SOURCE;
http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/edit/the-orop-betrayal-and-its-consequences.html
‘Start-up OROP; Stand Up Veterans’
The OROP Betrayal and its Consequences
The executive’s continued delay in implementing one-rank-one-pension shows a victory for the bureaucracy.The Prime Minister must personally intervene, else there will be an unprecedented crisis in civil-military ties
A very agitated Colonel Sheel Puri, a veteran of many wars and Vir Chakra winner, called from Kolkata on Saturday to say he watched on TV the insensitive manhandling by the police of an 83-year old ex-Serviceman protesting at the Jantar Mantar over one-rank-one-pension. His shirt torn and medals asunder, the person in question was a war veteran. The police action was horribly wrong — inflicting an indignity on the patriotic Armed Forces just when all eyes and ears were focused on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
He was widely expected to announce the implementation of the OROP, which he had promised at least thrice earlier, including once after becoming Prime Minister. In a surprising U-turn — one more to the 56 turnabouts since he came to power — he said, “Even after I came into Government, I have not been able to do OROP till now. I am assuring my soldiers once again, in principle OROP has been accepted. But talks with stakeholders are on”.
The ‘talks’ bit is new. It represents a victory for the babudom in stalling the OROP, shows how lightly the Government takes the veterans, and what little work was done by past Governments on OROP over the last 20 years and this Government for 17 months. The capture of the vote-bank was more important than delivering on promises.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has no face to show as he has periodically given new dates for implementation of the OROP. His latest is ‘four more days’. Similarly, other Ministers are not embarrassed revising dates. A former Army Chief, Gen VK Singh, who ran rings around the previous Government regarding his age issue, is silent as a Minister on an issue that concerns the larger veterans’ community. (Remember ‘duty’ and ‘disgust’?) So is another Minister, Col Rajyavardhan Rathore.
India has 2,25,000 military pensioners/veterans with around 6,00,000 widows who draw lifetime pensions. With a family of four persons, approximately 10 million pensioners constitute the vote-bank and will benefit from the OROP. Ex-Servicemen are questioning the delay in implementing of OROP which was accepted in principle 17 months ago and are blaming it on the ‘bad intention’ of the bureaucracy. Once again, the bureaucracy has triumphed in blocking the legitimate rights of veterans invoking the principle of national good.
The Armed Forces have suffered, since independence, at the hands of a bureaucracy, that has usurped civilian control of the military from politicians — the hallmark of plural democracy. This frees politicians for the one job they do best: Canvas for votes on notional promises. Bureaucracy has systematically undermined the interests of the Armed Forces from progressive dimunition of status to short-changing them on their perks and privileges.
Though some of the blame for the dilution in authority and standing has to be taken by the military for letting itself be divided and ruled. Lured by jobs as Ambassadors, Governors and members of Army tribunals, service chiefs and top military commanders have allowed the OROP to drift. After all, today’s soldier is tomorrow’s veteran — 50,000 soldiers join the veterans’ rank every year.
Four Service chiefs wrote an open letter to the President of India, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, to intervene and end the Government’s consistent ignoring and humiliation of veterans. Many old soldiers believe that the Government does not take peaceful protests and veterans seriously. “They are a spent force” is the view of some babus.
Many soldiers and veterans who voted for the BJP are severely disillusioned with it for positioning itself as a nationalist, pro-fauji and strong on defence-and-security-policy party, primarily to win votes. “Look at the U-turn it has made on Pakistan after promising a no-nonsense robust and muscular response to Pakistan’s duplicity” is a common refrain. It is dangerous to play with the sentiments of the veterans as the OROP has become a metaphor for the respect and dignity with which the Government and country hold them.
Dismayed by police action roughing up veterans to evict them from Jantar Mantar as they would constitute a security threat, another 10 former Service chiefs wrote to the Prime Minister condemning police action and expressing regret over the inability of the political leadership to resolve the issue. Many of them have appeared on television to register their disappointment over the unnecessary delay in implementation and its impact on the morale of soldiers.
