Monday 6 April 2015

RM LETTERS SENT TO HIM ON 03 APRIL 2015

ALL INDIA EX SERVICES WELFARE ASSOCIATION

Our Mail IDs - aiewaorg@gmail.comaiewa81@hotmail.com 

aiewa_association@rediffmail.com

Web site : www.aiewa.org

Blog : aiewa.blogspot.in

(We Were THIRTY YEARS YOUNG On 21 Nov 2011)

M 35 Palika Bhawan,
RK Puram, Sector 13,
New Delhi 110066.
Ph :011 26110710
Fax :011 241O6144
Dear friends,

We have sent the following three letters to our RM on 03 Apr 2015.

We have thanked the Govt on your behalf for making it possible to get OROP. While doing this we have also forewarned the leadership to be ware of the tricks, bureaucrats are prone to play, till the last moment for they are not going to concede victory to us so easily.

Besides we have appealed to work on matters which were responsible for such a situation to arise in the first place and for the noble intention of our respected PM of involving Armed Forces in all decisions pertaining to them.
We have also sent case regarding Majors and Lt Col Z( SG).

With warm regards

Lt Col Inderjit Singh
Chairman,
AIEWA
09811007629
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LETTER NO 1

Please refer to you letter No 10(09)/2014/D(Pen/Pol) of 18 Feb 15 in response to my letter No 4020/AIEWA/132/VIP-III dated 27 Dec 2014.
2. I wish to thank you for fulfilling the promises made by our respected Prime Minister about the most important and longstanding demand of ONE RANK ONE PENSION of ours. In view of your assurances given to us, the Veterans, we have already suspended action on our letter while being ever so grateful to you and your Government.
3. I had first ever put this up to the Prime Minister on 22 Feb 1982, when I brought 5000 Veterans to Delhi and forced a meeting. Ever since we pursued it relentlessly to see it through. We got five Prime Ministers to concede it and twice actually got it. This was however taken away at the first opportunity by the bureaucrats. This time also if you had shown little bit of laxity they would have denied us.
4. Even now they would not accept defeat so easily. The hush hush manner in which they are working out the tables without involving the Service HQs, hardly bodes well for us. I request you to kindly get the Service HQ involved in this exercise as well. I will be grateful.
5. I have had too much experience of their games in the last 33 years. I narrate to you an interesting case of what they are capable of doing to deny us our legitimate dues. In 1990 I manage to get a HIGH LEVEL EMPOWERED COMMITTEE (HLEC) appointed. I was invited to be its member. I managed to get a modified version of OROP through OTI despite the strong opposition by bureaucrats, by exposing their lies at each stage. This was not liked by them. What they could not achieve in the proceedings they achieved through the Govt Notification that they issued. I went crying to the RM. He very kindly appointed an Anomalies Removal Committee. They produced amendments to the award which had further complicated Anomalies which ultimately I got removed through Fifth CPC. This is what they are prone to do unless kept on a tight leash.
6. You have met many veterans during the course of last few months. Please forgive me I have not been able to come to pay my respects to you and give my humble inputs, much that i would have like to come. I am laid up with an attack of paralyses and am recovering. I shall make up for that as soon as I am in a position to do so.

LEFT THUMB IMPRESSION
LT COL INDERJIT SINGH
The Hon’ble Sh. Manohar Parrikar
The Defence Minister
Govt of India
New Delhi

Copy to :-

The Hon’ble Sh. Rao Inderjit Singh
Raksha Rajya Mantri
New Delhi -110011
Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, PVSM,UYSM,AVSM,VSM,ADC
Chief of Army Staff
Integrated HQ of MoD
New Delhi-110011
Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, PVSM, AVSM,VM, ADC
Chief of Air Staff & Chairman Chief of Staff Committee
Air Headquarters
Vayu Bhawan
New Delhi -110011
Admiral Robin K Dhowan, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ,ADC
Chief of Naval Staff
Integrated Headquarters of MoD (Navy)
DHQ PO
New Delhi-110011
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LETTER NO 2

