Civil Military Relations: The pivot has become unstable

Army will Continue to Play A Pivotal Role in the Nation Building : Pallam Raju
Minister of State for Defence Dr. MM PallamRaju has said that the Army has always in the past and also in the future will continue to play a pivotal role in the nation building and for that it must emerge as a national symbol and represent the nation’s unique characteristics which is ‘Unity in Diversity’.
Delivering Field Marshal KM Cariappa Memorial Lecture on ‘Army’s Contribution to Nation Building – The Way Ahead’ here today, Dr.Raju said the military virtues of sacrifice, loyalty and discipline have always remained and must serve as objects of veneration for the rest of the nation.
Following is the text of the speech delivered by the Minister: Army will Continue to Play A Pivotal Role in the Nation Building: Pallam Raju- click here
Civil-military relations in crisis
Civilian bureaucrats, who in any case are not specialists, lack the ability to inform themselves adequately and constantly re-invent the wheel. As a result, they show a poor grasp and understanding of military matters and are unable to engage in an informed dialogue. Many members of India’s strategic community have recognised these problems and offered some sensible policy measures to enable more harmonious civil-military relations. For instance, Admiral Arun Prakash, among many others, has argued in favour of integrating bureaucracies and fostering teamwork by cross-posting civilian and military officers. Recognising the problems stemming from a generalist civil service, N.N. Vohra has advocated the creation of a civilian Ministry of Defence, or even National Security cadre. Almost all members of the strategic community have called for a more logical and mature declassification policy.
Read more: Civil-military relations in crisis by ANIT MUKHERJEE- click here

OROP: Misleading Headlines- Media and ESM taken for a Ride?

References- Economic Times:

Cabinet clears Rs 2,300-crore package for one-rank-one-pension for armed forces

One Rank One Pension: Ex-servicemen unhappy with govt's announcement of pension hike

Amarinder Singh hails one-rank-one-pension for ex-servicemen
Dear Editor of Economic Times,
I would like to bring to your notice of a misleading Headlines in ET dated 25 Sep 2012.Click Here. The Government Press Note, of Course, has mislead thousands of Ex-servicemen on granting of OROP.
6th Pay Commission had recommended a Pension Formula for Pre-2006 Defence Retirees. Further, the Commission had recommended that Pre 2006 retirees should at least get a minimum pension that is half of lowest end of the revised Pay scale/fitment scale granted to serving personnel of equivalent rank. But the Bureaucrats in implementing this recommendation wrongly interpreted that the Retirees would get half of the minimum of PAY Band where their rank along with other ranks figured. This simple anomaly was pointed out by pre-2006 retirees to the Government but the Bureaucrats did not take any corrective action. This forced the Ex-servicemen of rank Major to approach Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) for directions to Govt. AFT accepted their plea as genuine and asked Government to take immediate remedial action.
Meanwhile a group of Civilian officers also approached Civilian Administrative Tribunal (CAT) for corrective action in lines of AFT Judgement. This was upheld by CAT and necessary directions were issued.
The Secretaries Committee ordered by PM used this opportunity to show that they were making efforts to "bridge" the gap between pensions of Post 2006 pensioners and Pre-2006 pensioners holding same rank and years of service. If the first step in a 100 meters sprint is considered as a major step to bridge the distance between start to the final destination, then Govt can take credit. But Govt cannot surely take any credit for the bogus claim "One Rank One Pension Okayed" as prominently published by your Political Bureau in the second page of ET. I am afraid that your correspondent has been taken for a "ride" just like thousands of Ex-servicemen taken for a "ride" yesterday based on the announcement of PM on Aug 15 on OROP.
A Major lesson from this episode is obvious. Why Bureaucrats oppose inclusion of Serving Defence Personnel or even Ex-servicemen in high power study teams on their demands is because the members from the Services would have prevented the Bureaucrats taking them as well general public (including Media) on "ride" like they did every time a Study team submitted its recommendations that were then approved by Political Bosses without even consulting the affected personnel. S.Murugan.
Air Cmde (Retd)

More Comments...
Ashok Ganguly (New Delhi)
25 Sep, 2012 11:50 PM
If what is stated is correct, I wonder why this Government can’t keep a simple issue simple and display Honest intent. To a normal layman (not an intelligent crook) an OROP is like a Havildar with say 24 years of service, who retired in 1947 or 1997 or 2007, should get the same pension drawn by a Havildar with 24 years of service retired on 31 Aug 2012. This is what is called “Removing the Disparity”. Anything else amounts to simple cheating and an attempt to fool ex servicemen. Why can’t the Government make an honest attempt and erase the mistrust? Do they think that fooling people is the only way to win votes? How can they forget the services and sacrifices rendered by the servicemen? Why must they get entangled in a beaurocratic mess every time and in every thing?
VK Khurana (New Delhi)
25 Sep, 2012 10:13 PM
The very least expected of this Government, governed by the unfair bureaucrats, is that it should not misinform the nation that what they have given is OROP, which is clearly not the case.A small increase in the crumbs -yes, but nothing more. But then , we may be living in a fool's paradise if we still think this Government has any graceful side to it. The fight for true OROP should be continued with all our might. Jai Hind An ex-service man.
Tailpiece- Military and Police made Dummies

