OROP : OPEN LETTER TO THE FIFTH COLUMN POWER GRABBERS OF TROIKA OF DESH DROHIS

Anil Kaul

 Ghaziabad

 

 

This is an open letter written to what has emerged as a troika of axis powers inimical to the interests of the Armed Forces.
On the first point of the troika is the honourable finance minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley, who is ably supported in conveying various incorrect state of procedures and issues by the other two points of the troika - Mr. Rajat Sharma (from the electronic media) and the management of The Times of India (from the print media).

 I qualify my statement as given above with reference to a statement given by the Finance Minister with regard to OROP two days ago followed by two/three articles in The Times of India, one as late as this morning and the repeated viewing by the India TV channel of as supposed rift between the officers on one hand and JCOs and Other Ranks on the other hand.

 A few figures would be in order

 a) Total No. of Ex-servicemen: 26 Lakhs pan India
b) Total No. of widows: 6 Lakhs pan India

 Out of this, beneficiaries of OROP
i) JCOs/ ORs/ Widows: 86%
ii) Officers: 14%
iii) Total Payout:
Officers: 2200 Cr (Approx)
JCOs/ORs/Widows: 6200 Cr (Approx)

 Having said that, I think we would put to rest issues raised both by TOI and India TV as to who is going to benefit more.

 Now, let us point our finger at the fountainhead of all controversy, Mr. Arun Jaitley who has had the temerity of questioning the very definition of OROP as accepted by parliaments thrice over and pulled up by the Supreme Court of India.

It would be interesting to note that the Defence Ministry which is the nodal point for all matters relating to the Defence Forces has completed all the calculations and permutations to the last detail and submitted to the Finance Ministry as far back as 17th March this year. 

 It is, therefore, quite surprising that five months down the line, the finance ministry has not shown the ability to give the All Clear to the PMO for implementation. 

 What is further shocking is the kind of excuses and issues being brought up from time to time to somehow derail any modicum of talk or understanding between stakeholders that could have resulted in a resolution by now. 

 I would hasten to add that this particular part of my letter has been prepared by one of the most learned senior officers of the Indian Air Force who is an authority on OROP.

 

 It is reliably learnt that a certain meeting taken by the Defence Minister where representatives of Service HQ as well as members of the governing/executive committee of ESM organizations were present, the following was made clear and obvious and approved by the Defence Minister: -

 1. There isn’t an annual increment of pension because increment is for every additional year of service rendered to the Nation either as Services personnel or as a civilian Govt employee.

 Elucidation A: - Increments are paid for every subsequent year in service i.e pay of a serving personnel A with 25 years’ service will be 3% lesser than the pay of a serving personnel B with 26 years of service.

 Elucidation B: - Pension is paid on the basis of the last pay drawn for the number of years of service rendered. In the above example, A will get a pension for 25 years of service and B will get a pension for 26 years of service. An increment will mean that A will get the pension of B, who has rendered 26 years of service and pension of B will have to be incremented and become pension for 27 years of service.

 The Origin of the 3% annual increment in pensions

 2. However from a summary of the minutes of the first meeting it is well worth noting that it appears that the seeds of the mischief of an increment were sown in the incorrect recording of minutes of this meeting compiled by O/o CGDA in the following manner: -

 2.1 At Para 4 (c) of the minutes, O/o CGDA recorded the minutes as follows: -

 As future enhancements have to be automatically passed on to the pensioners,Services proposal for incremental increase in pension on 1st July every year shall be considered.

 2.2. The mischief that is now being projected in the media and misquotes by some leaders of ESM was corrected by Rear Admiral P Joshi, Chairman PARC & Naval Pay Commission Cell when he deleted the above and inserted and initialed in the margin in his own handwriting before he signed the minutes of the JWG: -

 As future enhancements have to be automatically passed on to the pensioners, Service proposal for annual revision of OROP tables should be considered.

 3. There would be an annual review in OROP. This is to remove the following anomalies: -

 3.1. If C retires in a certain rank with 20 years service on 30 June of that year will draw less than D who retires with 20 years of service on 31st July of the same year because D gets the benefit of 3% increment on 1st July.

 3.2. Bunching effect of 4 years in 4th CPC, 3 years in 5th CPC and 2 years in 6th CPC

 3.3. Implementation of AVSC Phase I w.e.f 16th December 2004. It has resulted in officers being promoted to say Select rank of Lt Col in the 18th but those after 16thDecember 2004 being promoted in the 14th year.


