TASA, Sparsh Hospice join hands to provide cashless palliative care to veterans
This initiative would benefit more than 2,80,749 veterans & dependents in Hyderabad and nearby districts of Telangana & Andhra Pradesh by facilitating cashless palliative care to ECHS beneficiaries, who are terminally ill with cancer in the last stages of life. Sparsh's comprehensive hospice care encompasses inpatient, home-based, and outpatient services, providing tailored support to patients and their families.
It has an 82-bed facility in Khajaguda, Hyderabad, which provides inpatient palliative care, especially for terminally ill patients with cancer. A dedicated team of doctors, nurses, and social counsellors offers pain management, symptom control, bereavement support, and spiritual guidance, ensuring patients receive the care they deserve.
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Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
Daily Briefing: What happens to cadets disabled in military training?
Good morning, Imagine waking up to a call from cricket maestro Virat Kohli. Or Yash Dayal. Or even AB de Villiers. For one man in the remote Madagaon village of Chhattisgarh, this wasn't a dream; it was reality. It seems luck had favoured Manish Bisi when he bought a new SIM card. He was allotted the phone number of Rajat Patidar, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper. Soon, the RCB squad was lighting up his phone. Kohli even rang back, curious why Bisi was using Patidar's number and WhatsApp. Ecstatic but baffled, Bisi and his friends had no clue how they had landed it. The police arrived at his house in the next ten minutes to solve the mystery. Turns out, Patidar's 'VIP number' was reissued after he had left it unused for 90 days. In the end, Bisi returned the prized SIM card to Patidar. Bizarre, right? On that note, let's get to today's edition. They once dreamed of becoming Army officers and fighter pilots. Today, they are left with lifelong disabilities, having suffered injuries during training. Around 500 such officer cadets have been medically discharged from India's top military institutes, such as the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA), since 1985. In the past five years alone, there were 20 such cadets. Zoom in: So, what happens to these men once they are discharged? In most cases, they are left to struggle through life. Ineligible for the status of an 'ex-servicemen' (ESM), since their disabilities occurred before they were commissioned as officers, these cadets do not receive free treatment at military facilities and empanelled hospitals under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS). This means they must survive on the ex gratia payment of up to Rs 40,000 per month, depending on their disability. But with mounting medical bills, this monthly compensation usually falls short of their needs. My colleague Amrita Nayak Dutta spoke to several such cadets struggling in the shadows with lifelong scars, shattered hopes, and poor benefits. Read. In limbo: In the past 29 years, the needle has moved rather slowly to provide relief to these cadets. A letter to grant them ESM status and a disability pension was drafted but never signed. In 2024, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved a key proposal that would have increased the monthly ex gratia by at least 50 per cent. But 17 months later, the proposal is stuck between the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Finance, with no resolution in sight. Jyotiradtiya Scindia, the Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), joined The Indian Express for the latest Idea Exchange session. On the table: Starlink's entry into India, a plan to lease Post offices, his role in the UPA vs NDA government, and a charge against the Opposition. Read. Shellshocked: As the 50 per cent US tariffs loom over Indian goods, several sectors are already feeling the heat. In our ongoing series mapping the on-ground impact of US President Donald Trump's tariffs, today we spotlight growing tensions among shrimp farmers. Shrimp accounts for 92 per cent of the $7.38 billion seafood exports from India. The US market alone accounts for over 40 per cent of India's total shrimp exports. Farmers, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, which makes up 60 per cent of India's shrimp trade, fear being priced out of the US market. On the hook: Trouble hasn't ended for Vikash Yadav, the former R&AW officer implicated by US authorities in the alleged assassination plot against Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Now, he has been linked to an alleged member of the 'Mahadev Online Book' betting racket. This comes after Delhi Police arrested Yadav in December 2023 in an alleged extortion bid linked to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Re:Flow: The Yamuna River, choked by sewage and urban sprawl, has long been at the centre of political tussles. With the BJP government's promises to clean the river, the spotlight is back on the many restoration projects in the works across the 22-km stretch of the river between Wazirabad and Okhla in Delhi. Where do these projects stand as of now, and how do they differ in intent and impact? Read our Delhi Hardlook. On hold: The ambitious plans to develop the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) took birth in 2023. The corridor, connecting Europe and India through the Gulf, was expected to cut shipping time between the two by 40 per cent, when compared to the Red Sea route. But since being announced, progress has been limited, and Israel's war in Gaza has further complicated matters. We explain. 