REPORT: JUSTICE L.NARASIMHA REDDY COMMITTEE VISIT: PUNE, 29 AUG 2016 (31 Aug 2016)

Dear All

Pls find below report on the interaction on 29 Aug 2016 from Brig Sharad Luktuke who represented IESM as i was not able to go due domestic issues.

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Justice  L.NARASIMHA REDDY assisted by reps of Army, Navy and Air Force visited Pune on 29 Aug 2016 for interaction with Armed Forces veterans. The interaction took place in Dhanvantari Hall, AFMC from 11 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. About 500 ESM including Veer Nari’s were present. Some serving officers to include MG Adm HQ Southern Comd, Sub Area Commander DMSA and Station Commander were also present throughout the proceedings. Col Suhas Jatkar, Director Rajya Sainik Kalyan Kendra briefed all present about the schedule of activities and clarified that all are most welcomed to ask questions and put across their problems/ suggestions. He added that it was a forum open to all. The ESM interested in submitting memorandum were requested to hand over the report at the reception. 

 

After the welcome speech by the representative of the service HQ Honorable Justice  L.NARASIMHA REDDY addressed the gathering. He explained the purpose of forming the committee and requested all to confine to OROP issues only. Appreciating the presence of large number of veterans he said he was happy to be among all and promised to cover all questions before closing.

This was followed by PPT presentation by Gp Capt SS Phatak lasting about 25 minutes on behalf of DSW and AF Association. He covered a number a  of issues like OROP anomalies; OROP for reservist pensioners; MACP under OROP; Extension of pension tables beyond 33 years; problems in pensions of Lts, Capts, doctors, TA officers;pension problems of JCO/OR; QS issues; delay in arrears of OROP to widows; role of PSA and PDA etc. The presentation was well received by all.

The next event was a brief talk by Col Bhargav on pension/ OROP problems faced by disabled ESM some of whom from paraplegic center were present. He highlighted that they have not received OROP benefit. 

 

The forum was then thrown open to questions from ESM/ Veer Nari’s. In all 42 veterans asked questions/ made suggestions which included officers, JCO’s, OR and Veer Nari’s. Justice Reddy heard all cases very patiently and some of the questions were answered on the spot by the committee members while others were noted for further action/ processing. Questions not pertaining to OROP were politely rejected. Overall, the interaction was very affable and committee members gave convincing responses. They were very accommodating and promised to help in solving some of the veterans’ problems by meeting them after the event. Justice Reddy kept the atmosphere light, relaxed and lively through wit and presence of mind by exchanging a few words of and on.

The HQ Southern Command had clarified before the event that there will be only one presentation and IESM’s request to make the PPT presentation was turned down. I highlighted this point when I spoke besides giving other points as given at the end. 

One of the veterans from the audience offered vote of thanks and hoped that Reddy committee will solve pensioners’ problems soon.

The Sub Area Commander then handed over the folder containing memoranda received from veterans to Justice L.NARASIMHA REDDY and thanked him and the veterans for successful conclusion of the interaction.Justice L.NARASIMHAREDDY in his closing remarks appreciated the disciplined manner in which the veterans presented their points/ cases and thanked all present for efficiently organizing the function. He appeared quite satisfied with all arrangements as also with his interaction with the veterans. 

   

Overall, the arrangements including the administrative support were excellent and the function ended on a pleasant note.

Points raised by Brig (retd) Sharad Luktuke, SM, VSM Convener IESM Maharashtra

1.    The service HQ refused IESM’s request and did not allow us to make a presentation (PPT) for reasons not known to us. I have handed over the IESM folder which contains our PPT and a number of other important references/ papers. The committee may please examine the contents of folder while making recommendations.

