MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL BODY MEETING AND ELECTIONS OF IESM

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL BODY MEETING AND
ELECTIONS OF IESM
HELD ON 27 NOV 10 AT AVI(CLUB) SECTOR 29 NOIDA


WELCOME ADDRESS BY GEN SECY GP CAPT VK GANDHI VSM

The Annual General Body meeting of IESM was attended by more than 700 members from 12 states namely Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil nadu, Uttarkhand, Kerala and Chandigarh. The meeting started at 1030h. Gen Sec Gp Capt VK Gandhi VSM welcomed the members and noted that the quorum was not complete. He adjourned the meeting and declared that meeting will reassemble after 30 min as per the society act.

2. The AGM reassembled at 1100h with more than 700 members present and the proceedings and deliberations started.

3. Gp Capt VK Gandhi VSM welcomed the members and read out the agenda for the meeting. He informed all the members that this is the second AGM of the IESM and election to the Governing body will also be held simultaneously. He informed all that the IESM had been successful in bringing the issues concerning the veterans to the centre stage of the nation. OROP is very close to our hearts and it was important to find an acceptable solution to this long pending problem of veterans. The GOI was reluctant to accede to our demand of OROP. It was therefore very important that we veterans should unite together and increase pressure on the Govt and force the Govt to accede to our demand of OROP. He briefed the gathering about the program and agenda for the day. Program is placed at Appx ‘A’ to the report and agenda of the meeting is placed at Appx ‘B’ to the report. He further requested all present that veterans must maintain order and exercise their right to vote one by one and again come back to their seats to participate in the proceedings of AGM. Some important pictures conduct of the AGM and Election are attached to the MOM.

4. He requested Col VK Sekhri to come to the stage and introduce the election team and explain the election procedure to the gathering.

Address of Col VK Sekhri member election team;

5. Col VK Sekhri introduced the election team to the gathering. The details of election team are placed at Appx ‘C’ to the report. He further explained the election procedure to the gathering. He explained that members can check their names in the master list held at the entrance to the hall and collect the ballot papers for the casting their vote for election of the Chairman. All veterans casting their votes were requested to show any photo identity card to the election team to eliminate proxy voting. He further announced that there are two candidates for the post of Chairman

Lt Gen Raj Kadyan PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Col TP Tyagi Vr C

6. Col VK Sekhri announced that the appointment holders of the IESM had been elected unopposed. List of successful appointment holders is placed at Appx ‘E’ to the report.

7. Col VK Sekhri further announced that all the members who filed their nomination papers for the post of member Governing body had been elected unopposed to the post. List of the successful candidates elected unopposed to the Governing body is placed at Appx ‘F’ to the report.

8. Col TP Tyagi asked that he may be given mike for some time to talk to the audience about his candidature and to introduce himself to the gathering. The request was acceded and he spoke to the gathering for five minutes to solicit their support for his candidature for chairman’s post.

9. Gen Secretary then requested the Chairman Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan PVSM, AVSM VSM to address the meeting.

