50/- per head form Assn Funds. Users can select fiction / non-fiction books, Military related Journals and periodicals, Newspaper, Magazine and career related E-books. ID & PWD were issued to 200 Veterans but only 181 have registered  so for.   

ESM Associations.     ESM Association, Darjeeling” headed by Veteran  Sub Maj (Hony Capt) SB Rai with CO 107 Inf Bn TA 11 GR as the Patron,  “Kiranti Sangathan, Dehradun” headed by Brig CB Thapa, VSM** as its President and ESM Association Bagdogra headed by Col Bimal Dewan, are the three ESM Associations recognized by the Regt. During their Annual Gen Meeting, Records 11 GR sends a suitable JCO/NCO Clk to give a talk to the ESM on latest benefits announced by the Govt from time to time as also record their problems which are ameliorated in consultation with the CRO and OIC Records 11 GR. All ESM Association had their AGMs in 2022.

Accounts, Audit & Income Tax Return.       Accounts of the Association are maintained by the PRI, 11 GRRC and are being audited regularly by the CA of the Regimental Centre.   Income Tax returns are being filed regularly by Executive Secretary with the help of the CA. Internal Audit Board is detailed by PRI for quarterly audit.  Assn also endeavors to obtain donations from corporate houses and other ests out of their CSR budgets.

Income Tax Exemption.  The IT authorities had given Income Tax Exemption “in perpetuity”.  The receipts, issued under Sec 80 (G) to the Donors, enabled them to claim 50% Income Tax exemption on the sum donated. Besides, the Association, was exempted, under Sec 12 (A), from payment of Income Tax on the funds raised/accumulated. However, as per the new rules of Income Tax Department, our Association has now been re-registered U/S12(B) of Income Tax Act in 2022 and the Tax exemption would be given for five years initially, to be renewed every five years. The Association has also been registered under CSR-1 Section in 2022 and would be eligible to receive donations from CSR budgets of Corporate Houses etc.

Felicitation of Grand Burohs.          Grand Burohs are felicitated on attaining the age of 90 years by presenting them a bouquet of flower and silver plated photo frame (Rs. 3500/-) having a collage of pictures of their service tenure.