OROP TABLES - LATEST

Dear Colleagues,

As intimated earlier, the OROP tables were expected to be issued by end Jan. Not un-expectedly, there has been a flood of calls over the last few days making anxious inquiry. 

As per last evening (30 Jan), the concerned MoD officials - working on a Saturday to make up for office closure due to Republic Day and Beating the Retreat - were finalising it. The file is 'through'.

Unfortunately, it could not be pushed out due to an unfortunate bereavement early today morning in the family of one of the dealing   senior bureaucrats.

We should be receiving the tables any day.  

Best regards,

Lt Gen Raj Kadyan

Chairman IESM

262, Sector - 17A

Gurgaon - 122 001

(Source- Via e-mail)

POSTERITY WILL NOT PARDON YOU! - By Lt Gen PG Kamath, Retd

Posted on January 31, 2016

Not many know how the Third Pay Commission which submitted its report in Mar 1973 undermined the Indian Armed Forces and cut it to size after the historic victory in 1971 Indo- Pak War. Anyway this is not the time to brood over the miseries inflicted on the Armed Forces in the past by its own government.  Again in the 4th Pay Commission, the perfidy of the bureaucracy in omitting the rank pay from the basic pay of the Armed Forces is a case in point where injustice was deliberately perpetrated on the Country’s Armed Forces.  This injustice was set right by the court and all arrears were paid to Armed Forces after two decades of court battle. The successive governments, who were in power went all out to support the contention of the bureaucrats, who had taken patently insidious decision.  However the moot point being that no bureaucrats who had conspired to enact this mean and anti-national act of commission was punished.  Rather the hon'ble court did not even consider, asking the government to bring to books the scheming and vile brood?  In the 5th Pay Commission again there were 48 anomalies and the government addressed eight of them in 10 years and balance of 40 have remained unresolved till the start of the 6th pay commission.

Again in the 6th Pay Commission one of the greatest injustice was perpetrated on the armed forces by not allowing ‘Non Functional Upgrade’; though this provision was applicable to all other Central Government Service.  The  Pay Commission also placed a ‘Lt Col’ of the Indian Army in the Third Pay Band literally making him junior than those who were hither-to  junior to him in other Government Organisations.  To further amplify; those who were junior to him in other government organisations were made senior to him.  It was then that the Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee, who goaded the reluctant Chiefs of Army and Air force to accompany him and raised their grievance collectively before PM Manmohan Singh.  Due to their collective stand, the Lt Cols were put in the fourth Pay Band and a grave injustice was remedied.

This act by the Three Service Chiefs, who just did their duty in standing for their subordinates was criticised by Mr Sekhar Gupta in his article in the Indian Express on 4 Oct 2008.  It was obvious that he had pandered to the bureaucrats and he got his reward soon!  He was conferred with ‘Padma Bhusan’ the very next year i.e. within three and half months after the publication of the article.   What a coincidence; and we talk with gusto about the freedom of press?  Again he tried for Padma Vibhushan by alleging coup by Gen VK Singh when he moved two small units for exercise in Jan 2012.  Why should the Chief move the two measly units from two different places for a coup? Don’t worry Sekhar, two or three articles against the Armed Forces properly timed, you would get Bharat Ratna?  It is just a matter of time; as you have shown your class and acted as an ‘errand boy’ of Indian bureaucracy; that you actually are!  Your rant in the ‘Walk the Talk’ and your freedom for being a ‘presstitute’  is well established.  Where will you hide now?

Returning to the 6th Pay Commission; the three services pointed out 39 anomalies including the ‘Non Grant of NFU’.  A High Powered Committee of Secretaries was formed under the Cabinet Secretary on 18 Jul 2012 and were to give out their recommendations before 8 Aug 2012 so that the PM can announce it from the ramparts of Red fort on the I Day. However the Committee of Secretaries scuttled the very raison d’être of its formation.  They very cleverly left the Armed Forces of their own country, cold, humiliated and seething with anger and resentment. We have to give credit to the Indian Bureaucracy for demoralising their own Armed Forces and making the politicians look like a bunch of naïve doddering old fools; who eat out of the hands due to their ineptness.

