IESM Presention to Petition Committee

Dear Colleagues,
The Rajya Sabha Petitions Committee on OROP is in session. We are scheduled to make a presentation in the next week. Sub Hari Singh and Capt Chander Singh continue their membership drive relentlessly, undaunted by the oppressive Hisar heat. Their enthusiasm is exemplary. A letter written to the Defence Minister today is reproduced below.
Best regards,
Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Chairman IESM

Terminology 13 May 2011
Dear Hon’ble Defence Minister,
I draw your kind attention to the need for using correct terminology in Government communications. In the military, the terms Officers, Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs) and Other Ranks (OR) have been historically used while referring to personnel of different ranks. The relevant point to be noted is that JCOs and NCOs are also officers though they may not hold the same level of commission as the Class 1 Commissioned Officers. It has been observed that for some time in the past a new term PBOR – Personnel Below Officer Rank – has been coined and is being used in official communication. The term ‘PBOR’ willy-nilly conveys an impression that personnel being alluded to are not officers. This does not fit facts as explained in the preceding paragraph. Use of term ‘PBOR’ arouses strong emotions of protest from the affected veterans. We had taken up the issue with the Army Headquarters and we were assured that the use of term ‘PBOR’ would discontinue. In a recent MoD letter dated 15 Feb 2011 concerning disability pension, the term ‘PBOR’ has again been used. It is requested that keeping in view the sensitivity of the environment and emotive angle involved, use of term ‘PBOR’ may kindly be eschewed in future.
With regards
Yours sincerely,
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan