Sunday 3 July 2016


ALL INDIA EX SERVICES WELFARE ASSOCIATION 

                    Our Mail IDs - aiewaorg@gmail.com,aiewa81@hotmail.com 
 aiewa_association@rediffmail.com 
Web site : 
www.aiewa.org
Blog : aiewa.blogspot.in
(We Were THIRTY YEARS YOUNG On 21 Nov 2011)
 
M 35 Palika Bhawan, 
 RK Puram, Sector 13,
New Delhi 110066.
Ph :011 26110710
Fax :011 241O6144


Dear Friends

Pained by the way the Govt is treating the Veterans over the last over a year I have written a letter to PM. As is their wont I do not expect it to get to him in the normal course. I have therefore forwarded it to many VIPs also requesting them to help.

Letter to PM and the VIPS is sent to you for info.

Regards

Lt Col Inderjit Singh
Chairman

Mob 09811007629


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THIS IS A LETTER TO OTHER DIGNITARIES TO KINDLY REACH MY LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER

I am forwarding a letter I have written to our respected Prime Minister Sh Narendra Modiji. I do not expect the bureaucrats will ever allow it to get to him. 

It shows how they have failed the Prime Minister to give OROP the most legitimate and long standing demand  of Ex servicemen.

I am sending this letter to you with the hope that you would somehow find a way to convey to this to him. The way he is 
attending to the problems of the Nation he would solve this also once he comes to know the truth. Can we hope you would be kind to help? We will be waiting expectantly to hear from you.

                                            Lt Col Inderjit Singh
Chairman


========================================================================


LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER

01 Jul 2016


Respected Chhote Bhai Narendra Modi Saheb

I write to you in anguish and pain to tell you what the bureaucrats have done to your promised OROP. Having made a mess of it, made you announce that you have given the veterans their long pending demand of 40 years, even in foreign lands. A statement that is totally wrong. Coming from the Prime Minister of our Great Nation and my Chota Bhai it is painful to say the least.

OROP What it Means

The first requirement for it to be called OROP is that old pensioners pension is brought up to the same level as of today by matching up the rank, length of service and for JCOs and Jawans also the group they have served in. The second part of OROP requirement is that any future increase given to the current pensioners is automatically passed onto the old pensioners.The conditions set out in this apology of an OROP ensure that it will neither be equalised nor maintained at that level. How can we then call it OROP? At best it may be called some increase in pensions to bridge the gap of old and new pensions.Now having messed up they have changed the very definition to match up what they have given.

OROP Given Twice In The Past

I should know it better than anybody as I was the one who raised this with the Prime Minister first time on 22 Feb 1982. Then fought it through various High Level and High Level Empowered Committees (HLEC) of MOD as Member. Twice I got it through. Once in 1990 through HLEC as ONE TIME INCREASE FORMULA (OTI) and second time in 2006 by forcing the Govt to appoint a Committee headed by Sh Pranab Mukherjee the then RM and the current President of India. 

In 1990 I had got all the Committee Members of the HLEC to give OROP but the then Finance Minister Dr Manmohan Singh put his hands up as the country was facing grave economic crises due to which we had to air lift all our gold reserves to UK. Nevertheless the OTI was only ten to forty six rupees less than the current pensioners depending upon the length of service and no other consideration. This was as good as OROP. 

Mr Gujral Accepts OROP

I then raised the issue with Mr Gujral the next Prime Minister for full OROP. He accepted to give it. I was asked by Defence Secretary to put up the paper for Cabinet approval. I gave the paper to him on 04 Nov 1997. In this paper I even accepted OTI formula as OROP if it was converted  in to Pension Increase Formula ( PIF ) for all times to come and all categories of pensioners were included for award. The bureaucrats again played dirty by sitting on the file till the Govt fell.


Our Problem

I have been witness to the spectacle of  the bureaucrats playing dirty over the past over thirty four years. Our problem has never been lack of goodwill of the leadership for our cause. It has been the lack of correct projection of our problems. The bureaucrats have always first cut our communications with the leadership and then fed them with blatant lies to deny us our rightful dues.

You find this very pattern for OROP as well. It is amazing that you have yet to meet the Veterans despite  they being on the road for over a year. Narendra Modi Bhai Saheb are they untouchable that you hold it below your dignity to even meet them leave alone solve their legitimate problems? Over the last thirty four years I was given the privilege to be invited by every Prime Minister. Even Sh Atal ji invited me on 26 Jul 2001 to discuss and resolve our Problems.

