Forces’ disability pension rules meant to ensure fitter military, says CDS Anil Chauhan

Since the new rules governing the grant of disability pension were unveiled, there have been apprehensions among certain quarters, including the ex-servicemen.

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan (File photo | PTI)

NEW DELHI:  Amid growing apprehensions about the new rules for granting disability pensions to armed forces personnel, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said on Friday that these were aimed at protecting the interests of “genuine” people and ensuring a fitter military.

The new rules titled ‘Entitlement Rules for Casualty Pension and Disability Compensation Awards to Armed Forces Personnel, 2023’ were brought out based on the recommendations of a study involving the three Services, Armed Forces Medical Services and the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare.

“The aim of the study was to protect the genuine interests of personnel who acquire disability during service while preventing the exploitation of its liberal provisions from misuse,” the CDS told the media. The provisions of the revised entitlement rules will be applicable to the armed forces personnel who retired after September 21 and there will be no retrospective implementation of the norms, he said.

The new rules were brought out over five months after the Comptroller and Auditor General asked the defence ministry to carry out an analysis of disability among soldiers after finding out that nearly 40 per cent of officers, and 18 per cent of personnel below officer rank, who retire every year, were drawing disability pensions.

But, since the new rules governing the grant of disability pension were unveiled, there have been apprehensions among certain quarters, including the ex-servicemen. Most concerns of the ex-servicemen were addressed by a panel of officers at a meeting on October 3, he said.

In the new rules, the defence ministry introduced a new concept of ‘impairment relief’ aimed largely at addressing lifestyle-related diseases. The force personnel get higher payouts of up to 30 per cent of their pension emoluments based on the percentage of disability.

Armed Forces personnel who are retained in service despite a disability, held attributable to or aggravated by military service post conduct of retention-cum-impairment assessment medical board, are eligible to be awarded ‘capitalised impairment relief’ on foregoing which they become eligible for the award of monthly ‘impairment relief’ at the time of retirement or discharge.