THE BIG FIGHT IS FOR ‘IZZAT’
Maj Gen Surjit Singh, AVSM VSM (surjiteme@gmail.com)
“If the leash on military leaders gets too tight, they will not be able to bite; nor even bark, when the balloon goes up”
A Dark Chapter in Indian Military History
The only thing common between 16th Dec 1971 and 16th Dec 2008 is the date and the month on the calendar. For the rest, these two days are poles apart. On the first of these historical dates, the Indian soldier was on cloud nine. He was the cynosure of all eyes. But on the 37th anniversary of the “Vijay Diwas” the same soldiers who had done the nation proud, were biting dust; breathing polluted Delhi air and reduced to begging for equitable pensions. A brave heart, who was once a 3-star general slept on a bug infected mattress to fight for justice. This demonstration was initially planned for six days, because no one believed that they could muster enough volunteers for a period longer than that. Events tell a different story today:
On 19 Dec, one old soldier decided to go on ‘fast unto death’ He was soon joined by a few more. They had to be cajoled to break their fasts.
Similar rallies were held in many other cities, including Mumbai.
More than 10,000 medals including gallantry awards have since been surrendered to the President of India in three installments.
Why are Old Soldiers Seething with Anger?
The immediate trigger for these unprecedented demonstrations of anger is the denial of “One Rank One Pension” which has been the battle cry of veterans for the last 25 years. This hurts more, this time because the Congress party had made a specific promise to rationalize pensions if voted to power, in Oct 2003. The figures finally promulgated tell the following bizarre tale:
A Havildar with 24 years service who retired in Dec 2005 has been granted Rs 5,239 while a Sepoy who had rendered only 17 years of service but went home a month later, in Feb 2006 gets Rs 6,800
A Lt Gen with 40 years service who had commanded a Corps, with more than 50,000 troops under his command, but retired in Dec 2005 gets Rs 27,700 while a post-2006 retiree Col (TS) who had put in only 26 years service and led nothing more than a company with less than 100 soldiers gets Rs 30,375 merely because he retired a month later.
The past pensioners find it hard to digest that while most of them have been only granted a multiplicand of 2.26 over their ‘base’ pensions, the improvement factor is 3.07 for several apex posts. That this is because those fortunate ranks are on ‘fixed’ salaries or are covered by the ‘protection clause’ does not convince them, since it is not a sufficiently cogent justification.
Root Cause Analysis of the Current Stir
Make no mistake. While these devastatingly vile pension disparities hurt the rank and file, the loss of izzat and élan is an equally disturbing factor. Over the years, the status of soldiers has been eroded in a systematic manner.
Despite a very earnest request by the service chiefs, the government refused to appoint a soldier, serving or retired, as a member of the 6th Pay Panel.
The report left the services seething with anger. An anomalies commission comprising eleven Secretaries was constituted, to remedy the situation. Once again no service member was considered either necessary or desirable. The report of this committee has not been made public, but the government issued implementation instructions based on its recommendations. The service chiefs then identified four core issues in their dissent to the revised dispensation: (i) status of Lt Gen; (ii) Grade Pay of middle piece officers (iii) Pay Band of Lt Col and (iv) Pension of PBOR. Of these four, the financial effect of the first two was virtually nix while the latter two entailed substantial burden on the exchequer. Ironically, the government accepted the latter two demands, but only offered to constitute a ‘high level committee’ to examine the first two. Obviously, money is not a consideration.
After the 5th CPC, the pension of the pre-1996 Maj Gens was fixed at a level lower than that of Brigs on the pretext that they were ‘functionally equal to Joint Secretaries’ They contested this in the courts of law. After a ten year long legal battle, the soldiers won the case in the Supreme Court in Sep 2008. The government is still dragging its feet on payment of a mere Rs 900 per month to less than 500 retired Maj Gens!
Do you notice a pattern in the above decisions? The polity of our nation has an obsessive fear that the military will take over this country, the way it has in our neighboring countries. From that unfounded fear, they are willing to go any length to keep the soldiers out of the decision making chains. And so, they are willing to grant money, but deny them the status which they deserve. It is because of this fixation that the military officers have been lowered in the table of precedence in a systematic manner over the years, slowly but surely. A Corps Commander who commands more than 50,000 troops has been placed lower than a DG Police, of whom there are dozens in all large States. A similar situation obtains at all other levels. In the South Block, a Maj Gen with 34 years service is equated with a Joint Secretary who may have just 20 years service and no ‘hands on’ experience of soldiering. The slogan which guides the civil servants is, “Put the Generals in their Place; and Keep Them There”
Is it the Ministry of Defense (MoD) or Ministry of ‘Delays’?
During my 13 years service in the South Block, I observed that the “MoD” never ‘rejected’ a case projected by us. They always found a ‘committee’ to ‘resolve’ the issue, and kept referring them to different officers until they were able to identify a pliable officer who toed their line. Having put the service officers on a tight leash, the civil servants rule the roost. The pay case is just one manifestation of this mess, with the MoD having to issue so many amendments. Equipment procurement and logistics are even worse. It is generally believed that you can sell junk to the military at fancy prices. The industry looks upon the military as its worst customer, and only those entrepreneurs choose to deal with the South Block who know how to wade through the antiquated procedures and vested interests. The root cause of the present stir is that the soldiers want to regain the position as it obtained fifty years ago, and the civil servants are unwilling to give up their powers. They have managed to convince the political bosses that status quo must not be disturbed. The overwhelming response which this movement has received for the present stir actually derives from the anger which has accumulated in the sinew of veterans who have been slighted by bureaucrats, and prevented from doing the job that was assigned to them. One of my esteemed friends once observed,
“Serving in the South Block is like having to fight with the hands tied behind your back. You can save your nose by ducking, but can never hit back ”
The Danger of Letting the Pot Boil Over
It is evident this problem is not going to blow over in a hurry. Those who are trying to brush it under the carpet are leading the nation to grave risk. At the moment, the situation is confined to an untidy looking tent in Jantar Mantar, but if the splinters of this fire fly out, any of the following can happen:
Attractiveness of military service may plummet from its already abysmally low level. Who would like to become an officer or strive to rise in the system where generals and colonels are treated in this shabby manner?
If, the sympathy wave travels to the South Block, the civil military relations may reach a flash point, and the consequences can be disastrous.
And indeed, if a few hot heads boil over, the nation may have to pay a very heavy price. Soldiers are trained to handle weapons and destroy infrastructure. I shudder to think beyond this point.
A moot Question, ”Do the Rulers of India Trust the Soldiers?”
If the answer is yes, then there is only one way, involve their leaders; empower them, mobilize them and let them co-create a resurgent nation with you. The generals and the colonels have stood behind the peoples of this land like a rock in war and peace. Do not treat them like pariahs and distrust their loyalties. Take it from me, they neither have the desire nor the gumption to rule this country. If you tighten the leash of your pet beyond a point, there is danger that it may choke and not be able to bark and bite when you need its help. Similarly, if you over rule the considered advice of a service chief, you lower his moral authority. When the day of reckoning arrives, their legitimate command may be treated as frivolously by his soldiers as the contempt with which his recommendations were dismissed by the rulers of the land. . Would a soldier like to be prepared to make the supreme sacrifice for a general who could not fight for his rights?
A Tail Piece
To improve the lot of veterans, a ‘Department for Ex-servicemen’s Welfare’ was established by the government in 2004. Logically, this outfit should have been headed by a soldier, serving or retired. But on ground, the privilege of leading this outfit has gone to a civil servant, who has never worn uniform. Among other things, our pensions are a part of his responsibility. What veterans can expect from this new creation is portrayed by an Urdu couplet,
“Mera qaatil hi mera munsif hai. Kya mere haq mein faisla dega?”
(My slayer is the judge. Can I expect him to give a verdict in my favor?
Maj Gen Surjit Singh, AVSM VSM was member of the Army’s Pay Cell constituted for the Fourth Pay Commission during 1983-87. Later he was the Chairman of the Cell for the 5th P ay Commission in 1996-97. He has published a book “Wages Down the Ages” on the subject.