10. Address of the Chairman Lt Gen Raj Kadyan PVSM, AVSM and VSM;

Unlike Col Tyagi, Lt Gen Raj Kadyan did not say anything about himself, nor did he solicit any votes. He merely spoke of the activities of the IESM.
Gen Raj Kadyan explained that the Movement started on 27 April 2008 when the first rally was held AT Gurgaon and 61 other cities across India. It was then called Ex Servicemen Movement or ESMO. Subsequently on 13 Aug 2008, it was rechristened and the name Indian Ex-servicemen movement ‘IESM’ was coined. The Movement was born out of the dire need to find voice for the veterans. A Governing body was elected by voice vote by the gathering in the meeting. Governing body consisted of veterans from all the three services. Elected members of the Governing body did not know each other initially and were introduced for the first time in the meeting. He was happy to announce that the team jelled together and started working for the betterment of the veterans. The team worked selflessly and on the true principle of collective leadership. Today the IESM had 15,000 members spanning 15 States and including life members and Associate members. The members included five former Service Chiefs.
The Chairman explained that there certainly was a need to increase the number of members of IESM. However, to achieve higher membership, we must not sacrifice our principles. He also reminded the gathering that when the movement initially started, the membership had barely reached a three-digit figure and the government had accepted two of our major demands ie a separate pay commission for defense forces and setting up of an ESM Commission. It just proves that though a high membership is desirable it is not critical for success; what matters is the methodology or what we do with the members we have.
On speaking about the achievements of the IESM, General Raj Kadyan touched on the following:
It had led to a nationwide awakening among the ESM that we must assert for our legitimate rights.
The OROP issue was widely recognized in the media, the public as well as the Parliament.
Even the courts had recognized our problems and had repeatedly castigated the government for meting out a shabby treatment to the veterans. The apex court even quoted Chanakya’a famous words of advice to King Chandragupta, which had been mentioned by the IESM in their memorandum.
The recent enhancement in the pension of JCOs and Other Ranks was undeniably as a result of the efforts of the IESM.
The proposed setting up of the AFGRC to deal exclusively with the problems of the defense forces was an outcome of IESM efforts.
The three Divisions viz ECHS, Pension and Canteens, had done a great job. He further announced that more such committees were planned to be set up to deal with different problems of veterans.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense had again recommended grant of OROP for the ESM. This would build further pressure on the govt.
He implored all to remember that we had a long way to go to get justice on other issues including OROP. There was no time to lose and relentless efforts had to continue.
He lamented that we as a community were still a divided lot and had not been able to forge a unified front to seek justice from the govt.
Gen Kadyan requested the ESM to volunteer and come forward to share the load of welfare activities. So far we had been receiving plenty of good ideas and advice but not enough volunteers to actually share the workload.
He told the gathering that one of the main weaknesses of the IESM was that we were not able to reach all our members, particularly those not working on the internet. We would explore the possibility of contacting all members through mass SMS facility.
His concluding remark was a reiteration that we as ESM would carry on the struggle for justice and our methods would remain within the law and in accordance with military discipline and ethos.
He thanked all for coming in this cold weather to participate in the proceedings of the AGM and election. He wished the IESM all the very best and greeted all present for the New Year.

11. Wg Cdr CK Sharma Treasurer IESM;

Wg Cdr CK Sharma treasurer presented the account statement of the year 2009-2010 to the general body. He presented the accounts upto 31 Mar 2010 which are given below.


S NoHeads1 Apr 09 to 31 Mar 101 Apr 08 to 31 Mar 09
1Receipts
Membership fee954621915150
Donations9970701428204
Total19516912343384
2.Expenditure893293575363
3.Balance
Fixed Deposit 19000001600000
Cash Bank and others918216168021
Total28182161768021



Explanation on Expenditure;
Mostly on Dharnas rallies and associated items.
Nothing has been spent to reimburse expenses incurred on a daily basis by the members of the governing body.
Legal professional charges of Rs 25000/ are towards the retainer given to advocate Nidesh Gupta to fight our case for ‘One Rand One Pension’ as and when it is decided to file the suit. Rs 26058 were spent in printing etc.

All questions raised by members were replied to their satisfaction and there-after the account statement was put for approval.
The approval of account statement of 2009-2010 was proposed by Col Shivraj and seconded by Col Vij.
The account statement was passed by voice vote. The account statement is attached to the report.


12. Appointment of auditors for the year 2010-2011;

Wg Cdr CK Sharma treasurer confirmed to the house that Rajiv Varun and Company had done a very good job and had been advising the IESM at critical junctures. He suggested that IESM would benefit if the services of Rajiv Varun and company were retained for the financial year 2010-11.

Col S Chandra proposed the name of Rajiv Varun and Company as the auditors for the financial year 2010-11 for the IESM. It was seconded by Col RC Goel. House approved retention of Rajiv Varun and Company as auditors for the financial year 2010-11 for IESM.


POINTS FROM MEMBERS FOR DISCUSSION;

13. Gen Sec announced that points raised by Col Rajan would now be taken up for discussion. Col Rajan requested that he would need more time to discuss his points thus his points should be taken up at the end. The request was acceded.

14. Political non-alignment of IESM; Col TN Raman from Chennai stated that IESM should remain neutral and should not align to any political party. It was confirmed by the Gen Sec that IESM is not aligned to any party but would take help of all the parties who would support the demand of OROP. Maj Gen Satbir also explained that IESM had been approaching many MsP irrespective of their party affiliation and seeking their support for our main demand of OROP. The house approved this line of action.

