MoD approves resettlement benefits to boarded-out cadets, no word on disability pension demand

New Delhi: The Defence Ministry on Saturday announced extending the resettlement facilities to cadets, who had to opt out of military services on medical grounds due to injuries sustained during training period.

The approval will allow boarded-out cadets to avail the benefits of self-employment schemes offered by the Directorate General Resettlement while shaping their career path.

The ministry, however, remained silent on such cadets’ principal demand of recognising them as “ex-servicemen”, which would make them eligible for disability pension – instead of the ex-gratia that they currently receive - and medical facilities.

"Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a proposal for extension of resettlement facilities to cadets who are invalidated from military training on medical grounds due to the causes attributable to/aggravated by the training,” the ministry said.

The government claimed cadets and their parents have been demanding such resettlement opportunities for decades, as 10-20 persons become invalidated on medical grounds every year during the training.

“The decision has been taken as the cadets join military academies at a young age with the intention of joining as officers in the Armed Forces, and show a commitment to serve the nation in uniform, but are unfortunate in being invalidated," it added.

But, the larger issue of providing them with disability pension and long-term medical benefits remained unresolved, even after the Service Headquarters forwarding a proposal for granting disability pension to cadets medically boarded out from training on account of disability attributable to/aggravated by military training more than two years ago.

The proposal from the Service Headquarters came in the wake of similar recommendations from an expert panel formed by then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in 2015.

But the ministry didn’t agree with the expert panel’s recommendations, arguing that two successive Pay Commissions (6th and 7th) did not recommend the same due to technical requirements such as amendment of Recruitment Rules and Pension Rules.