Infrastructure vision- Best of allby Omkar S. Tiwari on Wed Apr 22, 2009 3:03 pm Friends, I downloaded the BJP's infrastructure vision yesterday and read it. According to me this vision is an excellent piece of work by the BJP. Earlier, I had criticized the manifesto as it had lacked accurate figures and possible steps in a particular direction. This infrastructure vision is highly detailed and gives information on how the BJP will proceed. I am a science student and teachers always told us- Be specific, don't beat about the bush. Be ready with points and exact figures. I find that this infrastructure vision is highly specific.I liked the following points very much:-Increase in power output by 1,20,000 MW.-Comparison between china and India is also good with best figures.-1,00,000 crore investment in power sector.-20% power from non-conventional resources.-Eliminating theft of Power. Indian electicity boards are suffering losses only because of two reasons- line loss and power theft. BJP will eliminate power theft. This is very good.-Open access system for power distribution.-6Kg cooking gas for poor. I liked this very much that BJP provided exact figure rather than just saying -give gas to poor !- BJP pointed a big error in distribution system. Government is taxing and subsiding the fuel- both together !- Promotion of clean coal technology. - Golden quadrilateral. Again accurate figures of BJP and congress rules have been provided. Good.- Modernization of 100 railway stations. This time no figures and list of railway stations ! Atleast 10 should have been listed. BJP would have cleared those 10 cities ! -National digital development project for creation of robust Internet backbone.- Unlimited broadband connectivity at 2 MBps at cable costs. This is an excellent shot. Sir, today India has problem of connectivity. We have only 75-100 Kbps connections for unlimited connectivity. 2 Mbps connections are available but only for 1GB and 2GB volume connections. This is the best thing BJP will implement.- Unrestricted VoiP service.- Development of IT hardware industry in India. Sir, if Public-private enterprise is established in this field, the cost of hardware will automatically come down. BJP's aim of computers at 10,000 Rs. will come true.- Providing 24*7 electricity to farmers.- Setting up of NIFMA.- JNURM project and all its objectives.Suggestions to Advaniji:Sir, this Infrastructure mission is par excellence. If printing costs permit, BJP should distribute the copies of this mission in all states where voting is still left along with the manifesto. The graphics are also well chosen and the cover page should be the picture of aeroplane and satellite. The last graph showing how development suffered during UPA rule should also be emphasized.Thank you sir for this vision,The nation is with you,Best of luck.Omkar S. Tiwari
admin
Site Admin

Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2008 5:13 pm

BJP'S FINAL ASSAULT - Let's Pitch in !
by Rita Pandey on Wed Apr 22, 2009 11:26 pm
Dear Bloggers/Forum members & all of us who are true Indians,Election 2009 is very important for us and it has reached nearly halfway mark. Now BJP and its leaders should harp on basics. Party agenda is very attractive to all section of society as there is some sops /concession to them. So leaders of BJP may devote almost 70% of election speech on highlighting the party manifesto for the welfare of the people, 20% time to the local issues/problems faced by the people and assurance to the people for solution of problems and 10% time for attacking the policies of opponents. In urban area, where middleclass is facing rising inflation,youth is facing retrenchment in employment and unemployment. Retired govt servant is getting meagre pension and lower range of incometax limit means, a portion of this meage amount is being taken away as incometax.Education is made costly. Bijli,pani and sadak are not in good conditon. Retired armed forces personnel are fighting for one rank one pension. Bjp manifesto has taken care of them. Now voters has started taking interest in this election. So. it is the time to tell these voters ,the offers of party in case they vote for its govt..In rural area, farmers are ending their lives after falling in debt traps. who is benefitting by UPA govt loan waiver scheme, no body knows. Bijli, pani,sadak, health facilities and good education are not available to them. Irriagation to agriculture land and good suport price to the crops are not available, causing farmers misery.UPA govt has paid penny to our farmer for their wheat and doller to imported wheat. Poor farmer can react only by suiside.Manmohan singh is shouting alone that"singh is king". Where as Laloo is daring him to sack. Alas! he cannot do that. Fine current example of his stongness, expose of him in the voters. Again Laloo and Paswan telling that in the congress reign communal roits occurred, whereas congress is blaming Laloo for Bhagalpur roits. EXpose of these leaders. Mr singh is not accepted leader of his congress party. Party caders are shouting Soniya jai ho and Rahul jai ho. He is not of the face of the party, then how he can be the face of the country. Country want a leader to lead us not a follower of someone. Expose it. Further, Robert Wadra has told that both Rahul and Priyanka are primeminister materials person and hinted that he may also fight an election from Moradabad. Robert thinks that indian still lives in his/her highness era. Expose of these guys.Dear fellow countryperson if these guys are prime minister materials then why not you and me, think over it for a moment.Vande-MataramRita
Rita Pandey

Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 12:50 pm

Key Points BJP Manifesto

Dear Friends,Following are the Key Points of BJP's Manifesto for the ongoing General Elections to make India a Prosperous, Developed & a Stronger Nation.PUTTING POOR FIRST:1. All BPL families to get 35kg of rice or wheat every month at Rs 2 per kg.2. Ensure farm loans at a maximum interest rate of 4 percent.3. Initiate special schemes for the urban poor, such as loans at 4 percent interest to poor vendors.
ECONOMY GROWS, INDIA PROSPERS:1. Generate employment through massive public spending on infrastructure projects. Complete the implementation of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s dream projects: National Highway Development Project by building 15-20 km of new highways every day; and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, to link all villages with over 500 people by all-weather road.2. Exempt personal Income Tax for those earning up to Rs 3 lakh per annum. For women and Senior Citizens, the exemption will be Rs 3.5 lakh per annum. This will benefit over 3.5 crore people.3. Take firm steps to identify and retrieve Indian money stashed away in foreign banks. Estimated at Rs. 25 lakh crore- getting this amount back through international cooperation will be enough to complete road and power connectivity throughout the country; ensure setting up of quality schools in all villages.
WAR AGAINST ENEMIES WITHIN AND WITHOUT:1.BJP commits to introduce improved POTA type law to counter Terrorism & Insurgency. India’s 4000-km long coastline will be fully protected by enhanced naval security.2. We will systematically detect, detain and deport illegal immigrants who have emerged as a major source of homegrown terror. Fencing of the India-Bangladesh border, deliberately neglected by the UPA in pursuit of vote bank politics, will be speedily completed.3. Introduce a comprehensive Multi Purpose National Identity Card for all citizens of India. JAI JAWAN IN ACTION:1. All members of the armed forces and the para-military shall be exempted from payment of Income Tax. This will benefit nearly 20 lakh Jawans who guard our Nation.2. Implement one-rank-one-pension.
ENERGY SAVED, ENERGY GAINED:1. Generate an additional 120,000 MW of electricity in 5 years through speedy conclusion of ongoing projects while sanctioning new power plants. 20% of this will be through harnessing non-conventional energy sources.
WOMEN EMPOWERED, NATION STRENGTHENED:1. Introduce the Madhya Pradesh BJP Government’s highly successful ‘Ladli Lakshmi’ Scheme throughout India to directly transfer funds to the school going girl child to encourage education and secure economic self-sufficiency for young women. Rs. 1.18 lakh after completion of 12th standard.2. Pave the way for nationwide implementation of the Bhamashah Scheme proposed by the erstwhile BJP Government in Rajasthan to directly pay Rs 1,500 to open a bank account for every adult woman.3. Provide bicycles to every school going girl child from BPL families throughout India.4. Salaries of 28 lakh Anganwadi workers and helpers, who are the backbone of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) will be doubled.5. BJP believes all sections of Indian women cannot be fully empowered without the enactment of a Uniform Civil Code d emphasized repeatedly by the Supreme Court..YOUNG INDIA, NATION’S PILLAR:1. A network of National Knowledge Incubation Centres will be set up throughout the country to identify and groom young talent for every sector of the economy.2. Study loans will be made cheaper and more accessible by fixing student loan interest at 4%.3. BJP will create 12 million IT-enabled jobs in rural areas. Computer prices will be drastically cut to make it affordable to every section. All educational institutions will have internet facilities within 5 years. Broadband connectivity to every village.4. Launch an aggressive project to groom young sporting talent by allocating Rs 5,000 crore for creation of sports infrastructure especially in educational institutions Appoint trained coaches; secure employment for international medal winners. Sport will be a compulsory subject in school curricula.
NATION’S WEALTH, PEOPLE’S HEALTH:1.BJP is committed to making the right to clean water a fundamental right. A massive programme will be launched to provide clean, drinking water to every citizen.2. A regulatory authority to be set up for private hospitals and nursing homes to monitor unfair practices.3. A comprehensive project to bring health-for-all by 2014.4. Introduce a mandatory ‘Dial 108 for ambulance at your doorstep’ scheme throughout the country.5. Revive the creation of new AIIMS, originally initiated by the NDA Government but neglected by UPA. All six state-of-the-art hospitals will be rapidly constructed over the next 5 years.6. Janani Suraksha Yojana to care for delivering mothers and infants will be strengthened.
SENIOR CITIZENS: 1. Recognising the importance of Senior Citizens in nation-building and inculcating civilisational values, BJP commits itself to reducing the age for receiving travel benefits from 65 to 60 years. 2. Complete tax exemption to senior citizens in respect of pension income.CREATING THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT:1. Combating climate change and global warming through non-polluting technologies will be prioritized.2. Importance given to programmes to arrest the melting of Himalayan glaciers from which most major rivers in North India originate.3. Take all appropriate steps to save Tiger, the National Animal, and safeguard critical habitants of all wildlife. Emphasis to be laid on protecting India’s resplendent but endangered bio-diversity.DEFENDING THE CIVILISATION:1. The BJP remains committed to the construction of a grand Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.2. BJP will not allow anybody to touch the revered Ram Setu. We will evolve a new route for Sethu Samudram bypassing Ram Setu.3. Cleaning the revered Ganga and other major rivers will be a priority. Local communities will be enrolled in this gigantic task.4. Cow protection is an article of faith with BJP. This will be pursued relentlessly.5. Full integration of the nation is not possible as long as Article 370 stays on the statute books. BJP remains steadfast in its belief that the provision must be removed to ensure Indian unity.