15. Inclusion of state conveners’ in Governing body; Col TN Raman expressed that there should be more state conveners in the Governing body. It was explained that as per MOA governing body is elected body whereas state conveners were appointed by the Governing Body. Gen Secy explained that all state conveners’ were appointed by the governing body. As per MOA core group meeting was held once every quarter and the travel of state conveners’ to Delhi was reimbursed for the meeting. Gen Secy further informed that three core group meetings had been held in 2009 and 2010. The attendance of the state conveners was never more than five of six despite the fact that their to and fro travel was reimbursed. It was for the house to decide how the state conveners would attend the Gov body meeting which was held twice every month? The suggestion was put to the house for deliberation and house approved the status quo to be maintained.

16. Funds for state conveners; It was clarified that core group meeting had approved reimbursement of legitimate expenses incurred by the state conveners’ for strengthening of IESM. The expenditure needed to be approved in advance by the governing body. The house approved this arrangement after deliberations.

17. Popularizing IESM website; Col Raman suggested that it would be possible to generate income by making the IESM website more popular and inviting the advertisement for this. The suggestion was accepted unanimously by the house.

18. Discipline and Arbitration committees; Col Raman advised that the time was ripe for IESM to form discipline and arbitration committees. The house agreed to form the discipline committee but did not favor the arbitration committee at this juncture.

19.Pension of widows; Honorary Captain SN Sharma from Kanpur explained to the house that originally widows were getting 40% of the last pay drawn as pension but 6 CPC has brought it down to 30%. IESM should take up for increase of family pension to 50% of the last pay drawn. It was decided that this would be included in the points to be given to AFGRC.

20. Points by Col Rajan; Col Rajan put up his three points to the house. These were.
Reduction of the Membership fee; Col Rajan once again brought up the issue that the membership fee should be uniform at Rs 10/ for Officers, JCOs and ORs as all fall in the category of veterans. In his opinion all veterans were equal and all should pay the same membership fee to join IESM. This suggestion was turned down with over whelming majority. The house approved the existing fee structure of Rs 500/, 200/ and 100 for officers’, JCOs and ORs respectively.

Federal structure; Col Rajan once again proposed his model of federal structure for IESM. The suggestion was turned down by voice vote. The gathering opined in favor of the existing structure.

Funds for the state conveners’; Col Rajan stated that he was not given any fund as state convener. Vice Chairman Maj Gen Satbir Singh explained to the house that Karnataka unit of IESM had never put up any requirement of funds for any its activities. Gen Secretary explained to the house that all the state conveners’ who had asked for funds for IESM activities had been given. This was supported by Brig Luktuke, Maharashtra convener, he confirmed that all the expenditure projected by Maharashtra was always approved and reimbursed by the IESM head office. The point was turned down by voice vote.


21. Election Results;

(a). Col VK Sekhri announced the result of the election for the post of Chairman.
· Total votes cast 556
· Invalid votes 5
· Votes poled in favor of Lt Gen Raj Kadyan PVSM,AVSM,VSM 539
· Votes poled in favor of Col TP Tyagi VrC 12
(b). Lt Gen Raj Kadyan PVSM, AVSM, VSM was declared elected for the post of Chairman IESM.
(c). Election result of candidates for the appointments and members of the Governing body are placed at Appendix ‘E’ & ‘F’ respectively.


22. Vote of Thanks;

Gen Secretary expressed gratitude to AVI (club) management who had provided the AVI (club) premises free of cost for the AGM and election and had given full logistic support in smooth conduct of AGM and election of IESM.
General Secretary also thanked Brig OP Marwaha and his election team for conducting the elections of IESM as per rules and in free and fare environment.
General Secretary also thanked Col VK Sekhri that without his active support it would not have been possible to conduct AGM/Elections in such an orderly manner.
General Secretary Gp Capt VK Gandhi VSM thanked all the veterans who had come for the AGM and Elections despite cold weather. He requested all to proceed for lunch and declared the meeting closed at 1430h.