Concert of Chiefs~I- Making A Public Issue Of Demands

Pay Commission Award DESERVING BEFORE DESIRING By Ashok Kapur, IAS (Retd)
Comment: Any student of psychology will tell you that a very thin line divides a genius from a lunatic and many geniuses cross this line sometimes but certainly at later age.
Veteran Ram Gulrajani

Adarsh Scam: Will the Ex Military Chiefs be Investigated?

Adarsh scam: Gidwani remanded in CBI custody till April 3
Published: Saturday, Mar 31, 2012, 1:17 IST
Place: Mumbai | Agency: PTI
A special CBI court in Mumbai on Friday remanded KL Gidwani, former Congress MLC and one of the main accused in Adarsh Housing Society case, in CBI custody till April 3.

The court had earlier refused to give the CBI Gidwani's fresh custody in the case. But earlier today, Bombay High Court quashed the lower court's order.

Allowing an application filed by CBI challenging the March 26 order of the special CBI court which had remanded Gidwani in judicial custody, Justice R C Chavan of the high court directed the lower court to decide the agency's request for further custody afresh.

The special CBI court had refused to extend Gidwani's CBI custody after accepting the defence lawyer's argument that the accused had already been in CBI's custody for 10 days in a bribery case related to the Adarsh scam.

So the agency had moved the high court.

In the special court this afternoon, CBI prosecutor Ejaz Khan argued that all the transactions (for the Society) were done through "six to seven layers" and the CBI had to get to the bottom of them.

Gidwani was the chief promoter of Adarsh Society in south Mumbai and was instrumental in securing crucial clearances from different government departments.

The Society allegedly stands on Defence Ministry's land, and has breached a host of environmental and civic laws.
Adarsh scam: Gidwani remanded in CBI custody
BMEL and Tatra Vectra under CBI Investigation
CBI Investigates BEML- Tatra Vectra Nexsus

General VK Singh strikes back

'Cynical approach to tar my reputation': Army Chief strikes back on leaked letter
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: March 29, 2012 11:30 IST

New Delhi: Army Chief General VK Singh has today rejected allegations that he is responsible for the leak of a confidential letter written by him to the Prime Minister, warning that India's security is at risk because the army's equipment is obsolete. 'This is an outrage! Official communication with the PM, RM or anybody for that matter with the COAS (chief of army staff) is privileged information. The leaking of the letter should be treated as high treason. This cynical approach to tar my reputation has to stop. The source of the leak has to be found and dealt with ruthlessly," said the army chief today via a mailed statement.
Read more at: click here

Corruption Charges
In his letter to the Army Chief, the Trinamool MP has made a series of allegations of a procurement scam, alleging payoffs for the purchase of night-vision devices, communication systems, weapons as well as parachutes, according to the Indian Express report. The MP has also named Army officers, including a former Army Chief, who he alleged received crores in kickbacks for defence procurements and amassed huge disproportionate assets.
Read more at: Click here

Comment: It is obvious that leakages of Secret Letters are resorted to by bureaucrats to shift the focus of bribery, kickbacks and corruption. The MOD, MHA and PMO are in unison in protecting the political scamsters. Gen Deepak Kapoor the former chief is one who can spill the beans if tackled intelligently.

BEML a front for kick backs? A MOD created company- conspired by babus?