'Urban fear': Gated localities have long been the elite's answer to 'urban fear' — a fear of imagined threats from various 'hostile populations.' These same 'feared' groups are allowed in for services like garbage collection and cleaning, but come nightfall, they are unwelcome. In today's Opinion section, Sanjay Srivastava turns the idea on its head, asking: What happens when the promulgation of urban fear comes from the state itself? Read on. 🏏 There's an undeniable allure to Mohammed Siraj, who sealed India's win in the final Test against England at the Oval. He stepped up when Jasprit Bumrah had to be rested under a rotational schedule owing to his back injury. Mohammed Shami, too, has battled recurring injuries. The reality is that fast bowlers spend much of their careers injured or recovering, until it becomes one injury too many. Yet, India has few ready replacements for its stars. My colleague Sandip G writes about the country's fast-bowling crisis. 🎧 Before you go, do tune in to the latest '3 Things' podcast episode. Today's lineup: Rahul Gandhi's 'vote chori' charge; India's purchase of Russian oil; and open book exams. That's all for today, folks! Until tomorrow, Sonal Gupta Sonal Gupta is a Deputy Copy Editor on the news desk. She writes feature stories and explainers on a wide range of topics from art and culture to international affairs. She also curates the Morning Expresso, a daily briefing of top stories of the day, which won gold in the 'best newsletter' category at the WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Awards 2023. She also edits our newly-launched pop culture section, Fresh Take. ... Read More
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
Mounting medical bills, nowhere to go: Braveheart cadets disabled in military training struggle in shadows
* He knew from childhood that he wanted to become an Army officer. Today, his speech is slurred, he needs help at every step. And yet, when Vickrant Raj sees a movie about the Army on TV, he perks up and wants to chip in, somehow. * Shubham Gupta once dreamt of piloting a fighter jet but now can't even hold a glass of water. * Kishan Kulakarni is fully dependent on his mother, a former school teacher, for his most basic needs; and, Harish Sinhmar has simply lost the will to live. All of them, once cadets training at the nation's top military institutes such as National Defence Academy (NDA) and Indian Military Academy (IMA) — selected after rigorous training and fired by dreams to defend the nation — are today bravehearts struggling in the shadows. They are among the around 500 officer cadets who have been medically discharged from these military institutes since 1985, due to varying degrees of disability incurred during training, and are now staring at mounting medical bills with an ex gratia monthly payment that's far short of what they need. At the NDA alone, sources told this newspaper, around 20 such cadets were medically discharged in just the past five years, between 2021 and July 2025. According to rules, these cadets are not entitled to the status of ex-servicemen (ESM), which would have made them eligible under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) for free treatment at military facilities and empanelled hospitals, since their disabilities took place during training before they were commissioned as officers. And, unlike soldiers in this category who are entitled to ESM status, all that these officer cadets get now is an ex gratia payment of up to Rs 40,000 per month depending on extent of disability — an amount that falls far short of basic needs, they say, with medical expenses alone costing, on an average, nearly Rs 50,000 per month or more. Today, after years of waiting in vain for a helping hand, all their hopes are pinned on a renewed Government push to get them some relief but The Indian Express found that even this has been stuck in red tape for over a year (see adjoining report). 'Without ESM status, medical care takes place at private hospitals, including hiring physiotherapists, which leaves families with hefty medical bills. Should cadets like my son not get ESM status so that he can at least get treatment in military hospitals?' asks Suman Raj, the mother of 26-year-old Vickrant who gets an ex gratia of Rs 40,000 but is saddled with monthly medical bills totalling nearly Rs 1 lakh. 'A disability pension and ex-serviceman status can give me a life of dignity,' says Shubham. 'My life is over but this should not happen to any other young cadet,' says Harish. Then there's Bharati, the mother of Kishan, who has not been able to start physiotherapy for her son three years after his NDA discharge. 'We are not from a military family, we are teachers. We do not understand the processes linked to this ex gratia,' Bharati, a former school vice-principal, said. Vickrant, Shubham, Kishan and Harish are among the illustrative cases that The Indian Express focused on over the past month, interviewing former cadets and their families, and reviewing their medical records. It came across a string of severe disabilities, ranging from paralysis to brain damage, shattered dreams and lifelong scars. 