( Note – i. The fact is that interaction on 29 Aug 2016 was directly between ESM and Justice Reddy committee with no one in between. Service HQ (Comd/ Area/ Sub Area/ Any other) cannot stop a national level ESM organization from making a presentation in the manner in which it happened in Pune. This is unacceptable.

ii. Our folder includes the following – Mails exchanged between us and Brig Satish  Ghatpande of HQ SC, PPT – 30 slides, PCDA letters of 04.0416-Refixing of OROP pension on average of Min/Max, of 19.04.16 - RTI case on 3% rule, of 26,055.16-Grievances on OROP implementation, Appendix A - 10 Months service rule, Appendix B- Anomalies OROP implementation, Appendix E - a 10-page detailed report on anomalies analysis)

 

2.    The yearly review of pension (one of the major anomalies in OROP implementation) has become an emotional and prestige issue. Even the FM has rejected it out right. We need to look at it objectively. No purpose will be served by reading the portion in Koshiyari Committee out of context wherein it is stated that the service rep and member of K committee accepts revision of pension once in 5 years if there are any administrative difficulties. Neither the Govt nor CDAP has projected any difficulties. Frankly, there is none as we have fully computerized systems wherein the operations are executed in second/ minutes as against in weeks/ months in the past.  The committee is requested to look at the anomaly dispassionately and resolve it in favor of veterans.    

 

3.    The accountability of PDA and PSA as brought out by Gp Capt Pathak is a very serious issue that needs to be addressed immediately. The PCDA has become a totally non-responsive organization and banks treat ESM/ Widows issues very carelessly and irresponsibly. Many jawans and widows are going through misery due to this problem which has remained unsolved for all these years despite its urgent nature.

 

The PPO format of Army, Navy and Air Force is different. Navy, it seems has a very good format. If possible, the committee may take up this issue with the Govt though it is not related to OROP. If this is done, it will solve many problems for the veterans in future.

 

As highlighted by Gp Capt Phatak there are 70 odd Govt letters on pension matters issued over the past few years. It is an unmanageable problem for the pensioner as well as for organizations involved in solving pension problems to refer to so many letters. It is high time that the Govt reviews all these letters and come out with two or three new policy letters superseding all the old letters. This will go a long way in helping the pensioners in a big way.

Also here are two reports received from WA

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From 33 NDA course blog [8/30, 11:48]

​Attended the presentation in Pune on OROP. Justice Reddy seemed a genial person n pro Servicemen.  Commenced  by paying tribute to the Maratha soldiers of IA. Had a sense of humour and listened to points with patience.  However,  most of the points were already with him since he had visited 5-6 places earlier.  He asked Brig Luktuke  of IESM why he was not allowed to give a presentation.  Brig Luktuke then submitted  a copy of the presentation,  which I believe was not permitted for reasons best known to the local army authorities. Gp Capt Pathak of Sainik Welfare Org, who gave a presentation,  started defensively stating that we servicemen are fortunate because unlike others we don't pay for our pension. Wonder wheter that was called for? Some valid points were put up by various speakers  and although a few including some officers made nuisance of themselves, Reddy took it in his stride.  The service  officers with him looked fairly clued up and were  mostly aware of all the anomalies existing in the present OROP.

Looks promising; but ultimately depends on what is finally drafted by the team of Justice Reddy which included a Maj Gen a Rear Admiral, an AF Gp Capt, a Col n a Civilian besides Reddy. Parrikar may condescend condescend; but Jaitley may be the stumbling block.

Officer attendance only about  30 plus. Large number of JCOs n ORs! Coursemates Anil n Naren may add a few points since I am not  very knowledgeable as far as OROP is concerned.

[8/30, 12:18]

​What Prakash has said generally covers all the points. A few things struck me were: the presentation of Gp Capt Pathak was lack lusture though he did cover some of the relevant OROP points, as per an officer Lt Col TS wanted pension of Col and another said why Lt Col selection should be equated to TS (don't know what is the official posn), as regards IESM presentation, justice Reddy did show a surprise as to why was the presentation not allowed...the Gen officers on his sides did whisper some thing in his years, but I think that presentation would have been effective and good for all. ND Prasad was also present.

(Source : Via Gp e-mail from Col YC Mehra (Retd)

7th Pay Commission Defence Pay Calculator as per the methods recommended by the Commission in its report submitted to Govt on 19.11.2015

7th CPCay Commission Defence Pay Calculator has been updated now with following additional features.
1. Defence Personnel who are in receipt of X-Pay cancalculate their 7CPC Group X Pay. 2. Defence Medical Doctors who are granted with NPA can also use this calculator now as revised NPA of 20% proposed by 7th Pay Commission can be calculated now using this online tool. 3. Military Nursing Service (MNS) Defence Personnel can use this online now as we have incorporated their Pay Matrix also

7th Pay Commission proposed X-Pay:

i. X pay for JCOs/ORs in Group X at ₹6,200 per month for all X trades which involve obtaining a qualification which is equivalent of a diploma recognisedby AICTE. This amount is the difference in the minimum of the Pay level 6 (corresponding to Grade Pay of ₹4200 in VI CPC), and Pay level 5 (corresponding to Grade Pay of ₹2800 in VI CPC).

ii. X pay for JCOs/ORs in Group X at ₹3,600 per month (standard fitment of 2.57 on the existing X pay of ₹1,400), for those currently in X pay, but not having a technical qualification recognised by AICTE.

