SCPC: Fast for Justice

Dear Brothers,
As you already know that as part of ‘Pan India’ movement against great injustice and humiliation being heaped up on the Defence Services, by the 6th Pay Commission, a “FAST FOR JUSTICE” is being observed on 27 MAY 2008 between 10AM and 6PM at MAJOR S SHANKLA MEMORIAL, SECTOR- 2, PANCHKULA, by all our organisations.

Kindly be present to show our solidarity and observe the fast to press home the demands and inform all others to do the same.

Yours' Sincerely,
Brig Harwant Singh (Retd)
Organising Secretary

Demands and Core Issues of Two Million Ex- Servicemen

1. One-Rank-One-Pension (OROP)
The Sixth Pay Commission has summarily discarded what we had achieved after decades of struggle. We wish to re-iterate the point that the soldiers retire at a very early age and their case must be de-linked with their civilian counterparts who serve upto the age of sixty. This issue merits consideration by the Union Cabinet.

2. Resettlement of Ex- Servicemen
An overwhelming number of our veterans are jobless. Pension is their sole means of livelihood. With the passage of time their nutrition levels fall and that lowers their life expectancy. Without work, their lives lose meaning, and they are considered a burden by their kinsfolk. There is a crying need to introduce a “Transition Assistance Program” (TAP) on the lines of the practice followed in the USA.

3. Representation of Soldiers on Premier Committees
We are pained to learn that the government rejected the appeal of the Service Chiefs to appoint a soldier as a member of the Sixth Pay Commission. It gave us an impression that the country does not trust the soldiers. The committee appointed to ‘resolve’ the issues is also composed of officers from a single cadre of civil servants. We wish to state unequivocally that we have lost faith in the bureaucracy to do justice to our cause. The Defence Secretary has never worn uniform. How will he know where the shoe pinches?

4. Inequities in the Report of Sixth Pay Commission
The report is heavily biased against the soldier. It shows complete lack of knowledge of the working environment and the ethos of the Military. The Military Service pay (MSP) recommended for all ranks from Sepoy to the Subedar Major is Rs 1000 as against Rs 6000 granted to a greenhorn Lieutenant. How will the Commanding Officer be able to justify this? A similar aberration has been created in the salaries of the middle level officers, merely to keep them below the civil services.

5. Formation of A Commission for Defence Service.