 4. Perusal of the modified/enhanced parity tables indicate a pension of Rs 7065 for a Sepoy in the 20 to 27 years service bracket and become Rs 7175 if the Sepoy served 27.5 years or more. Similar cap will occur for all personnel within a time frame of 5 years. Therefore, alarm bells rung by vitiated persons are based on lack of information or mala-fide misunderstanding the issue of OROP

 

 5. It has been calculated and re validated with data for the period of 5 years and the financial effect is estimated to be 0.85% or Rs 185 crore.

 6. The first annual review was scheduled to take place on 1st Jul 2015 and the next annual review would take place on 1st January 2016, when the recommendations of the 7th CPC kick in. Thereafter all annual reviews would be effective from 1st January of that year.

 7. It is understood that the 7th CPC is very clear about the differences between Civilian pension and Military pension. Due to the Civilian Govt employees serving till the age of 60 years, it has been termed mature pension. Because Services personnel retire at younger ages, Military pension has been termed “aborted” pension, deserving a different method of being dealt with.
 

 8. It is also understood that the ESM present at the meeting (Lt Gen Balbir Singh, Maj Gen Satbir Singh, Brig Katara, Gp Capt Gandhi etc) had vouched for the DGL prepared for OROP and the arguments in favour of matters cited in above paragraphs.

 9. I reproduce gist of the Resolution 1/I/S/2008 which approved the recommendations of the 6th CPC with certain modifications: -

 9.1. Para 1, Note 1: The edge presently accorded to Indian Administrative Service and Indian Foreign Service at three grades STS, JAG and SG will continue in the form of two additional increments @ 3% each will be adjusted in the pay band(emphasis supplied).

 

 Interpretation: The 3% increments are for IAS & Indian Foreign Service for the 3 grades and it will be absorbed in the Pay Bands of the 6th CPC. There isn’t anything for Armed Forces like the Lt Gen (retd) believes.

 

 9.2. Annex I (VII) – Annual increment states 3% across the board except for high performers who will get 4% increments in certain grades.

 

 9.3. SAI (and SNI/SAFI) No. 1 and 2/S/2008 also do not (Repeat) do not contain anymention of two increments of 3%.

 10. Therefore, the 3% annual increase quoted is nothing but a red herring. Is that why we have ESM on fast unto death believing that 3% increment has to be part of OROP?
 

 Now some data

 11. Up to the rank of Major (and equivalents) who are in service will have lower pay in Apr 2014 than say Apr 2007 effect of AVSC which was effective from 16 Dec 2004 .

 

 12. Similarly, in higher ranks there is no guarantee that a Col with 28 years service in Apr 2014 will draw a lower pay and pension than a Col in the 28th year completed in Apr 2015 or Apr 2016, simply due to the fact of higher fixation to 2014 retiree in January 2006. In fact most cells in the DGL tables will not change every year.


13. Conclusion:
The above tables clearly show that in steady state, pension will not be revised every year.

 

 Majors/Lt Colonels/Colonels promoted earlier will draw the same pay and pension as the one promoted after him.

 Once pension is reset on 1.4.2014 thereafter no change will take place except on the implementation of the recommendations of the 7th CPC.

 For ORs and JCOs (retd) readers – tables are being prepared and will be posted ASAP. Please understand that there are factors such as Group X, Y and the erstwhile Z as well as maximum benefit etc and many JCOs having reached the top of the table on 17 Jan 2013.

 

 14. I hope clear the air and reduce the fog of mistrust and, consequent but inadvertent misinformation & misunderstanding of the red herring of 3% (annual) increment in pensions.

 

 Having belied the much touted assertions of past pay-outs, I now come to the second part which relates to the Officers-JCOs-ORs relationship. 

 The Indian Armed Forces have a rock-steady relationship among the various ranks, differences of opinions notwithstanding. A platoon is led by one officer and has 35 JOCOs/ORs. Similarly, a company has a ratio of 2:118 and a Regt/Battalion 25:1000. For the uninitiated, it is these entities who, working cohesively, achieve the results that this nation demands of them.

The Chetwoodian motto is followed in letter and spirit even after retirement. 

 Therefore, OROP, as explained above is mainly correcting a portion of the perceived wrong done to all our men in the last 67 years. It may be noted by all readers that baring a motley crowd of 12 JCO/OR, sitting on a platform separately from that of the UFESM, does not constitute a rift in such a strong bond. As you may not have noticed, Mr. Rajat Sharma and the management of TOI, the OROP agitation is running across 60-70 cities pan India with a happy mix of Officers, JCOs and Other Ranks affiliated to UFESM. 

