Rahul Gandhi flags gaps in ex-servicemen health scheme, urges respect

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday raised concerns over shortcomings in the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), urging the government to ensure dignity and proper support for armed forces veterans.

Rahul Gandhi said he recently met injured ex-servicemen at a ‘Jansansad’ interaction, where they highlighted serious issues with the scheme. These included delays in reimbursement, shortages of medicines, empanelled hospitals refusing treatment, and beneficiaries being dropped due to pending dues.

Over 72 lakh ex-servicemen and their families depend on ECHS for healthcare, he noted, stressing that such gaps directly impact a large and vulnerable community.

Rahul Gandhi also accused the Centre of evading accountability when he raised the matter in Parliament. He said the government had no clear data on pending dues or timelines for clearing them, despite acknowledging delays.

Citing a recent audit by the comptroller and auditor general of India, he said the scheme suffers from inadequate funding, questioning why sufficient budgetary allocations were not being made.

The Congress leader further flagged concerns over taxation of disability pensions, arguing that proposed changes could penalise soldiers who continue in service despite disabilities. He also sought clarity on whether the government would restore full tax exemptions for all disabled ex-servicemen.

In response, minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth said ECHS continues to provide cashless and capless healthcare through a growing network of polyclinics and empanelled hospitals.

He acknowledged that bill processing is a “dynamic and time-taking process”, with some payments spilling over into the next financial year, creating cyclical liabilities. Rising expenditure and occasional fund flow constraints can affect payment cycles, he said, adding that efforts are ongoing to streamline the system and ensure uninterrupted services.

On taxation, the minister clarified that disability pensions remain exempt from income tax in line with Supreme Court rulings. He said provisions under the new Income Tax framework have been included to continue earlier exemptions and maintain existing benefits for eligible personnel.

The issue has once again brought into focus the challenges faced by ex-servicemen in accessing timely healthcare, even as political debate intensifies over funding priorities and policy implementation.

With PTI inputs