The 6th Pay Commission has undermined the Armed Forces and demoted them below the Organised Group A Services.  Delhi High Court has now given a ruling that the Central Police Organisations should be treated as Group A service.  That singles out  Indian Armed Forces and deprives them the benefit of NFU.  It is sad but true that the demoralisation of the Armed Forces is being caused by its own government; lest you think it is being done by China or Pakistan Governments?

The 7th Pay Commission has been most hostile to the Armed Forces to the extent they have given out wrong data to support their flawed recommendations.  One such grave error is page 397 para 10.2.3, where they have said that a soldier retires at 42-48 years of age.  In fact a soldier retires between 36 and 38 years of age.  It is not a mistake but a mischievous blatant misrepresentation so that wrong conclusions drawn by the Commission are substantiated by erroneous data.   The entire Armed Forces of the country was represented by Shri D.K. Rai,  and in the words of Justice Mathur in the Acknowledgements; Page iv of 7th CPC, “a young officer from Accounts and Finance stream who had a deep insight into the financial matters especially, the defence. His knowledge about defence finance has been of great help to this Commission in determining the pay structure for the defence forces.  He is a young man and hold a long career before him and his insight into the financial intricacies of the pay structure of the defence service will take him to great height. I wish him great success, a bright future awaits him.”  I have no doubt Mr Rai would render great service to China and Pakistan by lowering the morale of Indian Armed Forces in the long career ahead of him.

There is a need for the PM to take a strong exception to such misrepresentation and haul up the Pay Commission and take them to task.  If the Pay Commission was so honourable, how come they deliberately misrepresent?  Obviously! There is much more than what meets the eye?  It is time the PM wields his stick.  If they were prejudiced against the armed forces that prejudice has run in the entire report; aided and abetted by the bureaucrats, who were just waiting to exploit such inclinations of the Commission? In the long list of consultants there was not a single officer from the Armed Forces.   A million and half forces have to put their faith in Mr DK Rai, an accountant; the one with long and bright career ahead of him (in case you have forgotten) to do justice to them?  Don’t you feel a humongous national tragedy has unfolded?

My WhatsApp was agog with a grapevine that the ire of Justice Mathur was that he was not given a Type 7 house from the Defence Pool; that would have obviously denied ‘a serving Lt Gen/Vice Admiral/Air Marshal a house in Lutyens Delhi. I do not believe in it, as Justice Mathur is an honourable man and has always been above board.  However what stands out clearly is that:  Retired Justice Mathur retired justice to the Armed Forces in the 7th Pay Commission as he failed to see the intent of vested interest around him?

Now, instead of the PM dissolving the Pay Commission, he has set up an ‘Empowered Committee of Secretaries’ under the Cabinet Secretary to study the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.  How can the Armed Forces trust this Committee that has always been inimical to them; more so; after their earlier experience in 2012?  How on earth it would inspire confidence in the Armed Forces? Pray! Prime Minister, you are indeed imaginative; only that you have stretched your imaginations so much that you appear to be living in a world of your own creation.

As a last resort, I am appealing to the three Service Chiefs that in case they need to take a positive pre-emptory action; this is the time.  In case you lose out and await the recommendations of the Committee, the posterity would not pardon you.  All three of you carry the hopes, aspirations and trust of your troops; who would give their lives to your command?    All three of you have been brilliant and displayed your mettle to reach the august positions.  This is the time you need to self-actualize your potential and be worthy of troops you command? Do not let go of this unique opportunity unchallenged?  In case you do, in days to come you will repent with a heavy heart that you have let down your troops and belied their trust.  I wish to assure you that all three of you will fall in your esteem and no one can salvage you from the bottomless pit of self-pity that you would experience.  All I ask you is to meet the PM and apprise him of the demoralisation of the Armed Forces consequent to the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.  Your action would indeed may give another opportunity to Sekhar Gupta to extract a ‘Padma Vibhushan’; so be it!  It should not deter you from acting in on behalf of your troops.  Remember you get your pay to uphold the morale of your troops and get victory to our country.   You cannot let them down for any petty largess the government may throw at you? In case you have already done it and or planning to do it; I am sure you will forgive me.

