The Indian Armed Forces have taken proactive steps to address concerns within the veteran community regarding the recently revised Entitlement Rules governing disability pensions for personnel across the three Services.
On Friday (Oct 6, 2023) in a media interaction, led by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, alongside Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, Indian Air Force Chief ACM VR Chaudhari, Indian Army Vice Chief Lt Gen Suchindra Kumar, and Adjutant General Lt Gen Bansi Ponnapa, these concerns were addressed and clarified.
Gen Anil Chauhan emphasized that the revised Entitlement Rules would only be applicable to those personnel retiring after September 21, 2023, and there would be no retrospective application. Importantly, he highlighted that there were no alterations to the entitlements for individuals receiving compensation for death or disability.
The motivation behind these revisions in entitlement rules is manifold. It involves the efficient management of the 16-lakh-strong armed forces, ensuring high levels of motivation among troops, preventing misuse of entitlement rules, and promoting physical fitness among personnel.
One significant change is the renaming of the ‘disability element’ to ‘impairment relief,’ encompassing a broader range of conditions, including lifestyle diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. Gen Anil Chauhan explained that this change specifically applies to personnel who have not been invalidated due to their disabilities and continue to serve until their term of engagement concludes.
Earlier this year, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) released a report indicating that approximately 40 percent of officers and 18 percent of personnel below officer rank (PBOR) retiring annually were beneficiaries of disability pensions. This report prompted the Ministry of Defence to conduct a comprehensive study on the matter.
Upon the introduction of the new rules, they faced criticism from various quarters, including veterans, ex-servicemen associations, and opposition parties. Concerns were raised that the revisions were primarily aimed at reducing disability pensions for the armed forces’ personnel.
Gen Anil Chauhan went on to provide specific details regarding changes in the grant percentages for different types of disabilities. He stated, “We have increased the grant from 30 percent to 50 percent for physical disabilities. Previously, it was a flat 30 percent. For amputation of fingers, the grant has been raised to 20 percent from the earlier 14 percent, and for frostbite, it is now 20 percent from the previous 10 percent. However, for seizure and other disorders, the grant has been reduced to 5 percent from the earlier 20 percent.”
CAG’s report, presented to the Parliament in March, analyzed disability pensions granted to personnel discharged from service between 2015-16 and 2019-20. The report revealed that the percentage of personnel retiring with disability ranged between 36 percent and 40 percent for officers and between 15 percent and 18 percent for PBORs. Additionally, it pointed out that 22 percent of disability pensions granted to officers and 13 percent of those granted to PBORs were exclusively related to lifestyle diseases.
In the past, a Director-General of Armed Forces Medical Services expressed concern in a letter to the Defence Secretary regarding an ‘alarming trend’ in disability pension claims, particularly among senior officers holding the rank of Lieutenant-General and Major-General, and their equivalents.
In conclusion, the Indian Armed Forces have taken measures to clarify and address concerns raised by the veteran community regarding the revised Entitlement Rules for disability pensions.
The changes, effective from September 21, 2023, have been introduced with the aim of ensuring the efficient operation of the armed forces, maintaining high troop morale, preventing misuse of entitlement rules, and encouraging physical fitness among personnel. While there have been alterations in the grant percentages for various types of disabilities, the armed forces have affirmed their commitment to upholding the welfare and entitlements of their personnel.