Appeal to You To Create Instruments

I read your statement about consulting soldiers and veterans while taking decisions pertaining to the matters affecting them. I was thrilled to note that you had identified the problem so soon on assuming the charge. I appealed to you on 01 Jul 2014 to create instruments if you wanted to  involve us in making decisions to achieve your desire . The instruments were as follows :-

a) Ministry of Defence's separate Standing Committee of Voluntary Associations (SCOVA) like in Ministry of Pensions. It has twelve pensioners organisations as Members. They meet every three months and project their problems which are resolved by the Govt. With this the requirement of agitation by veterans and resultant embarrassment to the Govt will be cut down to almost zero

b) Department of Ex servicemen Welfare should be manned by serving soldiers and veterans. With this the Govt will get correct advice to take correct and timely decisions.

c) Representation  of Armed Forces in the MOD at all decision making levels.The RM has recently appointed an advisor from the Air Force with fanfare so that he can give the advice to him about matters concerning the Armed Forces?. This again is publicity and nothing else. What can he advise about Navy and Army? Do you know that the Armed Forces are the only uniformed service not represented at decision making level of the controlling Ministry. Why? Can anybody justify it? Have you lost trust in the Armed Forces. Have they ever let the Nation down for securing the Nation or for any other task given to them. Are they in any way incompetent to bear their responsibility.? If not then why have they been kept away from this responsibility of managing and advising by being part of the MoD? Instead of this half baked advice by one man the RM could have all the advice by placing the Armed Forces personnel in the MoD. The bureaucrats will resist it with all their might because they feel threatened by their efficiency and losing avenues of employment and promotion. Can you allow that at the expense of the National security?

d) The Armed Forces Tribunal should be given more powers to make it more effective.

e) The  Ex servicemen Resettlement Commission for attending to their problems like many other categories of people.

Sanctioned Instruments By You Not Constituted   

We were amazed at the promptitude with which you took decision and announced the appointment of  Ex servicemen Commission and Committee for Ex servicemen Welfare as a result of our appeal. We felt that you have put the affairs on the right track.The bureaucrats however had other plans. They have yet not implemented your important decisions. You would soon get to root of the cause if you asked them why have they not implemented these orders for more than a year. If these were in place there would have been no necessity for the Justice Reddy Committee, initially called Commission, to correct the anomalies of OROP. The title change prompted by the bureaucrats, due to the  fear of having to justify their wrong decisions. These anomalies would have been thrashed out by the Welfare Committee itself. Those for which solution could not be found could have been referred to the    Ex servicemen Commission. Where was the necessity for Justice Reddy Committee? It has been brought in merely to give it a ceremonial burial which had legal blessings for all times to come.The matter would have been solved without any fuss and without Veterans coming on the road for their legitimate demands.

Bureaucrats Master Stroke

When you took charge we thought our Messiah is here. You will hold these all powerful bureaucrats accountable, who unabashedly say we are the Govt, . Over the years I realised that when all their tactics fail to get decisions detrimental to the cause of the Armed Forces, they play the master stroke of Armed Forces taking over the Govt.  The remedy of continuing to deny them their rightful dues is the sure shot recipe for that happening. 

Kautulay Advice to His Emperor

Lastly I quote Kautulya's advice to his Emperor of Magadha-

" If ever things come to a sordid pass when, on a given day, the Mauryan soldier has to LOOK BACK over his shoulder (simhawalokana) prompted by even a single worry about his and his family’s material, physical and social well being, it should cause you and your Council the greatest concern and distress. I beseech you to take instant note and act with uncommon dispatch to address the soldier's anxiety. It is my bounden duty to assure you, My Lord, that the day when the Mauryan soldier has to demand his dues or, worse, plead for them, will neither have arrived overnight nor in vain. It will also bode ill for Magadha.
 For then, on that day, you, My Lord, will have lost all moral sanction to be King! It will also be the beginning of the end of the Mauryan Empire!!”

 Appeal

 I appeal to you to kindly take the matter in your own hands and ensure that OROP is granted at the earliest. Its time that you ended the uncertainties of the Veterans who are sitting on the road for the past over a year. Hope you will make it possible for me, who has struggled for the past thirty four years, to see the implementation of OROP  before I say final good bye. Which may happen sooner than later. I remain your well wisher ever.


I do not expect the bureaucrats to allow this appeal to ever reach  you. I am therefore sending it to many dignitaries with the hope that somebody may take pity on us and reach it to you.

