Govt under-funded health service by Rs 700 crore: Army

The directorate general of medical services (DGMS) has also found that the empanelled private hospitals are also overcharging the former Army troopers. So it has delisted about 40 such hospitals recently.

If there can be a theme of the ongoing Army Commanders’ Conference it is the welfare of the serving troops and the veterans. For the current soldiers, top Army commanders have instituted a study for examining service conditions in the high, snowcapped mountains where they regularly become victims of frostbites and other cold-related diseases. The study, begun after a visit of the 

Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar to the XV Corps locations.

It is expected to suggest new kinds of special clothing, snow boots etc. The study is yet to be completed.

A major element of the conference is the discovery that jawans who retire young (38-42 years) also die young (55-56 years).  Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Dalbir Singh, has taken a keen interest in this issue, and is urging the army to create structures that could address this problem. The average age of a male in this country is currently 65 years. Such was the intensity of discussion on these issues in the conference, and the importance attached to it that talks and presentations took one whole day.

Huge emphasis was put on re-skilling of the retiring soldiers through the Department of Skills Development – a new government wing set-up by the NDA government. The COAS has directed that Sena Bhavan have a directorate of veterans affairs. When this comes into existence this will be a first for the army, though the defence ministry has a separate department for handling Ex-servicemen’s Welfare headed by a full secretary level officer.

The commanders also decided to re-employ ex-servicemen for projects of the Ganga Action Plan that in any case is being catered for, by raising Territorial Army battalions.

Plans have also been chalked out for providing serving soldiers with frozen chicken due to bird flu. Only branded victuals are being considered to be provided to them.

The last day of the conference, on Saturday (25 April) the commanders’ conference is expected to take up military operational matters with the directorate general of military operations (DGMO) making a ‘classified’ presentation.