ESP (Ex-Service Personnel including Women Officers) Caught
between Commitments & Government
(that moves as fast as its predecessor?)
From
the height (2914’ AMSL) and distant (1745 kms) vantage point in relation to
Jantar Mantar , South & North Blocks, and subjectivity, the ESP appear to
be tormented in worse ways than can be imagined. I received alarmed emails (and
a sms from +919779820270) forwarding some information from a star in the
pantheon of retired officers with awesome designations and requested for my
comments. (Any one knows who this Punjabi speaking person of +919779820270 is?
He refused to give me his name and hung up.)
Let
me share what I know of each of the aspects of the attributed and reported
alarms, sms and utterances.
A
Tragedy in the Making
The
writer Bharata Muni,
in his work on dramatic theory A Treatise on
Theatre (Sanskrit: Nātyaśāstra, नाट्य शास्त्र, c. 200 BCE – 200 CE),
identified several rasas
(such as pity, anger, disgust and terror) in the emotional responses of
audiences for the Sanskrit drama of ancient India.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Tragedy.
Let
us have an objective look at an on-going tragedy that would soon be worse than
anything that Bharat Muni, Shakespeare or Munshi Premchand wrote.
Commitments
by the Prime Minister including removing Policy Paralysis
A
retired Lt Gen (used to title himself Lt Gen Emeritus, a term missing from the
glossary of the Service terms) has stated on different occasions that “we have
full faith in the Prime Minister” etc. It is not the PM anyone does not have
faith in but his commitment is in question.
Nobody
doubts the Prime Minister for we read that the gentleman, who the PM specially
selected and appointed the Defence Minister, states he has sent the OROP file
to the MoF some weeks ago. But the deafening silence of the PM other than in
those momentous (for ESP) speeches from as diverse platforms as the ESM rally
at Rewari (to the deck of INS Vikramditya and to the hypoxic altitudes of
Siachen and in that monologue on ‘Man ki baat’ indicate apathy bordering on
contempt on speedily fulfilling repeated commitments from the highest Executive
office on implementing One Rank One Pension (OROP).
Adding
to that silence are the attributed, and alarming, reports that the Finance Minister
or his Ministry is inflicting the same excruciating fate on the Defence
Minister’s file recommending OROP as the MoD’s civilian bureaucracy does on ESM
through a spate of delays, denials and subterfuges. Ostensibly, because Rs 8298
crores is a large amount of money (that the National Exchequer can spare, more
about that later in this post).
Complexity
& Demands
The
Prime Minister has recently added a caveat to his “commitment” on OROP – it is
more complex than he thought it was may be a year ago (or earlier).
On
the issue of complexity, in the months of berating the UPA for non-performance,
policy paralysis, and much else vile that “Indians were not proud of being
Indians” didn’t all those famed (or fabled?) information technology wonks/geeks
run a Excel sheet and advise him that he was getting into deeper quick sand on
his “OROP deke hi rahenge” narratives?
Was
the PM not made aware that there exist employees in the Central Government, the
Central Police organisations who grandly call themselves Para Military (definition of, relating to, being, or characteristic of a force formed on a
military pattern especially as a potential auxiliary military force) would demand OROP but decline to obey the Government’s
approval of the recommendations for lateral absorption of Armed Forces
personnel in their organisations?
Surely
then PM candidate & now incumbent PM was made aware by Shri Arun Jaitley of
the contents of the debates in Parliament, including the sole question Shri
Jaitley raised in the Rajya Sabha on non-implementation of OROP in August 2010.
As records show, the Koshiyari Committee was still considering OROP in 2011 and
made its recommendations in December 2011, including that OROP issue was
considered earlier and if ESM were not entitled to OROP then a decision would
have been taken by the past Governments and declined to be considered quoting
the principle of “res judicata” (a matter that has been adjudicated by a
competent court and therefore may not be pursued further by the same parties) if it came up again after 2011.
The PMO (and more
importantly, the Finance Minister) must be aware of this, and if it is not then
it is time that PMO and MoF obtained the file(s) and put to rest the issue whether
the alleged claims of the CPOs (calling themselves Para Military forces) is
justified. Anyway, for the busy PMO some ready ‘at hand’ information.
Why
Would the BSF and CPOs demand OROP
It
is reported that much reviled bureaucracy (more reviled than the 10 year UPA
rule!) has raised the bogey of BSF and others also demanding OROP. Let us,
objectively, with assistance from the BSF website, examine the BSF’s role
vis-à-vis Armed Forces, because it is the closest in its duties to the Armed
Forces.