Dear Defence Minister; this is the time you also need to act your role; lest you will join the brood of the three worst Defence Ministers India has ever had viz;  Krishna Menon, Saint Anthony and probably the third one would be you?  This is the time to act as, I have no doubt that you will not let the moment pass.  Krishna Menon has a road named after him for being instrumental in losing a war for the country.  I only hope Anthony would have his name only on his tombstone and not at any public place.  You! Mr Manohar Parrikar, an intellectual, IIT graduate, known for your unconventional ways; please do justice to the Armed Forces. We are waiting for our Defence Minister to deliver JUSTICE!

(Source- Shivrana's Blog)

The helplessness even the PM faces when dealing with the babus - Fifth Column: Yes, Prime Minister : By Tavleen Singh

Apart from what is mentioned in the article, there remains a lot more Govt Schemes, did not take off, despite PM's promises. OROP is the best example. Forget the PM, the head of the Govt declaring OROP delivered, the B's scuttled it the best possible manner, by tampering the very definition of the K Committee OROP approved by 2 Govts, UPA and NDA. 

Modi has three years to go before the next election and this is more than enough time to build a political team capable of putting Delhi’s mighty mandarins in their place.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 67th Republic Day parade at Rajpath in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Source: PTI)

Is the Prime Minister in danger of having his political agenda crushed beneath the feet of the mighty mandarins of Lutyens Delhi? Has he noticed this and is this the reason why he is reported to have given senior bureaucrats a pep-talk last week? In search of answers I wandered about the corridors of power listening to whispers and rumours, and what I gleaned from this exercise was that the Prime Minister has relied more on bureaucrats than on his political team and that this is one reason why almost nothing has changed in terms of governance.

It will not change in the near future either, because there is nothing that our civil servants hate more than change. If Indian governance has remained in colonial mode nearly seventy years after the British Raj ended, it is because of the extraordinary ability of the Indian bureaucrat to resist change. Even so powerful a prime minister as Jawaharlal Nehru acknowledged towards the end of his long tenure that he had been wrong not to have made a serious effort to change the bureaucracy. Narendra Modimust not wait too long before recognising that bureaucrats are incapable of implementing political change, and that when they are given too much power, they become an obstacle in the path of ‘parivartan’ and ‘vikas’.

My discreet inquiries have revealed that bureaucrats have become so powerful in the Modi government that they often defy ministers, and if a new idea like, for instance, the NITI Aayog is implemented, then they try their best to ensure that it fails. The NITI Aayog is so far the most important reform brought by Modi. Abolishing the Planning Commission indicated a move away from the planning model we copied from the Soviet Union. It indicated also that he meant what he said when he talked of ‘minimum government’. It should by now have developed into a powerful advisory body to the Prime Minister’s office on policy and reforms. If this has not happened, it is mostly because it has been stymied at every turn by bureaucrats who have not taken easily to ‘outsiders’ trespassing on their hallowed ground.

Before becoming Prime Minister, Mr Modi liked to boast of how he had used ‘the same bureaucrats’ to bring about change in Gujarat. His critics believe that he has tried to impose this Gujarat model of governance on India. We must hope that he has now realised that India is not Gujarat, and that the mandarins who inhabit the splendid bungalows of Lutyens Delhi are experts in playing politicians as if they were pawns on a chessboard. They have been able to do this easily with ministers in the Modi government because very few of them had administrative experience before they got their jobs. Many cut their political teeth not in the tough battlefields of electoral politics, but in the TV studios of this ancient capital city. They needed the Prime Minister’s help to make them players in his team but he chose instead to fill his team with bureaucrats.