 I hope this clears the air and you will stop issuing Press Releases and statements that cause harm to those who have made it their business to prevent you from coming to any harm.
Your initial ignorance of the agitation was better than this half-baked information being put out.

 Col. Anil Kaul, VrC
Media Advisor
UFESM

 

OROP : CLICK , OPEN , SIGN & FORWARD

 Change.org ·

CLICK PLEASE  DOWN

Important - Calling Off the Babus' Bluff

 

Let us clear the public perception, as also aid the “Decision Making”. Babus project the “Defence Pension Budget” as one figure which sounds fairly large. A major argument against OROP is that this would increase exponentially. The fact is 45%...

change.org

OROP : LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT & SUPREME COMMANDER OF ARMED FORCES OF INDIA

         OROP : LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT
                                       &
              SUPREME COMMANDER
                                      OF
                  ARMED FORCES OF INDIA


                          Most Immediate


Resposibility of life of an Ex Servicemen  on Fast Unto Death


From
Aggrieved ESM of India.



To,

His Excellency The  President of India

Subject :Danger of Life of  Ex Servicemen  on   Indefinite fast/Relay Hunger Strike


Your Excellency


We are the veterans of tri services of India and your Excellency is our supreme commander.  We the Ex Servicemen (ESM) are sitting on agitation Relay Hunger Strike (RHS) since 15th jun 2015 at Jantar Mantar  for One Rank One Pension (OROP ) and today is 76th day of Relay Hunger Strike.


Fast Unto Death- We were expecting that Government of India will announce OROP immediately after we started RHS. That did not happen. Then we expected that the Government of  India will announce OROP on 15th of Aug but we were disappointed again. Prime Minister did not declare implementation of  OROP and hence under protest Two ESMs  sat on FUD on 16thAug 2015. A soldier is supposed to kill enemy before laying down his life for country. But under your rule a soldier’s life is at stake and is being  wasted as he is being deprived for his legitimate dues.


One ESM Col Pushpender Singh is on Fast Unto Death. He  was hospitalized because his medical condition was deteriorated  after 9th day of Fast Unto Death. He was replaced by two more Ex Servicemen and every day more Ex Servicemen are joining FUD voluntarily even after repeated request by the organizers not to go on FUD . As on today 10 Ex Servicemen are observing FUD.


Hav Major Singh who Started FUD on 16th Aug 2015 is on 14th day of FUD. Panel of Doctors have declared that his medical condition is deteriorated  to dangerous level and he need s to be hospitalized immediately to save his life. Hav Major Singh has refused to be evacuated to the hospital and he is steadfast in his resolve that he will not take any medical treatment till OROP is implemented as per the approved definition.


Your Excellency and the GOI will be solely responsible if any damage / mishap happens to Hav Major Singh or any other ESM because of hunger strike. Your excellency  you are requested to kindly  instruct the GOI to implement  OROP as per the MOD GOI letter Dated 26th Feb 2014. It is pertinent to mention that there are some issues where financial cost can not be the sole determinant factor. Thee pensions of defense veterans is one of these. 



 OROP stands approved both by the UPA as well as the present NDA govt . However, its implementation has not been carried out so far for the reason best known to your govt. In our meetings with DM. We had been informed that the proposal for implementation of OROP costing Rs8298.48 Crs had been
approved by the DM and forwarded to the Ministry of Finance on 17th mar 2015. It is here, where OROP file seems to have been stuck. 

May we request you to kindly instruct your Government of India to immediately implement OROP without any dilution whatsoever 


“Jis desh ke Sainik Sadko par us Desh ka Durbhagya Hai”

Aggrieved ESM of India.

Lt Col Inderjeet Singh                        
Lt Gen Balbir Singh                
Maj Gen Satbir Singh























 

OROP : The OROP Betrayal and its Consequences- ‘Start-up OROP; Stand Up Veterans’.

SOURCE;
http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/edit/the-orop-betrayal-and-its-consequences.html




              ‘Start-up OROP; Stand Up Veterans’


     The OROP Betrayal and its Consequences


The executive’s continued delay in implementing one-rank-one-pension shows a victory for the bureaucracy.The Prime Minister must personally intervene, else there will be an unprecedented crisis in civil-military ties




A very agitated Colonel Sheel Puri, a veteran of many wars and Vir Chakra winner, called from Kolkata on Saturday to say he watched on TV the insensitive manhandling by the police of an 83-year old ex-Serviceman protesting at the Jantar Mantar over one-rank-one-pension. His shirt torn and medals asunder, the person in question was a war veteran. The police action was horribly wrong — inflicting an indignity on the patriotic Armed Forces just when all eyes and ears were focused on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort.


