When the nation speaks of its soldiers, it usually looks north to the fields of Punjab, the deserts of Rajasthan, the plains of Uttar Pradesh. Yet, quietly and consistently, the state that contributes one of the highest per-capita numbers of men and women to the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force is Kerala. And when those brave hearts retire or make the supreme sacrifice, it is Kerala that is left with the largest number of defence widows and family pensioners in the entire country.

As of late 2025, Kerala is home to nearly 1.95 lakh ex-servicemen and an estimated 82,000- 85,000 defence family pensioners — more than Punjab, Haryana or Uttar Pradesh. That is 11-12 per cent of India's total defence family pensioners living in one state. These are not estimates; they come from the Government's own replies in Parliament and the SPARSH pension portal.

Yet the welfare infrastructure tells a different story.

Kerala has only 15 Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) polyclinics for close to 2.8 lakh beneficiaries. Punjab (similar population) has 42. Haryana (half the population) has 28. An ageing widow in Palakkad or Kasaragod often spends an entire day travelling to Kochi or Thiruvananthapuram for basic medical care.

Full-fledged CSD canteens? Barely four or five in the entire state, compared to dozens in most northern military stations.

Pension Adalats — the one-stop grievance camps that settle long-pending OROP arrears and family pension cases? The last major one in Kerala was held probably in 2023. In 2024– 25, not a single dedicated adalat has taken place, while Punjab and Haryana host two or three every year.

ESM melas for younger retirees or for opportunities for young widows? One or two events at most, against ten to fifteen each in the northern states.

This is not about taking away from anyone else. Uttar Pradesh and Punjab have the highest absolute numbers of ex-servicemen and rightly need large networks. But fairness demands that we also look at need per beneficiary and at unique realities. Kerala's defence families live longer (on average), older, more widowed, and more geographically spread out than almost anywhere else.

The women who live the longest in India are often the ones who waited the longest for a son or husband who never returned. They deserve to spend their twilight years with dignity, not with long bus journeys and endless paperwork.

What Kerala needs is modest and entirely achievable within existing budgets:

• 10-12 new or upgraded ECHS polyclinics in the next two years, focused on central and northern Kerala districts.
• Faster empanelment and better reimbursement for the state's excellent super-speciality hospitals. Many districts have only Government hospitals empanelled, while the state boasts of the best private health infrastructure in India.
• Four major CSD grocery outlets and a reliable supply chain.
• Two annual Pension Adalats with PCDA and SPARSH teams on the ground.
• Four to five well coordinated ESM melas every year, tapping Kerala's IT, tourism and maritime industries.
• Dedicated geriatric and palliative care corners in select polyclinics.

These are not luxuries. They are the bare minimum a grateful nation owes to the state that gives it soldiers in abundance and then cares for their families long after the bugles have sounded retreat.

It is time the Ministry of Defence looked south with the same urgency it looks north.

Kerala's silent sentinels its ex-servicemen and, above all, its widows — have waited long enough.

(The writer was the Signal Officer in Chief of the Indian Army and the former National Cyber Security Coordinator of the Indian Government)