Chairman of the AICC Ex-Service Department, Col. Rohit Chaudhary (retired) (AICC via PTI Photo)
Accusing the central government of undermining the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) through budget cuts and administrative cuts, the Congress on Thursday (January 1, 2026) announced a nationwide ‘Save ECHS’ campaign to highlight the backlog of ex-servicemen’s medical bills and the disruptions they face.
Col (retd) Rohit Chaudhry, president of the AICC Ex-Servicemen’s Unit, said the ex-servicemen would launch an agitation in the state capital if the government did not release ₹14,000 crore for the ECHS by January 30.
The scheme covers around 72 lakh beneficiaries but the medical bills of more than 20 lakh ex-servicemen were pending, with outstanding dues exceeding ₹9,000 crore, he said.
As part of the month-long campaign, the Congress will reach out to more than 400 ECHS polyclinics across the country to collect data on unpaid bills and assess operational issues on the ground, Mr. Chaudhry said at a press conference.
He said the scheme needed ₹13,500 crore in 2023-24 but got an allocation of ₹9,831 crore despite an existing backlog of ₹3,500 crore. The backlog rose to ₹5,400 crore in 2024-25 and reached nearly ₹6,000 crore in the current financial year, forcing several empaneled hospitals to stop providing treatment to ECHS beneficiaries, the Congress said.
Citing the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report, Mr. Chaudhry said ECHS, launched in 2003 as “cashless and capless”, was facing a crisis due to lack of funds, inadequate infrastructure and staff constraints. In practice, he said, beneficiaries were often required to pay for treatment and then seek reimbursement that was limited and delayed for months.
He argued that the administrative powers of the ECHS chief executive were limited by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which affected the system’s ability to crack down on non-performing hospitals.
Congress demanded the immediate passage of all pending bills, the restoration of ECHS administrative powers, and the transfer of the system to the Chief of the Defense Staff. She sought legislation to mandate that hospitals that acquired land at discounted rates provide preferential treatment to ex-servicemen.
Mr. Chaudhry said the party would raise the issue in Parliament and through public mobilization if the government did not respond within the stipulated time frame.
Published – 02 Jan 2026 23:04 IST