He was widely expected to announce the implementation of the OROP, which he had promised at least thrice earlier, including once after becoming Prime Minister. In a surprising U-turn — one more to the 56 turnabouts since he came to power — he said, “Even after I came into Government, I have not been able to do OROP till now. I am assuring my soldiers once again, in principle OROP has been accepted. But talks with stakeholders are on”.


The ‘talks’ bit is new. It represents a victory for the babudom in stalling the OROP, shows how lightly the Government takes the veterans, and what little work was done by past Governments on OROP over the last 20 years and this Government for 17 months. The capture of the vote-bank was more important than delivering on promises.


Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has no face to show as he has periodically given new dates for implementation of the OROP. His latest is ‘four more days’. Similarly, other Ministers are not embarrassed revising dates. A former Army Chief, Gen VK Singh, who ran rings around the previous Government regarding his age issue, is silent as a Minister on an issue that concerns the larger veterans’ community. (Remember ‘duty’ and ‘disgust’?) So is another Minister, Col Rajyavardhan Rathore.


India has 2,25,000 military pensioners/veterans with around 6,00,000 widows who draw lifetime pensions. With a family of four persons, approximately 10 million pensioners constitute the vote-bank and will benefit from the OROP. Ex-Servicemen are questioning the delay in implementing of OROP which was accepted in principle 17 months ago and are blaming it on the ‘bad intention’ of the bureaucracy. Once again, the bureaucracy has triumphed in blocking the legitimate rights of veterans invoking the principle of national good.
The Armed Forces have suffered, since independence, at the hands of a bureaucracy, that has usurped civilian control of the military from politicians — the hallmark of plural democracy. This frees politicians for the one job they do best: Canvas for votes on notional promises. Bureaucracy has systematically undermined the interests of the Armed Forces from progressive dimunition of status to short-changing them on their perks and privileges.


Though some of the blame for the dilution in authority and standing has to be taken by the military for letting itself be divided and ruled. Lured by jobs as Ambassadors, Governors and members of Army tribunals, service chiefs and top military commanders have allowed the OROP to drift. After all, today’s soldier is tomorrow’s veteran — 50,000 soldiers join the veterans’ rank every year.


Four Service chiefs wrote an open letter to the President of India, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, to intervene and end the Government’s consistent ignoring and humiliation of veterans. Many old soldiers believe that the Government does not take peaceful protests and veterans seriously. “They are a spent force” is the view of some babus.
Many soldiers and veterans who voted for the BJP are severely disillusioned with it for positioning itself as a nationalist, pro-fauji and strong on defence-and-security-policy party, primarily to win votes. “Look at the U-turn it has made on Pakistan after promising a no-nonsense robust and muscular response to Pakistan’s duplicity” is a common refrain. It is dangerous to play with the sentiments of the veterans as the OROP has become a metaphor for the respect and dignity with which the Government and country hold them.


Dismayed by police action roughing up veterans to evict them from Jantar Mantar as they would constitute a security threat, another 10 former Service chiefs wrote to the Prime Minister condemning police action and expressing regret over the inability of the political leadership to resolve the issue. Many of them have appeared on television to register their disappointment over the unnecessary delay in implementation and its impact on the morale of soldiers.


Someone ill-advised the Finance Ministry, which is doing the arithmetic of OROP monies, that time is on its side, as the protests will dissipate.


Rather late in the day, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that several interpretations of the “principle” were holding up its arithmetical translation.

To reduce the financial burden, the Government is considering a new base year of 2011 instead of 2014 agreed earlier. The figures being bandied vary from the original Rs8,300 crore to Rs13,000 crore enhancing the annual pension bill of Rs55,000 crore. The Government chose former Army Chief, Gen VP Malik, as a mediator to break the impasse over the base year. Unable to bridge the gap, Gen Malik quit. What separates the two sides is just Rs5,000 crore.


Rumours are flying thick and fast. Unable and unwilling to resolve the tangle, the Government may hand over the OROP issue to the Seventh Pay Commission. Another reason for the delay is locking the OROP in a statutory framework. Veterans though have dug in with the intent to progressively intensify protests.