Gp Capt VK Gandhi VSM (Retd)
Gen Secy IESM
6 Dec 2010

Appendices;

Appendix ‘A’ Program of the day
Appendix ‘B’ Agenda for the AGM
Appendix ‘C’ Details of Election team
Appendix ‘D’ Candidate declared elected for the post of Chairman.
Appendix ‘E’ Candidates declared elected for the appointment.
Appendix ‘F’ Candidates declared elected as member Gov Body.




Appendix ‘A’ to the MOM of the
AGM held on 27 Nov 2010 at AVI Noida.


Program for the AGM/Election on 27 November 2010 (Sunday)

Welcome by Gen Secretary Gp Capt VK Gandhi VSM.
Address by the Col VK Sekhri member election team.
Address by Col TP Tyagi VrC to the audience.
Address by the Chairman Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan PVSM, AVSM, VSM.
To receive, consider and adopt the audited balance sheet as on 31 March 2010, Income and expenditure account for the period ended on that date and auditor’s report thereon.
To appoint auditors for the financial year 2010-11.
Discussion on the points raised by the members.
Election for the Governing body.
Declaration of the election result by Col VK Sekhri.
Closing address by the new Chairman.
Vote of Thanks by the Gen Secretary Gp Capt VK Gandhi VSM.













Appendix ‘B’ to the MOM of the
AGM held on 27 Nov 2010 at AVI Noida

Agenda points for the discussion in the AGM

To receive, consider and adopt the audited balance sheet as on 31 March 2010, Income and expenditure account for the period ended on 31 March 2010 and the auditors’ report thereon.
To appoint auditors’ for the year 2010-11
Points by Col Rajan
· Reduction membership fee to uniform Rs 10/ for officers, JCOs and ORs.
· Adopting federal structure proposed by Col Rajan.
· Inclusion of state conveners in the Gov Body.
Points by Col Raman
· Non-aligned status of IESM must be maintained.
· Funds for state conveners.
· Formation of discipline and arbitration committee.
Improvement in family pension for widows.







Appendix ‘C’ to the MOM of the
AGM held on 27 Nov 2010 at AVI Noida

DETAILS OF THE ELECTION TEAM

Brig OP Marwaha 09818820989 Chief election officer
Col KK Malhotra 09811552570 Member election committee
Col VK Sekhri 09818773384 Member election committee
Lt Col Satendra Pal 09873660767 Member election committee
Lt Col KD Kaushal 01202453112 Member election committee
Lt Col RS Sethi YSM 09810752677 Member election committee
Hony Capt MS Rawat 01202431036 Member election committee
Sub MA Joshi 09810148468 Member election committee




Result of the election for the post of the Chairman IESM

Name of the elected candidate



Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan PVSM, AVSM, VSM















Appendix ‘E’ to the MOM of the

AGM held on 27 Nov 2010 at AVI Noida





Result of the election for the appointments of IESM



Following candidates have been declared elected unopposed



Maj General Satbir Singh SM Vice Chairman
Gp Capt VK Gandhi VSM General secretary
Wg Cdr CK Sharma Treasurer
Cdr SS Ahuja Joint secretary


















Appendix ‘F’ to the MOM of the

AGM held on 27 Nov 2010 at AVI Noida



Result of the election for the member Gov Body of IESM



Following candidates have been declared elected unopposed

Maj General AJB Jaini AVSM Member GB UP
Maj General PK Renjen AVSM Member GB Haryana
Col TN Raman Member GB Tamil nadu
Brig CS Kamboj VSM Member GB UP
Col RP Chaturvedi Member GB UP
Brig Harwant Singh Member Punjab
Col Kirit Joshipura Member Gujrat
Sub Major (Hony lt) K Pandey Member Bihar

