Non-Practising Allowance for Defence Medical Doctors:

7th Pay Commission has recommended that Defence Medical Doctors will be entitled to NPA of 20% calculated on 7CPC Basic Pay. Presently NPA is paid at the rate of 25% of Basic Pay.

NPA and MSP is not a pay for the purpose of HRA:

7th Pay Commission has observed that NPA and MST should not be taken in to account while calculating HRA. Presently, for the purpose of arriving at HRA, NPA and MSP are added with Basic Pay.

This 7th Pay Commission Defence Pay Calculator would calculate New 7CPC Pay, Military Service Pay, House Rent Allowance and Transport Allowance for Defence Personnel as per the pay fixationprocedure recommended by 7th CPC.

A Brief on New Pay Matrix recommended by 7th Pay Commission for Defence Personnel:

• 7th Pay Commission has devised pay matrices for civil and defence forces personnel by dispensing with Pay Band and Grade Pay System.
• The Existing grade pay and pay bands have been merged in distinct pay levels have created which form a Pay Matrix.
• The starting point of a Sepoy (and equivalent), the entry level personnel in the defence forces, has been fixed in the Defence Pay Matrix at Rs.21,700.
• The starting point in the existing pay structure is Rs.8,460 for a Sepoy/equivalent. The fitment in the new matrix is essentially a multiple factor of 2.57.
• An ‘index of rationalisation’ has been applied while making enhancement of levels from Pay Band 1 to 2, 2 to 3 and 3 onwards on the premise that role, responsibility and accountability increases at each step in the hierarchy. At the existing PB-1, this index is 2.57, increasing to 2.62 for personnel in PB-2 and further to 2.67 from PB-3. Recognising the significantly higher degree of responsibility and accountability at levels corresponding to Senior Administrative Grade, the entry pay is recommended for enhancement by a multiple of 2.72. The same multiple is also being applied at the HAG and HAG+ levels. At the apex level the index applied is 2.81 and for the Service Chiefs/Cabinet Secretary the index has been fixed at 2.78.

Military Service Pay (MSP)

An identical fitment of 2.57 has also been applied to the existing rates of Military Service Pay (MSP), applicable to defence forces personnel only.

Designation	Existing MSP. Rs	Recommended MSP Rs
Service Officers	6000	15500
Nursing Officers	4200	10800
JCO / ORs	2000	5200
Non Combatants (Enrolled) in the Air Force	1000	3600

How to fix 6cpc pay of existing Defence Personnel in Pay Matrix

Fitment of existing Defence Personnel Pay in to 7CPC Pay Matrix

Pay Fixation would be made by fixing the pay from the existing pay level to next pay level by moving horizontally. As far as pay fixation for annual increment is concerned, next available pay vertically in the same level will be taken.

The fitment factor of 2.57 is being applied uniformly to all employees.

It includes a factor of 2.25 to account for DA neutralisation, assuming that the rate of Dearness Allowance would be 125 percent at the time of implementation of the new pay as on 01.01.2016.

The actual raise/fitment being recommended by the Commission is 14.29 percent.

Step 1: Identify Basic Pay (Pay in the pay band plus Grade Pay) drawn by an employee as on the date of implementation. This figure is ‘A’.

Step 2: Multiply ‘A’ with 2.57, round-off to the nearest rupee, and obtain result ‘B’.

Step 3: The figure so arrived at, i.e., ‘B’ or the next higher figure closest to it in the Level assigned to his/her grade pay, will be the new pay in the new pay matrix. In case the value of‘B’ is less than the starting pay of the Level, then the pay will be equal to the starting pay of that level.