 They are clear on two issues — no tampering with the definition of OROP accepted by Parliament in 2011; parity in pension for those retiring in the same rank and duration of service, irrespective of the time of retirement; and the date of implementation from April 1 2014.

Government giving a timeframe for OROP implementation will break the stalemate.


The Armed Forces are a stand-alone institution incomparable with any civilian service and Central armed police forces. The bogey that ‘others’ will demand an OROP is being spread by the babus. The veterans’ movement has been sanctified by 14 former Service chiefs, which is unprecedented. Undoing the injustice of the last 50 years to veterans is the key.


Mr Modi’s personal credibility is at stake.


 Civil-military relations have reached a breaking point.

Only his direct engagement with the aggrieved will avert an unprecedented crisis. Apology for police action will be gracious. Re-phrasing his Independence Day slogan is in order: ‘Start-up OROP; stand up veterans’.



‘Start-up OROP; stand up veterans’.










 

OROP :No OROP, No retreat: Veterans Vow They Won't Back Down Until Modi Sarkar Relents

SOURCE:http://www.firstpost.com/india/no-orop-no-retreat-veterans-say-they-wont-back-down-until-modi-sarkar-relents-2397218.html












No OROP, No retreat: Veterans Vow They Won't Back Down Until Modi Sarkar Relents

     (BELATED STORY FOR RECORDS)


New Delhi: Upset over the Prime Minister not announcing a date for the implementation of the One Rank One Pension scheme, two war veterans who were on a relay hunger strike for the past 64 days are now on an indefinite fast unto death and say they won't relent until the government gives in to their demands.


“My entire family is standing with me. I am blessed to have their support. Even my granddaughter rang me up from United States yesterday and told me, ‘Nana (maternal grandfather)...we saw you on TV and we are proud of you.’” Colonel (retired) Pushpender Singh told Firstpost.



The veteran was commissioned into 3 Grenadiers and served in Sikkim along the China border, at the peak of terrorist activity in Punjab and then the international border in Jammu and Kashmir. Singh, who retired in October 1998, spent a major portion of his career in the army with the intelligence unit, which he said was tougher than fighting along the border.


“Our protest is not about money. It is the fight for our dignity. Look at the way the government is treating us. On 14 August, Delhi Police officials tried to evict us without serving any prior notice as if we, who always stood firm against enemies, are a security threat. It is really unfortunate for the nation that its veterans are forced to stage hunger strike to make the deaf hear,” he added.


Singh hails from Rohtak in Haryana and presently lives in Greater Noida. He receives a pension of Rs 55,000, which will go up to around Rs 65,000 once OROP is implemented. The former colonel wasn’t very receptive to the request made by former Chief of Army Staff General VP Malik, who has been appointed as a mediator on the issue, to call off the fast onto death.


“I am sorry, I cannot call off the strike until we get OROP as per its definition. Sacrificing for the nation is our duty, but at the same time having access to social justice is our constitutional right. Our fight is for 25 lakh ex-servicemen, 6.45 lakh widows of war heroes and 15 lakh serving servicemen. The government should immediately implement OROP. We want to tell Mr Prime Minister,
 ‘Enough of the promises, implement it now’,”

Singh said.




Havaldar Major Singh, the second veteran on hunger strike is a resident of Jalandhar in Punjab and  joined the army as a jawan in December 1975. After serving in various border areas, he retired as havaldar from 3 Sikh Light Infantry  in September 1991.


“OROP is our right and we will take it at any cost. I will not relent until the government implements it. I will sacrifice my life to wake the government up. Except my mother, my death will not affect my family as I am unmarried. She will cry a bit but this life will cost the government dearer,” he said.


“I joined the Indian Army when I was in class 8 at the age of 16,” the veteran said. “I was so inspired by my uncle who was a serving officer in the Army that I ran away from home and went to Meerut to join armed forces. I used to carry food for soldiers at the border.”


Veterans who are part of the protest in Delhi are particularly incensed by the government’s delay in implementing the scheme.

“The advisors of the prime minister who have made up their mind that they won’t let it happen and the words of a former defence secretary that ‘OROP over my dead body’ cement our allegation. But we also want to state our resolve that we will take it at any cost. We are soldiers and we know how to deal with our enemies,” Wing Commander (retired) CK Sharma, who is the treasurer of Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM), said.


 IESM is spearheading the agitation by the former defence personnel.