So it did not take long before these bureaucrats ensured that he continued programmes and policies made by the Sonia-Manmohan government that Modi himself had publicly reviled. Remember how he mocked MNREGA in the Lok Sabha in those early days? Remember how he said he would continue the programme only as a reminder of the Congress party’s economic incompetence? So why has this expensive, elaborate, very leaky form of centralised dole continued to this day? And then ask yourself another question. Why do we still have the retroactive tax when we know now that it drove foreign investors away? Do we not see behind this continuity the machinations of change-resistant bureaucrats?

Here let me add that whenever on my travels I have met foreigners who would like to invest in India, they have nearly always said that they hesitate to ‘Make in India’ because of the power of our bureaucracy. Having just returned from Davos I have to sadly report that this has not changed since Modi became Prime Minister.

To end on an optimistic note, may I say that there is still time. Modi has three years to go before the next election and this is more than enough time to build a political team capable of putting Delhi’s mighty mandarins in their place. May they remember that their place must be several rungs lower than that occupied by the people that India’s voters elected to govern this country. In 2014 they did this with the hope that Narendra Modi would be able to change the colonial form of governance, that they have been forced to endure long after our colonial masters departed. If the Prime Minister asks himself why colonial governance continues, he could find that full credit for this goes to the Indian bureaucrat.

Follow the author on Twitter: @ tavleen_singh

(Source-http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fifth-column-yes-prime-minister/#sthash.flah3XMV.dpuf

FIRST MEETING OF NODAL OFFICERS ON 02 FEB 16 : 7TH CPC EMPOWERED COMMITTEE

(SOURCE- http://www.staffnews.in/2016/01/implementation-of-7th-cpc-1st-meeting.html )

TANZANIA'S NEW PRESIDENT - LESSON FOR 56 INCH..NEVER TOO LATE FOR FUTURE TO BE BOSSES TO LEARN....

Tanzania's New President did this in just 1 Month in office

On November 5, 2015 Tanzania swore into office a new President. Coincidentally he is also a John. John Magufuli is doing what has been termed the “Rwandanisation of Tanzania”. If you dont know about what Paul Kagame has done with Rwanda make Google your friend.

Here are some of the things John Magufuli has done already in LESS THAN A MONTH. Not in 3 or 6 years, one month. He’s shown a clear commitment to walk the talk but not to talk and talk and talk and talk more like we do here:

1. Soon after his election, Magufuli declared there would be no celebration of Independence Day on 9 December because it would be “shameful” to spend huge sums of money on the celebrations when people were dying of cholera.

Instead, the day has been set as a national day of cleanliness, and the money will go toward street¬cleaning services. He has said everybody should pick up their tools and clean their backyards.

2. After his first official visit to the Muhimbili Hospital, and seeing the horrible state it was in, he ordered over 200 million shillings marked for“parliament parties” be used to pay for beds for people lying on the floor and sharing beds. A few days later 300 beds were delivered. 

He dismissed the governing board and got a new team in place, and within days the broken MRI was fixed. He also pared down his inauguration party from $100,000 to $7,000 and sent the extra money to the hospital.

3. Three days into his term, Magufuli announced a ban on all foreign travel by government officials. They have been instructed to instead make regular visits to rural areas to learn and help solve problems facing everyday Tanzanians. 

All tasks that required officials to travel abroad would instead be done by high commissioners and ambassadors who are already in place.

4. He has restricted all first and business class travel to government officials, except the president, vice president and prime minister.

5. There will be no more workshops and seminars in expensive hotels when there are so many ministry board rooms available.

6. He suspended the Tanzania Revenue Authority’s chief and other officials pending investigations after a visit by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa to the port of Dar es Salaam found 350 containers listed in its books were missing.

