Ex-Army and Navy chiefs urge full government support for cadets disabled in training

Former chiefs of the Army and Navy have called on the Central government to take full responsibility for cadets who suffer life-changing injuries during training at India’s premier military academies, urging that their medical care, rehabilitation, and financial security be treated as a matter of entitlement — not charity.

Their appeal follows a series of reports exposing the plight of hundreds of officer cadets discharged on medical grounds, many of them left paralyzed or brain damaged, with little more than token compensation to cover a lifetime of treatment.

“We must take care of these unfortunate cases. Such cases would be few and the Government should be able to absorb that cost,” said former Army Chief General M M Naravane (retd), stressing the need for better health insurance, lifelong treatment at military hospitals, and safeguards against misuse.

Former Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) — a former commandant of the National Defence Academy (NDA) — said cadets who withdraw from training due to injury deserve reasonable compensation, and training institutions have a duty to ensure their full medical fitness and safety during every physical activity. He called for compulsory insurance for every cadet for the entire duration of training and insisted that payments be recognized as entitlements, not “ex gratia” grants.

According to data, around 500 officer cadets have been medically discharged from institutions such as the NDA since 1985, with about 20 cases reported from the NDA alone between 2021 and July 2025. While Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a proposal to raise compensation — currently capped at roughly ₹40,000 a month — the move remains stuck in bureaucratic limbo.

Parents of disabled cadets say the current support falls far short of the lifelong costs they face. Some have demanded that their children be granted ex-servicemen (ESM) status, which would entitle them to free treatment under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) and other benefits. Admiral Prakash said existing rules may not allow this, but a retired top IAF officer was quoted as saying by The Indian Express that ESM status is “the primary issue,” opening doors to both medical care and employment opportunities.

The IAF veteran also flagged similar gaps in benefits for Short Service Commission officers who are boarded out soon after commissioning, noting they too are denied ESM status despite service-related injuries.

The former chiefs’ intervention has amplified calls for a policy overhaul — one that replaces token payouts with structured, guaranteed care for those whose dreams of service to the nation ended in the training grounds.