DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PATNA, PUNE, VADODARA They dreamt of becoming Army officers and fighter pilots but are now battling severe disability, from paralysis to brain damage, with shattered hopes, lifelong scars — and poor benefits ■HEKNEWfromchildhoodthat he wanted to become an Army officer. Today, his speech is slurred, he needs help at every step. And yet, when Vickrant Raj sees a movie about the Army on TV, he perks up and wants to chip in, somehow. ■ Shubham Gupta once dreamt of piloting a fighter jet but now can’t even hold a glass of water. ■ Kishan Kulakarni is fully dependent on his mother, a former school teacher, for his most basic needs; and, Harish Sinhmar has simply lost the will to live. Allof them,oncecadetstrainingatthenation’stopmilitaryinstitutessuchasNationalDefence Academy (NDA) and Indian Military Academy (IMA) — selectedafterrigoroustrainingand firedbydreamstodefendthenation — are today bravehearts struggling in the shadows. They are among the around 500officercadetswhohavebeen medicallydischargedfromthese military institutes since 1985, duetovaryingdegreesof disability incurred during training, and are now staring at mounting medical bills with an ex gratia monthlypaymentthat’sfarshort of what they need. At the NDA alone, sources told this newspaper, around 20 such cadets were medically discharged in just the past five years, between 2021 and July 2025. According to rules, these cadetsarenotentitledtothestatus of ex-servicemen (ESM), which would have made them eligible under the ExServicemenContributoryHealth Scheme (ECHS) for free treatment at military facilities and empanelledhospitals,sincetheir disabilities took place during training before they were commissioned as officers. 2019-20 KISHANKULAKARNIATTHENDA AUGUST2025 Kishan at his home in Hubballi, Karnataka MARCH2021 Kishan at the Military Hospital in Kirkee, Pune, with his mother Bharati And, unlike soldiers in this category who are entitled to ESM status, all that these officer cadets get now is an ex gratia payment of up to Rs 40,000 per month depending on extent of Ex-R&AW officer in Pannun case linked to Mahadev app staff in Dubai: Delhi Police MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL NEW DELHI, AUGUST 10 AFTER HE was accused of kidnapping and robbing a Delhi businessman, Vikash Yadav, the former R&AW officer who was named by US authorities as a coconspirator in an alleged plot to kill Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, is now being linked to an alleged member of the “Mahadev Online Book” betting racket, Delhi police records show. On December 18, 2023, the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested Yadav after an FIR was filed againsthimbyaRohiniresident, accusing him of extortion and kidnapping and linking him to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The arrest came just three weeks afterYadav’snamewaslistedinthe Pannun case by US authorities. Police records show the probe in the Rohini case against Yadav led to the arrest on July 1 this year of a man identified as Jalaluddin alias Sameer in Chanakyapuriforhisallegedkey role in the criminal conspiracy. “The probe revealed that Jalaluddin,whoworkedwiththe online book app in Dubai, approached Yadav to kidnap the complainant and threaten him as he was not paying up money owed. Yadav roped in his associate Khan, who works as a car dealer, and they got Rs 16 lakh through hawala from Jalaluddin,” sources said. Theinvestigationofficer(IO)is likely to inform the Enforcement CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 `6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 Mounting medical bills, nowhere to go: Braveheart cadets disabled in military training struggle in shadows NEW DELHI, AUGUST10 POSTAL REGN. NO. JAIPUR CITY/001/2024-26 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 2025, JAIPUR, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA ● disability — an amount that falls far short of basic needs, they say, with medical expenses alone costing, on an average, nearly Rs 50,000 per month or more. Today, after years of waiting in vain for a helping hand, all their hopes are pinned on a renewed Government push to get them some relief but The Indian Express found that even this has been stuck in red tape for over a year (see adjoining report). CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY Rajnath okayed hike in ex gratia last yr – file still hanging fire get adisability pension with two AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA components: service element NEW DELHI, AUGUST 10 anddisabilityelement.Theservice element is 50% of the pay last LAST YEAR, Union Defence drawn and the disability eleMinisterRajnathSinghapproved mentis30%of thepaylastdrawn a key proposal that would have (for100%disabilityadjustedproled to an increase of at least 50% portionately for lower disability in the monthly ex gratia percentages). awarded to officer cadets who ■ Officer cadets who are sustained major disabilitiesdur- medically discharged during ing their training at training, before being military institutes commissioned in the leading to their medarmed forces, get ical discharge before what is called an ex they