7. When he had to travel 600 km to Dodoma, from Dar, to officially open parliament last week, he didn’t order a private jet – instead, he chose to drive.

8. At the National Assembly in Dodoma last week he clearly sent out the message that it will not be business as usual under his leadership.

9. He promised to cut public spending, fight corruption and enhance accountability in public service. He said it is time for Tanzanians to walk the talk.

10. Magufuli reportedly told parliamentary leaders that the people of Tanzania want him to solve their problems and not make speeches.

(Source _ Via e-mail from Chander Prakash 

http://www.merih-news.com/2015/12/07/new-tanzania-president-did-this-in-just-3-month-amazing/# )

THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS TO NATION ON 25 JAN 16 :

25 Jan 2016 : Address by the President of India on the eve of the Republic Day of India 2016 (Para 8)

"8.There will be, amongst us, occasional doubters and baiters.Let us continue to complain; to demand; to rebel. This too is a virtue of democracy. But let us also applaud what our democracy has achieved. With investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, health, education, science and technology, we are positioning ourselves well for achieving a higher growth rate which will in the next ten to fifteen years help us eliminate poverty."
===============================================

Demand, complain, rebel, says Pranab Mukherjee by Ashali Varma

January 27, 2016, 7:59 PM IST  TOI

I was shocked when I heard the President of India urging the one plus billion people of India in his Republic day speech: “Let us continue to complain, to demand, to rebel.” The last two words were especially inciting for a country that has 70% of its population under 40, who for years have been simmering as his Congress government  did not do anything to create jobs for them.

Does he not know what happened in Malda; there was burning and pillaging and riots and the police bore the brunt of it. I would have expected an elder statesman — much admired by many — and one who has been in politics and governance for decades, to ask his countrymen to be more disciplined and work together for the country in a community spirit. God only knows this is what we need. He should have invoked President Kennedy’s famous lines: “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for the country.”

This would have been more statesmanlike and that is why this line is remembered even today. Instead, we hear him urging the citizens to demand and rebel. The problem with India is just that: too many small rebellions and not enough discipline. This why we have the dirtiest cities in India; this is why we drive like maniacs; this is why there is no community spirit in India and it is each man for himself; this is why we have road rage—something we should be discouraging not encouraging!

The President thinks it is necessary for democracy to rage and rant and demand but he says nothing about what is expected from the citizens in a democracy. Sure they should demand for change from their politicians. Of course, they must inquire and question where the money for building roads or getting clean water and electricity has not reached them. For this we do have the Right to Information Act and it is doing wonders. This RIT also revealed that his party, the Congress, had done the most damage to the country in the last decade by scams going into billions of dollars, which if spent on education, skill training and infrastructure would have made India a much better place for the millions of youth wanting jobs.

Then the President goes onto to his pet theme – the acts of growing intolerance. He must keep bringing this up when he knows fully well that intolerance was always there and is in all societies and democracies. I have lived in three countries and worked in several others and I have seen intolerance first hand.

The saddest part is that the President says this not to unite India, as our Prime Minister Modi is trying to do 24/7 for the last 18 months without a break, but to divide us as his party has done for the last 67 years.

The fact is that if you keep up a drumbeat that there is intolerance then people will start believing it and becoming suspicious about anything and anyone. Then they react and then there are riots, bloodshed and mayhem. People are killed, buses burnt, police stations attacked and law and order goes down the drain. Do we really need the highest person in our land to say on the eve of a day where India should be one and united to give a televised speech to a billion plus people urging them to demand, complain and rebel?

I can say one thing my father would never had told me to do this. And I did think the President was too much of a statesman to keep bringing all this up again and again. After all the saying goes before you judge others first judge yourself.

But then he is beholden to a party that took divide and rule to frightening heights and created rebellions in the North East, Kashmir, the Maoists, Bhindranwale in Punjab, a Sikh pogrom in the capitol, sent troops to Sri Lanka and did just about everything for power.