“OROP is not pay, it is rightful compensation for services already rendered,” he told Firstpost.

Other veterans who have come to Jantar Mantar to express their solidarity with the fasting ex-servicemen questioned whether the government wanted the armed forces to “maintain an edge” to make the nation strong.

“The Third Pay Commission changed and brought military salaries in line with civil services. It set us down the road to the current fight over OROP.

The biggest argument against OROP (the notion that every pension eligible soldier who retires in a particular rank should get the same pension irrespective of when he retires) is:
 What happens if other uniformed services like BSF, CRPF, SSB and so on also demand the same right?”

Wing Commander (retired) KS Parihar said. “This is a facile question because unlike bureaucrats and paramilitary forces who all serve till 60 years of age, most military soldiers retire at the age of 35-37, while officers below brigadier or equivalent do so at 54. The nation retires soldiers early to keep the Army young and fit. They must be compensated adequately,” he said.Parihar, a Shaurya Chakra awardee, said the Sixth Pay Commission has granted civil bureaucrats a sort of OROP by “backdoor” under a “non-functional upgrade (NFU)”.


“This is a sort of pay promotion allowing officers of All-India Group ‘A’ services to draw higher pay than their rank under certain conditions. Almost all civil servants benefit from this, while defence services officers do not,” he said.

According to him, serious disparities seem to have crept into other field allowances as well. For example, Army special forces soldiers get an extra amount to the tune of Rs 8,00 to Rs 1,200 per month as allowance, while Cobra comandoes of the paramilitary forces earn an extra Rs 7,200-11,000 per month.


“Compared to the bureaucracy, police and paramilitary forces, defence forces keep their career pyramid much steeper to ensure professional standards. Only 0.8% defence officers make it to the rank of major general after 28 years of service compared to a much higher rate of civil servants who are eligible to become joint secretaries (an equivalent rank) at 19 years of service,” he explained.

Parihar claimed other democracies keep their soldiers “better”.


“In salaries and special allowances, US soldiers have a 15-20 percent edge over other government employees, British 10 percent, Japanese 12-29 percent and French soldiers 15 percent. In pensions, while Indian soldiers get 50 percent of their last pay drawn, American soldiers get 50-75 percent, Australian 76.5 percent, Japanese 70 percent and French soldiers 75 percent. The United Kingdom has embraced OROP. Our two biggest strategic challenges – Pakistan and China – have always given priveleges to their military,” he said.


Major General Satbir Singh (retired), who is spearheading the IESM campaign, says the government does not want to adhere to the OROP definition, which was given by a Committee of Secretaries headed by the Cabinet Secretary and accepted by two successive governments and the Supreme Court, so that its implementation can be avoided on technical grounds.

“The Modi government has sanctioned money for OROP but it does not want to give it. Mind you, sanctioning and releasing the amount are two different things,” he alleged.

Asked about the technical problem behind the non-implementation, he said,
 “The only problem is the intention. If the prime minister, who is the executive head of the country, really wants, who has the courage to deny his order?”


“I am sure the government will implement it just before assembly elections in Bihar to gather political mileage. I warn the NDA government at the Centre that we will campaign against it and make it bite the dust in the upcoming polls in Bihar if it fails to implement OROP without waiting,” the veteran said.























 

OROP : AN UPDATE ON OROP : The प्रिन्सिपलेड position of Govt on orop. ......

The  प्रिन्सिपलेड   position of Govt on orop. ......

            
                                      अंग्रेजी  का सिक्सर  पर सिक्सर   

                        प्रिंसिपल के उप्पर प्रिंसिपल                       

The principle which implements OROP we are committed to it but it has to be based on some principles," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.
 

The principle which implements OROP we are

Committed to it but it has to be based on some

principles," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said. (PTI)

The  प्रिन्सिपलेड   position of Govt on orop. ......

An update on OROP.

Must read for all those concerned about this national issue.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/pro-bjp-think-tank-vivekananda-international-foundation-skewers-government-on-one-rank-one-pension/articleshow/48535125.cms

Pro-BJP think tank Vivekananda International Foundation skewers government on ‘One Rank One Pension’ 

Manu Pubby

19 August 2015

New Delhi

In a potentially embarrassing situation for the government, the director and three top military board members of Bharatiya Janata Party-leaning think tank Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) have come out strongly against the government for dragging its feet on 'One Rank One Pension'.

Leading the charge is former Army chief NC Vij, who took over as VIF director after Ajit Doval assumed charge as the national security adviser.

