MESSAGE FROM IESM CHAIRMAN

Dear Colleagues,

          This is to wish all the Veterans and their families a Merry Christmas. May your life be joyous and fulfilling?

          I met the Defence Minister today. The two main issues discussed were:

1.    OROP - Petitions Committee Report The MoD has not yet received copy of the report; he called up his staff to obtain it from the Parliament. (I had carried a soft copy and gave it to his office later).  I expressed apprehension that while processing the report, officialdom may place some hurdles. Some of these obstacles, on which I forewarned him,  could be:

‘If we give OROP to the Defence Forces, others would also demand it thus raising the financial burden manifold’.  This line of thought has already been preempted and checkmated by the Petitions Committee themselves. I further highlighted that in the past whenever Defence-specific benefits were given – such as Rank Pay, MSP – there was no protest or a call for similar benefits from civilian employees.

‘The Defence Forces pensioners seeking OROP would demand its applicability from 1.1.2006 and the cost of arrears would be unacceptable’. I gave the example of the Madan Lal Khurana led Parliamentary Standing Committee that in 2003 had computed the cost of grant of OROP as 613.78 Crore. However, while processing the report the bureaucracy pointed out that the pensioners would seek arrears from 1996 and the cost would be unacceptable.  I assured the Minister that the IESM is basically pursuing the acceptance of concept of OROP and would accept its applicability prospectively from the date of issue of government orders.

‘Since it is already accepted that the Defence Forces would have a separate pay commission from Seventh Central Pay Commission onwards, OROP could be deferred till that time’.   I categorically stated that this would tantamount to merely delaying the decision and would not be acceptable to the ESM and their struggle would further intensify.  I reiterated that the Petitions Committee report also makes the same point by seeking OROP at the earliest and a separate pay commission for Defence Forces from next CPC.

The Minister noted all the above. However, since the MoD has not received the report, he made no comments.

2.    Enhancement of Widows Pension. The Minister himself touched upon this point and again clarified – what he had told me on telephone on 23 November 2011 - that the Defence Ministry has already cleared this and the case is now with the Finance Ministry. While thanking him I also requested him to use his good offices and pursue the case with the Finance Ministry. He promised he would. On my seeking, he disclosed that the expenditure involved is about 150 or 160 Crores. 

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Best regards,

Lt Gen Raj Kadyan

Chairman IESM