AUDIENCE AT THE AGM










AUDIENCE AT THE AGM






LT GEN RAJ KADYAN AND COL TP TYAGI CANDIDATES FOR THE POST OF CHAIRMAN




















ELECTION TEAM










COL VK SEKHRI BRIEFING THE HOUSE ON PROCEDURE OF ELECTION






WOMEN MEMBERS OF IESM EXERCISING THEIR VOTE








VETERANS EXERCISING THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE






























CHAIRMAN LT GEN (EMERITUS) RAJ KADYAN PVSM, AVSM, VSM ADDRESSING THE AGM














ELECTED MEMBERS ALONGWITH THE ELECTION TEAM

ESM sitrep 12 Dec evening

Dear Colleagues,
The Governing Body met today from 1030 to 1330 hours. This was the first meeting after the 27 Nov AGM and was attended by Chander Kamboj, Krit Joshipura, Kameshwar Pandey, Rakesh Chaturvedi, CK Sharma, Satbir Singh, Vinod Gandhi and self. Discussion focused inter alia on the following points:
· Formation of various committees to progress our agenda of ESM welfare.
· Finding conveners for all States and thereafter intra-State conveners at District level.
· Issues to be included in our projection of a case to the proposed AFGRC.

It was accepted that the current spate of rallies have been having the desired result on the government. There have been various indicators to this affect. It was decided that in order to keep the pressure on the government, this mode of struggle to seek justice should continue. The next rally has been planned to be held at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on Sunday, 13 February 2011, when the Parliament would be having their budget session. Maximum attendance is requested.
Best regards,


Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM



Chairman IESM

IESM a Model of Transparency..Team

Front: Gen Satbir VC , Col Chaturvedi Member , Gen Jaini Member, Wg Cdr Sharma Treasurer, Brig CS Kamboj Member

Rear: Cdr Sharan Ahuja Secy Gen 2 , Gen Kadyan Chairman , Gp CaptGandhi Secy Gen 1, Hony Lt K Pandey Member




Col Chaturvedi , Member , Maj gen Renjen member, Col Raman , member

Newly Elected Team


Dear Veterans,
AGM and elections of IESM have been conducted smoothly from 1030h to 1500h on 27 Nov 2010. The AGM was attended by about 700 veterans from 12 states of India. Veterans came from as for as from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra (Mumbai, Pune and Kolhapur), Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal and Chandigarh.
Preliminary report of the activities of the day are given below.
AGM was conducted in an orderly manner and balance sheet for the year 2009-10 was adopted with voice vote.
Rajiv Varun and company were retained as Charetered accountant for the year 2010-11.
Election for the Chairman's post was held and Lt Gen Raj Kadyan was declared winner for the post of Chairman. Total votes cast were 556. Invalid votes 5, Votes for Gen Kadyan 539 and vote for Col TP Tyagi were 12.
Four members were elected unopposed to the appointments of the Governing body. Thereafter the agenda points were discussed in detail and the consent of the house was taken on the points. Detailed report of the meeting will be sent to all on compilation.
Results will be published in the press shortly.
Regards,
Gp Capt VK Gandhi VSM
Gen Sec IESM

IESM resolves to break the OROP deadlock

Dear Colleagues,

The IESM had their AGM today at NOIDA. It had a very encouraging attendance with large number of ESM coming from 12 different States. Many important issues were debated and decided by a majority vote. Details will be circulated as the minutes of the meeting.
In the elections that followed, the entire governing body was given a fresh mandate for another two years. We all feel humbled. The verdict is also an endorsement of the direction the Movement has been following. We are fully conscious of the fact that a heavy responsibility has been placed on our shoulders to steer the Movement and to keep the pressure on the government in pursuit of our demands. I would like to give an assurance on behalf of the team that we will continue to do our best in our effort to come up to your expectations. We will request your continued support and your patience in resolving our vexed and long-pending issue of OROP.
Best regards,
Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Chairman IESM

Report of All India ESM Rally Organised by IESM at Jantar Mantar on 28 Nov 2010

Dear Friends,
Jai Hind.
The All India ESM Rally, organised by IESM, was held as per schedule, today – 28 Nov 10, from 10.00 AM to 2.00 PM, at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. The rally was a grand success.
Many ESM organisations, from many states attended the rally. Besides NCR, the states represented were- Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Individuals from many other states were also present.
Highlights

•Total attendance around- 5000.

•Total number of ladies, including very large number of widows who were present at the rally- 200

•New veterans who signed the memorandum going to The President in blood- 1440.

•New medals collected- 5000.

•Medals collected earlier, sent to President but brought back as The President did not receive personally- 6000.

•Total medals sent for being deposited to The President on 28 Nov 10- 11000.
(Medals already deposited with the President 22,000)

•Veterans who went to The Rashtrapati Bhawan for depositing medals and the memorandum- 10.