Someone ill-advised the Finance Ministry, which is doing the arithmetic of OROP monies, that time is on its side, as the protests will dissipate.
Rather late in the day, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that several interpretations of the “principle” were holding up its arithmetical translation.
To reduce the financial burden, the Government is considering a new base year of 2011 instead of 2014 agreed earlier. The figures being bandied vary from the original Rs8,300 crore to Rs13,000 crore enhancing the annual pension bill of Rs55,000 crore. The Government chose former Army Chief, Gen VP Malik, as a mediator to break the impasse over the base year. Unable to bridge the gap, Gen Malik quit. What separates the two sides is just Rs5,000 crore.
Rumours are flying thick and fast. Unable and unwilling to resolve the tangle, the Government may hand over the OROP issue to the Seventh Pay Commission. Another reason for the delay is locking the OROP in a statutory framework. Veterans though have dug in with the intent to progressively intensify protests.
They are clear on two issues — no tampering with the definition of OROP accepted by Parliament in 2011; parity in pension for those retiring in the same rank and duration of service, irrespective of the time of retirement; and the date of implementation from April 1 2014.
Government giving a timeframe for OROP implementation will break the stalemate.
The Armed Forces are a stand-alone institution incomparable with any civilian service and Central armed police forces. The bogey that ‘others’ will demand an OROP is being spread by the babus. The veterans’ movement has been sanctified by 14 former Service chiefs, which is unprecedented. Undoing the injustice of the last 50 years to veterans is the key.
Mr Modi’s personal credibility is at stake.
Civil-military relations have reached a breaking point.
Only his direct engagement with the aggrieved will avert an unprecedented crisis. Apology for police action will be gracious. Re-phrasing his Independence Day slogan is in order: ‘Start-up OROP; stand up veterans’.
‘Start-up OROP; stand up veterans’.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/edit/the-orop-betrayal-and-its-consequences.html
‘Start-up OROP; Stand Up Veterans’
The OROP Betrayal and its Consequences
The executive’s continued delay in implementing one-rank-one-pension shows a victory for the bureaucracy.The Prime Minister must personally intervene, else there will be an unprecedented crisis in civil-military ties
A very agitated Colonel Sheel Puri, a veteran of many wars and Vir Chakra winner, called from Kolkata on Saturday to say he watched on TV the insensitive manhandling by the police of an 83-year old ex-Serviceman protesting at the Jantar Mantar over one-rank-one-pension. His shirt torn and medals asunder, the person in question was a war veteran. The police action was horribly wrong — inflicting an indignity on the patriotic Armed Forces just when all eyes and ears were focused on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
He was widely expected to announce the implementation of the OROP, which he had promised at least thrice earlier, including once after becoming Prime Minister. In a surprising U-turn — one more to the 56 turnabouts since he came to power — he said, “Even after I came into Government, I have not been able to do OROP till now. I am assuring my soldiers once again, in principle OROP has been accepted. But talks with stakeholders are on”.
The ‘talks’ bit is new. It represents a victory for the babudom in stalling the OROP, shows how lightly the Government takes the veterans, and what little work was done by past Governments on OROP over the last 20 years and this Government for 17 months. The capture of the vote-bank was more important than delivering on promises.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has no face to show as he has periodically given new dates for implementation of the OROP. His latest is ‘four more days’. Similarly, other Ministers are not embarrassed revising dates. A former Army Chief, Gen VK Singh, who ran rings around the previous Government regarding his age issue, is silent as a Minister on an issue that concerns the larger veterans’ community. (Remember ‘duty’ and ‘disgust’?) So is another Minister, Col Rajyavardhan Rathore.
