Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 5

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tonight said she would reconsider the cap on the education expenses of children of martyrs.Speaking in Ahmedabad, she said fee capping was part of the 7th Pay Commission recommendations. The Cabinet took a call on it. “I will go back and reconsider it,” she said. Terming it a sentimental issue, she said, “Our government is never against soldiers.”(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)The Tribune was the first to report the matter in its edition dated December 1.The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has already asked for details in this regard and is expected to sort out the matter. In September, the Department of Ex-servicemen in the MoD decided to cap the fee at Rs 10,000 per month, impacting around 3,200 students in schools, colleges and professional institutions.The forces raised an objection on October 10, but the ministry turned it down. Now, the forces, under the banner of the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (a body of three service chiefs), have sought removal of the cap.A letter by the committee says “these personnel made the supreme sacrifice for the country and the provision of educational concessions to their wards is a small gesture to recognise their commitment to the defence of the country”. The committee has sought a review of the government decision.Under the scheme, rolled out in 1972, the tuition fee of children of martyrs or those disabled in action is paid by the ministry.The scheme to bear the cost of education of children of martyrs was announced in the Lok Sabha on December 18, 1971—two days after the Pakistani forces surrendered to the Indian forces at Dacca (now known as Dhaka).