So should we expect more from him? I had hoped so. But we do know he owes his present job to Sonia Gandhi, who by her birth is not even considered an Indian. If he needs to appease her still then all I can say: Reputations take a lifetime to build but can be destroyed in a day or perhaps I should say in a term.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own 

(Source- Via Gp e-mail)

Pay Commission Award Not To Be Implemented Before OROP

New Delhi: The Seventh Pay Commission award becomes boon for central government employees, is not going to be implemented before the implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP).

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had earlier said financing the additional amount would not be a problem to implement the Seventh Pay Commission award.

According to a Finance Ministry official concerned, the Empowered Committee of Secretaries (CoS) for processing the report of the Seventh Central Pay Commission, is taking time to let the notification of One Rank One Pension (OROP) be executed first.

He added the notification of One Rank One Pension (OROP) was issued on November 08, while notification of the Seventh Pay Commission yet to be issued and ex-servicemen are pressing hard to implement OROP with some modifications.

Accordingly, the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations will not be implemented until One Rank One Pension (OROP) is implemented. “The Empowered Committee of Secretaries (CoS) will sit soon to talk about review of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations,” the official added. Besides, hike minimum pay From Rs 18,000, rejection of Pay Commission’s recommendation for abolition of some allowances and advances and amendment to service rules is required, the official said. “For this reason also, time is needed.” The sources said if the government followed the Seventh Pay Commission’s salaries and allowances revision proposals, expenditures would rise Rs 1.02 lakh crore in 2016.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had earlier said financing the additional amount would not be a problem to implement the Seventh Pay Commission award.

The thirteen-member Empowered Committee of Secretaries (CoS), led by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, was formed on Wednesday. The twelve other members of the committee are the Finance Secretary, DoPT Secretary, Pension Secretary, Home Secretary, Defence Secretary, Revenue Secretary, Posts Secretary, Health Secretary, Science & Technology Secretary, Railway Board Chairman, Deputy Comptroller & Auditor General and Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat.

In addition to reviewing the pay hike proposals for central government employees, the Empowered Committee of Secretaries will also looking after the pay hikes for the armed forces.

The Seventh Pay Commission, led by Justice A K Mathur submitted its proposals to the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on November 19 last year, recommending 23.55 per cent pay hike of central government employees, health insurance insurance scheme for staff and pensioners and doubling the gratuity ceiling to Rs 20 lakh. The highest salary of Rs 2.5 lakh was recommended for the cabinet secretary; currently his basic monthly pay is Rs 90,000.

The government plans to implement the hikes pay from January this year. The Seventh Pay Commission was set up by the UPA government in February 2014. Currently, there are over 48 Lakh central government employees and 52 lakh pensioners.

(Source- Via e-mail from Clarence G Manickam Vet)

Constitution of Empowered Committee of Secretaries for processing the Report of the Seventh Central Pay Commission – Finance Ministry Orders on 27.1.2016

Members of Empowered Committee for processing the Report of the 7th CPC 

No.1-4/2015-E.III(A)
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Expenditure

New Delhi, dated the 27th January, 2016

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject: Constitution of Empowered Committee of Secretaries for processing the Report of the Seventh Central Pay Commission

It has been decided with the approval of the Cabinet to set up an Empowered Committee of Secretaries to process the recommendations of the Seventh Central Pay Commission.

The Committee will have the following members :

1.	Cabinet Secretary	Chairman
2.	Finance Secretary/Secretary (Expenditure)	Member
3.	Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training	Member
4.	Secretary, Department of Pension & PW	Member
5.	Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs	Member
6.	Secretary, Ministry of Defence	Member
7.	Secretary, Department of Revenue	Member
8.	Secretary, Department of Post	Member
9.	Secretary, Department of Health	Member
10.	Secretary, Department of Science & Technology	Member
11.	Chairman, Railway Board	Member
12.	Deputy Comptroller & Auditor General	Member
13.	Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat	Member

2. The Committee may co-opt any other Secretary, whenever found necessary.

3. The Empowered Committee will function as a Screening Committee to screen the recommendations of the Commission after taking into account the views of the concerned stakeholders, viz, the Ministries/Departments, Staff Associations and the JCM, so as to firm up the final conclusions for approval of the Cabinet.

