Col J P Singh, Retd

Demand of ‘One Rank One Pension’ OROP and leveling of anomalies in pay and pension of soldiers and veterans has been projected to various Govts since 1982. Various GOMs and committees accepted its veracity and recommended its implementation from time to time but the Govts of the day kept sitting over the issue. All the main stream political parties had included these demands in their last election manifestoes and all important political leaders promised their implementation after the formation of new Govt. Prime Minister and many top leaders of this UPA Govt made a firm commitment to the ex-servicemen before the last election. Three years down the line, there is no option with the veterans but to turn crazy.  Anna’s repeated assertions that this Govt and the other politicians in India, make false promises and mislead the people, is true and that is why his movement gained strength and resolved to adopt an alternative political discourse. While the people and Govts of other countries feel proud of their defence forces; in India, ex- soldiers are looked down upon. They have to resort to agitations to get their genuine demands even listened leave aside fulfilled.
Only time the soldiers are respected by the nation is during the war because they win the wars. Now the veterans feel that Govt’s continuous refusal to accept the OROP demand and repeated forming of committees, one after the other, compels them to launch an agitation. It also compels them to form unions and associations. Joining the struggle launched by one such association, they returned their hard earned awards and medals (their pride), in thousands, to the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces.
Gap in the pension of a Major and a Lt Col earlier Rs 950.00 is now 11,600.00.  The pre 1996 retired Majors are drawing less pension than family pension of pre 1996 Lt Col. A JCO holding honorary rank is receiving more pension than pre 2006 retired Majors. On 13 July one more committee was constituted by PMO to look into pay and pension anomalies and has been asked to report by 8 August. But the veterans see the following tricks in the offing:-
(i) The Govt is non serious to resolve pay and pension anomalies. Another committee may be an exercise to preempt third agitation by ex servicemen in Delhi during Anna and Ramdev agitations. (ii) It is a plan to keep the veterans guessing and keeping their hopes alive by projecting that Govt is trying to resolve their problems. (iii) The Present Committee will not deviate from the previous committees, though formed by the PMO’s executive order. (iv) There is no military member in the committee. All members are IAS officers. Naval Chief has taken it up with the Defence Minister. Can people without any military experience give fair judgment over military matters? Judgment, if any, will be unfair.
Leaders of the tiniest nation like Singapore and the mightiest one like USA, get on house tops and shout that they will give the best tangible benefits to that section of society who do the most difficult task for the Nation. Their veterans get the best of tangible and non-tangible benefits and Govts give it with pride. Opposite happens in our country? When the Nation is confronted by a calamity, the armed forces are brought and squeezed to the hilt.  After their job is over, they are sent back without any appreciation.
Media has been highlighting grievances of serving and ex-servicemen from time to time. Seeing the growing discontentment among the armed forces, the Defence Minister wrote to the Prime Minister on 25th June 2012 expressing serious alarm over the restlessness in the services.
In his letter he held that ‘growing discontentment’ in the military across all ranks due to various anomalies in the fixation of pay and pensions is becoming an alarming issue. He recommended early resolution of simmering issues. On the basis of this letter, PMO has constituted a committee to look into the grievances. It is hoped that Prime Minister will speak on this topic in his address to the nation on Independence Day.
The basic problem of all the Govts in the past has been that till date none has recognised the separate and independent identity of Defence Forces. No Acts and Rules have been framed and passed by the Parliamentary to fix their status, recruitment, service conditions, retirement benefits and fundamental rights. Existing acts and rules are of British era. They are more of a disciplinary nature. Other All India Services have such Laws in place under Article 16 (I) of the Constitution. There is no ruling / national policy on soldier’s welfare and resettlement after retirement in early age. Had any Govt taken initiative to resolve fundamental issue of resettlements and rehabilitation of ex-servicemen in a dignified manner, the satisfaction of veterans would not have been a casualty.
The Defence Forces are a separate class of service with different serving conditions as distinctly stated in Article 309 and 310 of the constitution as such the Cabinet Secretary is not entitled to head such committee on defence forces. This is unconstitutional. A retired Chief should be heading such committees. There is no representative from ex-servicemen. This has been done deliberately. It casts aspersions on the capabilities of serving and retired army officers.
It is worth bringing to the notice of Govt and the common man that the Army officers apart from being gazetted are also Commissioned by the President of India, and by virtue of their nature of job, they perform such other responsibilities with proper legal backing. In the normal course there are separate streams of officers for specific jobs. However in peculiar situations some of the peculiar functions and powers of commissioned officers are:-
(i) Judicial Powers.  In exercise of judicial responsibilities, he can award death sentence and summary execution, both in  peace and war. During war, he administers justice in captured and occupied territories.
(ii) Powers of Magistrate. He functions as magistrate when situation is handed over to the Army by any civil authority during any internal disturbances, counter insurgency, riots or crisis including powers of search and arrests. Adm Commandant Jammu exercises powers of class 1magistrate within Jammu Cantonment.
(iii) Military Powers. He exercises military powers in times of war under international conventions which India has signed. There are no laws applicable on war. He uses his discretion in application of his powers.
(iv) Executive Powers. He uses administrative powers to govern and administer captured and occupied territories till a legally constituted Govt is put in place.
(v) Sovereign powers of President. Senior officers exercise certain sovereign powers of the President such as to confirm and execute death sentences awarded under Summary General Court Martial without any reference to any court or President.
(vi) He exercises the unique authority of command as commanding officer by virtue of which he sends his men in the battlefield piercing through a barrage of bullets. Soldiers step over wounded and dying comrades on his command.  He and some more  succumb, yet others fight the attack. Countrymen please, for a while close your eyes and think, is it a task worth performing?
Which civilian or para military officer performs such varied, difficult, challenging and deadly functions. Despite above facts, attitude of Govt is discriminatory and the agony is that status of officers is so down played that they are not considered fit to chair or be a member of any commission or board. They are not considered fit to be given administrative powers of any all India Service Officers. Despite recommendations of 6th pay commission for lateral induction, they are not transferred to central services. A JCO who is also gazetted class 1 and commissioned by the President is equated with sub inspectors of Police who is grade III officer.
These facts will never be taken into considerations by the committee of IAS Officers. Such fundamental lapse needs to be corrected restoring the honour and status of officers and JCOs. Therefore the Pay and Allowances of defence forces cannot be compared with any other service as their status, service and serving conditions are different. This is the last chance for the Govt to earn the goodwill of veterans and serving soldiers or make way for some other Govt.

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