A cursory reading of
the Border Security Forces’ website (http://bsf.nic.in/en/introduction.html)
brings out (italics used by the author) the
following: -
Till 1965
India’s borders with Pakistan were manned by the State Armed Police Battalion.
Pakistan attacked Sardar Post, Chhar Bet and Beria Bet on 9 April, 1965 in
Kutch. This exposed the inadequacy of the State Armed Police to cope with
armed aggression due to which the Government of India felt the need for a
specialized centrally controlled Border Security Force, which would be armed
and trained to man the International Border with Pakistan. As a result of
the recommendations of the Committee of Secretaries, the Border Security Force
came into existence on 01 Dec 1965…..
TASKS OF THE BSF:
The tasks of the BSF are divided
as follows:
1.
Peace time:
o
Promote a sense of security among the people
living in the border areas.
o
Prevent trans-border crimes, unauthorized entry
into or exit from the territory of India.
o
Prevent smuggling and any other illegal activity.
In the last few years the BSF has, in addition to their
duties, been deployed for counter insurgency and internal security duties.
2.
War Time:
o
Holding ground in less threatened sectors
so long as the main attack does not develop in a particular sector and it is
felt that the local situation is within the capability of BSF to deal with. The BSF units can continue to remain
deployed in particular sector even in a war situation to release the Army for offensive
tasks. In the even of a major attack
developing, which is not within the capacity of the BSF to deal with, the Army
can be expected either to reinforce the BSF with Artillery or other support, or
relieve the BSF from its role in the particular sector.
o
Protection of vital installations particular
air-fields against enemy commandoes/para troopers or raids. The role can be entrusted to the BSF Units
which are placed under the Army's operational Control.
o
Providing extension to the flanks of main defence
line by the holding of strong points in conjunction with other units.
o
Limited Aggressive action against para
military or irregular forces of the enemy within
the overall plan of the Armed Forces.
o
Performing special tasks connected with
intelligence including raids. These are
tasks which might be entrusted to BSF Units by the Army in a war situation
according to local necessity. It would, however, be expected that the state
of training and equipment of the particular BSF Units would be kept in view in
assessing their adequacy for the tasks.
o
Acting as guides in an area of responsibility
where routes are known. This is a task which the BSF should be
able to perform.
o
Maintenance of law and order in enemy
territory administrated under the control of Army. Normally,
ordinary civil police force would be utilised for this task but the BSF could
be used to supplement the civil police or to act in lieu thereof in a situation
where civil police is not readily available.
o
Provision of escorts.
o
Guarding of prisoners of war cages
o
Assistance
in control of refugees. It is the intention to utilise civil police
force and armed Home Guards etc. for these tasks but again depending upon local
exigencies, the BSF might be entrusted with these tasks.
o
Anti - infiltration duties in specified area. This is
an important responsibility which will have to be performed by security forces.
The exact responsibility of the BSF in
this matter is still under consideration and separate instructions are expected
to be issued (emphasis supplied).
New Pension Scheme
New Pension Scheme was introduced by the previous BJP led
NDA Govt and announced in the Budget 2003-4. It was notified vide MoF, Deptt of
Economic Affairs OM No. 5/7/2003 PR dated 22nd December 2003, and
states, inter alia……
“3. The Government approved on 23rd August
2003 the proposal to implement the budget announcement of 2003-04 relating to
introducing a new restructured defined contribution pension system for new
entrants to Central Government service, except
to Armed Forces, in the first stage, replacing the existing system of
defined benefit pension system. (emphasis supplied).
4. The Government approved the basic
features of the new pension system; and setting up of an interim pension fund
regulatory and development authority (PFRDA).
The main features of the new pension
system are given below:
xxxxxx
• The system would be
mandatory for new recruits to the central Government service except the armed forces……”
(Source:
www.prsindia.org/.../bill74_2006123074_NEW_PENSION_SCHEME)
Obviously,
the BJP led NDA Govt considered the Armed Forces to be different from all other
Central Government employees, including the BSF and other Central Police
Organisations. An RTI application has been filed with the Deptt
of Economic Affairs to ascertain information on the decision of the then BJP
led NDA Government to keep the armed forces out of the ambit of the NPS. An
update would be provided as and when information is provided.
Segregating/Splitting the
Implementation of OROP
Reports by way of emails/sms spread information
that such & such a dignitary of an ESP organisation met such & such
Central Minister/Minister of State and “suggested if there is a funds crunch,
implement the OROP for JCOs & ORs in the first phase and for Officers in
the next phase.” Good humanitarian gesture (the term is the seasonal flavour)
but ignores certain facts.
