India may have 4000 'fake' pilots
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: March 14, 2011 00:23 IST
New Delhi: Just a few days after Parminder Kaur Gulati, a suspended pilot of Indigo airline, was arrested on charges of faking her marksheet to get a pilot licence, another arrest on the same grounds has been made. This time around, Captain J K Verma, a pilot of the national carrier Air India has been arrested.
"We have arrested Verma. Investigations are on. We have been provided more names by the Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA). The scanner is on two more pilots - Meenakshi Sehgal of Indigo and Swaran Singh Talwar of MDLR," a senior police official said.
It all began after Parminder Kaur Gulati was grounded two months ago for violating landing norms. The matter was then reported to the aviation watchdog, the DGCA. The airline watchdog admits there was a lapse, but says 4000 pilot licences are now under fresh scrutiny.
"In the wake of the fake pilot scare, licenses of 3,000 to 4,000 pilots are being scrutinised by the DGCA," said Civil Aviation secretary Nasim Zaidi.
To get a licence, a pilot has to clear three subjects. But in Gulati's case, a probe by the DGCA showed she couldn't clear two papers, so she allegedly forged the marksheets.
Read more at: Fake Pilots
MEA dishes out Fake Passports for a bribe
Chennai: The CBI unearthed a passport racket in Tamil Nadu being run allegedly in connivance with officials, arresting eight persons, including a woman officer. The accused, arrested in Madurai and Chennai, have been charged with issuing Tatkal passports based on forged and fake documents.
The investigating agency also recovered cash and other property to the tune of around Rs. 25 lakh from them. CBI teams conducted simultaneous surprise checks at the passport offices in Madurai and Chennai and arrested the officials and touts, a release of the agency said.
Read more at:
Chennai: CBI unearths fake passport racket, 8 held
How easy for terrorists to get a Indian Passport?
Honest Regional Passport Officer, Chennai, Sumathi Ravichandran arrested for taking Bribes- what is her status- a free bird?
Comment:
MEA staff in India and all over the world are the most corrupt. What message is SM Krishna sending to the World? MEA has participatory role in Terror activities. Should not the MEA staff be booked under "Anti- Terror Laws"?
Showing posts with label Indian Airlines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian Airlines. Show all posts
Monday, March 14, 2011
Monday, May 24, 2010
National Security: Expat Pilots
23/05/2010
AI crash: Focus back on expat pilots
Mangalore: The crash of the Air India Express plane piloted by a Serbian national on Saturday has put the focus back on whether foreign pilots with various Indian air carriers are able to operate in a country with a diverse topography.
There are around 560 expat pilots currently employed with various airlines in India and they account for 10 per cent of the total strength of 5,500 civilian pilots.
Air India Express, the low-cost arm of the national carrier, has 125 expat pilots and they reportedly face a number of problems while operating a flight in the country when they are in the cockpit. In all, Air India has 250 expat pilots.
"Expat pilots should be removed because they are not familiar with the diverse topography in India," a retired Indian Airlines pilot, who did not wish to be identified, said.
The common problems that expat pilots face are related to communication and lack of knowledge of topography of Indian terrain, a senior pilot association official said. According to ATC sources, air traffic controllers find it hard to communicate with expat pilots.
"Many a times, foreign pilots are unable to follow the instructions because of the difference in our accent. Also we find it hard to understand what an expat pilot is saying in his hard accent," an ATC source said.
The Indian Commercial Pilots Association of erstwhile Indian Airlines has been often demanding that expat pilots must be asked to go home as there is no shortage of pilots in the country.
"We have been asking the DGCA for their removal and induction of Indian pilots. But every time, the deadline for their removal is extended due to some pressure of the airline companies," an ICA official said.
The government recently extended the time-frame for phasing out foreign pilots employed by Indian carriers by one year up to July 31, 2011. The move came in the wake of demands by Air India and other airlines that the time be extended beyond July 31, 2010.
The existing policy for validation of foreign (pilots) licences is valid up to July 31, 2010. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had requested airline operators to submit their plan for phasing out expatriate pilots along with net requirement of these pilots beyond that date, according to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.
Patel said that since 2008, the number of foreign pilots has come down considerably and gradually Indian pilots, who have mostly been co-pilots, would soon be elevated to the status of commanding pilots.
Overseas pilots were allowed to fly Indian aircraft initially as during 2004-05, there was stagnation in the aviation sector.
However, after the sector started looking up, in order to maintain the momentum, foreign pilots continued to be inducted. The DGCA has started a programme for phased reduction of the expat pilots.
According to Patel, Indian pilots are capable of flying under any condition and their training and qualification can be compared to the best in the world.
AI crash: Focus back on expat pilots
National Air Space Security Threat
Does the MHA give security clearance for the expat pilots before being employed by the Indian Air Carriers? Employing 500 expat pilots without proper int background check will prove disastrous in the long run. The complete air space of India can be compromised or jeopardised. Why are our Intelligence Agencies not objecting to deployment of expat pilots in our skies? The Military Intelligence in coordination with Air force authorities need to actively engage in detecting security lapses from this angle. There is a need to keep a tab and be extra vigilant. Past experience indicates that spies, terrorists and Hawala operators take advantage of the Recruitment Agencies whose only mission is to make huge commissions. Moderator
AI crash: Focus back on expat pilots
Mangalore: The crash of the Air India Express plane piloted by a Serbian national on Saturday has put the focus back on whether foreign pilots with various Indian air carriers are able to operate in a country with a diverse topography.
