Full pay pension to those killed, injured in guarding China border

New Delhi: Eight months after the Doklam standoff, the government has extended the ambit of an "exclusive" pension scheme to cover the armed forces personnel killed or injured while guarding the Sino-India border, seen as reflection of its renewed focus on the northern frontier.

However, the government rejected the Army's demand to implement the scheme with retrospective effect from June last year, when the Doklam face-off between Indian and Chinese armies had begun, official sources said.

The 'liberalised family pension' provides for 100 per cent of the last drawn emoluments in comparison to normal family pension of 30 per cent

of the last emoluments, officials said.

Earlier, the scheme was applicable to those security personnel deployed along the Line of Control and International Border (IB) with Pakistan.

According to a defence ministry notification, the family pension scheme for the armed forces personnel deployed along the Sino-India border came into effect from March 7. It said the cases which were settled prior to the issue of the notification will not be "reopened".

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on December 20 had accorded in-principle approval to extend the liberalised family pension to those guarding the nearly 4,000-km-long Line of Control (LAC) with China.

"Bringing the armed forces deployed along the Sino-India border under the scheme reflects government's serious approach towards the northern frontier," said a senior official.