OROP: ESM Unity is Paramount

Date: Sunday, 28 June, 2009, 10:02 PM
Gentlemen,
Lets not be too critical of each other. I was at the meeting at the IESL HQ a couple of weeks ago alongwith heads of a number of ESM organisations. Though I have been a member of IESL since my retirement in 1990, I regret to say that I have not been aware if this org did any work that was helping exservicemen. So much for its ability to communicate with its members.

I heard Lt Col Inderjit Singh also, who seemed to have done wonders by being Advisor to Mr P Mukherjee's GOM and also meeting the RM and of course Mrs Sonia Gandhi to help our cause. He also claimed that "all the benefits we have been getting since the Vth Pay Commission" were due to his sole effort. Fortunately, Brig Gulia cut short his bluster and the Colonel left.

Then it came to deciding the contents of the paper on OROP to be put up to the Committee under the Cabinet secretary. It was decided that Option 2 of the suggested pension scales put up by Rear Adm Ramsay, be submitted. This was despite Lt Gen Raj Kadyan's objection that we should not give any scales as the Goverment knows what the serving pers get on retirement. I however disagreed as I felt that it would be giving a handle to the Committee to fix the pensions as they felt like.

However, on getting back to Som Vihar I showed the recommended scales to Lt Gen S Mehrotra, who has a great head for figures, which I don't have. He was extremely unhappy and felt that the tables needed to be corrected. With the help of Gulia a meeting was arranged between Mehrotra and Ramsay. Gen Mehrotra presented the scales worked out by him over two nights which gave PBOR about Rs 4000 pm extra and similarly for everyone else. Ramsay was very receptive and took down all the figures. Mehrotra and I requested that the revised tables be sent to the Committee and the earlier ones withdrawn.

A couple of days ago Brig Gulia telephoned me and informed me about the meeting with the Cab Secs Committee which was attended by IESL, Air Mshl Chaturvedi of IAF Foundation and a rep from War Disabled Org. What surprised me was that IESM was not invited. Neither by the Govt or requested by IESL, to accompany their team. I wish we all were more big hearted and take help of all the ESM. I reiterate that no one is a repository of all the wisdom and help, where available, should be welcomed.

It has to be accepted by all it was the IESM which brought the problem of ESM pensions to the notice of the Govt, people and media as never done before by much older ESM orgs. (The bureaucrats are aware but do not want do anything). Be it due to the relay fast or the return of medals. Remember that the bureaucrats are nobody's friends and politicians only move when they are under threat, like the one UPA felt after the BJP promised us help.

Now let us plan what we have to do if the Government once again lets us down. I think we should get all ESM politicians of all parties together, with the help of Rajeev Chandershekhar, and have a meeting under the IESM, invite IESL and other orgs and chalk out a course of action. This is urgent. Let us forget our egos. We have to win this battle AND WE MUST UNITE.
Satish
Lt Gen SK Bahri (Retd)