Army men posted along China border to get liberalised family pensions

New Delhi: Army personnel guarding the over 4,000 km-long Indo-China border will now get the benefit of the liberalised family pension, the defence ministry announced on Wednesday.

At present, the liberalised family pension is given to army personnel deployed along the Line of Control and International Border (IB) with Pakistan.

"Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has approved that the same benefit of Liberalised Family Pension be extended to Army Personnel working along Line of Actual Control (LAC) along India-China borders," the defence ministry said in a statement.

It said the Liberalised Family Pension provides for 100 per cent of last "reckonable" emoluments in comparison to normal family pension which provides for 30 per cent of the last "reckonable" emoluments.

The move comes months after Chinese and Indian troops were locked in a 73-day border standoff from June 16 when Indian soldiers stopped Chinese personnel from building a key road close to India's 'chicken's neck' corridor.

The ministry said Liberalised Family Pension covers accidental death or injury sustained due to natural calamities such as flood, avalanches, landslides, cyclone, fire and lightening or drowning in river while performing operational duties or movements in action against enemy forces and armed hostilities in operational area.