There are around 560 expat pilots currently employed with various airlines in India and they account for 10 per cent of the total strength of 5,500 civilian pilots.
Air India Express, the low-cost arm of the national carrier, has 125 expat pilots and they reportedly face a number of problems while operating a flight in the country when they are in the cockpit. In all, Air India has 250 expat pilots.
"Expat pilots should be removed because they are not familiar with the diverse topography in India," a retired Indian Airlines pilot, who did not wish to be identified, said.
The common problems that expat pilots face are related to communication and lack of knowledge of topography of Indian terrain, a senior pilot association official said. According to ATC sources, air traffic controllers find it hard to communicate with expat pilots.
"Many a times, foreign pilots are unable to follow the instructions because of the difference in our accent. Also we find it hard to understand what an expat pilot is saying in his hard accent," an ATC source said.
The Indian Commercial Pilots Association of erstwhile Indian Airlines has been often demanding that expat pilots must be asked to go home as there is no shortage of pilots in the country.
"We have been asking the DGCA for their removal and induction of Indian pilots. But every time, the deadline for their removal is extended due to some pressure of the airline companies," an ICA official said.
The government recently extended the time-frame for phasing out foreign pilots employed by Indian carriers by one year up to July 31, 2011. The move came in the wake of demands by Air India and other airlines that the time be extended beyond July 31, 2010.
The existing policy for validation of foreign (pilots) licences is valid up to July 31, 2010. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had requested airline operators to submit their plan for phasing out expatriate pilots along with net requirement of these pilots beyond that date, according to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.
Patel said that since 2008, the number of foreign pilots has come down considerably and gradually Indian pilots, who have mostly been co-pilots, would soon be elevated to the status of commanding pilots.
Overseas pilots were allowed to fly Indian aircraft initially as during 2004-05, there was stagnation in the aviation sector.
However, after the sector started looking up, in order to maintain the momentum, foreign pilots continued to be inducted. The DGCA has started a programme for phased reduction of the expat pilots.
According to Patel, Indian pilots are capable of flying under any condition and their training and qualification can be compared to the best in the world.
AI crash: Focus back on expat pilots
National Air Space Security Threat
Does the MHA give security clearance for the expat pilots before being employed by the Indian Air Carriers? Employing 500 expat pilots without proper int background check will prove disastrous in the long run. The complete air space of India can be compromised or jeopardised. Why are our Intelligence Agencies not objecting to deployment of expat pilots in our skies? The Military Intelligence in coordination with Air force authorities need to actively engage in detecting security lapses from this angle. There is a need to keep a tab and be extra vigilant. Past experience indicates that spies, terrorists and Hawala operators take advantage of the Recruitment Agencies whose only mission is to make huge commissions. Moderator
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
THE TIME MACHINE: Musings of a Veteran
Now on this morning, taking a flight from Delhi to Banglore as I strap myself in the not so comfortable seat of the economy class Air bus, though, far more comfortable than the hard wooden berth of the Third class railway compartment I traveled on for my earlier journey to Banglore that I am reminded of.
It was some time in late 1952, then a student of MSc Final in Lucknow University, that I got a call from Army Headquarters to report to the Services Selection Board (South). The UPSC had been kind to me in that, for the combined written test, preceding the Board, I had been allotted Allahabad, not too far from Lucknow as the Exam Centre. Army HQ had no such, considerations and I was required to travel to Banglore, some where down South, just a spot, which I remembered on the map of India, in the Geography Class of yore as a student of Class X.
Taking a rickshaw from the hostel, with just a hundred rupee note in my pocket, I arrived at the Charbagh railway station. Traveling third class, changing trains, at times near mid- night, finding a berth and managing the connections was in itself an adventure. As the trains sped south, the ever changing vista, unfolding and speeding backwards, had me riveted to the scene outside, it was the geography lesson coming alive. The aroma of the unfamiliar food items on the stations where the train halted, the cacophony of the un- understood combined gibbering of the hawkers, porters and the multitude of passengers all in a melee, did provide some diversion and mental relief from the long and tiring journey. Five days, four changes, Kanpur, Jhansi Secundrabad, Guntkul, later I arrived at Bangalore, having, in the process, acquired a stiff- neck from looking out of the window during the waking hours and a nagging pain in the back due tossing and turning that too with difficulty, on the narrow hard wooden berth. I was hungry but had no appetite for the Idli, Dosa and other fare, for which I had yet to acquire a taste, available en-route, which were as foreign to me as Banglore.
Banglore, those days, was a retiree’s heaven, with a lay back life style, living in bungalows with large compounds, flowers and tall trees. It was a city full of greenery, clean and fresh air, with only a few vehicles plying on the wide roads that too under the strict and watchful eyes of the traffic cops. There were rows and rows of ice-cream parlors, coffee shops, and a multitude of cinema houses. sixty-four or so that I counted on the guide map, and the ubiquitous Uddapee restaurants, specialists in Idli, Dosa and coffee, the cup of tea that I was so used to sadly conspicuous by its absence.
The aircraft door closes with its characteristic bang and whoosh, sealing us in the air-conditioned capsule After two hours plus of looking out, of and on, from the window with nothing much to see except some clouds floating down under, flicking through the newspaper, the Swagat in-flight IA magazine and pecking at the served snacks, drinking cups of coffee and water from a couple of miniature water bottles, I felt the plane letting its nose down and once again we were on mother earth. The Ac door opened, after a bit of ceremony by the cabin crew and we were in Banglore.