•Veterans who gave a talk at the rally Chairman, Vice Chairman IESM and others- 35

•Maj Gen AJB Jaini, very efficiently managed the time

•TV satellite links deployed by media to cover the rally

•Media reporters and cameraman at rally site around- 20

•On scheduled time 10 veterans, from all three services and all ranks, in a police vehicle, left for the Rashtrapati Bhawan, for depositing the medals and the memorandum.

What happened at Rashtrapati Bhawan
1. Three months ago, by a formal letter, Chairman IESM had informed The President of India, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, that military veterans will be depositing medals on 28 Nov 10. A few days ago, The President proceeded on a foreign tour, without her staff having the courtesy to inform the IESM about her tour.
2. On being informed by the staff that The President cannot receive the medals as she is out on a foreign tour, the veterans’ team decided not to deposit the medals with the staff.
3. The veteran team then handed over a copy of the memorandum and the sheets having the signatures in blood of 1440 veterans.
4. The President’s staff accepted the memorandum but, refused to handle the sheets having signatures in blood. The staff said that the medical authorities had advised them not accept the sheets containing signatures in blood.
5. The veterans’ team, returned to Jantar Mantar with the medals and the sheets containing the signatures in blood.
6. A copy of the memorandum to The President is appended below.
7. The photographs taken at the rally are being processed and shall be placed on the three weblogs mentioned above in the header of this email.
In service of Indian Military Veterans
Chander Kamboj
Rally Photographs: Click here for the slideshow

A MEMORANDUM FROM THE EX-SERVICEMEN OF INDIA TO SHRIMATI PRATIBHA DEVI SINGH PATIL, THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA AND THE SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE ARMED FORCES
To,
Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil,
Her Excellency, the President of India
and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces
New Delhi - 110011
EX-SERVICEMEN OF INDIA SEEK JUSTICE WITH REGARD TO PENSION
AND RESETTLEMENT
Your Excellency,
1. With extreme anguish, we the former soldiers of India express our deeply hurt feelings to our Supreme Commander on the indifferent attitude of the Government towards our genuine demands.
2. After exhausting all other options, we the Ex Servicemen were forced to take to airing our demands in public. Our main demand is 'one rank one pension' implying equal remuneration for equal work. The demand is for justice and not for money per se. unfortunately, the government continues to ignore this demand. They have yet again rejected this demand that had been supported by the All Party Standing Committee on Defence in their report tabled in the Lok Sabha on 07 May 2010. The existing situation, where a pre-2006 pensioner gets less pension than their juniors who retired after 1.1.2006, is highly anomalous and the veterans cannot reconcile to it.
3. The government also continues to contest in the courts every legal decision that goes in favour of the Ex Servicemen. It is pertinent to mention that Armed Forces Tribunal had in the last one year decided around 4000 cases of armed forces personnel. Nearly 90 percent of these cases were in favour of the Ex Servicemen and were against the authorities, but the MoD is not complying with the tribunal's orders. This has been stated by head of the country's highest military tribunal, Justice (Retd) A K Mathur recently. It is beyond one's comprehension as to why the Government is not giving their due to its veterans, who have devoted their all and have demonstrated their patriotism, bravery, valour and courage and have in great measure assisted the country in strengthening its sovereignty and integrity?
4. In order to arouse the conscience of the countrymen the Ex Servicemen have also had to resort to depositing their medals. This serious development could have far-reaching consequences. For a soldier to part with his medals that he has won at great risk to his life and limb, is a tough decision and is reflective of his extreme disenchantment with the government's obduracy.
5. Ironically, the Service widows were kept out of the purview of government orders dated 8 March 2010, where the pension of junior commissioned officers and other ranks were enhanced. When this was pointed out in a letter to the Hon'ble Prime Minister, the government's reply was that the enhancement for widows had not been recommended by the Cabinet Secretary's committee that was constituted in the wake of widespread disenchantment with the Sixth Pay Commission. This was a strange response where the government has claimed to be bound by the dictate of a subordinate committee that the government itself had constituted. Whether it is a mere excuse to deny the Service widows their genuine dues, or whether this is an admission of the tail wagging the tiger, it makes strange and sad commentary.
6. Under the circumstances, the Ex Servicemen have no choice but to continue with their struggle for justice.
With best regards,
Jai Hind
Yours sincerely,
Sd xxx
Lt Gen (Retd) Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Chairman Indian ESM Movement
Sd xxx
Maj Gen Satbir Singh
Vice Chairman Indian ESM Movement

