Martyrs’ kids fee cap gone, Army for liberal upper limit

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 22

Exactly a month after the Ministry of Defence removed the fee cap it had imposed on expenses paid to children of martyrs or those disabled in action, the Army is now discussing a scheme to actually have a fee cap, albeit a liberal one that is more in tune with realities of education in today’s times.

On March 21, the Ministry of Defence issued an order saying, “Educational expenses shall continue without the cap of Rs 10,000.”  This order was to rescind its earlier order of September 2017 which imposed a cap of Rs 10,000 per month. It had led to protests as fee in professional courses like MBA, MBBS, law or engineering streams runs into lakhs.

The MoD pays the fee of children of those killed in action and some 3,200 students in schools, colleges and professional institutions are given this facility as of now. At the Army Commander conference, here last week, the matter of education fee was discussed.

Top sources told The Tribune that the Army is of the view that an upper limit of fee payment is needed. However, it should be Rs 10 lakh per annum. This would cover the fee in any private professional college in India. The limit can be reviewed after a few years, but for now this limit would be sufficient, is the suggestion.

“A discussion on the fee cap did take place,” said a senior functionary who is in the know of things. The previous cap of Rs 10,000 per month or Rs 1.20 lakh per annum had led to several representations from Army widows as they were unable to pay the fee of children, especially those studying in colleges.

The MoD order of September 2017 to cap the fee was as per the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission. Notably, this fee cap issue was not part of the 50-point anomalies submitted by the Army.

The scheme to bear the cost of education of children of martyrs was announced in the Lok Sabha on December 18, 1971, two days after the Pakistani forces surrendered to the Indian forces at Dacca (now known as Dhaka). In 1990, the MoD extended the scheme to children of officers and jawans killed or disabled in Operation Meghdoot (Siachen) and Operation Pawan (Sri Lanka). 

Another amendment in 2003 included children of those killed or disabled in counter-insurgency operations.