ESM Press Release 27 April 2008

A Special Memorial Service was held at the Chandigarh War Memorial in Sector-3 on Sunday 27 April 2008. The Service commenced at 1100 hours and was attended by a large number of Veteran Officers, Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO’s) and Other Ranks of the Army, Navy and Air Force. All veterans had displayed their medals on their chests and wore other military accoutrement's. They also wore black bands on their sleeves. Many spouses of the Veterans had also participated.

The entire event was conducted peacefully, with military precision and discipline. All present paid floral tributes to the martyrs and candles were also lit, as an act of homage. After paying their tributes, all veterans and their spouses assembled in front of the Memorial and a two minutes silence was observed by all. Thereafter, everyone dispersed.

The Special Memorial Service was organized by the veterans of Chandigarh and surrounding areas to reflect their disappointment and disillusionment with the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission, which were termed highly unfavourable by the Veterans.

This Press Note issued at the venue by the organizers of the Special Memorial Service lists the following demands:

One Rank One Pension
The long standing demand of “one-rank-one-pension” must be accepted immediately, as whenever pay and pension of Service personnel are enhanced, older pensioners are left out in the cold. Almost every political party has been including this issue of one-rank-one-pension in their election manifestos and then been ignoring it. This demand must be implemented by the government without any further delay.

Address All Anomalies
The Services headquarters have already addressed a detailed letter to the government, pointing out the discrepancies and anomalies in the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission. These relate to status, pay, allowances, military service pay and pensionary benefits. These must be rectified at the earliest.

Compensation for the War Disabled
The Sixth Central Pay Commission has recommended neither ex-gratia grants nor reasonably adequate increase in the War Injury Pay or addressed major issues highlighted to the Commission, both individually and by organizations dealing with the war disabled. Resultantly, the war disabled personnel would continue to live a life of misery and penury, neither respected nor assisted by society. Having sacrificed their limbs and organs for the Nation, they deserve a substantially better deal and not merely a doubling of their disability allowance after a lapse of 12 years.

The Way Forward
The widespread and strong resentment against the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission is a fact for all to see. The defence forces, as well as the Veterans have no confidence in the so-called Empowered Committee, even if an odd person from the military is added to it. The government must constitute either an Armed Forces Pay Review Board (AFPRB), with a serving member each from the three Services and one retired person among others, or form a Group of Ministers (GoM) to study all aspects de novo. The AFPRB or the GoM should complete their task expeditiously. Anything short will not satisfy the serving guardians of our nation, or the Veterans.

Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi (Retd)
Lt Gen Harwant Singh (Retd)