Exposed! The Rs750 crore Tatra scam a year ago
Published: Friday, Jul 22, 2011, 10:00 IST | Updated: Friday, Jul 22, 2011, 1:36 IST
By DNA Investigations Bureau | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA
Top officials of BEML Limited, a Bangalore-based company, and the defence ministry have siphoned off at least Rs750 crore in bribes and commissions over the past 14 years in the purchase of components for Tatra trucks, backbone of the army’s artillery and transportation wings.
The Indian Army uses Tatra all-terrain vehicles to mount guided missile launchers and haul heavy artillery. It also uses these vehicles to transport personnel, supplies, tanks, ammunition, bailey bridges, and the like.
Flouting defence ministry guidelines, BEML, formerly Bharat Earth Movers Limited, a Rs3,500 crore company in which the government of India is the majority shareholder, has been buying components for the 6x6 and 8x8 trucks from a middleman in London.
The defence procurement guidelines clearly say all purchases should be made only from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). But DNA’s investigations show that BEML, nodal production agency for the family of Tatra trucks, has been dealing with Tatra Sipox (UK) Ltd, which is neither the OEM nor a subsidiary of the OEM.
This racket has been in operation since 1997, according to documents in DNA’s possession. A former employee who held a senior position in BEML said that so far the company has completed transactions worth Rs5,000 crore with Tatra Sipox (UK) Limited, purported British subsidiary of Tatra Sipox a s (Slovakia), with at least Rs750 crore having been paid as kickbacks to BEML and defence ministry officials.
Senior advocate KS Periyaswamy, a shareholder of BEML, who sought the intervention of the president and a CBI probe into the Tatra deals, said: “At least 15% of the money sanctioned for the purchase of Tatra trucks is siphoned off as commission. Everyone from top to bottom gets their share. In my capacity as shareholder, I had highlighted this issue in the 2002 annual general meeting, but it wasn’t taken up.”
The deal worked so well for the officials involved that BEML signed another 10-year agreement with Tatra Sipox (UK) in 2003, four years before the first agreement ended, to increase the scope of the relationship. Since BEML doesn’t have the know-how to manufacture these trucks even 14 years after the deal was first struck, it sources components from Tatra Sipox (UK) and uses them for assembling the trucks.
A DNA exclusive explosive report a year back
Comment: Why is Mr Antony sleeping for almost one year since the publication of this report about MOD babus reaping a harvest of bribes? Army Chief's bribe bomb relevations are not new...
Too late but never late
The CBI official said the agency had received a tip-off about the alleged irregularities in the middle of last year “but it was not pursued for unknown reasons”. (The reasons for delay needs to be examined)
CBI lodges Tatra case by IMRAN AHMED SIDDIQUI
Chennai : Heavy truck maker Kamaz Vectra Motors Ltd's plant at Hosur has been shut down by the Tamil Nadu Factories Inspectorate for operating without a proper licence, an official said Monday. "We found workers were listed under the names of two companies in the same premises. This is not as per the law. Further, the company does not have a licence to operate," the inspectorate official told IANS on condition of anonymity. click here for the report

Veteran Welfare Neglected Issues

Dear Veterans,
In the resent past major veteran issues have come up in the blogs concerning the Armed Forces Personnel and the Veterans.
A few of them are:
1 Non Functional Up gradation (NFU) to officers.
2. Amending the Pension Regulations of the Armed Forces.
3. Non Implementation of Judgments of AFTs (aboutg 2000).
4. Payment of 100% pension to the Veterans up to the age of 60 years (age for superannuation for central Govt employees) and payment of OROP.
5. Separate Ministry or a Defense Board (like that of Railway) for Armed Forces Personnel.
6. Cadre Review (being done every 5 years in other Departments).
7. Abnormal Difference of pension between two immediate Ranks to the tune of Rs.11,000/-PM
8. Withdrawal of existing Rank Pay by 6th CPC (replacing with grade pay to give additional emoluments to civilian employees and also to create an equation of imbalance between civ and Military.)
9. Majors with more than 15 years of service equated with cadets and Hony Lt's (PB-3).
10. A meaningful resettlement of Armed Forces Veterans.
11. Dignity (Izzath) of the personnel in uniform/ Protocol/ precedence vis a vis the civilian counterparts.
The above are some of the major issues that are being reflected in emails and blogs nowadays. The blame is palmed on to the babus of MOD and the Politicians. But one must think honestly - Are they fully responsible for these omissions. What is the role of the Service HQs?
click here for more

OROP in a time warp

Dear Mr Rajeev,
On behalf of the Navy Foundation, whose members are all retired officers of the Indian Navy, I would like to express our heartfelt thanks and our great admiration for your frank letter of 25th August to the Prime Minister on the subject of Salary hike for MPs and the issue of ‘one rank one pension’ or OROP for ex-servicemen.
If I may be permitted to say so, that the letter was a brilliant piece of analysis of decision making by the government. You have put forth in such a logical and succinct manner the double standards being followed. The recourse to refer any issue to a committee of bureaucrats when the government does not want to take a decision is what is affecting many issues of governance including OROP for ex-servicemen. As you have so rightly summed up ‘the bureaucrats have acquired great abilities for obstructive conduct’.
We are grateful to you, Sir, for repeatedly taking up with the Prime Minister and at other fora the injustices to ex-servicemen and denial of OROP. Your decision to forego your salary hike as an MP till OROP is resolved has won our hearts and deepest gratitude. It is heartening to know that there is at least one MP, who has the welfare of those who have silently and selflessly served the nation in peace and in war and who now appear to have been conveniently forgotten. We believe in the power of one and even though you are an Independent, you are on so many Standing and Consultative Committees of the Parliament and we repose full faith in you..
We once again thank you for taking up our cause and salute you for your ideals and principles in fighting the obvious double standards in governance. There are not many like you in the country.
With warmest and heartfelt regards,
Vice Admiral Harinder Singh (Retd)
click here to read more Veterans Comments

