Dehradun, Feb. 22 -- Letter to the Editor
Sir,
'A nation is judged not by how loudly it praises its soldiers, but by how sincerely it protects them once the applause fades.'
Sir, the recent Union Budget's decision to restrict income tax exemption on disability pension only to soldiers invalided out of service has crossed a dangerous moral line. By taxing those who served their full tenure despite serious battle-related injuries, the state has effectively penalised resilience and rewarded physical collapse. Two soldiers wounded in the same operation now stand divided - one exempt, the other taxed. This bureaucratic logic insults not only the injured soldier but also the very ethos of military service, where endurance, grit and perseveranc...