IESM: Rally Demands Grant of One Rank One Pension

Dear Colleagues,

A very successful rally at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi was held today as scheduled. There were 5,000 ESM from different States and 200 Service families in attendance. High enthusiasm was palpable. The venue had large presence of electronic media and the event was well covered. Some 5,000 additional medals were voluntarily deposited. After the rally a party proceeded to the Rashtrapati Bhawan to hand over the medals and the memorandum. Since the President did not receive the medals in person (she is out of the country), these were brought back as per plan while the memorandum was handed over to the staff.

Best regards,
Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Chairman IESM

Press release ...ARMED FORCES GRIEVANCES REDRESSAL COMMISSION AND ONGOING STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE BY EX SERVICEMEN

DATED: 23 NOV 2010
PRESS RELEASE
ARMED FORCES GRIEVANCES REDRESSAL COMMISSION AND ONGOING STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE BY EX SERVICEMEN

Dear Members of the Media

1. The formation of the Armed Forces Grievances Redressal Commission, “Suo Moto” could not have occurred if particular segments of our polity had not bear sensitized on OROP and other veterans issues. The Hon’ble Judge Sh.Markandey Katju even quotes Chankya and NDTV show, apart from medals return and burning of artificial limbs. Indian Ex Servicemen Movement (IESM) which has brought about this landmark (almost revolutionary) occurrence, with the judiciary virtually divesting (albeit for a good cause) the executive of its basic function of governance- all these years past, no one else has been able to move the establishment one wee bit.

2. The Supreme Court has taken the historic step to constitute Armed Forces Grievances Redressal Commission, where besides two retired judges of the Supreme Court and two senior retired Defence Officers (Gen Ved Malik, Former COAS and Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi, Former VCOAS). However, the commission is only a recommendatory body and not adjudicatory body. Hence, it is open to the Govt to accept or not to accept its recommendations. Though, the court has directed that since such recommendations will be coming from high powered body, the Govt must give due weightage to the same. It is here the doubts arise in the minds of Defence Personnel and the people of India that since the recommendations of the commission will be reviewed by the bureaucrats whose track record for the past six decades has not been to give fair justice to the Defence Forces, it is yet to be seen if any positive outcome would be achieved.

3. It is pertinent to mention that strong recommendations to grant OROP by All Parties Parliamentary Standing Committees on Defence have not been accepted by the Govt; the latest being the recommendations made by 31 MPs of the Parliament headed by Sh. Satpal ji Maharaj a Congress MP on 07th May 2010 and again repeated on 27 Aug 2010 where as Mr. AK Antony the RM recently in the Parliament quoted recommendations of Jul 2009 by a Committee of bureaucrats. The larger question here is the civilian control of Armed Forces which actually means control by the elected representatives of the people and not the bureaucrats. It is a common knowledge that the Ex Servicemen have been forced to launch a Movement to express their anguish is the result of the injustice heaped on them. The bureaucrats all along have been treating the military unfairly. The resentment has been increasing by the day. Downgradation of their status and unfair compensation package of emoluments by the 6th CPC have further intensified the resentment.

4. Under the circumstance, the ESM have decided to continue their struggle till all their demands are accepted. To highlight all these issues to the people of India, a Big Rally by the ESM will be held at Jantar Mantar New Delhi on 28 Nov 2010 from 10 AM to 2 PM. After the Rally, delegation of ESM will go to Rashtrapati Bhawan to deposit medals and memorandum signed in blood by the ESM with the President. They have also decided to enlist the support of other segments of the society, all political parties, MPs, CMs, MLA and have written to them regarding their demands and sought their help to raise these issues in the Parliament to press the Govt for early acceptance of these demands.

With Regards,

Jai Hind

Yours Sincerely,

Maj Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, SM
Vice Chairman Indian ESM Movement
Mobile: 9312404269, 0124-4110570
Email: satbirsm@gmail.com