The time machine of IA had taken just hours of so to bring me to Banglore of the day, a Banglore so different from that of yore, totally .unrecognizable- in a hurry, chaotic and moving at a snails pace. The high power cars crawling helplessly, the daredevil two wheelers sneaking through nonexistent openings, the ramshackle buses spewing black clouds of unburnt diesel, and gleaming High rises, replacing the earlier bungalows and the green trees, the hiding the sky, the price of progress, it was distressing to say the least, albeit with one saving grace; tea and North Indian food now available at every nook and corner.
Alas the IA time machine which had so effortlessly compressed five days in hours cannot take me back to the Banglore that I had visited in 1952 that had captured the imagination of a young me. However, wonder of wonder what IA can’t do, the present Government of Karnatak has done with one single stroke and taken every one back way down the time by just adding a few letters to Banglore and making it Bengaloru, indeed really a Time machine.
Brig Lakshman Singh (Retd)
It was some time in late 1952, then a student of MSc Final in Lucknow University, that I got a call from Army Headquarters to report to the Services Selection Board (South). The UPSC had been kind to me in that, for the combined written test, preceding the Board, I had been allotted Allahabad, not too far from Lucknow as the Exam Centre. Army HQ had no such, considerations and I was required to travel to Banglore, some where down South, just a spot, which I remembered on the map of India, in the Geography Class of yore as a student of Class X.
Taking a rickshaw from the hostel, with just a hundred rupee note in my pocket, I arrived at the Charbagh railway station. Traveling third class, changing trains, at times near mid- night, finding a berth and managing the connections was in itself an adventure. As the trains sped south, the ever changing vista, unfolding and speeding backwards, had me riveted to the scene outside, it was the geography lesson coming alive. The aroma of the unfamiliar food items on the stations where the train halted, the cacophony of the un- understood combined gibbering of the hawkers, porters and the multitude of passengers all in a melee, did provide some diversion and mental relief from the long and tiring journey. Five days, four changes, Kanpur, Jhansi Secundrabad, Guntkul, later I arrived at Bangalore, having, in the process, acquired a stiff- neck from looking out of the window during the waking hours and a nagging pain in the back due tossing and turning that too with difficulty, on the narrow hard wooden berth. I was hungry but had no appetite for the Idli, Dosa and other fare, for which I had yet to acquire a taste, available en-route, which were as foreign to me as Banglore.
Banglore, those days, was a retiree’s heaven, with a lay back life style, living in bungalows with large compounds, flowers and tall trees. It was a city full of greenery, clean and fresh air, with only a few vehicles plying on the wide roads that too under the strict and watchful eyes of the traffic cops. There were rows and rows of ice-cream parlors, coffee shops, and a multitude of cinema houses. sixty-four or so that I counted on the guide map, and the ubiquitous Uddapee restaurants, specialists in Idli, Dosa and coffee, the cup of tea that I was so used to sadly conspicuous by its absence.
The aircraft door closes with its characteristic bang and whoosh, sealing us in the air-conditioned capsule After two hours plus of looking out, of and on, from the window with nothing much to see except some clouds floating down under, flicking through the newspaper, the Swagat in-flight IA magazine and pecking at the served snacks, drinking cups of coffee and water from a couple of miniature water bottles, I felt the plane letting its nose down and once again we were on mother earth. The Ac door opened, after a bit of ceremony by the cabin crew and we were in Banglore.
The time machine of IA had taken just hours of so to bring me to Banglore of the day, a Banglore so different from that of yore, totally .unrecognizable- in a hurry, chaotic and moving at a snails pace. The high power cars crawling helplessly, the daredevil two wheelers sneaking through nonexistent openings, the ramshackle buses spewing black clouds of unburnt diesel, and gleaming High rises, replacing the earlier bungalows and the green trees, the hiding the sky, the price of progress, it was distressing to say the least, albeit with one saving grace; tea and North Indian food now available at every nook and corner.
Alas the IA time machine which had so effortlessly compressed five days in hours cannot take me back to the Banglore that I had visited in 1952 that had captured the imagination of a young me. However, wonder of wonder what IA can’t do, the present Government of Karnatak has done with one single stroke and taken every one back way down the time by just adding a few letters to Banglore and making it Bengaloru, indeed really a Time machine.
Brig Lakshman Singh (Retd)
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
SCPC: Pension Order a new dispensation in reverse gear
One-Rank-One-Pension put in the Reverse Gear! WAR VETERANS BETRAYED
A good wage structure does not necessarily entail high salaries. It aims at equity and justice. Be it affluence or poverty, it must be distributed with prudence and sagacity.
A Trust Belied
It is appropriately said that the ‘politicians are a law unto themselves’. Promises made during the election rallies are like writings on shifting sand dunes; they are gone with the wind, the moment the votes have been cast. The ex-servicemen have just discovered this home truth with chagrin and dismay. The Chairperson of the current ruling alliance had personally endorsed one-rank-one-pension (OROP) format as a reasonable demand. Seen in that light, the letter issued by the Department of ESM Welfare on 11th Nov 2008 has come as a rude shock. The dispensation granted through this letter is eminently inferior to the pension structure granted by the Fourth as well as the Fifth Pay Commission. The OROP model has received a body blow. The very manner in which the above official communication was delivered to the Service Headquarters smacks of villainy. The captioned document, which affects more than two million veterans was unceremoniously handed over to the Pay Cells on the afternoon of Friday the 14th November a few minutes before the staff was packing up for the week end, three days after it had been signed. It was not considered prudent to communicate its contents to the press, because it was very well known that there is little in it to cheer the old soldiers or bring a smile on their wrinkled faces. We are told that the aforesaid Department was created to protect the veterans’ interests. The irony is that it is manned almost entirely by civilians and has “welfare” in its title. All that it has so far achieved is to create a few additional posts for civil servants, and issue obnoxious letters of the type mentioned above!