4. The Implementation Cell created in the Department of Expenditure shall function as Secretariat for the Empowered Committee of Secretaries.

5. The final recommendations of the Empowered Committee of Secretaries will be submitted for approval of the Cabinet.

sd/-
(Annie George Mathew)
Joint Secretary to the Government of India

Click to view the order  (Authority : www.persmin.gov.in )

(Source- CG Staffnews)

Are you a dangerous optimist? | Anuradha Prabhudesai | TEDxCRCE

Published on Jul 6, 2015

Whilst all of us sit peacefully in the comfort of our homes, many bravehearts battle against all odds to keep us safe. Through sheer determination, grit, dedication and optimism they achieve the unimaginable. Hear Anuradha Prabhudesai's talk on what makes us a dangerous optimist.

Ms. Anuradha is the founder of Lakshya Foundation, an Indian foundation committed to the cause of creating an awareness of the valor of our soldiers among the civilians. An ex-banker, she is attempting to bridge the gap between armed forces and civilians. In the last ten years, Anuradha has visited Kargil 14 times, and her work has been cherished by the army. In her journey so far, she has travelled to Ladakh with 550 civilians giving them first-hand experience of army life, delivered more than 300 lectures across schools and has arranged get-togethers of army wives and war widows. She has published thousands of copies of Hindi poems authored by her and several booklets on the Kargil martyrs. Through Lakshya Foundation, she spreads the saga of sacrifice of these young soldiers and aims to instill the spirit of patriotism in the citizens of India by adopting various means such as visual presentations and narration of feats of soldiers of the victorious Kargil War.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

(Source- http://ted.com/tedx )

OROP DEFINITION DISTORTED ; IESM LETTER OF 25.1.16

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      25^th January 2016

Shri Manohar Parrikar                                                                                   Hon’ble Raksha Mantri                                                                                   104, South Block, New Delhi

Change of Definition of OROP
in Various Correspondence of DESW Noticed

Dear Sh Manohar Parrikar Ji

Pl refer to:

1.   MOD letter no 12(01/2014-D (Pen/Pol) dated 26 Feb 14

2.   MOM of the meeting chaired by RM on 26 Feb 14 to discuss OROP

3.   Reply of MOS Defense Sh Rao Inderjit Singh Dated 2 Dec 14 in a written reply to Sh Rajeev Chandrashekhar in Rajya Sabha

4.   GOI press release dated 5 Sep 15

5.   GOI letter no 12(1)/2014 dated 7 Nov 15 and

6.   GOI letter no 12(01)/2014-D(pen/pol)- Part–II dated 14 Dec 15

GOI has accepted following definition of OROP in the letters dated 26 Feb 14 and MOS statement in Rajya Sabha dated 2 Dec 14.

One Rank One Pension (OROP) implies that uniform pension be paid to the Armed Forces Personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service irrespective of their date of retirement and any future enhancement in the rates of pension to be automatically passed on to the past pensioners. This implies bridging the gap between the rate of pension of the current pensioners and the past pensioners, and also future enhancements in the rate of pension to be automatically passed on to the past pensioners.

However in the Press Release dated 5 Sep 14, a phrase has been added at the end of the OROP definition “at periodic intervals”.

Definition of OROP given in 5 Sep Press Release is given below:

One Rank One Pension (OROP) implies that uniform pension be paid to the Armed Forces Personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement. Future enhancement in the rates of pension to be automatically passed on to the past pensioners. This implies bridging the gap between the rate of pension of the current pensioners and the past pensioners at periodic intervals.

This phrase has probably been added to justify pension equalisation every five years as is being propagated by the MOD.