HRA and Transport Allowance for Central Government Employees as recommended by 7th Pay Commission

HRA @ 24%, 16%, and 8% have been proposed for X, Y and Z class cities respectively. 7th Pay Commission has also recommended for enhancement of HRA while DA crosses 50% and 100%. As far as Transport Allowance is concerned, there is no increase. DA @ 125% has been merged with existing Transport Allowance.

How to use GConnect 7th Pay Commission Report Pay and Allowances Calculator ?

1. In the 6CPC Pay Entry Form, select the present pay band / Grade pay.

2. Enter your present pay in pay band, which will be the applicable 6CPC Pay as on 01.01.2016.  Do not include Grade Pay here as the tool would take care of the same.

3. Select your 6CPC Military Service Pay, X-pay and NPA status

4. Select present 6CPC HRA percentage

5. Select the city in which you are posted for determining New TA

6. Click Calculate Button. Now New 7CPC Pay and Salary Benefit out of 7CPC wil be displayed in the 7CPC pay and allowance Table.

7. Click Show Entry Form Button to get the 6CPC Pay entry form back in the screen for usingthe calculator again.

(Source- Gconnectblog)

7th Pay Commission: No revised pay yet for military personnel - The Hindu

The 7th Pay Commission recommendations will be reflected in this month’s salary for central government employees that would be remitted on Wednesday, but not for the military personnel.

According to military sources, their new salaries are yet to be notified as the notification implementing the Seventh Pay Commission has not yet been issued by the Defence Ministry.

This is because the three service chiefs have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar seeking their intervention to fix the anomalies expressed by the military which remain unaddressed despite several representations to the empowered committee and assurances from Mr. Parrikar.

The key demands of the services include Non Functional Upgrade, NFU pay fixation, Military Service Pay (MSP) and common pay matrix for civil and military.

(Source- The Hindu )

1962 - THE WAR THAT WAS NOT (By Shiv Kunal Verma, (Rs 995; PP 425) : when the first Commander-in- Chief of the Indian Army, General Sir Rob Lockhart, went to Nehru with a formal defence paper that needed a policy directive from the prime minister, Nehru had exclaimed: ‘Rubbish! Total rubbish! We don’t need a defence policy. Our policy is ahimsa (non-violence) . We foresee no military threats. As far as I am concerned you can scrap the army - the police are good enough to meet our security needs.’ :: How Nehru, Menon conspired against army chief Thimayya

The Indian army experienced its worst ever defeat during the Indo-China conflict of 1962. This excerpt from Shiv Kunal Verma’s thoroughly researched book shows how Nehru and Krishna Menon conspired to discredit General Thimayya, setting in motion a chain of events that contributed to India’s rout in the Himalayas.

The political manoeuvring by Gandhi in 1938 to sideline Subhas Chandra Bose in the presidential race of the Congress Party virtually handed Nehru the prime ministership of independent India. Bose was perhaps the only Indian political leader who understood the significance of armed power as an instrument of state policy while being aware of modern politics. 

With Bose’s exit and Sardar Patel’s death in 1950, there was no one who could provide the necessary inspiration for the reconstruction of an army (that had so far served British interests) into an integrated military instrument that could identify potential threats and tackle them militarily.

Nehru, unlike Bose and Patel, veered away from building military power. Although, when cornered, he was not averse to using it - as in the case of Kashmir in 1947-48 and then Goa in 1961 - for the most part, he talked disarmament, non-alignment and Panchsheel. In a speech delivered at the Kerala Provisional Conference in 1928, Nehru had spelt out his international assessments: ‘No danger threatens India from any direction; and even if there is any danger we shall cope with it.’ 

No surprise then that when the first Commander-in- Chief of the Indian Army, General Sir Rob Lockhart, went to Nehru with a formal defence paper that needed a policy directive from the prime minister, Nehru had exclaimed: ‘Rubbish! Total rubbish! We don’t need a defence policy. Our policy is ahimsa (non-violence) . We foresee no military threats. As far as I am concerned you can scrap the army—the police are good enough to meet our security needs.’ 

It’s a different matter that Nehru had to eat his words by the end of October 1947 itself when the tribal hordes invaded Kashmir.