We are indeed grateful to you for making it possible for us to get OROP finally. We shall ever remain grateful. Now that the OROP has been conceded let us put our shoulders together to tackle those issues that are responsible for our present state.
2. Our problem is not lack of good will of the leadership, it is the inimical elements. Imagine the MOD which is there to look after our interests to ensure for us the best, is the one which is opposing every thing that is good for us. The problem of lack of our communication with the leadership is what is needed to be addressed if you want to achieve anything on permanent basis.
3. This can not happen by off and on issuing orders to this effect. This can only happen by placing instruments on ground. The instruments that need to be established for ensuring regular institutionalised inter action are given below :-
           a) Standing Committee of Voluntary Associations (SCOVA).
b) Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare.
c) Representation of Armed Forces at the MOD.
d) The Armed Forces Tribunal.
e) The Ex-servicemen Resettlement Commission.
4. I had written to the Prime Minister about these issues on 01 Jul 2014. He has very kindly taken a very serious note of my request and conceded SCOVA and designated it as Standing Committee on Welfare of Ex servicemen. Ex-servicemen Commission he had accepted through his Manifesto.
Accepted Issues
5. Of these accepted issues, while to work out the charter for Commission, consultations are going on at various levels, there is no news about Standing Committee for Welfare of Exservicemen. The bureaucrats have been stonewalling this for the last 25 years. They are not going to concede it easily unless you kindly keep track of it. In 1991 I got it going in the MOD. They finding it too hot for their liking, quickly wound it up.
Separate Pay Commission
6. Soon after Fifth CPC, I realised that we can not get our rightful due unless we have our Separate Pay Commission. I pursued it relentlessly ever since. In 2013 it was conceded. It took 15 Years of my struggle to get it, but the Chiefs in their wisdom rejected it. You may consider granting this once again.
Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare
7. This Department was set up by the leadership in their wisdom to ensure that the problems of veterans could be taken care of with greater authority and effect. Unfortunately rather than use their additional authority to solve our problems the bureaucrats running the Department are instead misusing their powers to create even more difficult problems.
8. What is required is the restructuring of this Department with the staff being a mix of serving and retired soldiers of the Armed Force. This would to a great extent help in solving rather than creating problems for Veterans, which is happening now.
Representation of Armed Forces at the MOD
9. I am sure you are aware that the Armed Force are the only uniformed Service which has no representation at the decision making level in the controlling Ministry. Why? Are the Armed Forces untrustworthy or are they incompetent to handle their own affairs? It is neither. It is the fear of a coup that the bureaucracy has been creating in the minds of the leadership regularly that has resulted in total trust deficit. This kind of an attitude rather than prevent it, is a sure shot recipe for disaster.
10. This situation must be quickly reversed by placing Armed Forces officers at various decision making levels in the MOD. This will automatically ensure consultation and participation of the Armed Forces in all matters pertaining to them as per Prime Minister’s noble desire.
The Armed Forces Tribunal
11. The Veterans had been subjected to all along with problems emerging out of flawed orders or their wrong implementation. Some Veterans who refuse to accept the injustice go to the Courts for reprieve. That is when their troubles begin. If they get favourable decision from one Court the Govt drags them to the next higher Court. This process goes on till they are dead. When the orders come neither they are there nor are their problems.
12. The Leadership realising these difficulties decided to set up an Armed Forces Tribunal so that they could get a quick redressal of their grievances through judicial intervention if they could not get reprieve elsewhere.
13. Ever since the AFT was appointed in 2009 around ten thousand cases have been filed by serving soldiers and Veterans. Majority of these cases have been decided in favour of these suffering Armed Forces Personnel and Veterans. Almost in all those cases the MOD through Deptt of ESW have gone in for Appeal in higher Courts. The Armed forces agony has been prolonged by creating another level of judicial intervention rather than reducing it.
14. This has happened because the AFT has been placed under MOD and has been made toothless. The matter needs to be attended to by placing them under Ministry of Law and giving them all the powers of a High Court. Finally MOD be directed to treat all orders of the AFT as final unless there is serious violation of the Constitutional provisions.
15. The number of cases filed should be a matter of serious alarm for the leadership. The inimical elements to prejudice the minds of the leadership will project this phenomenon as a revolt against the Govt by the Veterans. In actual fact it is indicative of their malafide intentions for denying us our rightful dues at such an enormous scale. To tell you in simple words the actual situation? Almost every notification of any consequence, issued by the MOD is flawed and which denies us our rightful dues or takes away already granted facilities.
The Ex-servicemen Resettlement Commission
16. We are delighted that this all important instrument for Veterans welfare has already been announced by the President in his address to the Joint Session of the Parliament. This was first recommended by the High Level Committee headed by RRM, of which I was a Special Invitee, way back in 1984. The bureaucracy has been stalling it all this time.
17. What is required now is to keep a close watch on terms and conditions that are being worked out. The Babus should not be allowed to turn this also a toothless wonder like AFT.
Conclusion
18. The respected Prime Minister was kind to express his desire to see that all decision pertaining to Armed Forces are taken in consultation with them. This can not be achieved by passing orders now and then. This can only be achieved by placing instruments in place.
19. I hope you will take effective steps to ensure that this happens soon enough. The whole Veterans fraternity will be highly obliged and remain ever so grateful to you and the respected Prime Minister.

