EX-SERVICEMEN GRIEVANCES CELL (REGD.)
Lt Col SS Sohi, President
Ref: ESM/GC/09/17 Dated; 16 may 09.
To
1. Jt Secy, ESW Dept, MOD, South Block, New Delhi-11.
2. Jt COS Committee, MOD, SB, New Delhi-11.
3. Adjt Gen, IHQ of MOD, New Delhi-11.
4. Chairman, HQ IESM, # 543 Sec 23, Gurgaon-122017.
Disability Pension, Family Pension and other ESM Welfare serious Neglect/ Problems.
Sir,
1. Please ref Govt Notification dt 6/5/09 on Disability & Casualty Pension award of 6th CPC, for pre & Post 1/1/06 Defence pensioners. It’s too late & too little but shown as a big relief to pre 1/1/06 retirees, which is misleading fact & figures.
2. This order has not benefited Disability cases Pensioners financially much but also created bigger gaps between various ranks and also created disparities at each level.
(a). The increase for pre 1/1/06 retirees came after 10 yrs, is not enough compared to inflation rates, ie
i). For Officers from Rs 2600 to Rs 5880 pm for 100% disability pension, still at fixed scales.
ii). For JCOs from Rs 1900 to Rs 4300 “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “”
iii). For Other Ranks Rs 1550 to 3510 “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “”
iv). Where as civil services have been getting increase linked with their basic pay from the day one.
(b). Similarly, War Injury Disability is increased to double but not linked with basic pay drawn, like civilian. In other words, Civilians serving in peace conditions & soft locations gets much more Disability Pension than Soldiers facing bullets. And official war is not every day but such OP casualties still go on.
(c). Same way, Family & Special family Pension for soldier’s widows is fixed increase but not linked with increasing pay scales of pre 1/1/06 retirees.
3. Another serious anomaly is that of a General who retired on 31/12/05 gets Dis Pen Rs 5880 for 100% Dis but post 1/1/06 retiree General gets Rs 27000 pm. What a great disparity even after one day gap in service? Similar anomalies can be seen at each rank level. That’s why we have been demanding OROP (One Rank One Pension) to remove such anomalies.
4. The minimum Pension for soldiers have been fixed Rs 3500 pm by the 6th pay commission, is too less. Because 85% of soldiers are retired at the age of 36 to 40 yrs and they do not get reemployment/ job to meet their prime age family obligations. Hence, Ex-Servicemen are exploited & degraded to stand on gates at small wages. 70% pension formula is not suitable. Therefore, minimum Pension of a soldier must be fixed not less than Rs 7500 pm. So that Soldiers/ ESM can live with some dignity & quality life, after sacrificing so much for the nation, which a normal person cannot understand.
5. Family Pension for the Defence Widows should not be fixed at 30% of Pension (like British rule) but be allowed to keep drawing 100% Pension of her late husband. Because her social/ family obligations & problems add up much more in the absence of family head & male member in the house. She deserves much more care & economical protection (not sympathies only) in the selfish society of today. Hardly any Def widow gets her entitlements & value in the society; hence she must be richly compensated.
6. Same way, Double Pension and its double Family Pension should also be allowed to Defence Widows, because her husband has earned that second pension also for serving extra so long with that dept. This is the only/ mainly Soldiers who need to go in for 2nd career job after premature retired. Therefore, their widows should not be penalized with such anti soldier rules position.
7. A Havildar with heavy responsibilities is kept in Pay Band-1 along with class iv employees and degraded. He deserves to be placed in PB-2 as per his rank & duty to remove disparity with in forces. Same way, JCOs & Officers of the ranks of Subedar to Major, must be upgraded & placed in PB-3 as a special befitting incentive with in the forces to raise their morale. Same way, special incentive pay for the Honorary Ranks need to be introduced, immediately.
8. Therefore, now a strong UPA/ we deserve to have a strong go getter Defence Minister Like the Mr Lalu Parsad Yadav MP from Bihar. We strongly feel, that he is the only person who can make the forces stronger and more popular to provide strong Security system to the countrymen.
