Dear Veterans,
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My views and suggestions for the petition.
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At times it appears that the purpose of calling for PETITION FOR GRANT OF ONE RANK ONE PENSION TO THE ARMED FORCES PERSONNEL is a plan to hoodwink the defence veterans and close this matter once and for all, after getting divergent views on the subject. The reason is crystal clear that majority of Indian population is not only ignorant of the structure and the difficulties faced by the forces but also are unaware of the implications of OROP and may not respond in favour of the defence veterans for one reason or another.
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There would be every possibility that views from various sections of society would be forthcoming, who in all probability would try and block the One Rank One Pension to the defence veterans. Most educated people including rival government services, are as it is quite jealous of the defence forces and would not like to see any specific service, especially the defence services prospering on account of OROP. They are bound to overlook all the disadvantages which the defence services are forced to suffer during the service.
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This implies that we have to make our case very very strong and convincing. We must definitely appoint some high level legal and financial experts who can represent our case by covering all aspects and convert them into advantages for the defence forces. We should not just keep harping on our sacrifices or having truncated fundamental rights or duty bound round the clock and so on, but we have to represent our case by covering all the financial disadvantages faced by the defence forces at every step of their career. It is alright for everyone to forward his personal views in the form of petition to Shri Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Member Rajya Sabha, it may be better if a committee of some of our senior and bright officers is formed which in consultation with best legal and financial experts make out a strong and consolidated case compiling all the available justifications, in the time available, and hand it over to the Member Rajya Sabha, as per the Advertisement.
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I have given my own thoughts which I am forwarding herewith for consideration by the committee.
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Some of the aspects which must be covered and converted into adverse financial affect/disadvantages on the officers/JCOs/NCOs/ORs class.
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( a ) Highly restricted promotional prospects for all classes as compared to their counterparts in other services.
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( b ) Most often even above average officers/JCOs/NCOs/Ors are unable to be promoted due to non availability of vacancies, since nearly all promotions are vacancy based. Pitiably, a soldier/officer keeps working hard to harder to improve his career prospects, but very often he is unable to beat his other counterparts/colleagues in the race for promotion, and thus in spite of he being a high/above average officer/soldier misses the bus, just for the lack of sufficient vacancies in the pyramidical structure obtaining in the defence services. As a result he not only loses financially but also mentally and psychologically. Unfortunately, the irony is that, on supersession the soldiers/officers get only one more chance to be considered for future promotions which works in their favour very rarely, and his career gets totally sealed. Which is unlike in the civil and other government services.
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( d ) Very limited possibilities of his side stepping into other services or organisations. Unfortunately, the government has kept very limited provisions for side stepping of the officers/soldiers, and cases who are seen to be adjusted in alternate appointments are miniscule and this provision grants hardly any relief to officers/soldiers who become victims of supersession or even on superannuation, after which they still have six to eight years of effective ability and fitness for alternative service. This places immense financial burden on the officers/soldiers, whose proper house for resettlement may not have been available and the children may not have been fully educated and settled down in life to relieve him of this burden. Accordingly, unfortunate officers/soldiers may continue their struggle for survival for some more time in the dusk of his life.
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( e ) Prolonged periods of separation from the family during a service career of almost every soldier, which disrupts his personal attention to his family including wife and children. During such periods many mishaps occur, which often ruin the family life and happiness of soldiers and even officers. On reversion to peace areas very often the family accommodation is unavailable and by the time the soldier/officer just settle down they become due for the next move.
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( f ) Frequent moves from one station to another, which causes tremendous damages and losses to personal effects, luggage and stores, and disruption in family as well as normal life.
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( g ) Prolonged periods of stay in inhospitable areas such as thick jungles, mountains, snow, blizzards and avalanche prone areas as well being in frequent contact with enemy and terrorists which takes a heavy toll of the soldiers physically, psychologically and mentally causing various types of stresses and strains leading to serious ailments and diseases. Very often these areas lack local population any proper means of entertainment as a result of which the forces are compelled to live a life of monotony, in loneliness and isolation, the ill effects of such a situation are unimaginable unless experienced.
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( h ) Comparatively very early retirement for nearly all the men of the defence services, which places them at a great financial disadvantage in comparison with their counterparts in all the other government services. In spite of his having given the best part of his life in the service of the nation, his woes continue, because he comes on half his pay for the rest of his life, and abruptly loses all the other facilities which the government provides to its serving class, for no fault of his, but for the conditions of serviced imposed upon him, when all the other sister government services people continue enjoying the facilities for another eight to ten years, and remain eligible for increments, promotions as well as to enjoy the fresh fruits doled out by new pay commissions. The overall financial loss to officers/soldiers on this account can certainly not be overlooked under any circumstances, by any authority.
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( j ) In view of the stringent physical and medical requirements, they are compulsorily required to undergo medical examination/inspection every year, before their annual confidential reports, and periodic medical boards for higher promotions, which no other service is required to undergo. These medical examinations and boards often hang over all the defence persons like sword of Democlese, and give them sleepless nights during the impending period. Discovery of any serious disease or illness or disability, frequently forces the defence personnel, to be medically downgraded (during low medical categorisation the defence personnel are debarred from promotions) and subsequently even boarded out (removed) from the service. Such removal from service is usually with or without disability benefits, which of course are no compensation for a full pay service, with annual increments, till the age of superannuation, They are compelled to undergo these ordeals and lose these benefits for no fault of theirs’.
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( k ) The armed forces besides maintaining a youthful profile are required to keep physically fit in totality at least till the age of 45 years. During this period they are required to undergo various types of physical and battle efficiency tests, which are very stringent, and every soldier/ officer is required to pass them at least once in a year. Failing these, various restrictions, especially withholding of Annual leave, are imposed on them. They could even be debarred from promotions or compelled to undergo special medical boards to ascertain their fitness for further retention in service. In addition, defence personnel are required to undergo various promotion tests to make them eligible even for time scale promotions. In other words a soldier/officer has to prove himself in various ways for a continued and successful tenure in the defence services.
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It Would it be very essential for us to provide statistical information on the following items to convince the MP seeking petitions for the grant of OROP :-
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( a ) How much financially each JCO (Sub Maj to N/Sub) and Other Ranks (Hav to Sepoy) stand to loses for rendering lesser service ay from 38 years (at every interval of say 3 to 5 years) till the age of retirement of their civilian counterparts, who retire at 60 to 62 years.
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( b ) Similarly the comparative financial loss of Officers from say Majors to Lt Gens retiring from the age of 50 years to 62 years.
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( c ) The difference in pensions of all ranks ie from Sepoy to Lt Gen retired before 1.1.2006 and those retiring after.
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( d ) The arrears inclusive of all connected benefits (pre and post retirement) in respect of officers of all ranks covering the period from 1.1.1986 till say 1.1.2006.
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In my view the losses which the defence veterans have to undergo in view of various factors outlined above, can never be compensated even by the grant of OROP to them. So there should be no objection from the government, to grant OROP to defence veterans to compensate them for all the hardships gone through them during their highly truncated service career. .
There is no justification for any other service seeking OROP on any grounds and if they do, they must also surrender the facilities they are enjoying, to make them comparable in any and every way, with the Armed forces.
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I would request our committee formed at IESM Governing Body level to carefully study and consider these suggestions and incorporate them if considered suitable, along with many other suggestions on the subject, in the consolidated report being submitted to Member, Rajya Sabha.
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With best regards,
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Col LK Anand Retd
elkayanand@rediffmail.com
elkayanand@gmail.com
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