AN APPEAL BY VETERAN PRABHJOT SINGH

AN APPEAL FROM VETERAN PRABHJOT SINGH CHHATWAL PLS (RETD),
PRESIDENT, INDIAN EX-SERVICES LEAGUE,
PANJAB & CHANDIGARH.

Dear Veteran (Gen. Satbir Singh)

Regards.

Would you kindly allow me to comment on your e-message?

It has been repeated a number of times on this very blog that Govt. of India has not acceded to our demand of ONE RANK ONE PENSION so far.

So called announcement of grant of ONE RANK ONE PENSION for PBORs in the Budget Speech, was in fact, implementation of Punjab & Haryana High Court decision regarding removal of anomaly concerned with only PBORs (R) PBORs which was created (after Fifth CPC) with the issuance of Govt. letter dt. 10-10-1997 (R) 10-10-1997 and the same was implemented so far. The PBORs are well aware of it.

Secondly, grant of special grade to Lt. Gen. is to place them on equal footing with civil officers as a result of up gradation of Higher Administrative Grade (HAG).

A mail from this blog is appended below which will support my statement.

Recent announcements : A dissection by Navdeep

Friday, July 24, 2009
Recent announcements: A dissection
Well, the public at large has been talking of the recent sops announced for defence pensioners. The starting point was the Union Budget speech. The following are the major ‘steps’ that have been taken to address the issues:

1. Bridging the gap between pre-Oct 1997 and post-Oct 1997 pensioners.

2. Removal of 33 years’ qualifying service condition for earning full pension

3. Grant of a separate scale for Lt Generals

But the truth is somewhat like this:

Point No 1 is a resultant of an order of the Hon’ble Punjab & Haryana High Court which has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court so there was no escaping this by the Govt.

Point No 2 is a resultant of the recommendations of the 6th CPC and the same has also been accepted for civilians, so what extra has been initiated for faujis in this ?

Point No 3 is also a resultant of a Finance Ministry missive by way of which the Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) on the civil side has been upgraded to Rs. 67000-79000, something that has been applied to our Lt Generals too in a parallel fashion.

I would again reiterate, that this play of words is the work of some lower level spin doctors who do not let our Ministers, Parliamentarians, top bureaucrats and top brass understand the minute modalities of such matters. They have led the top echelons to believe that much special has been done for defence pensioners but the truth is quite removed from reality.

It is not an obligation that Hon’ble SC orders have been implemented and again not quite an ehsaan that the changes such as removal of 33 years’ service requirement for full pension or grant of HAG, changes which as it is have been initiated in the universal pension and pay regime, have been duly extended to the defence services. I say it again, it’s time for the higher civilian and military establishment to wake up before the army of promoted lower bureaucracy takes the system and the nation for a ride. Information which should ideally reach top political, civil and military echelons is filtered by the heavy tentacles and thick mesh of lower bureaucracy, a malaise which is eating into whatever progress we are making.

There is only one answer to this: proper application of mind on file notings and minute sheets initiated from below. Let us stop affixing ghuggis and start imposing our grey matter on the notings of the supervised staff.

Posted by Navdeep / Maj Navdeep Singh at 7:42 AM 21 comments
Labels: law, Misc, Pay Commission, Pension

Now when it is amply clear that an anomaly pertaining to PBORs (R) PBORs only is being removed by the government, let it be in the garb of OROP, why should the big brothers (saviors of ex-servicemen community) take such step to compel the govt. to shelve the move by which the PBORs are going to be benefited in their pension from Rs. 2,000/- to Rs. 4,500/- P.M. as per their rank.

I assure you, Dear Gen, PBORs are not (R) not averse to demand of OROP but at the same time they can not fore go what is due to them as a result of removal this anomaly.

PBORs will again march with you for the demand of OROP but for, God sake, let this anomaly be removed first in the same way as the anomalies in respect of Lt. General, Maj. General and Lieutenant Cols. stood removed without a single word of protest from any segment of ESM.

I hope my communiqué will not (not) be miss understood by my brethren veterans.

Veteran Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS (Retd.)

President,

Indian Ex-Services League, Punjab & Chandigarh .
--- On Fri, 7/31/09, prabhjot singh wrote: