Dear Colleagues,
As part of IESM ongoing efforts to seek justice for the veterans’ community, I met the Defence Minister today (Feb 27). Gist of discussion ensues.
OROP
I made the following points:
· 1. OROP has been repeatedly recommended by Parliamentary Committees. These committees comprise elected members from different political parties. However, while rejecting these recommendations, the govt continues to stand by the report of the Cabinet Secretary’s Committee that had summarily rejected OROP without assigning any convincing reason. It leads to the unfortunate inference that the govt is being run not by the elected representatives but by the bureaucracy.
· 2 The ESM as a community are apolitical and would prefer to remain so. However, with the continual rejection of OROP in the last three years, there is a strong chance that the ESM would be alienated from the Congress, more so since the main opposition party has openly declared that they would grant OROP if elected to power.
· 3. Repeated rejection of this long pending demand might turn the disappointment of ESM into their frustration. It would be highly inadvisable to have a large section of society, who are trained in use of fire arms and explosives, frustrated. The govt should remain sensitive to this aspect.
The Hon’ble Minister assured me that he is fully sympathetic to the demand of OROP but there are various factors that are coming in the way in granting it in one go and that the govt is moving towards this goal in stages. On being specifically asked whether they are working towards giving another enhancement, he answered in the affirmative.
Widows’ Pension Enhancement
He himself stated that he was fully convinced that the demand was genuine and therefore had already got it cleared by the Defence Ministry. He told me that just prior to our meeting, he had called the Secretary ESW and had directed him to follow it up with other Ministries at the earliest. I asserted that I would check the progress in a fortnight’s time and if required meet him again; he was ok with it.
Miscellaneous
· On my raising the point that the govt continues to pursue legal cases till the last mile even though these have been rejected by the lower courts, the Minister stated that he has issued instructions to examine each case objectively. He further disclosed that he himself had directed against appealing in the pre-1973 Disabled Service Element case. I thanked him for it.
· I stressed there are cases that have been decided by the apex court and the government is still not implementing those judgments. I cited concrete examples. He noted the point but there was no discussion on it.
Concluding Remarks
In normal conversation, the Minister made very laudatory remarks about the defence forces in general. He was particularly appreciative of the fact that Services were a large family and even after retirement veterans remained attached to this family. He displayed genuineness in his appreciation and did not seem to be making these comments just for the sake of form.
Other IESM News
There continues a regular inflow of ESM telephone calls from across the country where they repose faith and confidence in the genuineness of IESM efforts. Enthusiasm is clearly discernible. Tomorrow (Feb 28), I am to participate in the programme of an education institute in Dundlot near Juhunjhunu in Rajasthan. It is not an ESM function. However, there have been a number of calls from that region in the last two days with ESM saying that they have read of it in the newspapers and they would want to participate. One cannot help feeling overwhelmed but also conscious of the heavy responsibility such trust brings on our shoulders.
--
Best regards,
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan
Chairman IESM
262, Sector - 17A
Gurgaon - 122 001
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
ESM sitrep 12 February evening
Dear Colleagues,
An ESM rally was held at village Majra, District Jhajjar (Haryana) on 11 Feb 2012, attended by Kameshwar Pandey and self. Approximately 300 ESM including a good number of families had gathered. An update on various issues of concern was given and all present appreciated the efforts made by the IESM in seeking justice for the ESM community. There were some points on ECHS, Canteen as well as pension that will be pursued.
26 new members joined the IESM during the rally.
--
Best regards,
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan
Chairman IESM
262, Sector - 17A
Gurgaon - 122 001
An ESM rally was held at village Majra, District Jhajjar (Haryana) on 11 Feb 2012, attended by Kameshwar Pandey and self. Approximately 300 ESM including a good number of families had gathered. An update on various issues of concern was given and all present appreciated the efforts made by the IESM in seeking justice for the ESM community. There were some points on ECHS, Canteen as well as pension that will be pursued.
26 new members joined the IESM during the rally.
--
Best regards,
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan
Chairman IESM
262, Sector - 17A
Gurgaon - 122 001
The Army in Cross-hair by Raj Kadyan
An article sent to some papers on 8 Feb 2012 is reproduced below. It appeared in a Hindi daily 'hari Bhoomi' Feb 10.
The Army in Cross-hair
Last week there was an unfortunate news item. The CBI has filed a charge against a former Vice Chief of Army Staff for an alleged land scam in his earlier tenure in Pune, involving a loss of Rs 46 Crore to the State. This made sensational prime time in almost all the TV channels in the country. Next day the newspapers front-paged the news. It also elicited the inevitable ‘even the Army?’ jibe from the intelligentsia.
The very next day, there were two more similar events that were reported. An IAS Additional Secretary in Bengal had been held for graft allegedly committed during his earlier stint with a PSU. The estimated loss to the exchequer was reported at Rs 125 Crore. Also, a retired Director General of Police in Bihar had his house confiscated because of alleged financial irregularities committed by him during his heyday as head of the police force. However, neither of these two news items found space in the visual media. Even in newspapers these attracted a brief mention on the inside pages. And not a whimper from any other commentator.
Let us suppose for the sake of argument that the above three alleged offenders were real brothers. Would the response of the media and the public have been any different? The answer is an obvious no. The Army is expected to follow and display the highest standards of probity; impeccable in every respect. The institution of the Army enjoys wide respect from the common Indian, even verging on reverence. This of course is how it should be. The Army is our last bastion of hope in times of national trouble and we cannot visualize, leave alone accept it failing or faltering. But that is also taking rather a linear view of the reality.
The strength of a building is judged by the quality of steel, cement and bricks used; the raw material. This is equally true of human institutions. The Army draws its ‘raw material’ from the same source as other institutions in the country. By the time an individual starts wearing the military uniform, his mindset is already conditioned by the environment, by what he has observed and experienced in the society. And seeing the prevailing trends of widespread erosion of values this is largely negative. The Army of course moulds the intake through its traditions and ethos as well as through its strict adherence to high standards of training and discipline. However, while it is possible to mould an individual’s behavior, it is extremely difficult to mould inherent traits of character of an adult. The Army is part of society and has to mirror the prevailing societal trends. Many of us, with our mental calendars locked in a time warp, tend to compare Army of today with the Army that existed 40 or 50 years ago and end up disheartened. That comparison is both unrealistic and unfair. If comparisons have to be resorted to, one should realistically draw parallels between Army and other contemporary institutions. In this sense Army still stays way ahead in relative terms.
There is also a palpable mismatch between our expectations from the Army and our treatment of it. While our expectations are still extraordinary, in many ways we treat them like anyone else, or worse. Take their status for example. They have been constantly brought down. After the latest pay commission, a Lt General is placed below the Director General of Police in a State. A Sepoy is equated with an unskilled labourer. Take also the case of ‘one rank one pension’ (OROP), which is the most visible demand of the day that affects not only the two million veterans but also every serving soldier as he too is a future pensioner. The response of the highest in the land is that if OROP is given to the defence forces, this would have to be given to other employees as well, which then is cited as a reason for denying it to the former. In other words in our treatment we equate the Army with everyone else but in our expectations they become unique, our never-fail asset.
The saving grace about the Army is its sturdy internal structure, which continues to remain its inherent strength. Despite all the scams that have surfaced of late and various other controversies, its performance at the cutting edge continues to remain unaffected. Its image may have taken a beating, its effectiveness remains free of any adverse effect. But let us not make them run on the ‘reserve’ for too long. We need to remember that it is ‘our’ Army and we need it to keep us safe and secure. Let us nurture it and look after its genuine needs and demands on priority. Even the seemingly vast oceans have a finite depth.
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan (Retd)
Former Deputy Chief of Army Staff
--
Best regards,
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan
Chairman IESM
262, Sector - 17A
Gurgaon - 122 001
The Army in Cross-hair
Last week there was an unfortunate news item. The CBI has filed a charge against a former Vice Chief of Army Staff for an alleged land scam in his earlier tenure in Pune, involving a loss of Rs 46 Crore to the State. This made sensational prime time in almost all the TV channels in the country. Next day the newspapers front-paged the news. It also elicited the inevitable ‘even the Army?’ jibe from the intelligentsia.