With kind regards and best wjshes

Yours Sincerely

Lt Col Inderjit Singh


The Hon'ble
Sh Narendra Modi
The Prime Minister of India
7 Race Course Road
New Delhi

Friday 29 April 2016

THE IMPORTANCE OF L.T.A. WITH O.R.O.P.

The un-drawn pension of a deceased pensioner paid to the Family pensioner or the Nominee or his Legal heirs is called LTA (Life Time Arrears).  Since the O.R.O.P arrears are paid in Four installments, and most of the beneficiaries are aged, it is likely that they may miss the remaining installments.  Therefore, the legal heirs of the aged pensioners are to be more vigilant in claiming the O.R.O.P arrears as LTA. Every pensioner must submit nomination or convert their pension account into Joint account (E or S) immediately.  They should also inform their legal heirs about the amount of future installments and probable payment dates.

The Family pensioner or the Nominee or the Legal heirs are normally not aware of the dues to them after the death of the pensioner.  The Banks even after getting the information about the death of the pensioner continue to credit monthly pension till the next life certificate.  In some cases, the family continue to draw pension through ATM for many months.

The mistake is detected only when the family approaches for family pension.  In the case of death of a family pensioner, the over paid pension after the death of the family pensioner remain as it is with the bank.  None of the legal heirs comes forward to close the account. In normal days, it is ignored as the amount involved is less.  But now the significance of LTA has become more important for the family pensioner because of the O.R.O.P arrears which is due in half yearly installments.

O.R.O.P. has been implemented from 1.7.2014.  The arrears of OROP of a pensioner who died before receiving the same will have to be paid to his wife as LTA.  In case of a family pensioner, the OROP arrears will be paid to the Nominee or Legal heir.  As on today, none of the bank will pay the OROP arrears of a deceased pensioner of their own.  Unless and until, the concerned people are more vigilant, and claim they will never get.

In addition to O.R.O.P. arrears, there are other arrears like Pre-2006 (Cir.547 arrears) is also to be paid.  Also one more order on De-linking of 33 years service for full pension is also likely to come.  All these arrears involves considerable amount.  Therefore, it is informed that all the defence pensioners and their families are to be more vigilant to claim these arrears.  Otherwise they will lose forever.


Posted By Blogger to indianexserviceman at 4/29/2016 08:46:00 AM

From: jaspal bhinder <bhinderjs@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2016 8:47 PM
Subject: SOME OF THE EMAILS RECEIVED FROM MEMBERS - "REPORT MY SIGNAL" EMAIL 103/2016 - LIST 2



On Thursday, April 28, 2016 7:44 AM, REPORT MY SIGNAL (CS KAMBOJ) <chander.kamboj@itintellectuals.com> wrote:


REPORT MY SIGNAL
28 Apr 16.
Dear Indian Military Veterans and Veer Naris,
Jai Hind.
In service of Indian Armed Forces Veterans of All Ranks 
& Families Around the World

Chander Kamboj
----------
From: CK Sharma
Sent: 27 April 2016 11:21
To: Members_IESM
Cc: AF India; IndVets; 84th/24th; 22NDA; PSU-SM
Subject: 
HAVE YOU RECEIVED YOUR LATEST PPO?
The following message is of importance to all Defence Services Pensioners/Family Pensioners.
Please do read.
In case you have not yet received the latest PPO, please do follow up and send the necessary information to PCDA, Allahabad soonest.
For your ease, the information asked by them is attached as MSWord file to this email.
Please convey this to the maximum number of pensioners etc whom you may know, thanks.
Nec temere nec timide!
Wg Cdr CK Sharma
Treasurer, UFESM/IESM
22nd NDA :: 84th PC
The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.     Danté
__________________
DIAV COMMUNICATION: 03

Our Esteemed Veterans and Next of Kin,

1.      There have been a few changes in the pension policy post implementation of 6 CPC. One major change is, doing away with weightage and calculation of pension as per rank and qualifying service. Post 6 CPC the pensions have been revised many times i.e in 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2014 (as OROP).

2.      To cater for these changes PCDA (Pension) Allahabad undertook “Project Sangam” and printed fresh corrigendum PPO’s for all pre-6CPC retirees so that they get the correct rate of pension. As per PCDA (P) Allahabad they have printed and dispatched approx 14 lakh ‘Sangam PPO’s’ to all pre-2006 pensioners (including widows & NOKs).

3.      Our interaction on ground with pensioners reveal that many of the pensioners do not have this PPO which is generated post 2009 with them. If you do not have this PPO which is issued after 2009; please act as follows.

(a)     JCOs, ORs and NOKs.     Please write to respective Record Offices for getting a copy of your SangamPPO’s.