Let the Figures Tell the Tale
Government orders regulating the pensions of soldiers retiring after 1.1.2006 were issued a day later, and therefore, it is now possible to compare the quantum of pension sanctioned to pensioners of different vintages. A table which shows the comparative figures at a few representative ranks is given below. It is evident that the past pensioners have been given a raw deal in all cases except a handful of apex grade officers. Please note that this table assumes that the soldier retired after rendering the service prescribed by his terms of engagement and had reached the top of his scale. In case of the PBOR, combat category in the Y group has been chosen since it represents the largest population of soldiers. All the figures are the revised basic pension as on 1.1.2006.
Pre-1996/ 1996 to 2005/ Post 1.1.2006
Sepoy (19 yrs service): 3764/ 4667/ 6500
Hav (24 yrs service): 5008/ 5239/ 7845
Sub (28 yrs service): 9323/ 10532/ 10795
Lt Col (top of scale): 17,063/ 21,131/ 25,310
Col (top of scale): 26,050/ 26,050/ 30,375
Lt Gen (top of scale): 26,150/ 27,685/ 38190
Army Commander: 40,000/ 40,000/ 40,000
The Transition into the Revised Pension Paradigm
For the benefit of those who have not been able to comprehend the jargon in the paper and the maze of figures in the tables, the process of determining the revised pension is given below in a simplified form. With the exception of officers of the rank of Col, Brig and Maj Gen, the revised pension admissible to the pre-2006 retirees is derived simply by multiplying the Basic Pension (ie, without adding the 50% Dearness Pay merged on 1.4.2004) admissible before 1.4.2004 by a factor of 2.26. For those who retired after 1.4.2004, the multiplicand is 1.5067. This rule also applies to Lt Gens who retired after 1997 with a Basic Pay greater than Rs 23,450. All Cols have been granted Rs 26050 and all Brigs, Maj Gens and Lt Gens other than those whose Basic Pay was in excess of Rs 23,450 have been granted a uniform revised pension of Rs 26,150. It can be seen that this government order is a great leveler. It makes no distinction between the high and the low! Commuted portion of the pension (if any) will be deducted from the revised pension until the end of fifteen years from the date of retirement. In addition to the Basic Pension determined in the above manner, Dearness Relief (DR) will be admitted at the following rates. The rates of the existing DR already admitted on the Pensions will be adjusted while calculating the arrears. And these figures are given alongside for ready reference
New DR/ Old DR
1.1.2006: 0%/ 24%
1.7.2006: 2%/ 29%
1.1.2007: 6%/ 35%
1.7.2007: 9%/ 41%
1.1.2008: 12%/ 47%
1.7.2008: 16%/ 47%
Observations and Comments
The executive orders for the civilian pre-2006 pensioners were issued about a month ago. As such the orders for the military were long overdue. Consequently, it was widely believed that the major aspirations of the veterans would be met. But this dispensation falls well short of our minimum expectations. A preliminary review reveals the following defects:
OROP is a 25 year old demand. The Congress party has supported it all along. It was also a part of their election manifesto. We find that there is a very wide gap between the past pensions and the present ones. This is likely to arouse strong passions. It may also be mentioned that at the apex ranks (Chief and Army Cdrs) it is virtual OROP, and that may raise hackles amongst those who have been given a raw deal.
MSP Military Service Pay counts for pension. It will, therefore, raise the pensions of he post 2006 retirees. However in respect of the past pensioners, it has been engineered in such a manner that it is effective in a very selective and restricted manner. Neither for the PBOR nor for the junior officers does it make a substantial difference in the pension package. This is another issue which can cause bitterness.
Inter-se Relativities. Soldiers view their emoluments in relation with their peers and immediate seniors or juniors. In the instant case, the relativities have been disturbed so badly that the picture emerging at the end of the exercise is grotesque. There is a wide gap between the pensions of Lt Col and Col and the pension granted to four ranks from unit commanders to corps commanders is the same. Again there is a wide gap between the pension of Lt Gen and Army Commander. The structure fouls with the ethos of the military.
Aggregate benefit. The present perception is that there is a wide difference in the aggregate gain accruing to soldiers at different levels. Whereas at some levels, the ratio improvement is as high as three, in the case of the PBOR it is as low as 2.26. Further, since the revised DA formula is less liberal, the inflation neutralization is relatively lesser in magnitude. Those who have a head for figures would have observed that the index as per the old rates moved up from 124 in Jan 2006 to 147 on 1.1.2008 signifying an increase of 18.5%. During the same period, DA at the new rates moved up by 12% only. As a cumulative result of all these factors, the older veterans will have to tighten their belts and compromise on their nutrition standards and education of their children. And of course, consumer frills and thrills will have to be cut out completely.
Concluding Remarks
As one looks at the work done by the various Pay Commissions, it is observed that each of the previous three Pay Panels moved us closer to the OROP regime. The Fifth Pay Commission brought us down to just two categories, pre-1996 and post-96 pensioner. They introduced the concept of modified parity, through which the past pensioners were granted pensions equal to the minimum given to the future retirees. The current order puts this process in the reverse gear, and takes us farther from the OROP paradigm.
