Pregnancy Results in Low Medical Category of Women Military Officers: MoD to Parliament Panel

Pregnancy and its related effects were among the reasons for women officers being categorised under low-medical fitness, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has informed a parliamentary panel.

“190 female officers were in LMC (low medical category) for pregnancy and its related effects, which formed 13.66% of all LMC officers. This physiological condition will get upgraded in due time,” the MoD told the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) of Parliament.

The PAC was examining disability pensions for military personnel, and the top four among the “top 10 disabilities” reported in the army included hypertension, fractures, pregnancy-related conditions, and obesity. The report was presented to parliament on Wednesday (April 1, 2026).

Army officers having these physical health conditions were placed in the Low Medical Category (LMC), indicating their reduced temporary or permanent fitness for active duty, the MoD told the PAC.

Other LMC disabilities included communicable diseases, connective tissues and autoimmune disorders, menstrual disorders, gallstones, and hernia in the “others” category, while diabetes, strains, spine disease, cardiovascular disease, and thyroid disease were among the disabilities in descending order.

A medical downgrade following a disability entitled an army personnel to better retirement benefits. On average, a disability pension can account for 20% to 50% more than a normal pension, plus an income tax exemption, for officers of the same rank.

The top 10 disabilities accounted for 71% of the overall disabilities affecting the Indian Army’s officer cadre of 45,000 officers, the PAC report said, adding that the detailed breakdown showed the proportion of officers affected by multiple disabilities and the leading causes such as hypertension, fractures, pregnancy-related conditions, obesity, and diabetes.

The Action Taken Report on the PAC’s disability pension report came as a debate raged over the government’s withdrawal of the so-called tax exemption on disability pensions.

Opposition political parties in India have questioned the Finance Bill 2026, which sought to provide tax benefits only to soldiers invalidated out of service due to disability attributable to or aggravated by their military service, thus excluding those who served and superannuated with disabilities.

The PAC’s earlier report, presented in February 2024 on the subject, had “expressed concern over the relatively high proportion of officers retiring with disability, particularly noting that lifestyle diseases such as hypertension and diabetes accounted for a significant share of these disabilities.”

“The committee further sought comprehensive data on the prevalence of these diseases among Indian Army personnel, as well as remedial measures undertaken to mitigate their incidence. The committee had also requested a root cause analysis to better understand and address the underlying factors,” the report said.

The government notified new rules for disability pensions in September 2023, months after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) asked the ministry to analyse the reasons for disability among soldiers following its finding that nearly 40% of retiring officers and 18% of personnel below officer rank (PBOR) were drawing disability pensions.