could join the gratia payment with armed forces. service and disability Seventeenmonths elements. The ex gralater,thatfileisgathertia is calculated based ingdustsomewherein on the stipend (apthecorridorsof power. Defence proximatelyRs54,000 According to Minister per month) allotted sources, the proposal, Rajnath Singh forthefourthandfinal which would require year of training. an additional com■ It is at the next pensationof aboutRs11.43crore step that a key mismatch imper year, is caught between the pacts officer cadets. The disabilMinistry of Defence and the ity element for 100% disability is Ministry of Finance — with no set at Rs 16,200 (30% of the resolution in sight. fourth-yearstipendof Rs 54,000 The plan was cleared by per month). But the service eleRajnath Singh soon after he ment is calculated at 50% of the chaired a meeting on March 1, minimum basic salary of a 2024, with the families of such Central Government employee, officer cadets and the top de- not the stipend. fence hierarchy, including Chief As a result, while the disabilof Defence Staff General Anil ity element in the ex gratia is Chauhan, the then Defence Rs 16,200, the service compoSecretary, and Secretary, nent is only Rs 9,000 (there are Department of Ex-Servicemen additional components such as Welfare (DESW). Rs 6,750 per month for attenThe meeting outlined the dants, etc, taking the maximum contours of the problem and amount provided, based on proposal solution: degree of disability, to about ■ Commissioned officers Rs 40,000 per month). who are medically discharged CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 BIHAR S.I.R.: RESPONSE TO ADR PLEA Not required by law to provide list of those omitted from draft electoral roll: EC to SC DAMINI NATH NEW DELHI, AUGUST 10 ‘You criticise EC, call our economy dead, mock the judiciary... good luck to you’ JYOTIRADITYA SCINDIA UNION MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND DoNER PAGE 13 THE ELECTION Commission has informedtheSupremeCourtthat itwasnotrequiredbylawtopublishalistofelectorswhosenames havebeenremovedfromtheelectoralrollsof Bihar,opposingapetitioner’s plea for it to release the names and details of the 65 lakh electorswhodidnotmakeittothe draft published on August 1. Inreplytoanapplicationfiled bytheAssociationforDemocratic Reforms (ADR), the EC said the draft roll had been published on the basis of the enumeration forms received and that “no inquiry” is done at this stage. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Forbetter reach THE EC says it gave booth-wise lists of electors whose forms were not received to political parties although it is not a statutory requirement. The reason for this, it says, was to “involve” parties in reaching out to those who the EC’s Booth Level Officers were not able to get in touch with. EC NOTICE TO BIHAR DY CM FOR ‘TWO VOTER CARDS’ PAGE 5 FIRST SENIOR MINISTER TO GO PUBLIC RajnathswipeatTrump: SabkeBoss,doesn’tlike India’srise,can’tstopus US tariff in mind, says efforts being made to make Indian goods more expensive ANAND MOHAN J BHOPAL, AUGUST 10 TARGETINGUSPresidentDonald Trumpoverthedoublingof tariff and for calling India a “dead” economy, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, without taking names, said Sunday that “there aresomepeople”whothinkthey are “Sabke Boss” and, because “theydonotliketherapiddevelopment of India”, are trying to make Indian goods expensive. He is the first senior minister oftheModigovernmenttotarget theTrumpadministrationfollowing the US President’s unilateral actionagainstIndiainthemiddle of negotiations for a trade deal. Speaking in Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district where he laid the foundation stone of theRs1,800-croreBEMLrailhub manufacturing unit, Singh said, “When we used to say that we would become the world’s largest economy, people used to make fun of us. They used to laugh. Today, the entire world has accepted that India is moving forward fastest in the world under Modi’s leadership. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE WORLD PAKARMYCHIEF MEETSPOLITICAL, MILITARYLEADERS IN2NDU.S.VISIT PAGE 10 PM Narendra Modi with students during a Metro ride in Bengaluru on Sunday. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar are also present. PTI In Bengaluru, PM calls for tech self-reliance, says India on course to top 3 economies SANATH K PRASAD BENGALURU, AUGUST 10 DESCRIBINGINDIAas“thefastestgrowing major economy in the world”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday that it is in the top five globally and is “rapidly progressing”to“becomingoneof the top three economies”. Addressing a gathering at IIIT-Bangalore, he emphasised that amid evolving problems, India’s next big priority should bebecomingself-reliantintechnology and that it was time for Indian tech companies to priori- tise the country’s own needs. “Our next big priority should be becoming self-reliant in technology. Indian tech companies havemadeamarkglobally,developing software and products for theentireworld.Itisnowtimeto prioritiseIndia’sownneedsmore stronglyandacceleratethedevelopment of new products, especially as software and apps are now being used across every domain,”hesaidafterinaugurating