AHQ documentation and profiling of Officers puts COAS in the dock

Govt's next battle: Against army chief
Ajai Shukla / New Delhi January 1, 2012, 0:13 IST
The UPA government, still smarting from the Lok Pal Bill fiasco in the Rajya Sabha, already contemplates its next battle. Business Standard has learnt that the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General V K Singh, plans to petition the Supreme Court on Monday after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) yesterday rejected his statutory complaint asking for his date of birth to be reconciled.

The army chief contends (supported by 19 documents, including matriculation and birth certificates) that he was born on May 10, 1951. That makes him eligible to serve till May 31, 2013, when he would retire after completing 62 years that month. The Adjutant General’s (AG’s) Branch, the army’s official record keeper, supports that date. But the Military Secretary’s Branch, which handles promotions, has him born on May 10, 1950 and, therefore, due for retirement on May 31, 2012. The MoD has ruled that the latter date is correct.

“The chief will leave on January 5 for an official visit to Myanmar. Before that, he would like to file his writ petition, to which he is entitled as a citizen of India,” says a close aide to Singh.

Sources close to Singh describe him as “extremely bitter” at the government’s “backstabbing” over this issue. They say Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was mediating with the army chief on behalf of the government. After Singh refused the offer of a post-retirement ambassadorship or governorship, retorting that this was a matter of honour, Mukherjee is said to have asked the chief to wait till January 16, 2012, when a face-saving compromise would be worked out. To the army chief’s surprise yesterday, the government rejected his petition.

Approached for comments, Mukherjee’s office admitted the finance minister met Singh yesterday, in a closed-door one-on-one meeting. But the official denied that the date-of-birth issue was discussed. “So many people discuss different things with the finance minister. We cannot reveal what they talked,” the official said.
Govt's next battle: Against army chief

COAS to resign ahead of tenure?
General Singh is consulting legal experts, including three former Chief Justices of India, and they have strongly supported him. Sources say the Army chief has two options: Either to go to the Armed Forces Tribunal, or move to Supreme Court directly. The Supreme Court is already hearing a Public Interest Litigation over the issue.

Sources also say that General Singh has also not ruled out resigning ahead of his tenure ending on May 31, 2012 - the date which the government has now decided.
Read more at: click here

Tailpiece
... a ministry headed by “honest” Antony, we have an unexplained sum of Rs 600 crore being paid as “business charges” by the UPA government to an Israeli arms manufacturer. Till date, the government has not explained what this money is about.
Antony vs Army Chief: When honesty is not good enough by R Jagannathan Jan 3, 2012- click here for the full story

MI 17 super- secret department blinds the Indian Army

NEW DELHI, December 8, 2011
The Hindu by Vinaya Deshpande
Military Intelligence paid hundreds of crores of rupees for outdated software, documents obtained by The Hindu show
The Indian Army's imagery interpretation capabilities, critical to providing information on the locations of enemy troops and their military assets, have been compromised by flawed contracts placed with a company that has failed to provide critical software upgrades, an investigation by The Hindu has found.
Documents obtained by The Hindu from the Ministry of Defence show that the firm responsible for supplying and integrating software used in critical image intelligence analysis was relieved of its responsibility to provide free upgrades in 2008 — and is now on the verge of receiving a Rs.165-crore contract for the supply of software it may no longer have licensing rights for.
MI17 — the super-secret military intelligence department that analyses data provided by India's spy satellites — relies on software provided by global software giants Intergraph, Oracle, and Bentley.
Rolta, an Indian company, supplied photogrammetry and geographical information system software licensed from these firms to the Army in 1996, integrating them into a single package to meet MI17's specific needs. From then to 2008, things went well — when a new contract for 14 photogrammetry and geographical information system packages came up to be signed.
The earlier contract bound Rolta to provide software “updates and upgrades” free of cost, as part of a maintenance contract. In 2008, though, the phrasing was changed to just “updates”— freeing Rolta of the obligation to provide the most recent software released by the original equipment manufacturer.
Rolta was paid Rs.506.45 crore for equipment purchased between 1998 and 2008. In addition, it received annual maintenance contracts for equipment purchased during this period; as of December 2008, their cumulative value was Rs. 40.66 crore per annum.
The Hindu Expose- click here to read the full article