Nehru rejected suggestion that Bose be dealt with as war criminal.Perhaps Nehru could not have reacted militarily when China invaded Tibet in 1950, but since then he had had more than ten years to prepare, from the time General Cariappa had warned him that the army did not have the capability to face the Chinese. 

Despite repeated warnings from the army and the various committees, Nehru did very little to address the shortcomings of the army. Nehru was never comfortable with the armed forces - his political indoctrination had - instilled in him a desire to downgrade India’s officer cadre rather than tap their leadership potential and assimilate them into the machinery of government. This in turn created a vacuum in the decision-making chain, into which the civil servants stepped - taking important military decisions that they were not equipped to handle. At a personal level, Nehru was not impressed with most of senior officers and found them shallow, posturing caricatures, generally aping the British in their mannerisms and who had taken no interest in the freedom movement.

To make matters worse, Nehru, along with other politicians, began to develop a deep-seated paranoia about the army. Many other countries that had become independent after World War II fell prey to military coups (the most pertinent example being Pakistan)

As he drove from South Block to Teen Murti, Thimayya was acutely aware of the prime minister’s deep distrust of the military. Even before he took over from General S. M. Shrinagesh, Thimayya had made no bones about the fact that he was deeply distressed by the continuous neglect of the army. Publicly Nehru was seen to be fond of Timmy; however, behind his back, the prime minister adopted tactics that clearly indicated that he viewed Thimayya as a rival who could challenge his position as the undisputed head of the Indian Union. 

Given the general’s track record in World War II—Thimayya had been the first and only Indian officer to command a fighting brigade in the Arakan where he had been awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)—and the role played by him in the Jammu and Kashmir Operations, Nehru knew he could not browbeat him.

Nehru let northeast down during 1962 China war, says Kiren Rijiju - Timmy was universally respected. The announcement of his impending appointment had led to an editorial comment in the Times of India : ‘A thrill has just passed through the Army. The signal has gone out that Timmy is on.’ 

In the meantime, just twenty days before Thimayya took charge of the army, Nehru had replaced the Defence minister, Kailash Nath Katju, with Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon. 

Nehru was waiting for Thimayya and for the first time, the normally reticent Timmy exchanged angry words with the prime minister. He told Nehru that his arbitrary decision of making NEFA (North East Frontier Agency now called Arunachal Pradesh) the responsibility of the army, made public in Parliament, was pre-posterous and completely against Indian interests. 

Thimayya felt that Nehru had completely compromised the army. Without providing the additional resources required, handing over the borders to the army was a meaningless gesture; this would allow the Chinese the opportunity to claim that the Indians were the aggressors, for they always went to great pains to describe their own troops as border guards. Thimayya asked Nehru to find a way out of the mess in the next couple of weeks. Nehru and Krishna Menon knew that the prime minister was in serious trouble. 

He had got away with the admission in Parliament earlier in the day only because the triple whammy—ongoing clashes on the border, the construction of National Highway G 219 across the Aksai Chin and the Khenzemane and Longju incidents—had come as a shock to the members of the House.

Thimayya wanted Nehru to undo the mistake; but should the prime minister formally withdraw his statement about deploying the army and revert to the previous arrangement, he would be committing political hara-kiri. The threat of Thimayya taking over the reins of government, at least in Nehru’s mind, was very real.

Nehru asked Kennedy for US assistance during 1962 Indo-China war. Politics is full of subterfuge, and survival. Not only did the Nehru-Menon team now have to survive, they had to neutralize Thimayya. 

Three days later, Krishna Menon sent for Thimayya in ‘a highly excited state of mind’ and vented his anger at the chief for having approached the prime minister directly, suggesting instead that the matter should have been resolved at his level. Threatening Thimayya of ‘possible political repercussions if the matter became public’ Krishna Menon ended the meeting. 

A seething Thimayya promptly sent in his resignation letter.

The letter, which was received by Teen Murti on the afternoon of 31 August, was put up to Nehru who promptly sent for Thimayya in the afternoon. After a long conversation in which the prime minister persuaded the army chief to withdraw his resignation letter in the larger interest of the nation, especially since the problem with the Chinese had flared up, the matter of the resignation was deemed closed. However, after Thimayya’s departure, news of his resignation was deliberately leaked to the media while the subsequent rescinding of the letter was held back. Thimayya resignation made banner headlines the next morning. 

