HC seeks Centre's response on PIL for modern prostheses for

The Delhi High Court today sought a response from the Centre on a plea alleging modern prosthetics are not being provided to armed forces personnel though the same is given to government employees.
A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw issued notice to the Ministry of Defence, Dy. Director General (Welfare), Ceremonial and Welfare Directorate and Managing Director of Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) and sought their replies by the next date of hearing on November 5.
The bench passed the order on the plea of an association, Disabled War Veterans (India), which has alleged that it has found, through a Right to Information application, that while "government employees are being provided modern prosthetics and the same is being approved by the concerned departments. However, the Armed Forces Personnel are not being treated accordingly."

The PIL states that there are seven categories of persons who are covered under ECHS and these are ex-servicemen drawing pension/disability pension, widows drawing family pension, spouse of the pensioner, unemployed sons below 25 years, unemployed and/or unmarried daughters, dependent parents whose income is less than Rs 1500 per month and mentally/physically challenged children of the army personnel.
It has contended that as per information received from the government, there is no policy in place for "empanelment of facilities which provide orthotic and prosthetic care to ex-servicemen".
The petition, filed through advocate Karan Singh Bhati, has submitted that retired affected personnel of armed forces continue to get limbs and prosthetics manufactured by Artificial Limb Centre (ALC), Pune, which "are out-dated models, heavier in weight, uncomfortable in use and not comparable with other limbs produced by the private players".

The Association has sought empanelment of quality prostheses manufacturers "to enable all disabled armed forces personnel, including war veterans, to get lifelong satisfactory modern prostheses free of cost".