Poorly conceived procedures
Commodore C. Uday Bhaskar, Director of the National Maritime Foundation and a former director of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, said the problem lay in poorly conceived bureaucratic procedures put in place after the Bofors scandal, which was exposed by The Hindu in 1987-1988.
“If the armed forces buy a lemon,” he explained, “it is obviously either because of incompetence or corruption. Now, though the post-Bofors system is ostensibly designed to prevent malpractices, in fact privileges incompetence and thus opens the floodgates to corruption.”
“What we really need is to create a cadre of young officers who are competent to make the kinds of highly technical judgments military acquisitions need today, not committees of bureaucrats with no specialist judgment,” he said. “Task force after task force have made thoughtful, well-considered recommendations to reform the defence acquisition system.”
Antony orders probe into controversial Rs. 500-crore contract: The Hindu

'Serious fraud probe' into ex-servicemen job scam

'Serious fraud probe' into ex-servicemen job scam
New Delhi (IANS): The Defence Ministry on Sunday handed over the probe into a job racket for ex-servicemen to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) in the Corporate Affairs Ministry.
Several senior officers of the Directorate General Resettlement (DGR) have been found guilty in an internal inquiry.

The case involves a private company, Ex-Servicemen Airlink Transport Service Pvt Ltd (EATS), and the fraud took place under a scheme for ex-servicemen. Under the scheme, security agencies run by retired defence personnel were given contracts to provide service to central public sector undertakings.

The Defence Ministry found substance in allegations of subletting of security agencies for obtaining multiple benefits by a few officers of the ex-servicemen welfare department.

"The Defence Ministry has decided to request the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to hand over to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) the case relating to private company EATS for further investigation," a Defence Ministry spokesperson said.

"Action is also being initiated against the officers mentioned in the inquiry report who flouted the extant norms and guidelines of various schemes, and thus were involved in administrative improprieties," the spokesman said in a statement.

The move comes as the Defence Ministry initiated a series of measures after an inquiry found substance in allegations regarding subletting of security agencies and obtaining multiple benefits by a few ex-servicemen officers.

This was part of a drive to ensure transparency in the functioning of DGR office. DGR is an attached office of department of ex-servicemen welfare, which is responsible for training and rehabilitation of retiring defence personnel and ex-servicemen.
'Serious fraud probe' into ex-servicemen job scam

General VK Singh’s age controversy: Army contradicts ministry

Date : Sep 16th, 2011 New Delhi: The controversy over Army chief General VK Singh’s age has deepened with the Defense Ministry and the Indian Army holding on to their positions.

General Singh has consistently maintained that he was born in 1951 as against 1950 as maintained by the Ministry of Defense. Army records however reflect both dates. General Singh has also filed a formal complaint with the ministry saying that while the government can decide his tenure as chief of Army, his year of birth cannot be changed.

The biggest implication of this is the year in which the Army chief will retire – 2012, according to the government’s decision. If it had accepted General Singh’s date of birth, his tenure would have extended to 2013.

Earlier this month, Defence Minister A K Antony had told the Rajya Sabha, “The date of birth of General VK Singh, Chief of Army Staff, has been maintained as 10th May 1950 at the time of his selection as Corps Commander (Lieutenant General) in 2006 as well as his subsequent promotions as Army Commander in 2008 and Chief of the Army Staff in 2010″

But the Military Secretary’s branch in the Army Headquarters, that handles promotions and transfers, has contradicted the ministry. Military Secretary Lieutenant General GM Nair has informed the ministry that General VK Singh’s promotion from the rank of a Brigadier in 1996 to that of a Lieutenant General in 2005 had May 10, 1951 as the date of birth.
General VK Singh’s age controversy: Army contradicts ministry
Related Reading
Army chief readies for legal battle with ministry

Joint Command a Myth

Joint command
Jointness in armed forces
Politics of Chief of Defence Staff
by Rakesh Datta
This refers to the article, “Jointness in armed forces” (August 26). There is no likelihood of the CDS coming up at least in the foreseeable future. First, there is no jointness; the three Services Chiefs hold divergent views. Secondly, there exists an unwarranted fear of army takeover in the mind of the politicians that is fuelled by vested interests in the bureaucracy. And thirdly, the all-powerful bureaucracy is afraid of losing its superiority.

The fear has even led to a systematic dilution of the status of the Services Chiefs. They have been brought down in precedence from their once exalted position. The million-strong Army has been virtually sidelined. It has lost its say even in the matters that directly concern it. And sadly, the Army has sheepishly allowed itself to be relegated to the inferior position. All this needs to be undone.