Gen Vij is one of the signatories to the strongly worded letter by ex-Army chiefs to the PM earlier this week. "It (OROP) was accepted by the United Progressive Alliance and the present government has also promised it," he told ET.

"The PM himself has announced it (OROP) four times, starting at Rewari (before 2014 general elections) and just now on Independence Day. Wish he had stated a timeline when it would be implemented," Gen Vij told ET.

VIF, it may be noted, has considerable clout within the government. Both NSA Ajit Doval and Principal Secretary to PM Nripendra Misra were associated with the think tank before taking up their current assignments.

The foundation was the hub of BJP-backed anti-corruption movement against the UPA government, and helped provide a platform to stitch up an alliance with Baba Ramdev.

Several VIF members now hold important positions in the government, including former Defence Research & Development Organisation chief VK Saraswat, who is now a Niti Aayog member, and Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash.

Former Air chief S Krishnaswamy, who is on the powerful advisory board of the think tank, has not signed the letter but voiced concern on the situation going out of hand.

He urged the government to at least establish a channel of communication with the protesting veterans. "The PM is meeting everyone. So why not meet the veterans? The decision maker needs to communicate and tell them what is being planned," he told ET.

Among other prominent members of the VIF advisory board who have written to the prime minister on the matter are former Army chiefs Shankar Roychowdhury and VN Sharma.

UNPRECEDENTED EVENTS

Gen Vij, who retired from service in 2005, said the events of August 14 — a clash between policemen and veterans — were unprecedented and have hurt the dignity of the soldier. Most ex-servicemen have relatives who are serving in the armed forces, he said. "They are naturally affected by all this. In today's environment, everyone is watching, including the serving soldier."

Krishnaswamy recalled the Air Force crisis of 1997, when protests on pay parity spilled on to the streets, with officers holding protest marches against higher salaries for fighter pilots. "It (1997) was a very serious situation. The opponents of our country were thrilled to see the morale of the services going down," he said.

On Tuesday, a day after 10 former chiefs wrote a letter of protest to the PM, a reachout came from the PMO with Principal Secretary Nripendra Misra meeting a delegation of ex-servicemen.

Though there was headway at the talks, a decision was taken to continue the process and more meetings could take place, said sources.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh directed Delhi Police to apologise on Tuesday for roughing up veterans at the OROP protest venue on August 14. Singh directed the city police commissioner to reach out to the agitators and depute a senior official to issue an apology. As a result, Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) MK Meena met the veterans and apologised .

At Jantar Mantar, where a protest has been on for over two months, three veterans are now on fast unto death demanding implementation of OROP. Officials of the United Front of Ex-Servicemen said efforts were on to dissuade them amid signs of a government reachout.

With its back against the wall, the government is relying heavily on established institutional channels through Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh to work a way out of the logjam. In fact, the Army chief was the one who arranged the meeting between the veterans and Misra, sources said.

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RELATED PLEASE :

No OROP, no retreat: Veterans vow they won't back down until Modi sarkar relents

Tarique Anwar

19 August 2015

Upset over the Prime Minister not announcing a date for the implementation of the One Rank One Pension scheme, two war veterans who were on a relay hunger strike for the past 64 days are now on an indefinite fast unto death and say they won't relent until the government gives in to their demands.

“My entire family is standing with me. I am blessed to have their support. Even my granddaughter rang me up from United States yesterday and told me, ‘Nana (maternal grandfather)...we saw you on TV and we are proud of you.’” Colonel (retired) Pushpender Singh told Firstpost.

http://www.firstpost.com/india/no-orop-no-retreat-veterans-say-they-wont-back-down-until-modi-sarkar-relents-2397218.html

 

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The OROP betrayal and its consequences

Maj. Gen. Ashok Mehta (retd)

19 August 2015

In a surprising U-turn — one more to the 56 turnabouts since he came to power — he said, “Even after I came into Government, I have not been able to do OROP till now. I am assuring my soldiers once again, in principle OROP has been accepted. But talks with stakeholders are on”.

The ‘talks’ bit is new.

It represents a victory for the babudom in stalling the OROP, shows how lightly the Government takes the veterans, and what little work was done by past Governments on OROP over the last 20 years and this Government for 17 months.

The capture of the vote-bank was more important than delivering on promises.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has no face to show as he has periodically given new dates for implementation of the OROP. His latest is ‘four more days’.

Similarly, other Ministers are not embarrassed revising dates.