Again, another attempt has been made to change/ distort the definition of OROP in GOI notification dated 7 Nov 15. OROP definition given in 7 Nov letter is reproduced below.

One Rank One Pension (OROP) implies that uniform pension be paid to the Defence Forces Personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement, which implies bridging the gap between the rate of pension of the current pensioners and the past pensioners at periodic intervals.

I am sure you would notice subtle progressive change in the language of definition of OROP, wherein the line “This implies bridging the gap between the rate of pension of the current pensioners and the past pensioners, and also future enhancements in the rate of pension to be automatically passed on to the past pensioner” has been changed with the line “This implies bridging the gap between the rate of pension of the current pensioners and the past pensioners at periodic intervals”.

It further states as one of the salient features that it has been decided that the gap between rate of pension of current pensioners and past pensioners would be refixed every five years.

This completely changes the definition of OROP and if implemented in its changed form, it will deprive past pensioners of monetary benefits and will completely destroy the definition of OROP and in turn, destroy the very soul of OROP.

UFESM (JM) believes that this change in the definition in OROP has been inserted only to justify pension equalisation every five years. Pension equalisation every five years is against the definition of OROP and is a matter of serious concern for all Ex-servicemen. The correct and acceptable situation is that pension equalisation must be done as soon as pension of two soldiers with same rank and same length of service is noticed to be different and it must be equalised immediately. Ex-servicemen are ready to accept pension equalisation every year only to make administration of this concept easily implementable. Incidentally, any computation can be easily achieved on press of a button in today’s computer era – and this needs no emphasis.

However the matter did not end at one instance of change of definition of OROP, it has been once again repeated in GOI letter dated 14 Dec 15 “OROP implies that uniform pension be paid to the Defence Forces Personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement, which implies that bridging the gap between the rate of pension of current and past pensioners at periodic intervals”.

The GOI letter dated 14 Dec 15 is the notification for the formation of one-man judicial committee. It is a matter of great importance that if incorrect definition is given to the Chairman of anomalies committee, he is bound to work within the constraints given by MOD and will thus give his recommendations as per incorrect definition given to him. This will be gross injustice to ex-servicemen. Ex-servicemen might be justified to think that these changes are a planned move for the vexed problem of OROP in view of the past experiences in which meanings of Honorable Supreme Court orders were changed by making subtle changes in the decision of HSC.

We sincerely hope that these changes are probably only clerical errors and not a planned direction change. We therefore sincerely request you to correct these mistakes in definition of OROP and give following definition approved by Parliament to all committees.

One Rank One Pension (OROP) implies that uniform pension be paid to the Armed Forces Personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service irrespective of their date of retirement and any future enhancement in the rates of pension to be automatically passed on to the past pensioners. This implies bridging the gap between the rate of pension of the current pensioners and the past pensioners, and also future enhancements in the rate of pension to be automatically passed on to the past pensioners.

We will be thankful to get a suitable reply from you at the earliest.

With regards,

Yours Sincerely,

Maj Gen Satbir Singh, SM (Retd)                                                      Advisor United Front of Ex Servicemen & Chairman IESM              Mobile: 9312404269, 01244110570                                          Email:satbirsm@gmail.com       

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Sh Arun Jaitley                                      For Information and action please
The Finance Minister
Govt of India, North Block
New Delhi – 110001

General Dalbir Singh                                     PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC                              Chief of the Army Staff Integrated HQs of Ministry of Defence (Army)South Block, New Delhi-110011                         -do- Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC Chief of the Air Staff &Chairman,                                   Chiefs of Staffs Committee (CoSC), Integrated HQs of Ministry of Defence (Air Force) Vayu Bhawan, New Delhi 110011                        -do- Admiral R K Dhowan, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADC                                             Chief of the Naval Staff  Integrated HQs of Ministry of Defence (Navy)  South Block, New Delhi -110011 (Source- Via Gp E-mail;)                                                                                              -do-