I am afraid you seem to have no knowledge at all of the feelings of neglect and hurt being felt by the Defence Services Veterans as a result of the step motherly treatment received by them consequent to the 6th Pay Commission, the unfulfilled promises made by the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister and the President during her address to the Parliament Regarding OROP.
The status of the Military, their pays and pensions have been continuously down graded/ reduced when ever the Congress Party has been in power. It has reached the lowest as a result of the 6th Pay Commission Report.
The present President of the Congress Party/ Chair person of UPA and the young budding leader have not said a word to assuage the feelings of hurt of the Veterans or listened to them with patience. They are too busy politicking and have no time even to meet the Defence veterans who have paid supreme sacrifices to defend the integrity of the Nation. Repeated requests for a meeting have borne no fruit. Isn't this a sad happening and attitude of disinterest and neglect of the Congress Leadership??
The UPA Government and its top political functionaries do not deserve any thanks from the Veterans. It is a Government run by the bureaucrats who have garnered the maximum pays, promotion prospects and thrown some crumbs to the Defence Services Veterans. The Political leadership has failed to give them appropriate directions. What has been doled out is inadequate and some of its provisions illogical and insufficient.
This has resulted in thousands of Veterans resorting to agitational approach, fasts and returning their service and gallantry medals to the Supreme Commander. THIS HAS HAPPENED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR COUNTRY, AND ALL DUE TO INTRANSIGENCE OF UPA GOVERNMENT AND ITS POLITICAL LEADERSHIP.
God save our country, where the Defence Veterans have to agitate to try and get their Pensions and the top political leadership does not even meet them!!! The UPA Government and its Chairperson and political leadership need to introspect. Their lack of empathy and interest for the Defence Personnel bodes ill for the security of the Nation.
The Defence Services Veterans are well versed in courtesies and will certainly thank the UPA or any other Government, as and when it is deserved.
Sincerely,
Harbhajan Singh
Lt Gen (Retd) Param Vashisht Seva Medal
Dear Praveen,
I fully understand and appreciate your institutional loyalties. While these certainly are concessions, but none of these is even remotely related to OROP. The report does not touch equating pre 1.1.2006 with post 1.1.2006 pensioners which is the essence of OROP.
While you may be perfectly justified in highlighting these as UPA concessions to the Ex Servicemen, grouping these under the heading of OROP unfortunately amounts to misleading the pensioners.
Best regards,
Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Chairman IESM
Letter from PraveenI am forwarding below an extract from the recommendation of the committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary in respect of OROP which have been approved recently by the UPA Government.
Extract
On the basis of MoD’s proposal and some initiatives of the Finance Ministry/Cabinet Secretariat the following have been approved by Government:
(i) Inclusion of classification allowance for PBORs from 1.1.06.
(ii) Removal of linkage of full pension with 33 years from 1.1.06
(iii) Revision of Lt. General Pension after carving out a separate pay scale for them.
[These proposals emanate from Sixth CPC’s Report and are to be implemented w.e.f. 1.1.06].
(iv) Bringing parity between pension of pre and post 10.10.97 PBOR pensioners
(v) Further improving PBOR pensions based on award of GoM, 2006.
[These are new concessions aimed at improving the pension of PBORs, hence the benefit would be given prospectively].
(vi) Broadbanding of percentage of disability/ war injury pension for pre-1.1.96 pensioners from a prospective date.
(vii) Removal of cap on war injury element of pension since the existing cap denies full benefit of war injury element. This shall be effected prospectively.
The UPA government deserves our grateful thanks for approving the recommendation on OROP. I shall be grateful if you could kindly give the above wide publicity and email this to all Ex-Servicemen in contact with you.
With regards.
Capt Praveen Davar (Retd)
Secretary, AICC
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