The War That Wasn’t by Shiv Kunal Verma, (Rs 995; PP 425).

On 02 Sep 59, the PM once again rose in Parliament to make a statement. He told the Lok Sabha that he had persuaded the chief to withdraw his resignation. He then went on to speak about the supremacy of the civilian authority over the military and then, had surprisingly, proceeded to castigate Thimayya, saying the issues that led to his resignation were ‘rather trivial and of no consequence’, and that they arose ‘from temperamental differences’. He then chided the chief and reproached him for ‘wanting to quit in the midst of the Sino-Indian border crisis’.

Even today, the contents of Thimayya’s resignation letter remain a highly guarded secret. Instead, vague stories about Thimayya’s resignation were routinely floated where it was said that Timmy had resigned out of pique because of the manner in which Krishna Menon treated him. 

On careful scrutiny, that doesn’t hold water. The much adored prime minister, who could do no wrong in the eyes of the public, had betrayed General Thimayya. 

Trapped in this bad situation, the chief had no option but to quietly endure the humiliation and get on with the job of trying to prepare the army to face the Chinese. The PM’s attitude towards Thimayya was damaging to the Chief as well as the Army. 

General Thimayya was a seasoned, disciplined soldier who would hardly have made issues over trifles.  After the resignation drama Thimayya was seen as an alarmist and a defeatist.

Having thus weakened the office of the Army Chief, the PM now placed his hope in Lt Gen B M ‘Bijji’ Kaul whose star was on the rise.          (Hindustan Times)__._,_.___

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(Source- via e-mail from BHARAT BHUSHAN GHAI, VET)

PM MODI’S FORGOTTEN PROMISES TO THE MILITARY : By Ashok K Mehta

Wednesday, 31 August 2016 | The nationalist BJP-led Government at the Centre was expected to restore the izzat and iqbal of an impeccably apolitical, secular and professional military. Unfortunately, this has not been the case

Through his invocation of mera jawan during his Independence Day speech and the extraordinary display of respect and affection by three of his lady Ministers tyingrakhis to soldiers, including those deployed at the Siachen base camp, Prime Minister Narendra Modi showcased this symbolism as the Modi brand of nationalism. A great gesture indeed, though it cannot mask or compensate the relative deficiencies in defence management vis-à-vis his achievements of other sectors of governance. In his famous interview to Times Now on duties of political and bureaucratic leadership and soldiers he noted: “Those who have to work from the table will work from the table; and those who have to guard the border will work at the border with full strength. Each one will fulfil responsibility entrusted to them. Our jawans are fulfilling their responsibility.” He did not indicate whether those at the table were fulfilling their responsibility.

In September 2013 as prime ministerial hopeful Modi enamoured a big gathering of military veterans at Rewari in the presence of retired Army Chief Gen VK Singh (who as an Army Chief had created a stir in Parliament by disclosing critical hollowness in operational capabilities), now a trusted Minister, that he would give the military its due — in care, respect, welfare and most of all, attention. The BJP manifesto promised to revise defence policy and implement long overdue defence modernisation. He added that it did not matter how good the equipment or how motivated the soldier. What was key was a patriotic Government in New Delhi.

Thirty months later, facts speak otherwise. Two of the lowest defence budgets (below 1.7 per cent of gross domestic product GDP) scant modernisation, zero defence reforms, and a half-baked one-rank-one-pension (OROP) followed by a thoughtless award of Seventh Pay Commission (mercifully not promulgated for the Armed Forces). A country that makes it veterans protest at Jantar Mantar, allows them to be roughed up by police, and accepts its military being told by the Chair of the Pay Commission that it cannot be treated at par with Union Government Services (with regards not to pay but status in the hierarchy of service and command) is sending a rather dangerous signal.

These very officers and soldiers ensure Parliament can proudly pronounce every time there is absence of governance and protests in J&K that it is an integral part of India. For 70 years, the Army has been deployed in J&K; for 60 years along the northern borders; and for 60 years in the North-East. One of the finest militaries in the world has become a border guarding force. It also says something about the capacity of the political and bureaucratic leadership to employ force and coercion along with diplomacy to proactively resolve outstanding internal and external disputes.