We are, indeed, very well aware of the very large population of military pensioners and conscious of the strain caused to the national exchequer by our increasing longevity. A viable long term solution was mooted by the Army as early as 1985; to reduce the number of pensioners through lateral shift of soldiers to the para-military forces. The Sixth Pay Commission has devoted a whole chapter, number 2.4, to this subject but as far as we can see, this very cogent suggestion has been put on the back burner by our dim-witted civil servants, mainly because of their lack of ability to comprehend the benefits and the mechanics of this administrative reform. It smacks of their lack of commitment to the armed forces.
Recommendation
I am tempted to offer a piece of unsolicited advice to the powers that be. To assuage the wide spread anguish created by the revised pensions granted by the government, I think there is a crying need to examine all aspects related with the problems of ex-servicemen. The imperatives for rejecting the OROP demand must be explained to the ex-servicemen and the genuine grievances of the veterans must be addressed with evident sincerity. The problem of re-settlement is far more acute and heartrending than inadequacy of pensions. The Sixth Pay Commission devoted a whole chapter, number 2.4, to this issue. If there are cogent reasons to put this issue on the back burner, we the people of India need to be educated on the subject. Many of us attribute the inaction on the part of the government to plain inefficiency and callous indifference to the plight of soldiers.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to HE Lt Gen MM Lakhera, PVSM AVSM VSM the Hon’ble Governor of MIZORAM for motivating me to undertake this research and my lifelong friends, Lt Gen Raj Kadyan and Wg Cdr J Thomas, for some valuable inputs.
Maj Gen Surjit Singh (Retd)
Maj Gen (Retd) Surjit Singh, AVSM VSM FNAE has been associated with three Pay Commissions and has published a book “Wages Down the Ages". We once again thank General Surjit Singh for patiently deciphering the ESM pension pay orders. He has given our fraternity a lucid and crystal clear analysis of "One Rank one Pension" which has been effectively put in reverse gear by the SCPC. SCPC has betrayed the War Veterans and certainly as the nation grapples with the economic down slide, veterans need to tighten the buckle to greater degree than the rest of its citizens. The cheer, smiles and anticipation of veterans and widows reduced to despair and gloom!
A good wage structure does not necessarily entail high salaries. It aims at equity and justice. Be it affluence or poverty, it must be distributed with prudence and sagacity.
A Trust Belied
It is appropriately said that the ‘politicians are a law unto themselves’. Promises made during the election rallies are like writings on shifting sand dunes; they are gone with the wind, the moment the votes have been cast. The ex-servicemen have just discovered this home truth with chagrin and dismay. The Chairperson of the current ruling alliance had personally endorsed one-rank-one-pension (OROP) format as a reasonable demand. Seen in that light, the letter issued by the Department of ESM Welfare on 11th Nov 2008 has come as a rude shock. The dispensation granted through this letter is eminently inferior to the pension structure granted by the Fourth as well as the Fifth Pay Commission. The OROP model has received a body blow. The very manner in which the above official communication was delivered to the Service Headquarters smacks of villainy. The captioned document, which affects more than two million veterans was unceremoniously handed over to the Pay Cells on the afternoon of Friday the 14th November a few minutes before the staff was packing up for the week end, three days after it had been signed. It was not considered prudent to communicate its contents to the press, because it was very well known that there is little in it to cheer the old soldiers or bring a smile on their wrinkled faces. We are told that the aforesaid Department was created to protect the veterans’ interests. The irony is that it is manned almost entirely by civilians and has “welfare” in its title. All that it has so far achieved is to create a few additional posts for civil servants, and issue obnoxious letters of the type mentioned above!
Let the Figures Tell the Tale
Government orders regulating the pensions of soldiers retiring after 1.1.2006 were issued a day later, and therefore, it is now possible to compare the quantum of pension sanctioned to pensioners of different vintages. A table which shows the comparative figures at a few representative ranks is given below. It is evident that the past pensioners have been given a raw deal in all cases except a handful of apex grade officers. Please note that this table assumes that the soldier retired after rendering the service prescribed by his terms of engagement and had reached the top of his scale. In case of the PBOR, combat category in the Y group has been chosen since it represents the largest population of soldiers. All the figures are the revised basic pension as on 1.1.2006.
Pre-1996/ 1996 to 2005/ Post 1.1.2006
Sepoy (19 yrs service): 3764/ 4667/ 6500
Hav (24 yrs service): 5008/ 5239/ 7845
Sub (28 yrs service): 9323/ 10532/ 10795
Lt Col (top of scale): 17,063/ 21,131/ 25,310
Col (top of scale): 26,050/ 26,050/ 30,375
Lt Gen (top of scale): 26,150/ 27,685/ 38190
Army Commander: 40,000/ 40,000/ 40,000
The Transition into the Revised Pension Paradigm
For the benefit of those who have not been able to comprehend the jargon in the paper and the maze of figures in the tables, the process of determining the revised pension is given below in a simplified form. With the exception of officers of the rank of Col, Brig and Maj Gen, the revised pension admissible to the pre-2006 retirees is derived simply by multiplying the Basic Pension (ie, without adding the 50% Dearness Pay merged on 1.4.2004) admissible before 1.4.2004 by a factor of 2.26. For those who retired after 1.4.2004, the multiplicand is 1.5067. This rule also applies to Lt Gens who retired after 1997 with a Basic Pay greater than Rs 23,450. All Cols have been granted Rs 26050 and all Brigs, Maj Gens and Lt Gens other than those whose Basic Pay was in excess of Rs 23,450 have been granted a uniform revised pension of Rs 26,150. It can be seen that this government order is a great leveler. It makes no distinction between the high and the low! Commuted portion of the pension (if any) will be deducted from the revised pension until the end of fifteen years from the date of retirement. In addition to the Basic Pension determined in the above manner, Dearness Relief (DR) will be admitted at the following rates. The rates of the existing DR already admitted on the Pensions will be adjusted while calculating the arrears. And these figures are given alongside for ready reference
New DR/ Old DR
1.1.2006: 0%/ 24%
1.7.2006: 2%/ 29%
1.1.2007: 6%/ 35%
1.7.2007: 9%/ 41%
1.1.2008: 12%/ 47%
1.7.2008: 16%/ 47%
Observations and Comments
The executive orders for the civilian pre-2006 pensioners were issued about a month ago. As such the orders for the military were long overdue. Consequently, it was widely believed that the major aspirations of the veterans would be met. But this dispensation falls well short of our minimum expectations. A preliminary review reveals the following defects:
Concluding Remarks
As one looks at the work done by the various Pay Commissions, it is observed that each of the previous three Pay Panels moved us closer to the OROP regime. The Fifth Pay Commission brought us down to just two categories, pre-1996 and post-96 pensioner. They introduced the concept of modified parity, through which the past pensioners were granted pensions equal to the minimum given to the future retirees. The current order puts this process in the reverse gear, and takes us farther from the OROP paradigm.
