SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2012
INVITATION VETERANS RALLY AT JANTAR MANTAR.NEW DELHI...01 DEC 2012

INVITATION
DEFENCE VETERANS WILL CONTINUE COUNTRYWIDE MOVEMENT AGAINST GOVERNMENT APATHY VISHAL EX SERVICEMEN RALLY AT JANTAR MANTAR, NEW DELHI ON 01 DEC 2012- 10 AM

Dear Members of the Media,
1.       Peeved by continued apathy of the Government towards their genuine demands, the Defence Veterans plan to continue their protests across the country.  As part of it, an Ex Servicemen Rally will be held at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi on 01 Dec 2012 from 10 AM to 3 PM.
2.       One Rank One Pension (OROP) is a four decades old demand of Defence Veterans. It implies “Defence Personnel with the same rank and same length of service must draw the same pension irrespective of the date of retirement”.  However despite most political parties declaring support for it, and despite many Committees on Defence recommending implementation of OROP for Defence Veterans, the Government has not implemented it.
3.       Unfortunately this is not an isolated case of neglect of Defence veterans’ interests. Many Governmental actions relating to Veteran affairs indicate an institutional indifference and perhaps willful design that is both alarming and demotivating. Consider the following:
a.       The ridiculous situation wherein a Major General draws a pension lower than that of a Lieutenant Colonel- three ranks lower in the hierarchy.
b.      A Havildar drawing a pension less than that of a Sepoy, which is a much junior rank?
c.       A Lieutenant General drawing almost the same pension as a Colonel or a Brigadier, ranks that are junior.
d.      While all Central Govt employees have been given three Assured Career Progressions by the 6th CPC, the same has been denied to the “Sepoy” who is compulsorily retired after 15 – 17 years of service and the Assured Career progression to Defence persons are authorized after 8, 16, 24 years of service.  Is it not Gross injustice that a Sepoy is not granted the financial benefit of 3rd Career Progression before retirement to enable him to get the pension accordingly?  
e.      Non-inclusion of Defence Services in even benefits like Non Functional Upgrades, made applicable to all other Government services EXCEPT Defence Services.
f.        Widows of Defence personnel are invariably left out of accretions in Pensions announced for JCO/OR.
g.       An amazing 39 serious anomalies have arisen in the implementation of even the 6th Central Pay Commission, causing grave injustice to the Defence Personnel in their status and thus inter-se equation with other Central Services, pay and pensions.
h.      Non implementation of the ‘Rank Pay’ awarded holistically by the Fourth Pay Commission, despite a recent court order.
i.         Periodically falsely claiming grants and benefits to Defence Veterans, without them being granted.
j.        Contesting all judicial orders / rulings favoring Defence Veterans.
k.       Non-inclusion of Uniformed fraternity even in committees set up over matters directly affecting them.
4.       It appears that our Government does not respect the sacrifices made by a soldier-who does not think twice before making the supreme sacrifice. This is a very unfortunate state of affairs.
5.       As you are aware, Defence Veterans have been depositing their medals with the President to protest the Government’s apathy towards them. 22000 medals have already been thus deposited. Following the Rally on 1 December, the next tranche’ of approximately ten thousand medals will first be taken around to various locations in NCR before being taken to Rashtrapati Bhawan, to make our countrymen aware of the injustice meted out to Defence Veterans.
6.       IESM has great pleasure in inviting you to please attend the rally on 1 Dec 2012 from 10 AM on, and experience firsthand, the angst of the Defence Veterans community.
Jai Hind!!
With Warm Regards,                                                      
 Yours Sincerely,
Maj Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, SM                                                                    
Vice Chairman Indian Ex Servicemen Movement
 Mobile: 9312404269, 0124-411057                                                
Email:satbirsm@yahoo.com, satbirsm@gmail.com