(b)     Officers and NOKs.          Visit 
www.pcdapension.nic.in. On the front page at the bottom, you shall find a scroll giving some details. Above the scroll you shall see in red fonts written ‘Sangam Project PPO in respect of Commissioned Officer’. Please click on this and fill in the details and send to cda-albd@nic.in to get SangamPPO’s.

Please Note that PPO’s are your most priced documents and PPO’s are to be preserved. The toll free helpline number of PCDA (P) Allahabad is 18001805325.

Warm Regards
Dir Outreach
DIAV
Please send the following information on the PCDA (Pension) email id i.e.
cda-albd@nic.in to enable us to notify/ dispatch PPO under Sangam Project:-
1.      Original PPO Number                                           :
2.      Name of the Officer / Employee                          :
3.      Name of Family Pensioner                                    :
4.      Regimental/ IC Number                                       :
5.      Date of retirement                                             :
6.      Date of Death of officer/ employee
(in case of Family Pensioner )                               :
7.     Rank & Category
(AMC/ADC/RVC/TA/MNS/SS/EC/OTHERS )       :
8.     Pension Disbursing Authority (PDA) ie Bank/
Treasury /DPDO/I.E Kathmandu /PPO Pijhara/
PPO Dharan/Post Office                                       :
9.      Basic Pension being Paid by PDA
a.     W.E.F 01-01-2006                                        :
b.     W.E.F 24-09-2012                                        :
10.    Bank Account Number, If PDA is Bank                 :
11.     BSR Code and Address of Paying Branch,
if PDA is bank                                                     :
12.    BSR Code and Address of CPPC, if PDA is bank     :
13.    PDA Station                                                        :
14.    Present Address of Pensioner                              :
15.    Mobile / phone Number                                       :
16.    E-mail ID                                                            :
17.    Adhar Number, where available                            :
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From: Ravindra Pathak [mailto:raviwarsha@gmail.com
Sent: 28 April 2016 12:54
To: SBI DBA (ARMY); Jt Sec DESW
Cc: Indian Veterans India; Satinder Sangha
Subject: 
LIFE TIME ARREARS
Dear Sir/Madam
For DBA: Kindly ask all branches to accept the LTA claim and nomination forms.
For Ms Damayanti: A number of complaints are being received about banks refusing to accept forms like LTA/Annexures of circulars etc. In an earlier mail a suggestion was made. I understand this was also discussed with Col Handa DIWAVE.
Kindly follow up as soon as possible considering the number of arrears that are to come /still not paid and the fact that many of us veterans are on the last leg of our journey in this life.
Brgds
Cdr Ravindra Waman Pathak I.N. (Retd)
Member Pension Cell
Indian Ex Servicemen Movement
1 Surashri,1146 Lakaki Road
Shivajinagar 
Pune 411016
raviwarsha@gmail.com
9822329340  
Screen Shot 2014-09-16 at 11.02.50 pm.png
IESM  Social Media Links
                    https://www.facebook.com/groups/439033406123068/
3)TWITTER: One Rank One Pension (@MissionOROP): https://twitter.com/MissionOROP?s=08
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On 27 April 2016 at 20:14, Satinder Sangha <samltcol@yahoo.co.in> wrote:
Dear Sir,
MY bankers,SBI, main br,civil lines , Jalandhar City, refused to accept my life time arrears ,papers saying that don't have such instructions on the subject from their HQs!
With Regards 
Satinder Sangha
-----------
Veterans Cell at IHQ of MOD(Army) has launched their website http://www.indianarmyveterans.gov.in/     for online grievance redress. Veterans are requested to make use of it for expeditious redress of their grievances 
Veterans can also lodge their grievances on http://pgportal.gov.in/  which is Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) of Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances, Government of India. 
It has following features:-  

