A TIME TO PONDER, AND A TIME TO ACT

History of humankind is the history of warfare. And, it is believed that wars will outlast humanity and not the other way around. Soldier, of all other people, suffers the most, materially as well as psychologically. A man who has once seen a war from close quarters is scarred for life.

India, right from its inception, has been tightly sandwiched between two very hawkish, radical nations, both strong militarily, both armies professional, fully indoctrinated and both with a finger on their nuclear arsenal, too impatient to wait. It is no wonder that India has to be on alert 24x7. One let up, one slip, and the game is over for us. All men and women in a country strive to make their nation strong and prosperous; but only when they have been secured from external hostile powers. The first and the foremost need of a nation is security. All other aspects fall in after that. This is truer in case of countries like Israel and India where guarding the borders is a matter which may translate to life or death of the nation. Indian Defence Forces have credited themselves in the most professional and befitting manner, rising to the occasion every time the country has been attacked by a foreign power. Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy, have been working relentlessly in a symphony like rhythm to keep the enemy at bay. Selflessly, without questioning, even when the national policies which brought about conflicts, have been flawed, which has happened more than once. 1962 Indo-China War and IPKF Operations in Sri Lanka are just two cases in point. Brigadier General Charles T Lanham of the US Army has so aptly summed up the selfless devotion of a soldier:

“I see things,

Yet I am slave.

When banners flaunt and bugles blow,

Content to fill a soldier’s grave,

For reasons I will never know.”

That being so, who deserves the highest honours, the best welfare and the best assured post retirement benefits? Undoubtedly, the Indian Defence Forces. But ironically, the case in our country is just the opposite. When it comes to precedence, dignity, financial security, the Defence Forces invariably end up at the bottom of the social apex. Why? And why isn’t every Indian asking this question to the people in power? When extremely mundane and meaningless issues are debated, when oddly enough, non issues are made out to be issues of national importance, why isn’t the issue of dignity and financial security of the Defenders being discussed by the general public? Why are Indians’ memories so short lived? They remember and even garland us when the enemy is at the gates but switch off as soon as the enemy has been decimated. Why are we being seen as a ‘use and throw Army’? We aren’t mercenaries, we are of your stock, your sons, brothers, fathers, husbands, daughters, sisters, mothers and wives. Of the 1.2 Billion people of India, you ask anyone, “Which is the last bastion of Indian security or who comes to the rescue when all others fail?”, you take it from me, the person will utter the word “Army” without blinking his or her eyes. You trust us with your lives, yet are so indifferent to our cause!

What can be more shameful than the fact that after the best victory we gave to our countrymen in 1971, we were ‘rewarded’ with 20% reduction in our salaries and all other civil employees were ‘penalized’ for not having lost limbs or life in the war, with a 20% enhancement in pay and allowances? Ever since 1973, the year until when OROP was 100% effective, the struggle for parity with civil services has been going on. 42 years! Over four decades!! A pretty long time by any standard!!! Almost half a century!!!! Government after government gave assurances but they remained just that – mere assurances. Government after government has cheated the Defence Forces. To add to our woes, civil servants have, through various Central Pay Commissions (CPC), further cut down on many salary components and muddled the whole issue deliberately. There is not even one CPC wherein bungling has not been done and we have not been deprived of our rightful dues. As many as 39 anomalies have arisen consequent to the 6th CPC award which have caused extreme discontentment amongst the Defence Forces who are now getting restless.

The definition of OROP is extremely simple: (i) same pension for the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of date of retirement, and (ii) any future enhancement in pension to be automatically passed on to the past retirees so that a junior does not draw higher pension than a senior rank. Period. Nothing less, nothing more. Now where is the ambiguity? It is the corrupt, self serving politicians and civil servants who are hell bent on bringing in complications to the issue. Incidentally, all central government employees are in receipt of OROP but the Armed Forces. The UPA Government sanctioned One Rank One Pension (OROP) for all civil servants who retire at the apex pay scale, the current pay of secretaries, and special secretaries to the Government of India, and the highest scale of pay in the Government of India, which is currently Rs. 80,000 (fixed). The promotion pyramid of babus is in reality the promotion plateau, where there is more than adequate space for all on the top. All of them get the apex scale and thus OROP. 'Apex OROP' decision was processed in the Department of Pensions and Pensioners' Welfare (DOP & PW), a department directly under the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister's Office, by Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers, who, not surprisingly, favoured themselves with 100% OROP coverage at apex scales. The decision was implemented not by a public notification, but a slyly worded internal memo, issued by Department of Pensions and Pensioners' Welfare.