We are, indeed, very well aware of the very large population of military pensioners and conscious of the strain caused to the national exchequer by our increasing longevity. A viable long term solution was mooted by the Army as early as 1985; to reduce the number of pensioners through lateral shift of soldiers to the para-military forces. The Sixth Pay Commission has devoted a whole chapter, number 2.4, to this subject but as far as we can see, this very cogent suggestion has been put on the back burner by our dim-witted civil servants, mainly because of their lack of ability to comprehend the benefits and the mechanics of this administrative reform. It smacks of their lack of commitment to the armed forces.
Recommendation
I am tempted to offer a piece of unsolicited advice to the powers that be. To assuage the wide spread anguish created by the revised pensions granted by the government, I think there is a crying need to examine all aspects related with the problems of ex-servicemen. The imperatives for rejecting the OROP demand must be explained to the ex-servicemen and the genuine grievances of the veterans must be addressed with evident sincerity. The problem of re-settlement is far more acute and heartrending than inadequacy of pensions. The Sixth Pay Commission devoted a whole chapter, number 2.4, to this issue. If there are cogent reasons to put this issue on the back burner, we the people of India need to be educated on the subject. Many of us attribute the inaction on the part of the government to plain inefficiency and callous indifference to the plight of soldiers.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to HE Lt Gen MM Lakhera, PVSM AVSM VSM the Hon’ble Governor of MIZORAM for motivating me to undertake this research and my lifelong friends, Lt Gen Raj Kadyan and Wg Cdr J Thomas, for some valuable inputs.
Maj Gen Surjit Singh (Retd)
Maj Gen (Retd) Surjit Singh, AVSM VSM FNAE has been associated with three Pay Commissions and has published a book “Wages Down the Ages". We once again thank General Surjit Singh for patiently deciphering the ESM pension pay orders. He has given our fraternity a lucid and crystal clear analysis of "One Rank one Pension" which has been effectively put in reverse gear by the SCPC. SCPC has betrayed the War Veterans and certainly as the nation grapples with the economic down slide, veterans need to tighten the buckle to greater degree than the rest of its citizens. The cheer, smiles and anticipation of veterans and widows reduced to despair and gloom!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
SCPC: ESM Assemble for Justice at Lucknow 06 July 2008
1. The ESM of Lucknow assembled at the 'Shaheed Smaarak Park' at 10 am on the 6th July 2008. The sky was overcast, and, still the gathering was almost a hundred.2. Support/ participation of the state Vice President of the Ex Servicemen League – Wg Cdr Gufran Ahmad - was a big indication of unity. Representation of another 8 localized ESM groups, in addition to the Poorva Sainik Seva Parishad (PSSP -supported by the BJP) also remained heartening.
3. Large number of ESM from the UP Poorva Sainik Kalyan Nigam also gathered, just as it was a Sunday; and they were free from their duties– as security guards at different establishments/ offices/ banks etc.
4. To begin with, Maj Gen K. K. Ohri 'AVSM' and four other Offrs/ JCOs/ NCOs paid homage to the unknown martyrs.
5. Brig D N Varma,VSM enlightened the gathering about the rationale/ details of our first set of demands; while Col Vijay Deep stressed the need for tackling the root cause of the issues affecting us, at the macro level.
6. The efforts of Sub Maj Hari Govind Singh must get highlighted for spreading awareness amidst maximum ESM organizations of Lucknow cantonment and adjoining areas.
7. Lt Col Ashok Kumar highlighted the dedication of Brig C S Kamboj, in this crusade. He referred to Brig Kamboj as the grand father of this awakening for unity amidst services and ranks.
8. Reporters from media (Channel 9x)/ news papers sought our next move if the government didn't pay heed to our disciplined representations.
9. They were told that we shall continue with this graceful style only, and were certain of getting the support of the entire nation coming to pressurize the government for acceding to our genuine demands for the sake of national security.
10. An ad-hoc steering committee, for the I ESM Movement, was formed at the end of the gathering, headed by Brig. D N Varma VSM.
11. A select team, of the gathering handed over the 'Hindi' (translated) and 'English' memorandum to be forwarded by the CM (U.P.) for the PM, through the DM Lucknow.
12. The next meeting of the 'Lucknow' Steering Committee is scheduled for Sunday, the 27th July 2008.
A quarter column report, on page 2, of TOI Lucknow, dated 07th July 2008 covered the event of 6th July very well. [Soft copy of this is also awaited – to be forwarded.]
