JM Agitation to continue as OROP declared by Govt is not as per definition

Dear Members

 

MOD/Bureaucrats have again played a trick on ESM family. 3 Feb 2016 Wednesday is a black day in history of Armed Forces, ESM and India. Government has yet again rudely reminded Armed Forces Personnel and ESM that they are the stepchildren of India and have no rights in this country. All the perks and subsidies are to be enjoyed by politicians and bureaucrats, pseudo kings of modern India. They can increase their status, pay and perks at their will and are not answerable to Indians who vote them to power. It is interesting that a MLA or MP will get life time pension even if he has served in his position for one day. Bureaucrats will write any amount of perks for themselves without even taking permission of Indians who pay for luxury of bureaucrats by paying heavy taxes. But the same bureaucrats will deprive OROP to the Armed Forces Personnel and ESM on flimsy grounds just to show their authority. All political parties including the ruling party promise OROP to Armed Forces Personnel and ESM but when it is time to implement OROP they develop cold feet all abrogate their responsibility.

 

The unwritten agreement between union of India and Armed Forces is in severe strain today. This agreement writes the duties and responsibilities of GOI and Armed Forces in peace and war. This agreement stipulates that a soldier will embrace martyrdom willingly to protect the motherland and for safety and well-being of citizen and on the other hand GOI is supposed to look after the well-being of soldier and his family. And GOI is supposed to ensure that family of a soldier is well taken care and would lead good life even after he has attained martyrdom in serving the motherland. While the soldier of this great Army, Navy and Air Force has lived up-to his solemn oath but the GOI has been lacking in their part of responsibility. This is a very sad story as widow of a soldier, whose husband had willingly attained martyrdom for this great country, was getting a meager pension of Rs 3500/ only and under this langdi OROP announced by MOD, her pension would be increased to Rs 4070/ only. Is it not ironical that a veernari is given a meager pension which is even less than an Indian family pays to a maid? It is a joke being played by GOI/bureaucracy with Armed Forces Personnel, ESM and brave widows of this great country. We the ESM of India beseech the conscience of great Indians and request to take up the issue for correction this anomaly. 

NDA Govt had announced approval of OROP for Armed Forces Personnel with great fanfare on 10 June 2014 in their budget but did not have the courage to implement it because of bureaucratic resistance. However NDA Govt announced truncated OROP on 5 Sept 2015. This announcement had four major anomalies. These anomalies were pointed out to MOD by the ESM agitating at Jantar Mantar. MOD did not heed to the request of agitating ESM and issued notification of defective OROP on 7 Nov 2015 without correcting any anomaly. Govt has not corrected even one anomaly out of four anomalies pointed out by the ESM of India.  MOD decided to form a one man commission along with this announcement of OROP which is clear acceptance that the announced OROP was defective and would not be accepted by the agitating ESM of Jantar Mantar.

 

The notification of 7 Nov 2015 also has not addressed the issue of increasing pension of Majors (only less than 1000 alive) with 20 yrs or less than 20 yrs of service as Major to min of pension of Lt Col with MS Pay of Majors and also pension of Nb Sub to be given to Hony Nb Sub. An appeal was made to Government to approve this as a special case. This has also not been approved by the Govt.

 

ESM family is convinced that announced OROP is not as per the definition of OROP approved by the Parliament. In-fact the announced OROP violates the definition of OROP and also violates will of Parliament. This effort to tweak with the definition is in-fact contempt of Parliament. UFESM (JM) has sent an appeal to all Ms P to take the issue with speakers of both houses.

 

MOD has issued tables of OROP on 3 Feb 2016 as per truncated announcement of OROP of 7 Nov 2015. These tables completely defy the definition of OROP as pension of past pensioners of all ranks will be fixed far lower than the pension of the soldiers retiring in 2016. Whereas principle of OROP is that past pensioners must have the same pensions as that of soldiers retiring today. Comparison of pensions given to past pensioners viz a viz pensions as per approved OROP are given below. 

 

 

Rank	No.of Pre- 06 retir-ees	Gp	Qlf Ser	Pen-sion as on 24-9-12		Prop pen. as per tables of 3-2-16	Pen-sion as per PPO 1 Mar 2014	Pen-sion prop-osed by  RM's note	Incr to  a past pens-ioner as per 3 -2-15 letter	pen sion as per full OR OP
1	2	3	4		5	6	7	8	9=(6-5)	10=(7-5)
Sep	67161	Y	15		5176	6665	7605	7200	1489	2429
Nk	500805	Y	22		6599	7170	8295	8295	571	1696
Hav	481891	Y	24		7375	7808	9320	9320	433	1945
Nb Sub	70093	Y	26		10029	10405	10852	10852	376	823
Sub	128101	Y	28		11970	12268	11970	11970	298	-
Sub Maj	16177	Y	30		12285	13045	12285	12285	760	-
Veer-naris  Sep	App 3 lacs	Y			3500	4070		4320	570	-
Veer-naris Nk	App 3 lacs	Y			3500	4302		4611	802	-

 

 

It will be noticed that widows and ORs will get less pension than expected.  This ill treatment of Widows, ORs and JCOs is not acceptable. Apart from this notification of 3 Feb 2016 dilutes the definition of OROP and hence is not acceptable.  In view of this it has been decided that our fight at JM will continue as the tables issued by MOD are not acceptable to ESM. Officers table is not given as most of them must have seen the tables and noted their entitlements

 

It will be pertinent to mention that GOI has indicated that the funds outgo on OROP is to the tune of Rs 7500/ crore per year. It is surprising that the GOI is ready to spend Rs 7500/ crore and is still leaving the back bone of Armed Forces as unsatisfied and frustrated for a few hundred crores. This will be affecting morale of serving soldier as today's soldier is tomorrow's veteran. Moreover every soldier has a veteran in his family. And if a serving soldier sees his older generation being treated so shabbily by the Govt, he is likely to lose his enthusiasm to fight to martyrdom and this will not be good for nation.

 

UFESM(JM) is in constant dialogue with Sh Ram Jethmalani eminent lawyer of India for representing our case to get justice for ESM family. He has very kindly consented to represent ESM free of cost. All possible avenues to find an amicable solution  will be explored before going to court. Court option will be resorted only after first installment of OROP is paid to all veterans and families. Environment will be kept informed about all the developments on the legal case and any other developments on the OROP.

 

UFESM(JM) has written to Govt to correct the tables without any delay so that the pension of past pensioners is brought at par with the pensions of soldiers retiring in 2016. RHS at JM has entered in 238 day.  It has been decided to continue with the agitation at JM and if required agitation will be intensified further if the Govt does not correct the anomalies pointed out by ESM. 

UFESM(JM) hopes that environment will question those ESM who were propagating that Govt had approved full OROP on 5 Sep 2015 and agitation at JM must be closed. UFESM(JM) has been proved right that Govt had not given full OROP and hence did not close agitation at JM. 

UFESM(JM) requests all ESM to come to JM and participate in their struggle for approval of true OROP as per definition approved by Parliament.

 

 

Regards

Gp Capt VK Gandhi VSM
Gen Sec IESM

(Source- Via Gp E-mail)