Defence minister approves four-fold increase in aid to kin of battle casualties

Heeding to a long-pending demand of the Army, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has given in-principle approval to enhance from existing ₹2 lakh to ₹8 lakh the monetary assistance granted to relatives of battle casualties.

Ministry officials said the financial assistance, which is set to be granted under Army Battle Casualties Welfare Fund (ABCWF), will also be given to those sustaining at least 60 per cent disability. The assistance is given in addition to the liberalised family pension, financial assistance from Army group insurance, Army Welfare Fund and ex-gratia amount.

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The ABCWF was instituted in July 2017 under the department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (ESW) after a large number of people came forward to provide monetary assistance to the families of  battle casualties, following an incident at Siachen in February 2016 when 10 soldiers were buried in an avalanche.

The existing monetary grant includes ex-gratia for various ranks ranging from ₹25 lakh to ₹45 lakh and Army Group Insurance from ₹40 lakh to ₹75 lakh, officials said.

In the previous government, Singh, who was a home minister then, had launched Bharat ke Veer fund to assist families of paramilitary personnel killed or injured in action.