DNA: New Delhi: Tuesday, January 02, 2018.
The Ministry
of Defence (MoD) has asked for a report from the Department of Ex-Servicemen
Welfare regarding the death of a Kargil war hero’s widow after a hospital in
Sonipat allegedly refused her treatment, insisting on Aadhaar card.
The action
was initiated after a Navy veteran, Commodore Lokesh Batra, flagged the issue
to the MoD as a follow up to his query under the Right to Information Act (RTI)
regarding “non-compliance” of Supreme Court’s order on extending mandatory
linking of Aadhaar for all schemes. He wanted to know the status of the
Ex-Serviceman Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS).
“Even after
two weeks of SC directions on such an important issue, there is nothing in the
public domain or say on websites of MoD & ECHS to indicate us the
compliance of Hon’ble SC Order of December 15, 2017,” he wrote in his
application.
Following the
death of the Kargil martyr’s widow he wrote to MoD again on January 1, 2018
“Regrettably,
the day I should be exchanging greetings of the new year with you all; the
circumstance are compelling me to request you to intimate me the MoD’s decision on this issue raised on 15.12.2017
and subsequent reminds last being of 30.12.2017,” wrote in his communication.
Shakuntala
Devi (55), widow of Kargil war martyr Havaldar Laxman Dass died in a private
hospital in Sonipat, Haryana on Thursday for want of medical care at a private
hospital as it insisted on having the patient’s Aadhaar card,” her son Pawan
Kumar Balyan had claimed.
The hospital
had denied the allegation and said they wanted to treat the woman but the
family took her away.
Dass was posted with the 8th Jat Regiment in
Muskoh valley near Kargil when he died of bullet injuries during a gun battle
with intruders on June 9, 1999.
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