'It is so painful for a mother' Vickrant Raj, 26 Home: Chandigarh NDA tenure: December 2016 to June 2020 Injury: Head injury, subdural haemorrhage (blood collection between brain and outer covering) Monthly ex gratia: Rs 40,000 Monthly medical bill: Rs 95,000 (approx) His story: Once labelled as a potential fifth-generation officer, Vickrant suffered a head injury that caused a brain haemorrhage, leading to coma for six months. Today, he needs assistance to walk and perform basic daily chores — and his speech is slurred. Records show Vickrant was ranked fourth in the NDA entrance examination. His mother Suman Raj said, 'From his childhood, people we knew used to say he had 'officer-like qualities' and was 'General material'.' According to Suman, Vickrant 'was doing well at NDA'. 'In 2018, he was hit on the head during a boxing bout. He got up but fainted later and was hospitalised for a week. Over a month later, he participated in Rovers Camp, an endurance test lasting 4-5 days. He also appeared for his term exams, in which he did fairly well,' Suman said. 'Inspired by his success, he participated in a football match in October that year despite advice to the contrary. Minutes into the match, the football struck his head at the same point where he was hit during the bout. He collapsed and underwent brain surgery but slipped into a coma. My 6-ft-tall son, who weighed 70 kg, became 35-40 kg in weeks,' Suman said. Suman, the daughter of an ex-IAF officer, says her son 'gave eight years to the military, from the time he joined Rashtriya Indian Military College as an 11-year-old to the time he was medically boarded out of NDA at 19'. 'Even today, when Vickrant hears a speech or sees a movie related to the military or national security, he wants to contribute. The other day, he saw NSA Ajit Doval speaking at IIT Chennai, and he asked how he can join R&AW… It is so painful for a mother,' she said. 'Trauma…no friends' Shubham Gupta, 33 Home: Bhatinda, Punjab NDA: June 2010 to June 2014 Injury: Cervical spinal injury, quadriplegia (paralysis of all four limbs and torso) Monthly ex gratia: Rs 40,000 Monthly medical bill: Rs 40,000 His story: Shubham, whose uncle was in the IAF, recalls being fascinated during childhood by the aircraft that flew high above his house. In June 2010, he joined the NDA to give wings to his dreams. But what happened two years later changed his life forever. 'In April 2012, when I was in my fourth term, I suffered a spinal cord injury while taking a deep dive in the pool. I barely survived but the impact fractured my neck, left me paralysed from neck down. I underwent eight surgeries and was on the ventilator for two months,' he said. Medical records show Shubham underwent treatment at Command Hospital and Military Hospital in Pune over the next few months. With no improvement, he was boarded out of NDA. 'My injury caused me tremendous physical and emotional trauma. I cannot even lift a glass by myself. I have to undergo daily physiotherapy sessions, with two attendants to help with basic daily tasks,' he said. Shubham's younger brother is a doctor in the Army, his father a retired soil conservation officer and his mother a retired school teacher. He spends time tracking the stock market and studying astrology. 'I don't have any friends from school near home. But my NDA coursemates come and see me whenever they are in town. Some of them are Majors in the Army today,' he said. '90% nerve damage' Kishan Kulakarni, 25 Home: Hubballi, Karnataka NDA tenure: January 2019 to April 2022 Injury: Cardiac arrest, HIE (caused by oxygen, blood deprivation in brain) Monthly ex gratia: Rs 40,000 Monthly medical bill: 40,000 (approx) His story: Kishan has been bedridden since July 2020, with his medical report showing more than 90% nerve damage in the brain. 'Doctors have said the nerves in his brain have degenerated due to lack of oxygen, and they may not regenerate again,' said Kishan's mother Bharati Joshi, a former school teacher and single mother who is taking care of him all by herself. 'Kishan does not ask for food so I ensure that he is fed at regular intervals and that his urine bag and diapers are changed. I have not yet kept an attendant or started Kishan's physiotherapy because we started getting the ex gratia amount only recently,' she said. Citing information received from authorities, Bharati said Kishan was serving milk to cadets during breakfast when he got disoriented and fainted. Medical records attribute his cardiac arrest to training. They show that he underwent treatment for two years at Military Hospital in Kirkee before he was medically boarded out of the academy in April 2022. 'The cardiac arrest left him 100 per cent disabled and bedridden. I recently took voluntary retirement to take care of Kishan. I have been struggling without any sleep at night. I am now planning to take Kishan to Pune for another diagnosis, a difficult task considering his current condition. We are also looking for an attendant,' Kishan's mother said. 