Yet another shocker for those who do not know: Babus have given themselves Non Functional Financial Upgradation (NFFU) - whenever an IAS Officer of the State of Joint Cadre is posted at the Centre to a particular grade carrying a specific grade pay in Pay Band 3 or Pay Band 4, the officers belonging to batches of Organised Group A Services that are senior by two years or more and have not so far been promoted to that particular grade would be granted the same grade on non-functional basis from the date of posting of the IAS Officers in that particular grade at the Centre. That effectively means, enjoying all perks and much, much higher salary without any promotion and without shouldering corresponding responsibility of the grade. Again, NFFU is for all central government civil employees but not for the Armed Forces. Why?

On 05 Sep this year, compelled to appease in view of impending Bihar elections, the government announced something that was not even one third of the OROP as defined by the Koshiyari Committee and sanctified by the Parliament as well as the Supreme Court. Modi, Jaitley and Parrikar called it OROP, well, we, the Veterans, called it a cruel joke on us. Immediately in the wake of announcement of their so-called OROP, the government unleashed over a week long media blitzkrieg, breathlessly gathering all credit for ‘meeting in full’ the long pending demands of the Veterans. The public at large was mislead by the very people who are duty bound to lead us. Our countrymen are now wondering as to why the Veterans are still at Jantar Mantar when OROP has already been announced over a month ago. For the benefit of those who are not well informed (or are ill informed by the government), the following seven anomalies still persist and that is where the wide chasm lies and that is why the announcement by Parrikar on 05 Sep cannot be called OROP:

(a) The review of pensions has to be yearly as is done for all other services. Government wants it once in five years, effectively giving birth to One Rank Five Pensions or ORFP.

(b) Base Year agreed was FY 2013-14, the government has made it calendar year 2013.

(c) Date of effect was to be 01 Apr 14, the government made it 01 Jul 14: penny pinching.

(d) As per the Koshiyari Committee Report, the maximum pay band was to be taken for calculations, the government is taking mean average of maximum and minimum, effectively scuttling the outflow of finances.

(e) Only God knows why, the government, even after 42 years and countless deliberations, wants to institute yet another committee, composed solely of a civil officer/judge who will decide our fate. And he will take six months to table the report on implementation. How can a single person, who has no knowledge whatsoever of our peculiar service conditions and other crucial issues, decide the fate of an issue that affects us so severely all across the spectrum? We say, include ESM as well as serving representatives from Defence Services and do it in 30 days flat. Why not, what is so complicated about it?

(f) The civil servants or babus as we love to call them, threw another spanner at the last moment: those who took VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme or the Golden Handshake) will not be included in the ambit of OROP. Now what is VRS? Where do you find it in services? Pity these babus and pity these netas who do not even know that VRS is something foreign to Services. There is no VRS in Defence Services. It is only Pre Mature Retirement (PMR) wherein generally those who become medically invalid due to extremely harsh service conditions or those who are superseded due to the steepest promotion pyramid found in any organization anywhere in the world, earn their pensions after the laid down qualifying service and move on, making way for younger blood to keep our Forces young and fighting fit. We, the soldiers, never ever leave our dead behind, come what may, and the government is asking us to leave our comrades in arms who are still very much alive, behind! Netas and babus have no morals or ethos, but we have. And strong ones at that. A sickening, abominable clause. Not acceptable.     

(g) The government, very cunningly, has delinked OROP from the upcoming 7^th CPC (effective 01 Jan 16) without any rhyme or reason. We maintain that OROP should be independent of the CPC and the concept should be in perpetuity. This is the case for all central government employees, so why different yardsticks for us?

In the backdrop of this brief and above stated clarifications, we urge our fellow citizens to stand by us. Support us. Raise your voice with us in unison. Question your government; question your so-called leaders and administrators who have been plundering the country as thugs ever since we were reborn as India. If you love your country, put your shoulders next to ours and heave. We have always been the best disciplined Defence Forces witnessed anywhere in the world, we have been silently and in the most dignified manner demanding our legal dues and lost honour from the insensitive politicians and bureaucrats who seem to be blind, deaf and dumb to our justified demands. Rise above petty issues of religion, races, regionalism and other mundane issues that are always generated and orchestrated by these wily politicians for their political gains. Do not follow them. Not one politician is well meaning, they are out there for personal gains and to destroy our beloved motherland.

We have been sweating, bleeding, losing our body parts and even dying for you all since ages. Do not allow politicians and civil servants to compromise on our honour and dignity. Today the matter facing us is more of our honour and less of money. Come, you all owe this much to us. Support your veterans, support OROP. Let us make all out efforts to stop these netas and babus in their tracks, forever, for the good of the country.

  “The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.”

George Washington