The very next day, there were two more similar events that were reported. An IAS Additional Secretary in Bengal had been held for graft allegedly committed during his earlier stint with a PSU. The estimated loss to the exchequer was reported at Rs 125 Crore. Also, a retired Director General of Police in Bihar had his house confiscated because of alleged financial irregularities committed by him during his heyday as head of the police force. However, neither of these two news items found space in the visual media. Even in newspapers these attracted a brief mention on the inside pages. And not a whimper from any other commentator.
Let us suppose for the sake of argument that the above three alleged offenders were real brothers. Would the response of the media and the public have been any different? The answer is an obvious no. The Army is expected to follow and display the highest standards of probity; impeccable in every respect. The institution of the Army enjoys wide respect from the common Indian, even verging on reverence. This of course is how it should be. The Army is our last bastion of hope in times of national trouble and we cannot visualize, leave alone accept it failing or faltering. But that is also taking rather a linear view of the reality.
The strength of a building is judged by the quality of steel, cement and bricks used; the raw material. This is equally true of human institutions. The Army draws its ‘raw material’ from the same source as other institutions in the country. By the time an individual starts wearing the military uniform, his mindset is already conditioned by the environment, by what he has observed and experienced in the society. And seeing the prevailing trends of widespread erosion of values this is largely negative. The Army of course moulds the intake through its traditions and ethos as well as through its strict adherence to high standards of training and discipline. However, while it is possible to mould an individual’s behavior, it is extremely difficult to mould inherent traits of character of an adult. The Army is part of society and has to mirror the prevailing societal trends. Many of us, with our mental calendars locked in a time warp, tend to compare Army of today with the Army that existed 40 or 50 years ago and end up disheartened. That comparison is both unrealistic and unfair. If comparisons have to be resorted to, one should realistically draw parallels between Army and other contemporary institutions. In this sense Army still stays way ahead in relative terms.
There is also a palpable mismatch between our expectations from the Army and our treatment of it. While our expectations are still extraordinary, in many ways we treat them like anyone else, or worse. Take their status for example. They have been constantly brought down. After the latest pay commission, a Lt General is placed below the Director General of Police in a State. A Sepoy is equated with an unskilled labourer. Take also the case of ‘one rank one pension’ (OROP), which is the most visible demand of the day that affects not only the two million veterans but also every serving soldier as he too is a future pensioner. The response of the highest in the land is that if OROP is given to the defence forces, this would have to be given to other employees as well, which then is cited as a reason for denying it to the former. In other words in our treatment we equate the Army with everyone else but in our expectations they become unique, our never-fail asset.
The saving grace about the Army is its sturdy internal structure, which continues to remain its inherent strength. Despite all the scams that have surfaced of late and various other controversies, its performance at the cutting edge continues to remain unaffected. Its image may have taken a beating, its effectiveness remains free of any adverse effect. But let us not make them run on the ‘reserve’ for too long. We need to remember that it is ‘our’ Army and we need it to keep us safe and secure. Let us nurture it and look after its genuine needs and demands on priority. Even the seemingly vast oceans have a finite depth.
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan (Retd)
Former Deputy Chief of Army Staff
--
Best regards,
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan
Chairman IESM
262, Sector - 17A
Gurgaon - 122 001
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Gratitude
Dear Mrs Pratibha Kulkarni,
On behalf of the IESM, I express my deep gratitude to you for your generous donation to the cause of the veterans' welfare. You have been kind in doing it regularly. We highly appreciate your exemplary gesture and will ensure that your contribution is used for the intended purpose.
--
Best regards,
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan
Chairman IESM
On behalf of the IESM, I express my deep gratitude to you for your generous donation to the cause of the veterans' welfare. You have been kind in doing it regularly. We highly appreciate your exemplary gesture and will ensure that your contribution is used for the intended purpose.
--
Best regards,
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan
Chairman IESM
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