Muslims and Christians should Vote for BJP

Muslims and Christians should Vote for NDA
by RSBAHETI on Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:56 pm
I feel it is high time now that all minorities should vote for NDA if they want to see their over all development along with others,As congress and now upa had done nothing but a vote bank politics in the name of secularism.All indian muslims and christians should understand , what they got in the 60 years of congress rule,they kept on voting congress party in the hope, of there development and upliftment, but that has not happened,all hollow promises made by congress year an after year to minorities for vote bank politics,
RSBAHETI

Muslims and Christians should Vote for BJP

Muslims and Christians should Vote for NDA
by RSBAHETI on Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:56 pm
I feel it is high time now that all minorities should vote for NDA if they want to see their over all development along with others,As congress and now upa had done nothing but a vote bank politics in the name of secularism.All indian muslims and christians should understand , what they got in the 60 years of congress rule,they kept on voting congress party in the hope, of there development and upliftment, but that has not happened,all hollow promises made by congress year an after year to minorities for vote bank politics,
RSBAHETI

CPOs have No Answer to Naxals

Josy Joseph
Saturday, April 18, 2009 3:38 IST
.New Delhi: While security forces and intelligence agencies perceived a threat to the poll process from Islamist terrorist groups based outside India, it is the home-grown naxalite violence that threatens to disrupt the general election. And the establishment says it can't do much to contain the menace.

At least 48 security force personnel have been killed in 100 naxalite attacks since the election was announced on March 2, 12 of them during the first phase of polling on Thursday. Of the 48, 30 are from the Central Reserve Police Force, 11 from the Central Industrial Security Force, and the rest from the Border Security Force. This figure is higher than the number of security force personnel killed in the corresponding period in Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast put together.
With four more phases of polling still to go over the next month, the reach and scale of the naxalite attacks suggest that this general election will go down as India's bloodiest, officials in the security establishment have admitted.
"The reach and intensity of attacks is unprecedented, but there is little we can do now," a senior intelligence officer said. Central forces have been stretched thin for election duty and state police forces are not up to the task.
State police forces for years neglected and let the naxal menace grow. Now they are throwing up their hands and demanding the deployment of paramilitary forces. But central forces are also not qualified for the task, what with new terrain, strange topography, and no local sources.
While the CISF is trained to protect industrial complexes, the BSF guards peaceful international borders.
If the regularity and intensity of the present wave of naxal attacks is any indication, the day is not far when the state may have to deploy the armed forces, at least in some areas. India's response to all insurgencies has followed the same pattern: for years states ignore the problem or treat it as a mere law-and-order issue. Then, as it becomes unmanageable, they seek central paramilitary assistance. Eventually, the army is called in.
The naxal threat is far bigger in this general election as compared 2004.
When the first wave of naxalism struck India, it was contained by state police forces and through political efforts. But the new-generation naxalism is stronger, more widespread and cohesive, and has safe hideouts in central and eastern India. Many within the establishment are clearly worried.
"The money the Centre has given to these (naxal-affected) states for police modernisation is mostly unspent, and now they are shifting the responsibility to central forces," said a senior member of the security establishment. "There is very little we can do for the coming phases of polls. Already our paramilitary forces are very stretched," he said, admitting candidly that violence could continue at this level over the next phases, too.
In 2004, the naxalite calls for election boycott and violence were not so successful. "But this time, they are making a very strong statement," the official said.