From: Lt Gen K S Rao kantamnenirao@yahoo.com
Subject:
To: "V K Rao" vkrao@techconsultinc.com , gmnayar@gmail.com
Date: Monday, 14 September, 2009, 9:16 AM
...
From: raghubir_singh raghubir_singh@yahoo.com
Veterans may like to read my reply I sent this morning.
Dear Capt Praveen Davar,
1.Thanks for your e-mail . While lot of good things have happened in our country due to some pragmatic decisions taken by successive Govts over the last two decades or so – yet lot needs to be done. In the UPA-2 Hon'ble Kapil Sibal has virtually heralded renaissance in our education system-which has been my arena since my retirement more than 13 yrs back. We need similar dynamism in our even more critical Ministry of Defence. You will appreciate that our Armed Forces are the only bulwark against internal disintegration as well as external threats -now growing at menacing pace. Be it Kargils or natural disasters or even the 26/11's, the Services have always stood by the Nation. The ex-servicemen & the serving soldiers have perennial emotional bonding through regimental & squadron ties. The ex-servicemen looking from the sidelines do not feel happy when for example the Service Chiefs are denigrated through inspired & conspired editorials in the media or the men in uniform get pushed down the protocol ladder by one-up-man-ship.
2. Regarding OROP, once the Chairperson of the UPA had committed to it- the Govt should have conceded it gracefully instead of making all efforts to deny it by going in round about manner. Passing off some thing else as OROP especially in the present information age is counter productive. There seems to be forces working at cross purposes who have taken on themselves to deny the legitimate dues to those who have been giving so much for so little to so many of us. For example fixing an entire generation of officers during the 4th CPC as brought out in Major Dhanapalan's case etc shows the mindset which needs to be changed. Though I am no expert – OROP to me means same pension for same rank irrespective of the post & pre 2006 dividing line at least. Yes there could be harmonizing for total length or qualifying years of service if needed.
3. Eminent persons like you who have had the privilege to serve in the Armed Forces & now occupy important positions in the Party in Power can work towards rebuilding the trust with the ex-servicemen- who mostly remain apolitical. OROP has become an emotive issue & misinformation in this regard would serve no purpose.You may like to interact with Lt Gen Raj Kadiyan & Maj Gen Satbir Singh who have been espousing the cause of ex-servicemen & are in a better position to apprise you about the expectations which are not much. I would much appreciate if all MP's & party functionaries with services background come forward and take up the cause of Services including modernization, making service conditions attractive enough to attract the brightest of our young men to the profession of soldiering once again & looking after the veterans who gave their yester -years for our better tomorrows.
Regards
Air Cmde Raghubir Singh (Retd)
13, Prabhat Society,Bavdhan
NDA Road
Pune-411021
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