The government should get rid of its imaginary fear, the bureaucracy should shun its misplaced superiority complex, and the Army should assert its well-deserved importance. Give the Army its rightful due. This will be in the interest of national security.
Wg Cdr CL SEHGAL (Retd), Jalandhar

How Government treats Faujis

From: Narinder Dhand
Sent: 05 September 2011 11:09
To: Brig Chander Kamboj
Subject: We faujis- as our Govt Treats us
Dear Friends,
When we look back at the British Rule in India, there are more woes than good words. Restricting our discussion on the fauji woes, here is an example how they looked after their soldiers even if they were from their enslaved colonies. Here is an example which I must share with all my friends. The document below has been given to me by one of my civilian friends. Sh Piara Lal my friend's Grandfather was in the Medical Corps of the British Indian Army during WWI.
For his distinguished services he was awarded JANGI INAM which included a certificate and a TWO LIVES PENSION of One POUND (Gold Souvenir duly packed in a equally decorated Thelli). Ever since 1914 he and later his son have been getting this Souvenir in Gold (12 gms value over Rs 30000/- as of date).
In 1965-66 The Crown invited him with family to UK for validictory ceremonies. The five member family went to UK and stayed for a month in Buckingham Palace as guests. Needless to mention that their entire expenditure was borne by UK High Commission ex Amritsar and back. Some of you are already familiar with some of Indians, the winners of Victoria Cross as to how they were honoured even by the ordinary UK Citizens on the roadsides/markets in UK.
Compare this with the treatment we soldiers are getting in INDIA, Our chief is being pushed around on his DOB issue, The so called supreme commander of the Indian Armed Forces refuses to meet the veterans. The babus donot miss a chance to malign the Army up to even declaring them physically unfit by carrying out survey of 750 persons, wonder if they sampled from active units or just a service unit located in Delhi.
As a veteran One will obviously look back and think why he took risks of my life at several occasion in the past, lucky to have survived through the air attacks and shelling in 1971 and also from the terrorists bullets during such operations. Most veterans are living today over their pension and terminal benefits, as otherwise our Government would have given their families with odd Rs 5 Lakhs and left them to live as paupers on public charity. It is high time God sends us another ANNA.
May God one day hear our prayers -- and grant us what we deserve as protectors of this Nation and the country.
Brig Narinder Dhand (Veteran)

Major General's pension case languishing in the courts

Received from an affected Maj Gen
Maj Gen's Case
As u r aware that we had filed our counter affidavit on 02 June 11, 2011. The Govt was required to file rejionder affidavit within 3 weeks. Till now 3 months r over the govt has not complied with the directions of the SC.
The SC Registrar has suo moto initiated action to give notice to govt counsel for their failure to file rejoinder within stipulated time. The hearing was done on 26 aug 11. Our advocate was also present. No justifiable answer was given for the delay by the govt counsel. Accordingly the Registrar has forwarded the case to the SC Chamber Judge for hearing for reasons of Union of India being a defaulter.
The chamber Judge has the option of either to dismiss the appeal or grant more time. since govt is involved, the latter option is more probable. in any case will be heard soon with notice to both the parties. we shall try our best to argue for dismissal. Date of hearing will be intimated to u.
Note: It is not understood why the Courts are so indulgent towards the Govt. I thought the scales of justice were well balanced in the hands of the blind folded lady! VKD
Best regards,
Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Chairman IESM

Age Controversy sullies image of Armed Forces

‘Army Chief got promotions on basis of 1950 DoB’
7 September 2011
NEW DELHI, 7 SEPT: Amid the raging controversy over the age of Gen V K Singh, defence minister Mr AK Antony today said the Army Chief has a little over eight months in office as per his 10 May, 1950 date of birth on the basis of which he got his last two promotions.
In reply to a Parliamentary query, Mr Antony said the Army Chief has two different sets of dates of birth in official documents and has filed a statutory complaint on his age issue. “The date of birth of Gen Singh has been maintained as 10 May, 1950 at the time of his selection as Corps Commander in 2006 as well his subsequent promotions as Army Commander in 2008 and the Chief of Army Staff in 2010. “However, a different date of birth finds mention in certain documents and the Army Chief has filed a statutory complaint in this matter,” he said. In the statutory complaint, Gen Singh has petitioned the defence minister against Ministry's 21 July decision rejecting his contention of treating 10 May , 1951 as his date of birth. The minister said as per his date of birth on 10 May, 1950, “he is left with eight months and 23 days of service as on date.” In the age controversy, on 25 May, the Army Chief had filed a petition before the ministry to treat 10 May, 1951 as his date of birth but this was rejected. While the military secretary branch records his date of birth as 10 May, 1950, the adjutant general's branch has 10 May, 1951 in its documents. sns
‘Army Chief got promotions on basis of 1950 DoB’
Related Reading
Debate over Gen Singh's age sullying Army's image
Messier and messier

Is the Army physically fit for warfare?

