ECHS scheme for soldiers' welfare on verge of collapse due to govt's apathy, lack of funds: Cong

New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) The Congress on Friday claimed that the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme is on the verge of collapse due to the Modi government's failure to allocate adequate funds for it.

Flagging concerns, the head of the Congress' ex-servicemen department, Col Rohit Chaudhry (retd), urged the Centre to allocate Rs 14,000 crore annually for the scheme.

“Soldiers have the assurance that after their retirement, the government will take care of them and their families. But the Modi government is trying to betray this trust. The Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) was launched in 2003 for ex-servicemen. It was said that it would be a cashless scheme,” Chaudhry said.

Citing a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Chaudhry claimed that while the number of ex-servicemen is increasing, the government has neither created the necessary infrastructure nor increased the allocation of funds accordingly.

“The CAG report states that there is a shortage of personnel in the Army, which should be addressed as soon as possible. Also, the ECHS is on the verge of complete collapse. In 2023-24, Rs 13,500 crore was needed, but only Rs 9,831 crore was received,” Chaudhry claimed.

The Congress leader also claimed that the Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare, which comes under the Ministry of Defence, is in no way capable of running the ECHS, which should be placed under the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).

The administrative authority of ECHS taken away by the Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare should be restored, Rs 14,000 crore should be allocated (to the scheme), and all pending bills should be cleared, Chaudhry said.

Claiming that many hospitals have taken land from the government at extremely low prices, he said it is their responsibility to treat ex-servicemen with dignity and respect.

The Congress leader also said that if these demands are not met, ex-servicemen will meet Rahul Gandhi in Delhi after January 30 to take up the matter with the government.

Launched in 2003, the ECHS aims to provide comprehensive, cashless and capless healthcare to all ex-servicemen and their dependents through a network of polyclinics spread across the country. PTI SKC ARI