Govt should absorb cost of care for cadets disabled in training: Former service chiefs

Indian Express

3 days ago

The Government should absorb the cost of care needed for cadets who were medically discharged while undergoing training at the nation's top military institutes and are now left with mounting treatment bills and a bleak future; reasonable compensation and a robust health insurance should be provided; and, adequate safety should be ensured during training.
These are some of the key suggestions put forward by two former service chiefs and a retired top military official while responding to a report Monday by The Indian Express on the plight of some of these cadets who are battling severe disability, from paralysis to brain damage, with shattered dreams and poor benefits.
'We must take care of these unfortunate cases. Such cases would be few and the Government should be able to absorb that cost,' former Army Chief General M M Naravane (retd) said.
'As young men and women who are motivated to volunteer for service in the armed forces, we are duty bound to ensure reasonable compensation in case of withdrawal from training due to injury,' said former Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retd), who has also served as commandant of the National Defence Academy (NDA).
In a series of two reports, The Indian Express found that around 500 officer cadets have been medically discharged from military institutes such as NDA since 1985, due to varying degrees of disability incurred during training. 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.
This newspaper also reported that while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had okayed a proposal to increase the ex gratia awarded in such cases (a maximum of about Rs 40,000 per month currently), the file was stuck. The parents of these cadets told this newspaper that the ex gratia was far short of what they needed for their sons who required lifelong care and attention.
Gen Naravane said it is important to take particular care of cadets with debilitating injuries. 'This could include more ways for better health insurance and treatment at military hospitals,' he said. At the same time, he cautioned that while rules should be more sympathetic to such cases, they should be foolproof too to avoid misuse.
Incidentally, Gen Naravane's father was medically boarded out from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) as an Army cadet. He proceeded to complete his graduation and went on to join the IAF.
Admiral Prakash, meanwhile, said it is the duty of training institutions to ensure the full medical fitness of cadets for every physical activity that they are required to undergo. 'Staff must exercise utmost care to ensure the safety of trainees for all training,' he said.
Stating that rules should be drawn up for the Government to insure each cadet at the time of joining for the entire period of training, Admiral Prakash emphasised that instead of terming the compensation as 'ex gratia', which implies 'out of pity', it should be made an 'entitlement'.
Additionally, he said, a medical board should decide the additional amount to be granted depending on severity of injury, duration of treatment, chances of recovery and financial capacity of parents.
Asked about the demand from parents that these cadets should get ex-servicemen (ESM) status, which would make them eligible under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) for free treatment at military facilities and empanelled hospitals, Admiral Prakash said the current rules may not make it legally feasible.
However, a third top military official The Indian Express spoke to, who retired from the IAF, said the primary issue is the grant of ESM status. 'Having an ESM card opens doors to employment opportunities, or even mundane things like entry into a cantonment to meet coursemates,' the former top officer said.
He said similar issues exist with Short Service Commission (SSC) officers. 'SSC saves a huge pension bill, but those who get boarded out shortly after commissioning also do not get ESM status or any benefit,' he said.