DEFENCE SCOVA ACCEPTED - NAMED "STANDING COMMITTEE ON WELFARE OF EX SERVICEMEN"
Dear Friends
It is a matter of great pride for us to announce the constitution of Defence SCOVA by the Govt on the same lines as in the Ministry of Pension. A matter which we have been struggling for ever since 1990. has at last been conceded by the Govt. We are indeed grateful to our respected PM for conceding this very important demand of ours for ensuring participation of Armed Forces in decision making process about matters pertaining to them. It has been given the name of Standing Committee on Welfare of Ex servicemen.
This was the only way to make the bureaucrats accountable and we have finally got it. With this there is little chance for denial of our rightful dues. Cheers!
History
In 1991/92 we were members of SCOVA. It had 12 members. Of these 9 were civil Organisations and 3 from Armed Forces. In every meeting they were tackling problems of civil organisations first. By the time they finished with them, time was over and meeting ended. There was no time to even read through our Agenda Points leave alone their serious consideration.
I then told the Minister that we do not want to waste time there as neither they understood our peculiar problems nor did they have time to consider these. We should have our separate SCOVA of the Defence. After two more protests the Minister directed that MOD should have their Meeting before coming for SCOVA. We had two meetings in the MOD. In these meetings we asked questions which the bureaucrats found embarrassing answering. They then gave it a quiet burial. Ever since, in every Memorandum we had this point. Last time it was officially rejected by the Govt was in 2002 and the decision conveyed to me by the RM, Mr George Fernandes. His statement -
Point Raised
Institutionalised Interaction with the leadership.
Reply
The KSB and DGR are already overseeing the Welfare measures taken and proposed to be taken at State/UT/National level.
We however pursued it relentlessly because this was the only way for establishing Institutionalised means of communication with the leadership. The extracts of our latest letter written to the Hon'ble PM on 01 Jul 2014 had this to say about not only this matter but also other essential means for reaching out to the leadership -
"Standing Committee of Voluntary Associations (SCOVA)"
1. We have this Committee in the Ministry of Pensions. It has twelve members. Nine are civil employees Association and three of Veterans.
2. They meet every quarter under the Minister and resolve all problems. By the time they finish discussing the submissions of Civil Associations, hardly any time is left to discuss our problems. Besides our problems are of different nature which they hardly understand. What is required is that we have a similar SCOVA of the MOD. I got it going in 1992/93. Couple of meetings also took place. Then bureaucrats found it too hot to answer and gave it a quiet burial. This must be established as soon as possible to ensure regular Institutionalised interaction with the leadership."
All The Instruments Necessary For Interaction
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
Note : Separate Pay Commission was also part of this, but after Chiefs rejected it, we pulled it out.
Let us all now join hands to get the remaining essential instruments for establishing Institutionalised means of communications with the leadership.
Some organisations have the habit of claiming credit of every benefit the Govt announces even if they have never taken it up. With their means of disseminating information on the internet they even get every one to believe it. Their lovely canards are so convincing that even I who have been fighting for this for the last 24 years and am aware of the entire history of this matter, also would like to believe it for once.
With Warm Regards
Sincerely
Lt Col inderjit Singh
Chairman
98-110-07629
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Copy of Letter to the Prime Minister
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1. By virtue of my age you are my
CHHOTA BHAI, but you have much greater BUDHI and experience in dealing
with NATIONS problems. I therefore am sure you would comprehend easily what I
am going to say for achieving your desire to ensure that the Armed Forces got
their due importance and respectability in the Society.
2. Your
first laudatory step after taking over was your directions that the MOD will
not take any decision about Armed Forces unilaterally. All decisions pertaining
to them will be taken after due consultation with them. This is a big step in
removing to a great extent the trust deficit that the Armed Forces have been
subjected to over the years.
3. Over
the last over 32 years that I have been involved in Welfare activities of
Veterans I have never found the Leadership of whatever hue or political
grouping wanting. They always reacted positively and with the spontaneity that
was nothing but most admirable. Every time the Leadership promised to do
something good for us, it is the inimical elements in the Administration that
scuttled their good intentions by bringing in extraneous factors. When that did
not work they even spoke blatant lies to achieve their aim.
4. The NDA in their
previous Avtar also was robbed of the credit for giving OROP to us despite our
revered Atalji's promise given first in the Manifesto and then repeated
by him in my meeting with him on 26 Jul 2001.
5. The modus operandi was simple.
First cut our communication with the leadership and then feed them with blatant
lies to scuttle our submissions. Can you believe they didn't even stint at
speaking blatant lies to the Parliamentary Committee for Defense in the
premises of Mandir, that is Parliament where you bowed your head before
entering first time. This happened after my presentation to the Defense
Committee on 28 Apr 2003.
6. I have compiled a paper about
the lies they had spoken over the last 32 years, to scuttle our submissions. I
present it to every Defense Minister on his taking over. I also gave it
to Koshyari Committee on the basis of which they rejected all their lies and
recommended strongly that the OROP must be given. I can send it to you also if
desired.
7. Our problem is not lack of
goodwill of the leadership Modi Bhai Saheb, 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
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be addressed if you want to fulfill your desire. 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 institutionalized inter action are given at Appendix A
attached. In short these 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 Exservicemen
Resettlement Commission
8. I appeal to you my CHOTA BHAI
Saheb to kindly help this hapless community of Veterans by establishing these
essential effective instruments for ensuring for them their rightful dues. The
Armed Forces and Veterans will ever remain grateful to you.
The Hon'blle
Sh Narendra Modi Bhai
The Prime Minister of India
South Block
New Delhi 110011
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Appendix ‘A’
INSTRUMENTS FOR ESTABLISHMENT
Standing
Committee of Voluntary Associations (SCOVA)
1. We have this Committee in the
Ministry of Pensions. It has twelve members. Nine are civil employees
Association and three of Veterans.
They meet every quarter under the Minister and resolve all problems. By the
time they finish discussing the submissions of Civil Associations, hardly
any time is left to discuss our problems. Besides our problems are of different
nature which they hardly understand. What is required is that we have a similar
SCOVA of the MOD. I got it going in 1992/93. Couple of meetings also took
place. Then bureaucrats found it too hot to answer and gave it a quiet burial.
This must be established as soon as possible to ensure regular
Institutionalized interaction with the leadership.
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Department
of Ex servicemen Welfare
2. 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.
3. 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
4. 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.
5. 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 your noble desire.
The
Armed Forces Tribunal
6. 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 trouble begins. If they get favorable 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.
7. The Leadership realizing 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.
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8. 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
favor 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.
9. 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.
10. 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
Exservicemen Resettlement Commission
11. 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.
12. You have very kindly decided to
give us this all important Instrument.Now it needs to be quickly established
with full powers. We appeal to you to kindly ensure that the Armed
Forces are consulted while drafting the terms and conditions of this all
important instrument for Veterans welfare before it is reduced to toothless
wonder like the Armed Forces Tribunal earlier.