critical mobility infrastructure projects in Bengaluru. Heinauguratedthe19.16-km Yellow Line of Bengaluru Metro CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘No one will purchase’: Andhra shrimp farmers fear they could get priced out of US market Shrimp accounts for over 90% of India’s seafood exports; stakeholders say tariffs would give Ecuador, Vietnam edge TROUBLED WATERS TRUMP’S 50% TARIFF TENSION ON THE GROUND PART-2: SHRIMP SREENIVAS JANYALA HYDERABAD, AUGUST 10 ANDHRA PRADESH’S shrimp farmers are bracing for the impact of US tariffs that will touch 59.72%afterUSPresidentDonald Trump announced 25% additional tariffs over and above the 25%announcedearlier,aswellas the 5.76% countervailing duty and 3.96% anti-dumping duty. “If theUSdecidestogoahead with the additional 25% tariffs, The state has 6.5 lakh aquafarmers and over 30 lakh who depend on the shrimp industry, including storage, processing and packaging 60% Pradesh’s Andhra TARIFF ON SHRIMP, RELATED PRODUCTS share of shrimp exports from India BEFORE APRIL 90% AFTER AUGUST to the US of large shrimp is exported many shrimp farmers will be forced to close down or cultivate other species that do not yield such high profits,” said S Lal Mohammad, joint director (aquaculture) of the Andhra Pradesh Fisheries Department. “Medium and big farmers produce larger shrimp, known as 30-count or 40-count, referring to the number of shrimps per kilogramme. About 90% of 16.52% 59.72% the large shrimp are exported to the US and sell for Rs 350-400 per kg. Due to the heavy tariffs, exporters will avoid purchasing these,” he explained. India’s seafood exports in 2024-25 reached $7.38 billion, amounting to 1.78 million metric tonnes. Shrimp formed the most significant component,accounting for 92% of India’s CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Cries of ‘bachao’, a whispered ‘Hari Om’ — then the line went dead PAGE 1 ANCHOR AISWARYA RAJ MATLI, AUGUST 10 JUST BEFORE a wall of debris, sediment and water cut a swathe across Uttarakhand’s Dharali village, burying many buildings, a 55-year-old man was on a call with his son. Suddenly, he shouted:“bachao bachao (help, help).” A moment later, he whispered: “Hari Om.” “Then the line went dead,” saystheson,24-year-oldGovind, waiting for a helicopter at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp at Matli. “I know he is dead. I am going to get his death certificate.” On Sunday, the sixth day of the search and rescue operation after a flash flood swept through DharaliinUttarkashidistrict,the Matli helipad is abuzz with Char Dham tourists evacuated from Gangotri, families of missing people, journalists and officials stacking essential food supplies into helicopters. These supplies include vegetables, milk and grains. The choppers drown out the roar of the Bhagirathi flowing nearby. Rescue authorities say only two bodies have been found since the operation began after the August 5 flash flood. Authorities estimate at least 60 people are missing. Attheentrancetotheground where the Matli helipad is located, several people stand around a few officers, pleading with them for a ride on one of the helicopters taking rations and rescuers to Harsil, which is the nearest helipad to Dharali. One of the officers asks: “There are rescuers at the spot. What will you do even if we take you?Will youdigthemuckwith your hands?” The group falls Family members of Salman, Furkan and Yogesh, missing since the flood, hold up their photos at Matli helipad. PTI silent and retires to a corner. Thegroupcomprisesfamilies of workers from Nepal, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Among them is Govind, who works with an adventure sports company in Rishikesh. His father, Laxman, worked as a mason in Dharali. After Govind’s call with Laxman disconnected when the flash flood hit, further calls went unanswered. He then dialled a coworkerofhisfather’s,whoconfirmed that Laxman was inside thebuildingwhenmuckengulfed it. “I want to go there. Even if it doesnotyieldanyresult,myfamily and I need closure,” he says. Jaipur Alsohopingtogetahelicopter ride to Dharali is Mohammad Ufran,whosebrotherFurkanand cousin Salman remain missing. “The government has evacuated touristsfromGangotriandHarsil. We do not figure in their priorities,” he says. Ufran,alongwithhiscousins, left for Uttarkashi on August 6, a dayaftertheflood.Theyhadearlier gone to Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun since many evacuees were airlifted to the helipad there. From Matli, they tried but failed to hitchhike up to Harsil, owing to blocked routes at four places between Uttarkashi and Dharali. They were even caught in a landslide at one point. Undeterred, the five men have decided to undertake the journey on foot if the state governmentdoesnottakethemona chopper. “We are searching everywhere like madmen. We need to find out what happened,” says Ufran, who owns a saloninUttarPradesh’sSambhal. His brother and cousin had been working as welders at a locationuphillfromDharaliforthe last three months. On August 5, theyhadgonedowntothevillage to stock up on supplies when the flood struck. Their phones have been unreachable ever since. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2