Modi govt betraying soldiers, ECHS near collapse: Congress

The Congress on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Modi government, accusing it of dismantling institutional support systems for the armed forces despite projecting itself as a champion of nationalism and military welfare.

The party alleged that the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), a flagship healthcare programme for veterans, is on the brink of collapse owing to chronic underfunding and administrative neglect.

Raising the issue, Col Rohit Chaudhry (retd), head of the Congress’ ex-servicemen department, said the Centre must allocate at least Rs 14,000 crore annually to sustain the scheme, warning that the existing shortfall is pushing thousands of veterans into uncertainty.

“Soldiers serve the nation with the assurance that the government will stand by them after retirement. That trust is being betrayed today,” Chaudhry said. “ECHS was launched in 2003 as a cashless, capless healthcare scheme. Today, it is neither fully cashless nor reliable.”

Citing a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), he said the number of ex-servicemen is steadily rising but the government has failed to expand infrastructure or funding in proportion to the growing demand.

According to Chaudhry, the CAG report has flagged severe gaps in staffing within the armed forces and warned that ECHS is heading towards “complete collapse”.

In 2023–24, the scheme required Rs 13,500 crore, but the government allocated only Rs 9,831 crore, leaving a massive deficit that has resulted in unpaid hospital bills and denial of services to veterans.

He also questioned the administrative control of the scheme, stating that the department of ex-servicemen welfare under the Ministry of Defence is ill-equipped to manage ECHS and that it should be placed under the chief of defence staff (CDS) to ensure accountability and military oversight.

“The authority taken away from the armed forces must be restored, all pending hospital bills cleared, and Rs 14,000 crore allocated immediately,” he demanded.

Highlighting alleged exploitation of the system, Chaudhry said several empanelled private hospitals had acquired government land at throwaway prices but were now refusing dignified treatment to ex-servicemen. He demanded that "the department of ex-servicemen welfare should be placed under the CDS for this purpose".

Warning of escalation, the Congress leader said that if the Centre fails to act, ex-servicemen would meet Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in Delhi after 30 January to take up the matter directly with the government.

Launched in 2003, the ECHS is designed to provide comprehensive, cashless and capless medical care to ex-servicemen and their dependents through a nationwide network of hospitals and polyclinics.

The Congress has argued that the current state of the scheme exposes the gap between the Modi government’s rhetoric on military honour and the lived reality of veterans across the country.