Prodded by the Supreme Court, the defence ministry on Friday extended the benefits under the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) to hundreds of military cadets whose dreams to serve the armed forces were cut short after suffering disabilities during training.
In a statement, the ministry said officer cadets boarded out of military training academies on medical grounds would be eligible to apply for the ECHS meant for ex-servicemen, which will allow them to undergo free treatment at government hospitals and empanelled private hospitals.
The development came days after the court sought the response of the Centre and the armed forces in a suo motu case on the plight of cadets who are suffering from disabilities due to injury or accidents during military training. The court observed that "brave people are needed in the military" and said the cadets should get benefits.
The court also urged the Centre to promptly enhance medical support for military cadets who were discharged from training academies after suffering disabilities, warning that aspirants "cannot be left high and dry" or "disheartened" after attempting to join the armed forces.
Since 1985, over 500 cadets have been medically discharged from military institutions because of disabilities that they suffered during training. As they did not have the status of ex-servicemen, they only got ex gratia of up to ₹40,000 a month, depending on the extent of the disability. The amount, sources said, is grossly insufficient to meet their medical and living expenses, considering rising medical expenses.
"The government has approved the extension of ECHS facility to officer cadets who are invalidated from training on medical grounds attributable to or aggravated by military training. Cadets who join prestigious institutions like the National Defence Academy, Officers Training Academy and the Indian Military Academy with the aspiration to serve the nation often suffer lifelong disabilities but are currently not eligible for ECHS as they are not granted ex-servicemen status," the defence ministry said on Friday.
"This measure is applicable to cadets who have been medically boarded out prior to completion of training and is also extendable to future similar cases. Considering the humanitarian nature and financial burden on families, the government has approved quality medical care for such cadets…."
Such cadets have been exempted from paying the mandatory subscription fee to avail ECHS benefits. The one-time subscription fee of ₹1.2 lakh, which retired officers must pay to join the ECHS, will not be charged from the officer cadets, the ministry said.
The affected cadets and their family members had earlier described the Supreme Court's intervention as "a ray of light".