The recent judgement by the Supreme Court (July 8) on indefinite deployment of the Armed Forces in Manipur since 1958 while unappreciative of the nuances of counter-insurgency operations and embedded politics, makes a larger strategic reflection: Failure of the Government and the Armed Forces in jointly restoring normalcy. The political class spends its time and resources in winning elections with the nexus between under- and over-ground being clear in disturbed areas. Modi has asserted that winning elections is good for his party.

While Kashmir valley is expected to start breathing normally soon, periodically men in uniform are pitted against their own people notwithstanding external instigations. Cyclic protests signal a breakdown in public order. And when the political class goes underground the onus of restoring normalcy falls on the security forces. It was Lt Gen DS Hooda, the Army Commander in J&K, who first appealed for calm to find a way out of the situation through introspection by all involved in J&K including the Hurriyat. Army chief Gen Dalbir Singh made a similar appeal for calm and peace. Another former Army Commander in J&K observed: “Although militarily the situation in Kashmir valley has been kept under control most of the time, the political and socio-economic dimensions have not been adequately address. This has caused a degree of alienation”.

For the services it has rendered since independence, the military has not got a fair deal. It is one institution that has been mostly taken for granted. Reforms for streamlining the Ministry of Defence have been made by numerous committees and task forces. The powerful IAS babus are preventing integration as it will dilute their control over the military. The Defence Minister’s focus is on defence procurement and Make in India. Manohar Parrikar, someone joked, has become the Minister for Acquisition. Unfortunately, as he lacks the political clout of his predecessor AK Antony, whom he ridicules liberally in Parliament, he is unable to have his way with the Finance Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office. The new Minister of State for Defence is an oncologist, Subhash Bhamre, who has been locked out from the Ministry’s key files.

OROP is a good example of how good a deal Parrikar could secure for the ex-Servicemen. Maj Gen Satbir Singh, the mastermind of the ex-Servicemen’s agitation, has alleged that the four anomalies in the implementation of OROP were summarily rejected by MoD and not forwarded to the one-man judicial commission of Justice L Narasimha Reddy despite the assurance given by Parrikar. He called it betrayal by the Government.

On the Seventh Pay Commission, independent Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar (member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence) has said the anger among defence personnel and veterans goes back to the Fifth Pay Commission (actually, the Third Pay Commission) in which the status of the Armed Forces vis a vis other central government Services (IAS and IPS) was undermined in hierarchy of service and command in the guise of preserving civil-military balance. Civilian political control should not mean that civilian bureaucracy is calling the shots and that subordination of military leads to it being disadvantaged or subservient. The 46 anomalies of Sixth Pay Commission and 36 from the Seventh Pay Commission remain unresolved and no legitimate reasons are provided.

The Service Chiefs used to periodically meet Modi when he became Prime Minister. Soon that stopped. Modi did not meet the Service Chiefs or respond to former Service Chiefs over these issues. He was expected to restore the izzat and iqbal of an impeccably apolitical, secular and professional military to sharpen its blunted edges. The political class, with little knowledge of defence, has allowed itself to be guided by babus who know equally little about military issues amounting to the blind leading the blind.

(Source- The Pioneer)

A Simple, Sincere Prayer.

My dear  God you know that I am growing older.       Keep me from becoming too talkative, from repeating all my jokes and anecdotes, and particularly keep me from falling into the tiresome habit of expressing an opinion on every subject. Release me from craving to straighten out everyone's affairs.                    Keep my mind free from recital of endless details. Give me wings to get to the point.                          Give me the grace, dear GOD, to listen to others                                as they describe their aches and pains. Help me endure the boredom with patience and keep my lips sealed, for my own aches and pains are increasing in number and intensity, & the pleasure of discussing them is becoming sweeter as years go by. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally, I might be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet. I do not wish to be a saint (Saints are so hard to live with), but a sour old person is the work of the devil. Make me thoughtful, but not moody, helpful, but not pushy, independent, yet able to accept with graciousness favors that others wish to bestow on me. Free me of the notion that simply because I have lived a long time,               I am wiser than those who have not lived so long.               I am older, but not necessarily wiser!

If I do not approve of some of the changes that have taken                place in recent years, give me the wisdom to                                              keep my mouth shut. GOD please  know that when the end comes, I would like to have a friend or two left.