Firstly, JCOs and ORs (and their widows) comprise
85% of ESP. Consequently, 85% of Rs 8300 crore is Rs 7055 crore. Therefore the
effect of OROP on officers would be Rs 1245 crore. So which would impact the so-called “funds strapped” Govt?
Secondly, ORs, JCOs, and Officers are an integral
and unified part of the Armed Forces because it is the most important and
essential part of fighting wars. Will this Govt, on the ‘humanitarian’
recommendations of some self-appointed ESP, tear asunder that fabric apart for
a few thousand crore rupees?
Thirdly, from the time of Independence, when has
the Govt phased implementation of any financially connected recommendations?
Pay Commissions or even the Modified enhanced pensions for retired officers,
which includes Women (Circular No. 500) and Improved Pensions for retired
JCOs/ORs (Circular No. 501) were implemented from the same date i.e. 17th
January 2013.
Lastly, consider the morale factor. Today, the
non–implementation of OROP has drawn retired ORs/JCOs and Officers into the
streets. The Govt would be ill-advised if it decided to separate the
implementation dates and is rebuffed by ORs and JCOs refusing OROP till
Officers are also paid.
This author was an eye witness to what happened in
the Air Force when 5th CPC was prevailed up on to recommend higher
Flying Pay for fighter pilots & lower Flying Pay for Transport Aircraft and
Helicopter pilots and Navigators and a marginal increase in the Technical Pay
for Engineers. It took the restoration of parity in Flying Pay, higher
Technical pay, the calmness of the CAS-designate and a couple of AOsC-in-C, and
the discipline of the Service to bring down the discontent. That was with a few
thousand officers. Imagine the problem with millions of ESP not subject to the Army, Navy or Air Force Acts & Rules thereunder.
And the Mythical – Read
it on the Govt’s website - Financial Crunch
As for financial crunch, didn’t the Finance
Minister state in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that a sum of Rs 62, 398
crore was foregone by the National
Exchequer towards incentives and tax exemptions for corporates? Please see
Statement of Revenue Foregone in the left side panel on website
indiabudget.nic.in for corroboration.
And read this from scroll.in/article/711183/why-the-indian-government-is-forgoing-revenues-of-95-billion
While the central government is expected to earn a tax revenue of Rs 919,842 crore
($148 billion) for the financial year 2015-16, it is expected to forgo revenue of Rs 589,285.2 crore ($95 billion) in
2014-15 due to exemptions granted to companies and individual taxpayers.
This forgone revenue, or tax benefits, is twice the defence budget allocation of Rs 247,000 crore in 2014-15.
This forgone revenue, or tax benefits, is twice the defence budget allocation of Rs 247,000 crore in 2014-15.
Tax-revenue forgone is a contentious issue – an
“incentive” or a “sop”, depending on ideological position – and becoming more
so at a time when the National Democratic Alliance government plans cutbacks
to India’s subsidy
bill of Rs 2,27,287 crore ($36 billion).
While India’s subsidy bill is likely to fall almost
10%, the tax-revenue forgone is expected to increase by 7% from 2013-14.
Those on the left hold “sops” – such as accelerated
depreciation, deduction of export profits of units located in special economic
zones (SEZs), area-based exemptions and waivers on import duties – as evidence
of government largesse to business at the expense of the poorest. Those on the
right argue that tax-revenue forgone is an important business “incentive” to
help the economy grow, without which the needs of the poor cannot be addressed.
So Are We looking at a Policy
Paralysis by Other Names
Central Ministers and spokespersons and no less
than the Prime Minister told us (at an expense of a few hundred crore rupees)
how the achhe din of scam-free, quick decision making Govt is here and the
burre din are only for the burre. Though the sheen has somewhat diminished by
the recent exposes, the lesser written about it the better, but will the
BJP/NDA Govt decide to call a spade a spade instead of shovel, trowel or
whatever?
And the role diverse
retired Army Officers led ESP organisations
I wish there was something I could collect from
the internet to make sense (first, to myself) but I have failed.
The only glimmer of some positive work so far appears to be from the RDOA,
which is fighting it out in the Hon’ble Supreme Court, and winning to a fair
extent as it has in the Rank Pay case and the Minimum Guaranteed Pension case
etc.
Moral of this Post: When
we were kids we read lots of fables from the Panchtantra, Aesop etc. Each of
these fables had a moral at the end. May be the moral of this post should be –
be better informed and you will not be alarmed by the speculations that are the
bane of our inboxes and incoming sms like the one I mentioned.
Let us wait for the 8th of July 2015 and
see what the Hon’ble Supreme Court rules in CA No. 2966 of 2011 in Contempt
Petition No. 64 of 2009 in CA No. 5566 of 2008.
Quote “