LEFT THUMB IMPRESSION
LT COL INDERJIT SINGH
The Hon’ble Sh. Manohar Parrikar
The Defence Minister
Govt of India
New Delhi

Copy to :-
The Hon’ble Sh. Rao Inderjit Singh
Raksha Rajya Mantri
New Delhi -110011
Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, PVSM,UYSM,AVSM,VSM,ADC
Chief of Army Staff
Integrated HQ of MoD
New Delhi-110011
Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, PVSM, AVSM,VM, ADC
Chief of Air Staff & Chairman Chief of Staff Committee
Air Headquarters
Vayu Bhawan
New Delhi -110011
Admiral Robin K Dhowan, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ,ADC
Chief of Naval Staff
Integrated Headquarters of MoD (Navy)
DHQ PO
New Delhi-110011
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 LETTER NO 3

A large number of Majors and Lt Col (SG) have been denied their rightful dues consequent to the decisions of various committees and CPC.
2. I submit details about the case of Majors pensions in brief, that would help you in not only understanding the problem fully but also for ensuring that the right remedial measures are adopted for working out proper solution to this very serious problem The problem of Lt Cols (Selection Grade) being the same, their case has also been included for your consideration and necessary action please.

Brief History
3. Till the Fifth CPC, for fixation of pay of the officers of the rank of Major belonging to all categories were treated alike viz there was no difference between the pay of acting or substantive majors at starting level. Further both the officers of the General list and SL List (Special duty list in Navy) were fixed at the same scale of pay viz Rs 11600-325-14850.
4. From 29 Feb 2000 vide Ministry of Defence letter No 1 (26)/97/II/D(pay/services) dated 29 Feb 2000, the officers of the above rank were arbitrarily split into various categories as stated below:-
(a) General list officers (Acting Major) drawing starting salary of Rs 11600
(b) SL Officers (Substative Major) drawing starting salary of Rs 11925
           (c) All officers holding rank of Major who retired prior to 29 Feb 2000 drawing starting             salary of Rs 11600
(d) Officers holding acting rank of Major who retired after 2000 drawing starting salary             of Rs 11600.
           (e) Officers holding substantive rank of Major who retired after 2000 drawing salary of             Rs 11925
          (g) Since Special list officers were granted substantive rank they started drawing                     more pay than the General list officers at starting level itself.
5. The recent decision of the Government to grant the Major with 21 years of service the pension equal to that of the Lt Col(TS) has created another class within the above rank, making matters more complicated for future. It has been done presumably on the basis of DSRs which lays this down. This regulation had become infructuous with the Govt order No 18(I) 2004-D(GS-1) dated 21st December 2004 due to which all majors became substantive Major with six years service and Lt Col with thirteen years service with effect from 16 Dec 2004.

