Accusing the Central government of weakening the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) through budget cuts and administrative curbs, the Congress on Thursday (January 1, 2026) announced a nationwide “Save ECHS” campaign to highlight pending medical bills of ex-servicemen and disruptions in medical treatment they face.
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Colonel (retd.) Rohit Chaudhry, chairman of the AICC Ex-Servicemen Department, said ex-servicemen would start an agitation in the national capital unless the government released ₹14,000 crore for ECHS by January 30.
The scheme covers around 72 lakh beneficiaries, but 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 would reach out to over 400 ECHS polyclinics across the country to gather data on unpaid bills and assess operational challenges on the ground, Mr. Chaudhry said at a press conference.
