Finance Minister will bury the OROP forever

OROP and Babus
To now order a special committee of babus to look into old grievances and anomalies in pay scales of serving soldiers, resulting from the 6th Pay Commission after four years defies logic.
More so against the backdrop of the Supreme Court having rejected the soldiers repeated pleas to redress their problems is another one of the farcical games the Government plays with its forces.
Clearly, the soldiers are being fooled by the powers-that-be once again as the 2014 elections are barely two years away. Think. The composition of the committee ensures that no worthwhile purpose will be served by it. As neither serving nor any retired soldier has been co-opted as a member.
In fact, the panel’s present members are the bureaucracy’s henchmen who will do no good, except delay results, both soldiers and veterans are eagerly awaiting.
Pertinently recently the three service Chiefs, led by Admiral Nirmal Verma, Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC) along-with his colleagues, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne and Army Chief General Bikram Singh gave a detailed presentation to the Committee of Secretaries to resolve anomalies in the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission award for the Armed Forces. Appended to this were strong demands from ex-servicemen and from acting servicemen for implementation of the one-rank-one-pay principle.
Now with Chidambaram back in the saddle and in his old shoe as the Finance Minister nothing fruitful is likely to emerge. FM is a deft player and he knows where to get money- cheat the Military!

Throw corrupt out of power: Gen V K Singh

Throw corrupt out of power: Gen V K Singh from Anna's dais
August 03, 2012 20:46 IST
Lending his support to Anna Hazare's movement against corruption, former army chief Gen V K Singh on Friday asked the people to "throw" the corrupt out of power and support the alternative political force sponsored by the activist.
Making his first public appearance in New Delhi [ Images ] since retiring from the Army and sharing the dais with Hazare at his hunger strike site, Singh spoke at length about how sepoys are treated in the army and the kind of training they undergo to tackle any kind of disaster or problem.
The former army chief, who was among the 22 eminent personalities who appealed to Hazare and other activists to end their fast, asked the people to travel to every village in the country and spread awareness about corruption, its ill-effects and the alternative political force.
"It is in your hands. The right to vote is with you. You can throw the corrupt people out. Annaji is providing an alternative political force. Go to every village and spread awareness among people," Singh, who had a confrontation with the government on his age issue, said. He also spoke about the J P movement of 1970s and said the famous slogan 'Quit the Throne, Public has arrived' is apt in today's atmosphere.
"You have the same slogan and you all have the same alternative. Once again revive the slogan of JP," he said.
Heaping praises on the army, especially its men, Gen Singh said he was speaking as a sepoy and went on to add "when everything fails, if a bridge collapse or someone falls into a drain, we are called."
"I thank Anna Hazare and others for heeding to our appeal and ending the fast. Other than corruption, the issues, which are concerning the nation are black money, law and order, weakening Rupee and inflation. There is no governance and it has become directionless," Gen Singh said.
"When people in the army can work like this, why can't people in the administration do the same? We make everything work in the army. If we have the same will and desire, we can bring a change in the country," Gen Singh said.
He said Hazare and others had to end the fast to bring "right kind" of democracy in the country. "Remember one thing. Whenever there is an administration and you protest against it with your chest open to correct their mistakes, then those who are non-democratic and those who run false democracy attack you and try to malign your name," he said.
Gen Singh said the agitation was for "saving the country from corruption as there is no other way."
Throw corrupt out of power: Gen V K Singh

Lt Gen Jatinder Singh to be probed by CBI

NDA jobs scam: CBI gets nod for probe against Lt Gen
Rahul Tripathi : New Delhi, Wed Aug 01 2012, 02:17 hrs
The CBI has got the Defence Ministry’s permission to initiate a probe against the former commandant of the National Defence Academy, Lt Gen Jatinder Singh, in the alleged recruitment racket (NDA jobs scam).
Earlier this month, the investigating agency arrested seven persons, including two Colonels, in this connection.
The CBI had sought MoD’s permission to question Singh, after reportedly establishing a “money trail” connecting him and his brother to the scam.
According to the probe, bribes of Rs 3-5 lakh were allegedly paid for jobs as C-grade staff at NDA while Singh was the commandant there. Lt Gen Singh has since been removed from NDA.
CBI officials said Lt Gen Singh will soon be summoned for questioning.
The CBI has reportedly established that prime accused Col Kulbir Singh, who is among those arrested, handed over Rs 4 lakh to the brother of Lt Gen Singh during a meeting at Mumbai’s Oberoi Hotel on June 23.
NDA jobs scam: CBI gets nod for probe against Lt Gen