Of military pay and pension

Col J P Singh, Retd
Criticised as underachiever and shadowed by Gandhis’ persona,  Prime Minister  has appointed, Suo  motto, a committee under Cabinet Secretary to look into pay and pension related issues of serving and ex servicemen (ESM) as if the previous umpteen number of them were a hoax. Having asked report by 8 August 2012, he is probably intending to announce something for the serving and ESM from the ramparts of Red Fort. Following four issues out of the nine are related to the ESM whereas five are for the serving soldiers.
(i) One Rank One Pension (OROP).
(ii)  Enhancement of family pension.
(iii)    Dual family pension and
(iv)    Pension to mentally / physically challenged children of the armed forces personnel.
OROP is peculiar to the armed forces only and is pending for over three decades. Rest of the issues are equally applicable to the central govt pensioners. Simply stated, OROP means that two pensioners who retired in the same rank after rendering equal service irrespective of their date of retirement must get the same pension. It also essentially means compensation for compulsory retirement at much younger age. It is reiterated that soldiers and officers are retired at younger age so that the youthful profile of armed forces is maintained. Unfortunately, the Govt has either not understood the meaning of the demand or is insensitive to those who lay down their lives for their country so that others live happily. It seems to be under the erroneous impression that the pensioners have got what they deserve and can be ignored with impunity.
Armed Forces fight wars in inhospitable terrain of Siachen / Kargil, deserts of Rajasthan and jungles of North East. For doing so successfully, it is essential that the fighters be fit, young and robust. The result is that soldiers are enrolled in youth and retired younger. While those who serve in armed forces retire by rank, all others retire by age.  Starting from the lowest ranks, Sepoys / NCO’s are compulsorily sent home at mid thirties. Their counterparts in civil services, central paramilitary forces, the police and other services retire at 60. There is no compensation for the soldiers for the differential of an average of 25 years, even though the cumulative effect works out to about Rs. 45 lac upto the age of 60 and nearly 60 lac upto the current longevity index of 75. Next are the JCO’s. They  are sent home between 40 to 45 years of age. They get no compensation for15 to 20 years of differential from their civilian counterparts. Officers retire as per their ranks. Now up to Col retire at 54. (prior 6th CPC a Maj retired at 50, Lt Col at 52 and Col at 54), Brigs at 56, Maj Gen at 58 and Lt Gen at 60. Three services chiefs retire at the age of 62. Looking at retirement age at different levels, OROP is a demand for equity & justice; not for money per se.
Since the date of retirement and length of service determine the quantum of pay and pension one gets, with each pay commission, soldiers who retire early receive lesser salaries and  pensions as compared to those who retire later in same rank with same service. A soldier faces 2 to 3 pay commissions whereas his counterparts face minimum of 5 pay commissions. Soldiers suffer the disparity bred by it every 10 years. In summation, our jawans and NCO’s lose more than what they get during service because they retire nearly 25 years before their civilian counterparts. JCO’s lose minimum of 15 years emoluments and the bulk of officers lose between six to four years emoluments. There is no compensation for this loss.  This is patently ridiculous. Comparing take home package of a jawan and a constable, a jawan gets half at the age of 35 as pension of what a constable gets at that age as pay with other perks which keeps multiplying with each year & each pay commission. Where is the equity, fairness and justice as enshrined in the constitution. Should a soldier get compensated or not Mr Prime Minister? In addition, when a soldier proceeds on retirement, their family obligations like education and marriages of children stare them in the face. Having given youth in the service of nation he is laughed at and harassed by a Patwari, a Constable, Civil Society and politicians. He has to pay bribes for every job in the civil. No wonder Anna Hazare, Gen VK Singh and the ESM are not only unhappy but outraged with the Govt led by Mr. Singh, especially those in junior ranks. Sensing the outrage of ESM and their vote value, PMO has now asked Cabinet Secretary led committee to go through long-pending demand of enhancement in family pension and OROP. Seeing discrimination with his father or uncle, it is difficult to presume that serving soldiers and their families will not be affected at least in the choice of voting in the forthcoming elections. The unhappy prospect of soldiers and their families can be disastrous for the Govt and the nation.
Mr. Prime Minister, this was not the case prior to and at the time of Independence. Till 1950, ESM received a military pension, which was equivalent to their last pay drawn. The rationale was obvious; the govt understood the peculiar and incomparable nature of military duty as also the sufferings a soldier and his family undergoes for the nation. The civil Govt employees, on the other hand, received 33 % of their last salary as pension. But in sixties, despite 62 debacle, pension of military personnel was arbitrarily reduced to 70% of the last pay. There were rumblings of discontent amongst the soldiers, but being fervently patriotic, they accepted govt decision. Gross injustice was done when the armed forces were brought under the ambit of the Pay Commission. It was done on the plea that there was need to establish some sort of parity amongst the Govt employees, completely forgetting that there is nothing in common between military and civil service. This was the first time that the political leadership succumbed to the blandishments of bureaucratic advisors. Thereafter, the babus continued to dig deeper in to this malaise, till a nadir was reached in the 6th CPC, when they went berserk. It was only due to putting their foot down by the Services Chiefs and the intervention of the Prime Minister that some improvements were made, but only for those in active service. ESM, war disabled, widows, and family pensioners were left high and dry. This resulted in a spate of court cases. Despite relief given by various committees and the Apex Court, Govt continues to ignore the directives.
The apathy of 6th CPC would also be remembered, when for the first time in the nation’s history, veterans came out in the streets to protest against the denial of justice and equity. They returned their medals, gallantry awards and artificial limbs to the President; their supreme commander. But it is to their credit that despite getting their backs to the wall, their protests were peaceful and the dignity of the service was not compromised. 50 years past Chinese debacle and the threats still looming large, those who kept vigil day and night all these years on Indo – China and Indo – Pak borders deserve justice and equity. What a dismal way of treating soldiers who die to make the country safe. One must ponder how unnatural it is for the soldier to be ordered to advance against the showers of bullets and die an unnatural death in Siachen / Kargil for the sake of fellow countrymen and how natural it is for the babus to deny them justice and equity.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here