India has 2,25,000 military pensioners/veterans with around 6,00,000 widows who draw lifetime pensions. With a family of four persons, approximately 10 million pensioners constitute the vote-bank and will benefit from the OROP. Ex-Servicemen are questioning the delay in implementing of OROP which was accepted in principle 17 months ago and are blaming it on the ‘bad intention’ of the bureaucracy. Once again, the bureaucracy has triumphed in blocking the legitimate rights of veterans invoking the principle of national good.
The Armed Forces have suffered, since independence, at the hands of a bureaucracy, that has usurped civilian control of the military from politicians — the hallmark of plural democracy. This frees politicians for the one job they do best: Canvas for votes on notional promises. Bureaucracy has systematically undermined the interests of the Armed Forces from progressive dimunition of status to short-changing them on their perks and privileges.
Though some of the blame for the dilution in authority and standing has to be taken by the military for letting itself be divided and ruled. Lured by jobs as Ambassadors, Governors and members of Army tribunals, service chiefs and top military commanders have allowed the OROP to drift. After all, today’s soldier is tomorrow’s veteran — 50,000 soldiers join the veterans’ rank every year.
Four Service chiefs wrote an open letter to the President of India, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, to intervene and end the Government’s consistent ignoring and humiliation of veterans. Many old soldiers believe that the Government does not take peaceful protests and veterans seriously. “They are a spent force” is the view of some babus.
Many soldiers and veterans who voted for the BJP are severely disillusioned with it for positioning itself as a nationalist, pro-fauji and strong on defence-and-security-policy party, primarily to win votes. “Look at the U-turn it has made on Pakistan after promising a no-nonsense robust and muscular response to Pakistan’s duplicity” is a common refrain. It is dangerous to play with the sentiments of the veterans as the OROP has become a metaphor for the respect and dignity with which the Government and country hold them.
Dismayed by police action roughing up veterans to evict them from Jantar Mantar as they would constitute a security threat, another 10 former Service chiefs wrote to the Prime Minister condemning police action and expressing regret over the inability of the political leadership to resolve the issue. Many of them have appeared on television to register their disappointment over the unnecessary delay in implementation and its impact on the morale of soldiers.
Someone ill-advised the Finance Ministry, which is doing the arithmetic of OROP monies, that time is on its side, as the protests will dissipate.
Rather late in the day, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that several interpretations of the “principle” were holding up its arithmetical translation.
To reduce the financial burden, the Government is considering a new base year of 2011 instead of 2014 agreed earlier. The figures being bandied vary from the original Rs8,300 crore to Rs13,000 crore enhancing the annual pension bill of Rs55,000 crore. The Government chose former Army Chief, Gen VP Malik, as a mediator to break the impasse over the base year. Unable to bridge the gap, Gen Malik quit. What separates the two sides is just Rs5,000 crore.
Rumours are flying thick and fast. Unable and unwilling to resolve the tangle, the Government may hand over the OROP issue to the Seventh Pay Commission. Another reason for the delay is locking the OROP in a statutory framework. Veterans though have dug in with the intent to progressively intensify protests.
They are clear on two issues — no tampering with the definition of OROP accepted by Parliament in 2011; parity in pension for those retiring in the same rank and duration of service, irrespective of the time of retirement; and the date of implementation from April 1 2014.
Government giving a timeframe for OROP implementation will break the stalemate.
The Armed Forces are a stand-alone institution incomparable with any civilian service and Central armed police forces. The bogey that ‘others’ will demand an OROP is being spread by the babus. The veterans’ movement has been sanctified by 14 former Service chiefs, which is unprecedented. Undoing the injustice of the last 50 years to veterans is the key.
Mr Modi’s personal credibility is at stake.
Civil-military relations have reached a breaking point.
Only his direct engagement with the aggrieved will avert an unprecedented crisis. Apology for police action will be gracious. Re-phrasing his Independence Day slogan is in order: ‘Start-up OROP; stand up veterans’.
‘Start-up OROP; stand up veterans’.
Every veteran should participate and stand up to the issues and cause.
ReplyDelete