The 'Hindi' paper 'Dainik Jagran' also gave a brief account of the event and handing over of the memorandum, in its issue dated 07th July 2008.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Challenging Concerns Combating Cancer and Commanding
Medical report
With me posted as FCE commander in Mhow. Jeet my wife was still in Delhi with the children, Kalpana in JNU doing her final MA in French and Ranjit in Eleventh at Army Public School. I had managed to retain the accommodation at the SP Marg officer’s enclave Block 12/ 474 with some difficulty. To add to our mutual worry and problem she was also not well. Both of us were in mental trauma, she had been advised surgery for a suspected tumour in the abdomen I can still not forget the adjective used 'Tennis ball Size' to describe the tumour by the Doctor who had examined her at MH Delhi Cant. I had in desperation called her to Mhow to discuss the future course of action.
The family on a short visit to Mhow
Genuine grudge
Jeet never failed to remind me that I had abandoned her way back in 1959 though it was true her grudge genuine, yet I have often wondered if she ever realised the trauma that even I had to suffer leaving them behind. Possibly the plethora of letters she did receive from me during the periods of separation were not poignant enough to convey my feelings or did the contents made the separation just a bit more unbearable for her. I do know however that waiting for her infrequent letters was a torture enough which was lessened only when I was handed over the then so familiar an envelop which contained her letter even though the euphoria lasted for a short time it is what sustained me during that difficult period at Tawang where I had been moved as the Sparrow of 7 Infantry Brigade from the Regimental HQ at Tezpur.
Family station sans family
Even later I left her many times due to the exigencies of service to fend for on her own and bring up the two growing children who needed the love and care of both the parents. At times we had to live separated by choice due to the children's education when we could visit each other only for short periods also at times it was she who abandoned me leaving me distraught and brooding in my bachelor’s quarters while posted in a family station sans the family. Now she was returning back to Delhi both of us having mutually agreed that she should face the ordeal of the operation albeit alone due to the urgency and the fact that I could not be away from the college at that time. I do wonder now as to what could have been more important to me at that time than her well being and the need of moral support of my presence at the time of the operation.
Heading to Indore
On the drive from Mhow to Indore airport she in the back with another lady who had taken a lift with me in the front with the driver both of us in silence buried deep in our own thoughts; my helplessness and her apprehensions. The seating arrangement in the car and the presence of another person precluded any exchange of last minute words of consolation.
Deafening silence
There was another reason for the deafening silence between the two of us as she had been waiting, in my room in the bachelor’s quarters, sitting with this uninvited guest, for me to pick her up. She with her own worries, I was no where in sight the time for her flight to Delhi approaching naturally she was getting tense and justifiably upset with me. I was all this time stuck in the Commandant's office who was interviewing the foreign students of the faculty with me in attendance. The Commandant though aware of the fact that I was to see- off my wife was in an expansive mood enjoying his interaction with the students from Africa, Iran and Afghanistan in the process honing his already considerable diplomatic skills. I was all the time on tenterhooks covertly looking at my wrist watch, calculating by the minute diminishing gap in the travelling time from Mhow and the Checking- in at the airport. I desperate for an opportunity to get away and having reached the cut- off stage ultimately asked to be excused which he graciously granted. I rushed to the waiting wife to be greeted with frozen looks that made me quickly sink way down in my ammunition boots.
Brave face
On my prodding the skilled driver kept the accelerator pedal pressed to its maximum travel and made the Ambassador fly onwards, we did make it to the Airport in time for check- in but only with a whisker. Once at the Airport and with her realising that the time to leave me behind had finally arrived I did notice a thaw in her till now rather sour expression. Waiting for the Aircraft coming from Bombay to land, both of us distraught she held to my hand as a desperate gesture, eyes brimming with tears. I equally emotionally charged with a turmoil brewing inside, yet presenting a brave face to keep her morale up added to the fact that I was in uniform and as such had to keep a brave face for the benefit of the public at large.
Flight announcement
The Public Address system came to life crackling and in a tinny voice announced the arrival of the flight from Bombay. Soon the Boeing 737 landed with the characteristic roar of its twin jet raced the full length of the tarmac stopped with an effort at the very end of the short runway took a U turn and slowly taxied to the parking bay a short distance away from the terminal. Once again the PA came to life this time announcing the departure of the flight to Delhi and advising the passengers to board. The terminal came alive with the passengers rushing to line-up carrying the in-cabin baggage in both the hands all in a hurry to reach Delhi before others.
Tearful farewell
With tears streaming down her cheeks Jeet bid me a silent farewell no words exchanged the hand slowly and reluctantly withdrawn from the comfort of my grip and joined the line to face the daunting prospect of facing a major operation alone. Leaving me she slowly walked out of the terminal and trudged towards the plane and to an uncertain future. My eyes followed her each step desperate but unable to do any thing to mitigate our mutual apprehensions. I was still tied to her with an invisible elastic band which was getting stretched as she approached the Aircraft to finally break once she entered the door and disappeared from my view. Possibly she was the last to embark and soon the door shut with a bang breaking my contact with her.
Sane decision
As the staff car with me drove out of the Airport the Boeing also took off, flying low overhead with the two turbines whining at full power. I watched in a pensive mood from the window of the car its steep climb the visible effort to break from the shekels of the gravity pulling it towards the ground and become a free bird once again. Soon it took a sharp turn and headed towards Delhi, taking all that mattered to me with it leaving me forlorn worried and with an empty feeling inside. On my way back to Mhow I did take a sane decision and rang her up at the earliest to defer the operation till I could be with her at Delhi.