Unfit Army? Survey finds 30% overweight
Durgesh Nandan Jha, TNN Sep 5, 2011, 01.07am IST
NEW DELHI: A study on the health of Indian Army personnel has thrown up worrying results. Four out of five personnel surveyed, including officers, were found suffering from pre-hypertension, about a third were overweight and two-thirds had low levels of good cholesterol (HDL), caused by lack of exercise.
The sample survey was conducted by the defence ministry and Indian Council of Medical Research on 767 'healthy' personnel including 130 officers. Their ages ranged from 18 to 50 years.
The study also found a majority of the personnel had bad eating habits. Most of them added salt or pickle to their food and used ghee/butter regularly.
Unfit Army

Letter to Times of India by Brig Lakshman Singh (Retd)
UNFIT ARMY –screamed the headline from the front page of the Monday Times of India.
The second or the third larges standing Army in the World discredited based on a sample survey of 767. How many of the sample were from Arms and how many from Services, how many of the surveyed were deployed in field and how many in peace stations how many married and staying with the family, was the ethnic background also taken into consideration.
I retired long back from the army, there used to tests for physical fitness like BPET and PPT, annual medical examinations both for officers and the men. The nature of job, as such, created stress and to relieve it that were regular games and sports, music on radio and magazines newspapers, books and also Sanik Sammelans, where the Commanding Officer addressed the unit personnel once a month.
Has everything changed in the present day army, I do wonder: not possible to my mind.
If Army is unfit, the reason has to be found some where else. In September of 1962 we, of Seven Brigade ocated at Tawang, ill-equipped and ill clothed for winter, with no snow clothing available, in woollen jersey and angora shirt, for fighting at the heights of 16000 feet plus, for personal arms the troops had the, World War Two, 303 Le-Enfield rifle with 50 rounds of ammunition and the units without digging tools, barbed -wire, mines and no Artillery support, were told to take on the Chinese.
Possibly equipment wise with modernising lagging behind for one reason or other, things are no batter even now. If Army is unfit one has to seek the reason somewhere else.
I would also suggest your copywriter to be slightly more discreet ‘Eye Catching’ head lines look good but can be damaging to the institutions in the eyes of the Nation,

Pension of Honorary Naib Subedars

08 September 2011
IESM/Pension/ Hony Nb Sub
Shri AK Antony
Hon’ble Defence Minister
South Block, New Delhi – 110 011
Pension of Honorary Naib Subedars: Non Implementation of Court Orders
Dear Hon’ble minister,
I would like to bring to your kind notice that in accordance with GOI, Dept Ex Servicemen Welfare letter No. 1(8)2008-D (Pen/Policy) dated 12.06.2009 and recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission contained in Para 5.1.62 of their report, Havildars who are granted Honorary rank of Naib Subedars are entitled to get the same pension as a Naib Subedar promoted in the regular stream. This is also in accordance with the judgments of Armed Forces Tribunal and Supreme Court. However, this is not happening and legitimate claims of the affected pensioners are being denied on the specious plea that the provisions of parity of pension between Naib Subedar and Hony Naib Subedar is applicable to only those Hon Naib Subedars who retired on or after 01.01.2006.

It needs to be noted that this contention does not stand ground as the DESW letter No. 1(8)2008-D(Pen/Policy) dated 12.06.2009 does not speak in that spirit. This matter has been also been adjudicated at AFT Chandigarh on 08.02.2010, which ruled that those provisions apply to both pre and post 01.01.2006 retirees. The GOI appeal against this judgment has also been dismissed by the Honorable Supreme Court by upholding the verdict of the AFT Chandigarh on 20.12.2010. On 11.01.2011, AFT Jaipur also gave similar ruling and directed that the arrears be paid with 6 % penal interest to the litigants. It, therefore, leaves no doubt that the GOI has to sanction the pension of a Naib Subedar also to all those Honorary Naib Subedars who retired prior to 2006.

May I request you to kindly look into the anomaly and have the orders of the court implemented at the earliest.
With best regards,
Yours sincerely,
Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Chairman IESM

Copy to:
General V K Singh, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADCChief of Army Staff
Integrated Headquarters of MoD (Army)
South Block
New Delhi- 110011

Reservation for Ex-Servicemen

Reservation of Government Posts for Ex-Servicemen- September 6, 2011
There is no provision for earmarking of posts exclusively for ex- servicemen therefore the data on the actual number of reserved posts and unfilled vacancies earmarked for the Ex-servicemen are not maintained. However, percentagewise reservations ranging from 10 to 24.5% of the total available vacancies in Group C & D posts in Government jobs and Public Sector Undertakings have been provided for the willing and eligible Ex- servicemen.