A former Army Chief, Gen VK Singh, who ran rings around the previous Government regarding his age issue, is silent as a Minister on an issue that concerns the larger veterans’ community.

(Remember ‘duty’ and ‘disgust’?)

So is another Minister, Col Rajyavardhan Rathore.

[ COMMENT : History tells us that Bharat suffered because of

" JAICHANDS " !!! ]

The Armed Forces have suffered, since independence, at the hands of a bureaucracy, that has usurped civilian control of the military from politicians — the hallmark of plural democracy.

This frees politicians for the one job they do best: Canvas for votes on notional promises.

Bureaucracy has systematically undermined the interests of the Armed Forces from progressive dimunition of status to short-changing them on their perks and privileges.

Though some of the blame for the dilution in authority and standing has to be taken by the military for letting itself be divided and ruled. Lured by jobs as Ambassadors, Governors and members of Army tribunals, service chiefs and top military commanders have allowed the OROP to drift.

After all, today’s soldier is tomorrow’s veteran — 50,000 soldiers join the veterans’ rank every year.

The Armed Forces are a stand-alone institution incomparable with any civilian service and Central armed police forces. The bogey that ‘others’ will demand an OROP is being spread by the babus.

The veterans’ movement has been sanctified by 14 former Service chiefs, which is unprecedented.

Undoing the injustice of the last 50 years to veterans is the key.

Mr Modi’s personal credibility is at stake. Civil-military relations have reached a breaking point. Only his direct engagement with the aggrieved will avert an unprecedented crisis.

Apology for police action will be gracious.

Re-phrasing his Independence Day slogan is in order: ‘Start-up OROP; stand up veterans’.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/edit/the-orop-betrayal-and-its-consequences.html

 

OROP : WARNING VETERANS ARE DEALING WITH PROFESSIONAL NEGOTIATORS ON OROP. ONLY HARD STAND WILL WORK

OROP :  WARNING  VETERANS ARE DEALING WITH PROFESSIONAL NEGOTIATORS ON OROP. ONLY HARD STAND WILL WORK 'NO NEGOTIATIONS PLEASE.  GIVE or F**K  OFF'

                                                  - Vasundhra





Dear Colleagues,

An artful negotiator always deliberately mixes  unimportant issues with important ones in the agenda. He then uses the former as a bargaining chip while his focus stays fixed on the crunch point. The ongoing OROP parleys follow the same pattern.

 

 

 While the date of applicability and the base year involve one-time payments and are relatively less critical,

 

 the main  issue of principle is the yearly increase in pension. 

In the simplest terms, the accepted definition implies, 'old and new pensions must be equated and must be kept equated in future'. These two postulates comprise the basic principle. The term 'yearly', as it pertains to pension revision, is not our creation.

 

It was the Sixth Pay Commission that ordered salary increase of 3% every year.  

 

This being the crunch of the definition cannot be negotiable.

 

 

Any change in this postulate would mean whatever is given is not OROP but a mere enhancement in pension similar to what the UPA government also gave in their tenure. Any talk of changing this frequency to three or two years, even on the facile pretext of 'as long as a senior does not get lower pension than a junior', should be anathema.

That aberration occurred only in case of Major Generals and was related to rank pay. It has no connection to OROP. 

 

The only concession that can be made is to give the government some more time if they want, even though they have already had enough time to work on OROP. Even this time period should be spelt out in specific terms. OROP has been in progress for many decades and  another few days or weeks may not matter. Delay can be acceptable, dilution of definition must not be.

  

It needs recalling that OROP was a dormant issue till the IESM was founded in 2008. It took the IESM six years of struggle, including hunger strike, medal return, police detention, rallies, memoranda, presentations etc, to get it finally approved by the government. It was also not an easy task to get the final definition accepted and inserted in the Koshyari committee report. Thousands of veterans spread across the country, who have contributed to those efforts, and who are neither on the net nor on the social media, have their aspirations tied to OROP and are eagerly expecting the outcome. It is imperative that they do not feel betrayed.

It would be advisable to involve some JCOs/Other Ranks in the negotiating team.  Asking for raise of hands at Jantar Mantar retrospectively and conveying it as a unanimous decision of veterans should be an avoidable illusion.

I feel sad that at this critical time I cannot be in Delhi. My elder brother, Colonel Mohinder Kadyan KC, has undergone surgery to have a duodenum tumour  removed and I am with him in the US.

Lt Gen Raj Kadyan

Chairman IESM

 Advisor UFESM