A saga of betrayal — How govt policy is failing veterans

When the time comes for the country to stand by its soldiers, they are met with bureaucratic resistance, legal delays, and broken promises

On March 10, Member of Parliament Sagarika Ghose raised a question during a Rajya Sabha session that resonated with countless veterans across India. Highlighting the alarming number of litigations surrounding disability pensions for retired armed forces personnel and the Ministry of Defence (MoD)’s relentless appeals against judgments favouring veterans, she asked: why the ministry routinely challenges almost every Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) judgment that favoured them?

Sanjay Seth, Minister of State (Defence), rather than directly addressing the core issue, reiterated existing clauses and policies. Many, including veterans and the wider public, were left feeling disappointed.

A policy that fails soldiers

The genesis of this can be traced back to September 2023, when the MoD introduced a controversial policy titled ‘Entitlement Rules for Casualty Pension and Disability Compensation Award to Armed Forces Personnel, 2023’. These rules drastically redefined the eligibility criteria for disability pensions in the armed forces, sparking a fierce backlash from veterans.

One of the contentious aspects of the policy is its reclassification of ‘disability’ as ‘impairment’, a term that narrows the scope of eligibility. By this redefinition, the new rules now only cover health conditions ‘aggravated’ by active duty, while conveniently excluding those caused by prolonged stress and service-related strain.

Additionally, lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes — once covered under previous pension entitlements — have been removed. Even heart conditions, which were previously acknowledged as stress-induced, are now only considered if they result specifically from high-altitude postings.

In stark contrast, civilian employees continue to enjoy broader protections under the Central Civil Services (Extraordinary Pension) rules, which recognise the impact of work-related stress on health without such preconditions. This arbitrary distinction ignores the reality that the psychological and emotional strain of military life can be just as debilitating as physical exertion.

Opposition and veteran backlash

This regressive policy shift has sparked outrage across the political spectrum. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, took to X, to highlight the gravity of the issue, pointing out that nearly 40% of Army officers retire with a disability pension, and that “the present policy change shall flout multiple past judgements, rules and acceptable global norms.”

The All India Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association has also condemned the changes for disadvantaging soldiers while maintaining more favourable conditions for civilian employees. Previously, ex-servicemen were eligible for an invalid pension without a minimum service requirement — a rule that was abolished for civilian employees in 2019. However, the new MoD rules have reinstated a 10-year service requirement for invalidation pensions, placing additional hurdles before disabled veterans who may have been forced to leave service due to severe health conditions.

A never-ending struggle

Even when veterans turn to the judiciary for justice, their fight is far from over. In case after case, when the AFT rules in favour of ex-servicemen, the MoD appeals to the Supreme Court, prolonging legal battles for years. This exhausting cycle not only places a financial burden on disabled veterans but also exacerbates their health conditions, forcing many to endure lengthy court proceedings well into their senior years.

Adding to the crisis, the much-touted System for Pension Administration (SPARSH) scheme, designed to streamline pension disbursement for armed forces personnel, has been plagued with technical glitches and operational failures. Veterans are now struggling to access their rightful pensions through an unreliable and dysfunctional digital portal.

The plight of ex-servicemen extends beyond pensions. Across various states, the government has promised a 10-20% reservation for Group C and Group D ex-servicemen in Union government ministries and public sector undertakings — a gesture ostensibly made in the spirit of ‘nation-building’. However, these reserved positions remain almost entirely vacant, reducing the policy to little more than a tokenistic measure. Once again, the military bureaucracy has failed to look after the interests of service personnel.

A nation’s debt left unpaid

For decades, India’s armed forces personnel have stood at the nation’s frontlines, sacrificing their youth, their health, and, in many cases, their lives. Yet, when the time comes for the country to stand by them, they are met with bureaucratic resistance, legal delays, and broken promises.

In this saga of betrayal, the Comptroller of Defence Accounts has a primary role, particularly through its insistence on the SPARSH system, which notably stands in stark contrast to government's schemes that use the Direct Benefit Transfer system with admirable efficiency.

Veterans are left to fight not on battlefields anymore, but in courts and government offices, simply to claim what is rightfully theirs. It is a betrayal of the brave, a stain on the conscience of the nation, and a failure that demands immediate redressal.

(Lt Gen (retd) Dushyant Singh, PVSM, AVSM, is director general of the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS). X: @dushy40098.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.