Brig Lakshman Singh, VSM (Retd)
With me posted as FCE commander in Mhow. Jeet my wife was still in Delhi with the children, Kalpana in JNU doing her final MA in French and Ranjit in Eleventh at Army Public School. I had managed to retain the accommodation at the SP Marg officer’s enclave Block 12/ 474 with some difficulty. To add to our mutual worry and problem she was also not well. Both of us were in mental trauma, she had been advised surgery for a suspected tumour in the abdomen I can still not forget the adjective used 'Tennis ball Size' to describe the tumour by the Doctor who had examined her at MH Delhi Cant. I had in desperation called her to Mhow to discuss the future course of action.
Genuine grudge
Jeet never failed to remind me that I had abandoned her way back in 1959 though it was true her grudge genuine, yet I have often wondered if she ever realised the trauma that even I had to suffer leaving them behind. Possibly the plethora of letters she did receive from me during the periods of separation were not poignant enough to convey my feelings or did the contents made the separation just a bit more unbearable for her. I do know however that waiting for her infrequent letters was a torture enough which was lessened only when I was handed over the then so familiar an envelop which contained her letter even though the euphoria lasted for a short time it is what sustained me during that difficult period at Tawang where I had been moved as the Sparrow of 7 Infantry Brigade from the Regimental HQ at Tezpur.
Family station sans family
Even later I left her many times due to the exigencies of service to fend for on her own and bring up the two growing children who needed the love and care of both the parents. At times we had to live separated by choice due to the children's education when we could visit each other only for short periods also at times it was she who abandoned me leaving me distraught and brooding in my bachelor’s quarters while posted in a family station sans the family. Now she was returning back to Delhi both of us having mutually agreed that she should face the ordeal of the operation albeit alone due to the urgency and the fact that I could not be away from the college at that time. I do wonder now as to what could have been more important to me at that time than her well being and the need of moral support of my presence at the time of the operation.
Heading to Indore
On the drive from Mhow to Indore airport she in the back with another lady who had taken a lift with me in the front with the driver both of us in silence buried deep in our own thoughts; my helplessness and her apprehensions. The seating arrangement in the car and the presence of another person precluded any exchange of last minute words of consolation.
Deafening silence
There was another reason for the deafening silence between the two of us as she had been waiting, in my room in the bachelor’s quarters, sitting with this uninvited guest, for me to pick her up. She with her own worries, I was no where in sight the time for her flight to Delhi approaching naturally she was getting tense and justifiably upset with me. I was all this time stuck in the Commandant's office who was interviewing the foreign students of the faculty with me in attendance. The Commandant though aware of the fact that I was to see- off my wife was in an expansive mood enjoying his interaction with the students from Africa, Iran and Afghanistan in the process honing his already considerable diplomatic skills. I was all the time on tenterhooks covertly looking at my wrist watch, calculating by the minute diminishing gap in the travelling time from Mhow and the Checking- in at the airport. I desperate for an opportunity to get away and having reached the cut- off stage ultimately asked to be excused which he graciously granted. I rushed to the waiting wife to be greeted with frozen looks that made me quickly sink way down in my ammunition boots.
Brave face
On my prodding the skilled driver kept the accelerator pedal pressed to its maximum travel and made the Ambassador fly onwards, we did make it to the Airport in time for check- in but only with a whisker. Once at the Airport and with her realising that the time to leave me behind had finally arrived I did notice a thaw in her till now rather sour expression. Waiting for the Aircraft coming from Bombay to land, both of us distraught she held to my hand as a desperate gesture, eyes brimming with tears. I equally emotionally charged with a turmoil brewing inside, yet presenting a brave face to keep her morale up added to the fact that I was in uniform and as such had to keep a brave face for the benefit of the public at large.
Flight announcement
The Public Address system came to life crackling and in a tinny voice announced the arrival of the flight from Bombay. Soon the Boeing 737 landed with the characteristic roar of its twin jet raced the full length of the tarmac stopped with an effort at the very end of the short runway took a U turn and slowly taxied to the parking bay a short distance away from the terminal. Once again the PA came to life this time announcing the departure of the flight to Delhi and advising the passengers to board. The terminal came alive with the passengers rushing to line-up carrying the in-cabin baggage in both the hands all in a hurry to reach Delhi before others.
Tearful farewell
With tears streaming down her cheeks Jeet bid me a silent farewell no words exchanged the hand slowly and reluctantly withdrawn from the comfort of my grip and joined the line to face the daunting prospect of facing a major operation alone. Leaving me she slowly walked out of the terminal and trudged towards the plane and to an uncertain future. My eyes followed her each step desperate but unable to do any thing to mitigate our mutual apprehensions. I was still tied to her with an invisible elastic band which was getting stretched as she approached the Aircraft to finally break once she entered the door and disappeared from my view. Possibly she was the last to embark and soon the door shut with a bang breaking my contact with her.
Sane decision
As the staff car with me drove out of the Airport the Boeing also took off, flying low overhead with the two turbines whining at full power. I watched in a pensive mood from the window of the car its steep climb the visible effort to break from the shekels of the gravity pulling it towards the ground and become a free bird once again. Soon it took a sharp turn and headed towards Delhi, taking all that mattered to me with it leaving me forlorn worried and with an empty feeling inside. On my way back to Mhow I did take a sane decision and rang her up at the earliest to defer the operation till I could be with her at Delhi.
Brig Lakshman Singh, VSM (Retd)
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