Govt Doles Out Rs.2,200 Crore Benefits to Ex-Servicemen in Three Years

Govt Doles Out Rs.2,200 Crore Benefits to Ex-Servicemen in Three Years The Government has initiated several steps in the last three years in its commitment  to improve the welfare of the Ex-Servicemen (ESM). This entails granting direct benefits  amounting to an additional Rupees 2,200 crores annually. Significant improvements in pension for Armed Forces personnel were made over and  above the benefits that accrued out of implementation of the Sixth Central Pay Commission. Following the acceptance of the 6th CPC recommendations, a Committee  was set up under the chairmanship of no less than the Cabinet Secretary to  look specifically into the pension and other matters related exclusively to the  Armed Forces. The Committee submitted its report on June 30, 2009. Seven  major recommendations of the committee were implemented by the Government  with a financial implication of Rupees 2,200 Crores per annum. A major share of this  amounting to Rs. 1,636 crores went towards further improving the pension of the  Personnel Below Officer Ranks (PBORs), based on the recommendations of the  Group of Ministers in the year 2006. Conceding to a longstanding demand of the ESM population the Government  also earmarked another Rs. 470.66 crores by bringing about parity between  pre- and post-1997 PBOR pensioners. The other welfare measures recommended  by the Cabinet Secretary Committee that were approved by the Government with  benefits accruing since January 1, 2006 include removal of linkage of full pension  with 33 years, inclusion of classification allowance for PBORs, revision of Lt. General  pension after carving out a separate Pay Scale for them, broad-banding of percentage  of disability/war injury pension for pre- January 1, 2006 disability / war injury pensioners  and removal of cap on war injury element of pension in the case of disabled pensioners  belonging to Category "E". For the convenience of Ex- Servicemen a user-friendly software called "Suvigya" has  been launched since last year on the website of CGDA (Controller General of Defence  Accounts) i.e. www.cfida.nic.in which facilitates the pensioner to himself calculate and  verify his pension. Discrepancies if any may be brought to the notice of the concerned  PCDA and can also be resolved at the special camps organized by the Department of  Ex-Servicemen Welfare (ESW) at the ZilaSainik Boards. A soon-to-be-launched  website of the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare will further keep in touch online  with the ESM population and promptly resolve their grievances. Apart from the direct monetary benefits accruing out of higher pension, the Department  of ESW, now headed by a Secretary-level officer, under the Ministry of Defence, has  approved other significant welfare measures. An ex-gratia of Rs. 9 lakhs w.e.f. April 1, 2011  was granted to invalided out Armed Forces Personnel with 100 percent disability.  For lesser disability between 20 percent to 99 percent this amount would be reduced  proportionately. Grant of family pension to childless widow of Armed Forces personnel  including both officers and PBORs who died prior to January 1, 2006, which was  discontinued on her remarriage, was restored retrospectively from the same date subject to  certain conditions. The Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) has been a model success  of the Department of ESW, reaching out elementary healthcare and specialized treatment  to the vast ESM population and their dependents to every remote nook and corner of the  country. About 39 lakh number of ESM and their dependants are benefited by the ECHS  healthcare facilities. Bolstered by the ECHS success story, the Government sanctioned 199 additional  ECHS polyclinics in October, 2010 to expand medical facilities to the ESM, in addition  to the existing 227 polyclinics. Out of these 199, 61 polyclinics have become functional  upto March 31, 2012. In another fillip to the ECHS Scheme, the Government decided in January this year to  extend the ECHS facility to Nepal, considering the large number of ESM population of  Nepal origin settled there. This will benefit more than two-and-a-half lakh Nepal domiciled  Gorkhas (NDG) Ex-Servicemen members including dependants. In other major welfare measures the Government substantially raised since October, 2011 the War Memorial Hostels Grant from Rs. 900 to Rs. 1,350 per inmate for wards of  War Widows, War Disabled and Attributable Disability Cases. For Non-Attributable  Disability Cases grant revised from Rs. 450/- to Rs. 675/-. Financial assistance  provided under RakshaMantri`s Discretionary Fund (RMDF) was also revised  as follows:

Scheme Old rate New rate Remarks Penury Grant Rs. 30,000/- one time lump sum or Rs. 500/- pm for two years. Rs. 1000/- pm for life time For non- pensionersuptoHavaldar rank of 65 years and above age. Educational grant Boys upto + 2 200/- pm Rs. 1000/- pm Upto graduation irrespective of gender. Girls upto + 2 400/-pm Girls uptoGrdn 600/- pm Widows PG 600/- pm Disabled Children grant Rs. 500/- pm Rs. 1000/- pm pensioner/non- pensioneruptoHavaldar rank DM/PK/NN (Release ID :84342) ESM Welfare