It is the responsibility of concerned organization to fill the vacant posts. However the government endeavours to explore every possible avenue for increasing employment opportunities for the Ex-servicemen through various initiatives including trainings and awareness programmes. Moreover, the State Governments have also been advised to fill up the vacancies reserved for Ex-servicemen expeditiously. Since the Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare has no mandate to monitor the job reservations for Ex-servicemen, the matter has been taken up with Cabinet Secretariat in consultation with Department of Personnel & Training to empower Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare to monitor the same through appropriate changes in relevant rules.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Shri MM Pallam Raju in a written reply to Shri Ananth Kumar and Shri Devji M. Patel in Lok Sabha today. pib
Reservation for Ex-Servicemen

Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare: Who is Who
1. Smt. Neelam Nath Secretary 23792914, 23792913 5-A, South Block, New Delhi
2. Shri Shekhar Agarwal Special Secretary 23011775/23017875(Fax) 109-A South Block, New Delhi
3. Shri Sanjeeva Kumar Joint Secretary (ESW) 23011804/23015933(Fax) 99-A, South Block, New Delhi
4. Shri D. K. Tyagi Director(Pension) 23015609(Fax) 213, A Wing, Sena Bhawan, New Delhi
5. Maj Gen PRAMOD BEHL Director General, Resettlement 26192351/26192350(Fax) West Block-IV, R.K. Puram, New Delhi-66
6. Brig Sudhir Uppal, VSM Secretary, Kendriya Sainik Board 26192361 26192362(Fax) West Block-IV, R.K. Puram, New Delhi-66
7. Maj Gen A Srivastava MD (ECHS) 25684846 Army Headquarters, AG's Branch Maudelines, Delhi Cantonement
Department of Ex Servicemen
Comment: The Statistical Office of ESW needs to be wound up. Their contribution to Welfare has been zilch till date. The savings incurred can be utilised elsewhere.

DGR: Unsettling Resettlement

An unsettling resettlement
Go no further. First take a look at the website of the Indian military’s Directorate General Resettlement. Then scour the home page of the British military’s resettlement service and their civilian partner agency.

One talks about starting the process of career transition two years before leaving and continuing for two years after leaving the military. Its primary purpose is “to help eligible personnel leaving the Armed Forces to make a successful transition to civilian employment in a suitable second career, which is appropriate to their skills, knowledge and experience and/or in accord with their aspirations.”

The other one says that “In order to maintain a youthful profile of the Armed Forces, approximately 60,000 service personnel are retired/released every year at comparatively young age. Majority of the service personnel at the time of retirement are at an age where thay [sic] have numerous unfinished domestic responsibilities, which necessitate their taking up second occupation.”

Therein lies the difference between a modern military and an archaic military. Heck, which one needs reform!
@k_ram Comments
As always, lucid, detailed and bang on the target. The tragedy is that many service officers and veterans mistake “critique” for “criticism”. It is a state of denial — believe that everything is hunky dory, just by turning a blind eye to the faults. The next step — When a wrong is invariably proved, blame it on other external entities. I agree that these aren’t the signs of a learning organisation or a professional/ modern military.
click here for more interesting comments-Pragmatic Euphony

Inclusion of DA for Calculation of Gratuity

From: Lt Gen Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Chairman IESM
01 Sep 2011
To:Secretary (ESW)Ministry of Defence
South Block, New Delhi – 110011
Inclusion of DA for Calculation of Gratuity
Reference Ministry of Personnel and Pensioners’ Welfare OM no 38/42/2005-P&PW (F) dated 17 February 2005 (copy attached). As per above OM, in pursuance of recommendation of Fifth Pay Commission, the Govt had approved 100% of DA to be added to the pay for calculation of retirement/death gratuity. This was made effective from 1.1.1996. However, it has been reported by the ESM environment that those pensioners who retired between 1.1.1996 and 4.12.2001 have not been given this benefit. You are requested to kindly have the anomaly checked and rectified.
Yours sincerely,
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan
Copy to:
AG (PS)Integrated HQ of MoD (Army)South Block
New Delhi – 110011
Director (PP) Ministry of Personnel,
PG and Pensioners’ Welfare Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare
III Floor, Sena Bhavan, New Delhi – 110003
Related Reading
Additional Gratuity for Pre- 2006 Retirees is a Fake Order