Your’s Sincerely,
(Lt Col SS Sohi, Retd),
President, Ex-Servicemen Grievances Cell,
Copy to;
1. HQs of IESM, IESL, AICC & MOD.
2. All Concerned.
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From: Muthu Krishnan cm_krish@yahoo.co.in
Subject:
To:
jsesw@nic.in,
cda-albd@nic.in,
jkraj46@gmail.com, rajkadyan@yahoo.com , kamboj_cs@yahoo.co.in
Cc: kamboj_cs@yahoo.co.in, navdeepsingh.india@gmail.com
Date: Monday, 18 May, 2009, 6:45 AM
Dear Sir,
The following anomaly in the rationalization of casualty awards may be
removed before implementation.
Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,
C.Muthukrishnan. (Veteran Sgt)
Blog: indianexserviceman.blogspot.com
ANAMOLY IN THE RATIONALIZATION OF CASUALTY AWARDS
The fundamental principle of fixing the casualty awards at the rate of 60% of the minimum of the scales of pay for all the pensioners irrespective of date of retirement has been silently shifted away in the recent order on the subject dated 4th May 2009. This is a great injustice to the families of the men who laid down their lives for the country.
The bureaucracy is playing havoc with the life of these poor widows who have lost their bread winners for the sake of the motherland. Probably they are testing our inability to negotiate on the issue with anyone in the MOD.
The MOD vide their letter No.PC1(2)/97/D(Pen/C) dated 16/05/2001 fixed the Special Family Pension in the 5th CPC as follows:-
Para 2 Special Family Pension
2. In case of pensioners in receipt of SFP as on 01.01.1996, their pension will be consolidated in terms of this Ministry’s letter No.1(2)/97/D (Pen/Services) dt.24 Nov 1997 in the first instance. The special family pension, so consolidated irrespective of the date of award, shall not be less than 60% of the minimum pay in the revised scale of pay introduced w.e.f. 01.01.96 of the rank, rank & group (in case of PBOR) held by the deceased personnel at the time of death, subject to a minimum of Rs.2550/- per month.
While issuing the orders for revising the same SFP for the 6th CPC, the contents of the order No.16(6)/2008(1)/D(Pension/Policy) MOD dt.04/05/09 have been truncated as follows:-
Para 4
Special/Liberalized Family Pension/Dependent Pension (Special)/Dependent Pension (Liberalized)
4.1 Families in receipt of SFP, Liberalized Family Pension, Dependent Pension (Special), Dependent Pension (Liberalized)/2nd life award (in respect of PBOR including NCs(E), shall draw revised family pension w.e.f. 01.01.2006 in terms of Para 4.1 of this ministry’s letter dt.11.11.08.
4.2 The amount of revised consolidated SFP, granted to the families of Armed Personnel under the circumstances prescribed under the category ‘B’ & ‘C’ of Para 4.1 of this ministry’s letter dt.31.1.2001 will be subject to a minimum of Rs.7000/- per month.
The clause “ the Special Family Pension so consolidated irrespective of the date of award shall not be less than 60% of the minimum pay in the revised scale of pay introduced w.e.f. 01.01.1996 of the rank, rank & group (in case of PBOR) held by the deceased personnel at the time of death”, which was included in the revision for the 5th CPC order in now missing in the 6th CPC orders.
The missing of this clause is a great anomaly in the rationalization of casualty pensionary awards. Because of the non-inclusion of the 60% clause for the SFP, the pensioners are losing a sizeable amount from their monthly pension.
This order should not be implemented till this anomaly is removed. The IESL, IESM and the AFA should join together and meet the Director (Pension/Policy) Mr.Harbans Singh immediately to remove anomaly.
The Secretary of RDOA while referring the anomaly on Disability pension to the MOD regarding the non-shifting of disability pension rates from slab rates to percentage rates had missed this glaring anomaly of shifting away from the 60% of the pay while rationalizing the casualty awards.
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THE END