(Source- via e-mail from  BHARAT BHUSHAN GHAI  Vet)

All Of Your Body Parts Are In The Palm Of Your Hand! Just Press The Points For Wherever You Feel…

Acupuncture has been used for centuries, becoming one of the standard methods of therapy in China. As an alternative to modern medicine, acupuncture is now practiced worldwide, becoming a very popular way for people to find pain relief. But not all of us are too keen on needles… and that’s where reflexology comes in! Acupressure is a form of reflexology that is non-invasive and focuses on applying pressure to specific points on the surface of the body. Definitely more my speed.You may have heard about how different points of your hand correspond to different parts of your body, and now you can try it out for yourself with this detailed map!

You may have heard about how different points of your hand correspond to different parts of your body, but odds are that you have no clue what corresponds to what. But with this detailed map, you can try it out for yourself!

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(Source : http://www.metaspoon.com/ )

Hope this brings stability, development in the region’: China on India-US pact Sutirtho Patranobis, Hindustan Times, Beijing

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Updated: Aug 30, 2016 17:10 IST

US secretary of defence Ashton Carter (L) and Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar shake hands after attending a press conference at the Pentagon on August 29. (AFP)

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China played down on Tuesday an India-US pact that allows the two countries the use of each other’s military bases, saying it was “glad” to see the collaboration as long as it promoted regional peace and stability. “We have noted the relevant report. We hope that this cooperation between the US and India work to promote stability and development of the region,” Hua Chunying, a foreign ministry spokesperson said hours after the deal was signed in Washington.

Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar and his United States counterpart Ashton Carter signed the logistics exchange memorandum of agreement (Lemoa) on Monday ending months of speculation surrounding the pact. The agreement will allow the two countries access to land, air and naval bases for repair and resupply. It doesn’t extend ship ‘basing rights’ and gives access only to logistics such as fuel for joint exercises and relief, humanitarian operations. “For such a normal cooperation between the two sides, we are glad to see it happen,” Hua said at a regular foreign ministry briefing.

Hua’s reaction to the agreement was markedly calmer to that of a leading expert and the state media– both declared that the deal marked the end of India’s “independent foreign policy”. “The pact is a big concern. There is now a big question whether India will now lose its cherished strategic independence,” Hu Shisheng, a south Asia expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations told the Hindustan Times.

The state media, too, was critical.

The pact could trigger strategic troubles for New Delhi and may not make it any more secure, an editorial in the nationalist Chinese tabloid Global Times said. “This is undoubtedly a leap forward in US-India military cooperation. US media highly applauded this deal, with Forbes hailing it as a ‘war pact’ and believing that India is shifting away from Russia, its Cold War ally, toward a new alliance with the US,” the editorial said.

But it was not good for Sino-India relations or relations between India and other countries in the region, it said. “If India hastily joins the US alliance system, it may irritate China, Pakistan or even Russia. It may not make India feel safer, but will bring strategic troubles to itself and make itself a centre of geopolitical rivalries in Asia,” the commentary said. 

What is under threat is India’s traditional foreign policy of non-alignment, the newspaper said, adding New Delhi seemed to be gradually succumbing to the US’s overtures. “India has practised the principles of non-alignment since independence, which have been advocated by Indian elites. However in recent years, Washington has deliberately wooed New Delhi to become its quasi ally so as to impose geopolitical pressure on China. It is possible that the Modi administration is trying an unconventional way to lean toward the US with the logistics agreement,” it said.

But will the returns of such a strategy be substantial? The newspaper didn’t think so. “But how close the US-India relationship can be and what geopolitical values it can get remains a question,” it said.

Despite expanding India-US ties, the newspaper was optimistic that India would not change its independent foreign policy. “Due to its non-alignment policy, India has been given attention from all the major powers such as the US, Japan, China and Russia in recent years,” it said. “Now is arguably a time when India has the most room for strategic manoeuvring. During Shinzo Abe’s first tenure as Japan’s prime minister, Japan hyped the concept of a quadrilateral alliance between the US, Japan, Australia and India; however, New Delhi remained cool to the idea,” it said. “Therefore, India will not lean toward the US, because it will not only hurt India’s self-esteem, more importantly, India can gain more strategic benefits by striking a balance between China and the US.”

(Source- Hindustan Times)