Status After 2004
6. With the announcement of the Govt. order No 18(I) 2004-D(GS-1) dated 21st December 2004 all majors will now retire with pensions of a Lt Col (TS) as after putting in service for 13 years they will get the rank of a Lt Col. This should have been the yardstick for the latest award of Lt Cols pension to Majors rather than the DSR norm, which has no meaning under the changed circumstances. This very pension of Lt Col (TS) has been given to earlier selection grade Lt Cols after the Sixth CPC award. This tantamounts to downgrading the selection grade Lt Col.
Position After Sixth CPC
7. Taking this situation into consideration the Sixth CPC placed all Majors and Lt Cols in Pay Band three. While doing this they totally ignored the situation that prevailed pre 16 Dec 2004 when a Major became substantive with 13 years service and many more years to become Lt Col. The duties performed by a major were as a Company commander and a Lt Col as a Battalion Commander. These duties are now being performed by Lt Col and Colonel.
8. After some representation by the AFs, Lt Col has been placed in PB 4 and a major with 21 years service been given Lt Cols (TS) pension. In this the Majors with 20 years minimum qualifying pensionable service have been left out, by what logic we can not think of except the fervent desires of the vested interests to do down Armed Forces. Similarly the selection grade Lt Cols of yore have been brought down to the level of Lt Cols (TS) by giving them the pensions of present day Lt Cols(TS).

Action Required
9. The immediate need of the hour is that the pensions of all pre 2004 Majors and Lt Cols be upgraded keeping in view the duties by their equivalent ranks now and not the ranks held.
10. Majors Rank. In that the Majors who retired with 20 years of minimum qualifying pensionable service or more to be given the pensions of a Lt Col (TS) as has been rightly done for Majors with 21 years service. By what logic the Major with 20 years have been deprived of the pensions of Lt Col (TS) needs to be investigated and those responsible made accountable for their misdeeds.
11. Lt Col Rank. The case of Lt Col is simpler as there were only two categories. The time scaled and the other, selection grade one. While Lt Col (TS) has been suitably compensated by bringing him to PB 4, the Lt Col selection grade has been down graded by giving him the scales of Lt Col (TS) rather than those of Colonels who are now commanding the Battalions which were commanded by Lt Cols earlier. All Lt Cols selection grades need to be given the scales of Colonels in the PB 4 to remove this problem.

Applicability Date
12. The GOI/MOD has decided to apply the notification regarding latest award wef 24.9.12 (instead of 01.1.06) in spite of the fact that just about 45 days earlier to it, the Hon’ble Minister of State (Min. of Finance) in reply to an unstarred question (no. 191) had stated on the floor of the Rajya Sabha on 9.8.12 that “The 13th Finance Commission had recommended that structural shocks such as arrears arising out of Pay Commission awards should be avoided by making the pay award commence from the date on which it is accepted.” The date of applicability of this award therefore should be wef 01. 01. 2006 as per this announcement.

Solution13. In definite terms what we seek is given below:-
a) All Majors with minimum 20 years qualifying pensionable service or more to be given the pensions of Lt Col (TS). 
b) All Lt Col Selection Grade who commanded Battalions or their equivalent units in their arm or service to be given the scales of full Colonels.
c) The date of applicability should be 01.01.2006 
15. Now that these problems have been brought to your kind notice, we look forward to your indulgence in solving these soon as submitted.

LEFT THUMB IMPRESSION
LT COL INDERJIT SINGH

The Hon’ble Sh. Manohar Parrikar
The Defence Minister
Govt of India
New Delhi

Copy to :-
The Hon’ble Sh. Rao Inderjit Singh
Raksha Rajya Mantri
New Delhi -110011
Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, PVSM,UYSM,AVSM,VSM,ADC
Chief of Army Staff
Integrated HQ of MoD
New Delhi-110011
Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, PVSM, AVSM,VM, ADC
Chief of Air Staff & Chairman Chief of Staff Committee
Air Headquarters
Vayu Bhawan
New Delhi -110011
Admiral Robin K Dhowan, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ,ADC
Chief of Naval Staff
Integrated Headquarters of MoD (Navy)
DHQ PO
New Delhi-110011

1 comment:

  1. Sir I pray before God for your recovery soon

    ReplyDelete