Good news for soldiers

The Army Chief has hinted at implementation of one rank one pension, a demand of our men in olive green that had been pending for a long time but the government remained non-committal all the time. In principle many defence ministers and prime ministers had said that the demand was genuine but it never moved forward while the soldiers stuck to it year after year. In a rare statement COAS said that all information regarding ex-army men would be collected and their problems would be sorted out. Implementation of one rank one pension scheme would involve an expenditure of Rs 3,000 crore, but it was less from the point of the welfare of the soldiers, COAS said.Indian Army has the unique distinction of being the most disciplined army in the world. It has proved its efficiency and dedication at a number of instances within and outside the country. With deepening of our democratic structure, and the resultant devolution of power, new forces and new political scenarios have emerged on the political landscape of India. At the same time the emergence of terrorism as a global phenomenon and the proxy war syndrome as the new concept of fighting and dismembering an adversary have put great pressure on our army. It is required to fight a completely new type of battle. It is something of a war on India's own soil and that is what once the former Pakistani President Ziaul Haq had said. Therefore we should understand what we are expecting from our army jawans and what we are giving them in return. General V.K. Singh, the COAS has endeared himself to the rank and file in the Indian Army by hinting that one rank one pension demand is on the anvil and is likely to be accepted formally sooner than later.������������������������������������������� Mailbag

Declining human values

Sir,Declining human values is one of the biggest challenges before us in our social system. It is obviously a commonly debated issue in society that is discussed at various social platforms around us. A number of social bodies and NGOs are tirelessly working to find modalities to curb erosion of value-based culture. The major deteriorating factors in our so-called modern society are upcoming modern life styles purely based on western culture. There is no denying that the so-called modern culture that is prevalent in our country is more or less value-deficit and does not match with our traditions and heritage. There is a growing tendency and preference to live in nucleur family set-up with full independence devoid of any interference. Joint family culture is rapidly diminishing in society though few examples in rural areas are sometimes reported.It is high time to give a deep thought to look for corrective ways to repair our social system by imbibing human values which otherwise are showing downward graph and leading to social degradation in society. There is an old saying, "Charity begins at home." Let us pledge to rededicate ourselves to contribute for this social cause without wasting any more time.

Yours etc...Lokinder Singh Ravi85, Chhanni Rama,Jammu

Retirement age

Sir,There should be no enhancement of retirement age of the Government employees from 58 to 60 as the proposal in this regard is with the Government.In case retirement age is enhanced it will hurt the younger generation which is still unemployed.The unemployed youth in the State are mostly dependent on the Government jobs as the scope of jobs in the private sector is very limited. The private sector has not flourished much in the State due to various reasons which include militancy, shortage of power, and difficult terrain.The enhancement will have more financial implications for the State which is already facing the burden of 6th Pay Commission and low revenue collection.It will be an unwise move on the part of the Government as it will create unrest among the unemployed youth.

Yours etc....Govind RamDomana

SC upholds EC criteria

Sir,This has reference to the news item 'SC upholds EC criteria on recognition of political parties' DE Apr 9.The decision of the Supreme Court upholding the EC criteria on recognition of political parties will stop mushrooming of political parties in India. Day in and day out a new political outfits with no programmes or agenda comes into existence only to confuse people. Already, the parties with some substantial presence have made the Indian political scene murkier. The culture of coalition politics is a result of these regional parties. This has created instalilty at centre, and affected the working of Central Government.Rather, Indian people should shift toward presidential form of Government as exists in USA. This will create stability in the centre, and save huge amount of money on elections.

Yours etc...Surinder SharmaGangyal