'Turned to academics' Kartik Sharma, 27 Home: Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh NDA tenure: June 2015 to Nov 2021 Injury: Traumatic spinal cord injury with quadriplegia Monthly ex gratia: Rs 40,000 Monthly medical bill: Rs 40,000 His story: An alumnus of Sainik School Sujanpur Tira, Kartik was selected as an Air Force cadet and dreamt of becoming a fighter pilot. Today, he sits on an automatic wheelchair, his limbs so weak he can't propel a manual version, with an attendant to help with daily tasks. Kartik got injured in 2016 during an 'organised training activity' and underwent treatment at Command Hospital in Pune for about a month. 'But my condition started deteriorating after contracting pneumonia, and I was airlifted to R&R Hospital in Delhi in March 2016. I was boarded out in November 2021 from the Military Hospital in Khirkee after spending over five years on rehabilitation,' he said. Kartik refused to give up and channeled his love for sports. Records show that he participated in para table tennis twice at the national level. 'I also turned my attention to academics. I graduated in political science and am currently pursuing a masters in political science from IGNOU. I have also cleared the UGC NET and am preparing for the civil services examination,' he said. 'Nothing left in life' Harish Sinhmar, 40 Home: Rohtak, Haryana IMA tenure: June 2006 to December 2007 Injury: Severe head injury Monthly ex gratia: Rs 40,000 Monthly medical bill: Rs 70,000 His story: An alumnus of Sainik School, Kunjpura (Haryana), Harish suffered a head injury during boxing at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, leading to surgery and coma for 42 days. 'It's been nearly two decades since I was discharged and I sleep for nearly 15 hours every day with nothing much to look forward to in life,' he said. Harish can walk around the house and even manages to visit the local grocery shop sometimes. 'But my mental health has taken a beating. There are times when I collapse. There are times when I get aggressive at people around me. I have also been taking medicines for seizures. I lack full motor control, and suffer from loss of memory and blurred vision,' he said. Harish is 'angry' over his fate. 'I don't have any friends from IMA… My coursemates are Colonels today… My parents take care of me but for how long? My father would ideally want me to die while he is still alive so that I am not left alone,' he said.
Hans India
7 days ago
- Hans India
Cops to sport navy blue peak caps replacing British-era slouch hats
Bengaluru: The iconic slouch hats worn by constables in the Karnataka police force since the British era are set to be replaced, marking the end of a decades-long tradition. Despite persistent requests from personnel to modernize their headgear, the change had been delayed for years. Now, the state government has officially approved the introduction of navy blue peak caps for head constables and constables, replacing the age-old slouch hats. The order, issued on August 6, gives the go-ahead to distribute the new caps, with the tender process already underway. A meeting to finalize the cap model is scheduled for August 7 under the leadership of the ADGP of the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP). Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister Dr. G Parameshwara personally reviewed various cap models used in different states before approving the new design. After evaluating several options, they chose the Telangana-style navy blue peak cap as the replacement. This means that, very soon, constables across the state will don a new cap that fits more snugly and professionally—putting the British-era slouch hats into retirement. This isn't the first time discussions have been held regarding changing the police cap. In the past, senior officers debated the pros and cons of transitioning to peak caps. However, widespread agreement was elusive because a large stock of slouch hats had already been procured, leading to resistance within the department. Now, with the government's official nod, the shift to peak caps is finally becoming a reality. There have also been health concerns linked to the old slouch hats. Recently, the Union Health Ministry issued warnings about potential health impacts from using such outdated headgear. Additionally, constables have found the hats inconvenient during protests, rallies, or when chasing suspects. If the hat falls off during duty, it is seen as a mark of disrespect to the uniform. Many officers have long argued that caps with elastic bands that sit firmly on the head would be more practical and dignified. The police cap in Karnataka carries over a century of legacy. During the Mysore Maharaja's reign, khaki shirts, short pants, colored belts, and brown boots were part of the official attire. Even after the monarchy ended, this traditional uniform continued. Eventually, full-length pants and turbans with blue and red stripes were introduced. The slouch hat currently used was first adopted during R. Gundu Rao's term as Chief Minister (1980–83), replacing the earlier turbans for daily use, although turbans are still worn for parades and ceremonial events. With this latest decision, Karnataka is taking a symbolic step toward modernization, prioritizing practicality and professionalism while bidding farewell to one of its most recognizable colonial vestiges.
