It’s disadvantage disabled officer cadets

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 7

The government revelation that 53 trainee officers were disabled while undergoing training at various Army academies over the past four years has focused attention on the step-motherly treatment being meted out to such cadets in terms of financial compensation and rehabilitation.

There are several issues afflicting officer cadets whose disability is attributed to or aggravated by military service at the Army’s seven pre-commission training institutions, which remain unresolved despite litigation, putting them below par with not only civilian counterparts, but also as regards recruits for the rank and file.

Almost 45 per cent of the cadets disabled in the past three years and the current year till date are from the National Defence Academy, Kharakvasla, that trains undergraduates, according to information tabled by Minister of State for Defence Dr Subhash Bhamre in Parliament today.

The figure for Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, is 13, followed by six for the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, and four for OTA, Gaya. The combined number of disabilities at the Cadet Training Wings of the College of Military Engineering, Pune, Military College of Telecommunication Engineering, Mhow, and Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering, Secunderabad, is seven.

The minister also said that insurance money was paid based on the percentage of disability that was attributed to military service. There were also cases where disability during the training period was not held attributable to military service and even instances of death while training, he said.

Entitled disabled cadets who are boarded out of training institutions are given “ex gratia award” rather than “pension”, depriving them of benefits that are given to ex-servicemen. In spite of the cadets being trainees for a Group-A gazette-level commissioned appointments, the ex gratia is lower than benefits given to recruits who are absorbed at Group-C level. 

Moreover, while such recruits are entitled to “ex-servicemen” status, trainee officers are not. In contrast, all trainees of the Central Armed Police Forces at all levels, including officers, are authorised proper disability pension if disabled during training. Trainees for other civilian services are granted similar benefits or retained in service.

Another problem faced by disabled cadets from the NDA or military engineering colleges is that at the time of boarding out, they are in the middle of their bachelor’s degree courses and they have to fend for themselves.

What they get

• Disabled cadets are given “ex gratia award” rather than “pension”, thus depriving them of benefits that are given to ex-servicemen
• In spite of the cadets being trainees for Group-A gazette-level commissioned appointments, the ex gratia is lower than benefits given to recruits who are absorbed at Group-C level 
• In contrast, all trainees of the Central Armed Police Forces at all levels, including officers, are authorised proper disability pension if disabled during training.