SOVESERV - Part 9 - Where Do We Go? Section 1

SOVEREIGNTY & SERVICES

by

Major General (Emeritus) RN Radhakrishnan

Part -9

Where Do We Go?

Section 1

Way back in 1964, IESL was established. It is unfortunate that neither the Serving AF Personnel (AFSP) nor the retired personnel (AFV) have been able take full advantage of the opportunity that has been available since then. On the contrary there has been a steady and rapid down gradation in all aspects, namely pay, perks, privileges and prestige. A number of small associations sprung up doing their bit to alleviate local problems to a satisfactory level. Credit goes to a few knowledgeable NCOs and JCOs. It is they who went about getting down to earth remedy to individual problems from the PDAs and the KBs.

With a quite a bit of fanfare IESM came up, made a distinct stir and got noticed. What has been the result? Can they claim the following?

• Setting right the anomaly in the pensions of the Major Generals and Lieutenant Generals
• Upgrading the pay band for Lieutenant Colonels
• Getting a special scale of pay for Lieutenant Generals
• Enhancement of the pension only for the pensioners (not the family pensioners)

Well! Anyone can claim, as almost everyone who could pen down a few coherent sentences had written to the various officials and the Ministers. What pressurized the Government is that they realized their goofing up in a very bad way and had to do some face saving and that is exactly what they did. They are shrewd. They know by these measures they can placate many and that is what counts.

Here we are trumped, not knowing what to do.

What are the issues?

I have already brought out the issues quite a few times and now I summarize, first the Short Term Measures falling under the definition as those that are to be implemented within three to six months’ period.

• First and foremost; restoring the family pension at the rate of 60% (if not more) of all the pensions drawn by the husband after the enhancement or after retirement from a second career.
• Payment of Correct Disability pension.
• Completion of payment of Revised pension and the arrears by the PDA
• Withdrawal of any appeal already made or intended to be made against the verdicts of HC and AFT, by the Government.
• Short payment in pay and pension due to deduction of rank pay while re-fixing pay consequent to 4th CPCR for all officers to the rank of brigadier.
• Completion of the issue of revised Pension Orders (RPO) by the PDAs and confirmation of the correctness of the RPO by the CDA/ RO concerned.
• Revision of the pension of all commissioned officers must be taken interpreting the Pension orders correctly. The interpretation of the phrase ‘minimum of the pay in the pay band’ means the minimum of the applicable pay scale carved out of the pay band and not ‘the minimum of the pay band’.

Now let us review the Long Term Measures falling under the definition as the solutions that are to be implemented as soon as possible but not later than one year.

• Bring about parity in pension based on the principle that any two armed force pensioners retired at the same rank and having put in the same length of qualifying service must be paid the same pension, for all the pensioners irrespective of the date of retirement.
• Implement the 6CPCR on lateral induction. The age restriction that exists now must apply only for combat role. There are a number of establishments under the MoD exclusively dealing with Services. All these organizations must legitimately be manned by Servicemen with relaxation on the age of retirement to match that of superannuation. There is no need to retire any service personnel before the age of superannuation.
• Create an Integrated Directorate of Rehabilitation and bring all the central and state controlled welfare organizations under it and man it with servicemen. This will ensure better functioning of those organizations and create more confidence in the AFV community. This directorate has to function only till such time the exercise of the lateral induction is not completed.
• Bring all the polyclinics under the ECHS within the ambit of the Defence Medical Corps.

Final Solution

The promulgation of an ordinance to confer the special status of privileged citizen of the Nation and preferred employee of the Government on all armed force personnel that is the legitimate right of a soldier and moral obligation of the Nation to him is the final and only solution for us to regain all that is lost. Can there be any other better manner for the Nation to honour the soldier, who willingly accepts laying down his life in the defence of the Sovereignty of his country as the service condition, without demanding any special privilege in compensation?

We will see in the next section, in a short while, the steps that need to be taken by us.

Note: ‘emeritus’ means ‘having retired but allowed to keep a title as an honour’ and is a better word to describe ESM status.