Ex-servicemen plan stir on ‘One rank one pension’

Saturday, Aug 29, 2009The Hindu: Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI: The Indian Ex-servicemen Movement on Friday threatened to re-launch their agitation by returning their medals protesting against the government’s recent decision on ‘One rank one pension” stating it did not meet the demand.

Addressing a press conference, the Movement president Lt. Gen (Retd) Raj Kadiyan and his deputy Major General (Retd) Satbir Singh said here that while announcing it, the government said that in order to improve the pension of retired Lt. Generals, it proposed that a separate pay scale may be created for the officers of the level and this would be extended to Additional Secretaries.

“What a clever way for a Committee tasked solely with looking into the issues of One Rank One Pension that pertains to Defence Forces and for which ex-servicemen have been struggling, to benefit their own class,” the Movement said in its release.

It said while less than one per cent of defence officers rose to the rank of Lt. Generals, more than 70 per cent bureaucrats become additional secretaries. Lt. Gen. Kadiyan said, unlike a bureaucrat who continued to serve till 60 years, in the services, the personnel retired as per their rank.

He said while the bulk of persons below the officers rank retired around 35 years, most officers retired around 54 years, when they became Colonels or equivalent ranks in the Navy and Air Force.

Since, the avenues of promotion were restricted, a Brigadier ranked officer retired around 56 years and so on. “There is no provision in the government to retain the retired personnel till 60.”

He said the demand was that equal pension benefits should be given to the retiring personnel based on the duration of their service irrespective of the time they retired.
Ex-servicemen plan stir on ‘One rank one pension’