Dear Col Anand,
.
With reference to your letter dated 28 October 2010, addressed to Maj Gen Satbir Singh, Vice Chairman IESM
.
Please pardon me for the liberty taken by me in expressing my views to your kind letter.
.
With due regards to your seniority, number of years of your service and all round experience as an OR, JCO, emergency and SL commissioned Officer. You claim to be serving in the ex servicemens cell of the ministry, obviously to look after the welfare of Indian ex servicemen as a whole.
.
I am unable to fathom, whether the language used by you is your own or a dictation of some advisory authority, who is totally opposed to the welfare of the defence services. If this is the type of thinking emanating from the ex servicemens welfare cell, then I suggest it should be wound up altogether, and accrued savings could well be more beneficially utilised for development of the Nation. Under these circumstances at least the ex servicemens hopes will not be belied, that their welfare is in safe hands. At best, the ex servicemen who have, served major portion of their life, fighting for the Nation, can start waging their lone and individual battles for their survival.
.
From your ex-pressions, it is quite clear that, just a call to the Ex-Servicemen for voting in favour of a particular Political Party, has been taken to heart, not realising the trend and overall scenario prevailing during all general elections in India. The effect of this call would have been minimal, since the party came back to power. In spite of this, the Government should not have, resorted to a vindictive attitude, by directing the Government machinery to act against the interests of Defence Veterans, and instead could have shown magnanimity and granted the wish, which the Congress spokesman Shri Manish Tiwari had advocated in Ludhiana on 14 March 2009, for one rank one pension scheme for the ex servicemen across the country.
.
An extract of the clipping of the news item is given below
Punjab Newsline
.
.
Tewari advocates one rank one pension for ex servicemen
.
Punjab Newsline Network
.
Saturday, 14 March 2009
.
LUDHIANA: The national spokesperson of the All India Congress Committee, Manish Tewari has advocated the one rank one pension scheme for the ex servicemen across the country.
.
In a statement issued here on Saturday, Tewari said, he and his party were working out a comprehensive package for the ex servicemen with one rank one pension as the main focus. He said, although the one rank one pension scheme had been implemented till 1986, it is being extended to include all the ex-servicemen.
.
Referring to some reports claiming that he was not in favour of one rank one pension, Tewari clarified that these were absolutely false and baseless. He asserted, the issue of my opposition to the one rank one pension does not arise as me and my party have always held the view that all the ex-servicemen should be governed by this policy.
.
Tewari promised that once the Congress government is formed at the centre after the general elections, implementation of one rank one pension scheme would be his top priority as he believed that this was quite a justified demand.
.
I hope the Congress Party will keep the promise made by its spokesman, Shri Manish Tiwari, during the elections in 2009. May be later if not sooner, but certainly, in a reasonable time frame.
.
Incidentally, none of the points referred in the letter, amount to instigating the Defence forces in any way. The huge shortages of officers in the Defence forces are universally known to every citizen of India. Also, a large manpower of the Defence forces, still comes from the court yards of Defence Veterans, and their pain and sufferings are not hidden from any one, including their wards and relations, serving in the forces. Would our honourable Ministers or the bureaucrats ever have the heart and courage to provide their wards to the Defence services?
.
The points raised regarding injustices to the Defence Veterans were valid more than 30 years back as also they are, in todays context. It is a pity that, the government, its ministers and functionaries, unfortunately only see the very limited arguments against the feasibility of OROP, but have always overlooked or ignored, the larger number of verdicts, arguments and recommendations in favour of the OROP, for a number of years. No doubt, the Defence Veterans have started feeling like orphans in view of the indifference and closed eyes attitude of their only saviours, that is the Government of India, towards their cause. Why talk about the conditions of soldiers 2000 years back because neither you know it nor any one else. But what Kautilya said is recorded in History.
.
Does it not show the narrow mindset of the government and its functionaries towards the gallant ex servicemen, even though, there have been references to OROP in Presidential address as well as Finance Ministers budget speech? It is difficult to comprehend the reasons for Government to have shown adamantine attitude towards their cause. To say, that you as an ex serviceman or a Veteran, also do not feel and see the pain and sufferings of the Defence Veterans, is unbelievable, unless your pockets are already too full.
.
Incidentally, owning a car by some luckier Ors does not give an indication of the prosperity of the Ex Servicemen. Why, should you not compare the state of the Defence services with their equivalent services, such as IAS or IPS or any others down the line, to know the differences in prosperity levels. Why the people sitting in the Ex Servicemens welfare cells, are not able to see the disadvantages, the Ex Servicemen face, by retiring many years earlier than their counterparts. Have the government and its functionaries including the bureaucrats, ever thought of compensating the Defence personnel, suitably for this major financial disadvantage, and to continue their struggle for survival even after they have hung their boots. OROP if agreed and granted would compensate them to a limited extent only.
.
The rank pay anomaly has deprived them of their legitimate and already earned dues since 1 January 1986. Is the governments stand justified in not paying these dues to them, and to approach the Apex Court against, its own verdict, delivered on 8 March 2010. In your view, should a government help its subjects in their welfare or create hurdles in giving them their already earned legitimate dues?
.
Dear Col Anand, I have very briefly narrated to you, only a few points pertaining to the sad plight of Defence Veterans. I would only request you now to examine the various aspects concerning the services in a bit more humane and realistic manner, and try to feel for them as a human being, knowing fully well the Defence Services ethos, and you would be able to understand that they have been deliberately deprived of their dignity, their honour and their respect besides their financial status, which was legitimately due to them since independence.
.
With regards,
.
Col LK Anand,
An aggrieved Defence Veteran
elkayanand@rediffmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment