Among other measures, an ex-gratia grant for disabled soldiers, in addition to all other benefits, has also been introduced and the earlier ceiling of Rs 10 lakhs on ex-gratia received from all sources has been abolished.

The Prime Minister has reportedly passed instructions that that the process of identifying and registering all such affected servicemen or their families be started immediately and that the Ministry of Defence take immediate steps to formulate a relief package.

The directions, sources say, were issued during the meeting of the National Defence Fund Committee, held in the capital earlier this month.

Chaired by the prime minister, the participants in the meet included the finance minister, defenceminister, home minister, the chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, besides some top bureaucrats.

The issue had been brought up during the meeting by Defence Minister, George Fernandes, who had reportedly stated that a large number of defence personnel who had died or had been wounded in action, including insurgency operations since 1947 have received no assistance from the government.

In fact a statement prepared by the Prime Minster's Office in this regard indicated that the National Defence Fund had provided negligible assistance to invalid soldiers.

Now, the ex-gratia amount to disabled soldiers, to be paid out of the National Defence Fund in addition to all other benefits authorised to battle casualties, has been fixed at Rs 6 lakhs for 100 per cent disability.

For soldiers with disability over 50 per cent, the ex-gratia will be Rs 4 lakhs, while those having disability between 20 per cent to 50 per cent, the grant will be Rs 2.50 lakhs.

Besides, for those who have been wounded, thecomplete expenditure for purchase of medical and support equipment as recommended, including wheel chairs, artificial limbs and motorised tricycles, will be borne by the government out of the National Defence Fund.

State-of-the-art medical treatment to injured soldiers in a private institute, even abroad if required, has also been authorised with complete expenditure being borne from the National Defence Fund.

Recommendations in this regard will be made by the Army Medical Corps to the Ministry of Defence and the amount will be sanctioned from the fund to the concerned authorities in service headquarters, who would then administer grants.

While there are no statistics available on the number of soldiers or families who have not received assistance, data available so far reveals that since independence the country has lost 11,830 soldiers, with 37,398 being wounded another about 2,300 missing.

In the 1987-48 operations, 1103 soldiers had been killed, with 3152 being wounded, while the 1962 Sino-Indianconflict resulted in 1521 killed, 548 wounded and 1729 missing.

The 1965 Indo-Pak claimed 2902 soldiers with 8622 being wounded and about 360 missing. During the 1971 liberation of Bangladesh 3630 soldiers had been lost, with 9856 wounded and 213 missing.

Operation Pawan in Jaffna (1987-89) resulted in 1,157 casualties, with 2065 soldiers being injured, while Operation Meghdoot in the Siachen has claimed about 650 soldiers, with another about 10,500 wounded. Operation Rakshak in Jammu and Kashmir has so far has a casualty toll of about 870 killed and 2660 wounded.