-Complainant can upload a relevant document
-Monitoring dash board for the senior officers  
-Grievance Monitor to have holistic view  
-Enhanced Operability 
-Provision to forward multiple grievances to a single department in one stroke  
-Provision to forward grievance to multiple departments
with best wishes
Col R Malhotra
Director (Complaint & Legal)
Central Organisation, Ex Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme
IHQ MoD (Army), AG Branch,
Maude Lines, Delhi Cantt
New Delhi-110010
Tele-011-25690327
Fax- 011-25684946
Toll Free: 1800 114 115
---------
From: Ravindra Pathak [mailto:raviwarsha@gmail.com
Sent: 27 April 2016 17:39
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Petition against an honest Judge
I personally request you to pass this message to as many people as you can .
Kindly see the names of petitioners. Looks like a roughs List.
A JUDGE OF THE GUJARAT HIGH COURT FACES IMPEACHMENT BY PARLIAMENT :
A distinguished Parsi judge of the Gujarat High Court, Justice J B Pardiwala made the following remarks in his recent judgement in Hardik Patel case on Reservations. Unfortunately our law makers are going to impeach him for this para. Let's see what he said and decide :
"If I am asked by any one to name two things, which has destroyed this country or rather, has not allowed the country, to progress in the right direction, then the same is,
(i)                   Reservation and
(ii)                 Corruption.
It is very shameful for any citizen of this country to ask for reservation after 65 years of independence.
When our Constitution was framed, it was understood that the reservation would remain for a period of 10 years, but unfortunately, it has continued even after 65 years of independence.
The biggest threats, today, for the country is corruption. The countrymen should rise and fight against corruption at all levels, rather than shedding blood and indulging in violence for the reservation. The reservation has only played the role of an amoebic monster sowing seeds of discord among the people. The importance of merit, in any society, cannot be understated. 
One has to wonder why is he going to be impeached by MP's (mostly Congress and it's corrupt and inept cohorts MPs) .
(The MPs who signed the petition include Anand Sharma, Digvijay Singh, Ashwani Kumar, P L Punia, Rajeev Shukla, Oscar FernandesAmbika Soni, B K Hariprasad (all Congress), D Raja (CPI), K NBalagopal (CPI-M), Sharad Yadav (JD-U), S C Misra and Narinder Kumar Kashyap (BSP), Tiruchi Siva (DMK) and D P Tripathi (NCP)).
YOU DON'T HAVE TO CANDLE  MARCH to SUPPORT THE JUDGE.
Just SPREAD THE WORD BY SHARING THIS WITH YOUR WHATSAPP FRIENDS, IF YOU CAN. 
That's minimum we can do to SUPPORT the OUTSPOKEN JUDGE.
----------
From: VIJAY OBEROI [mailto:genoberoi@gmail.com
Sent: 26 April 2016 17:34
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: ARTICLE ON RM NOT TRUSTING THE CHIEFS
My latest article dealing with unnecessary interference in the internal
administration of Service Headquarters is forwarded herewith.

If you have the time  do peruse it.


Warm regards.

 Vijay Oberoi
http://www.thecitizen.in/assets/images/logo.png
Parrikar Overrules Defence Chiefs, 
Takes "Ignorance and Arrogance" to New Levels
Monday, April 25, 2016
CHANDIGARH: The Indian Army has a long tradition of checks and balances in curbing ‘wrongs’, may they be operational; administrative; man power or discipline related. Every issue and each case is deliberated upon extensively before judgment is passed or plans finalized. 

Under the circumstances, one read with considerable consternation and shock that the Raksha Mantri (RM) of our country and the person responsible for the security of the nation has lost faith in the Chiefs of the three services. 

My reference is to two recent diktats of our worthy RM, who presides over the three services and is supposed to have the interest of the armed forces as his foremost task. 

In the first case, the RM, no doubt at the behest of the bureaucracy, ordered that in future selection boards for officers, an independent observer would sit in to ensure that the proceedings are above board. This move was apparently strongly objected to by the Chiefs and for good reasons. However, the RM persisted and only modified his orders stating that at least a representative from another service as an observer must attend. 

It is understood that the issue is still under consideration, but since it has undoubtedly been raised and reported, it reflects adversely on the propensity of the RM to shoot from the hip, without fully grasping the implications of such diktats. 

As a brief background, it was the first Prime Minister (also the defence minister), Jawaharlal Nehru, well known for his deep distrust of the military, who had first tampered with the then prevailing instructions in the Defence Services Regulations (DSR) relating to Selection Boards for officers that had existed for decades. By an order dated 10 April 1953, he ruled that all proposals for promotions and postings of officers of Colonels and equivalent ranks and above, along with dossiers would henceforth be submitted to the RM, along with reasons for non-selection. It went on to add that no promotions/ postings will be announced until the Minister’s approval had been obtained and communicated. 

One does not know as to how the service headquarters responded to this high-handed order, but it did become the norm! This was the start of nepotism and politicization that resulted in promoting incompetent sycophants in the military and the adverse results were visible to the entire world when the much vaunted Indian Military suffered the ignominious debacle of 1962! 

The successive RM’s and MoD bureaucrats lay low and bided their time, till during the NDA Regime in the second half of the 1990’s, the then RM-George Fernandes, issued an additional fiat stating that ‘the central government has the inherent power to modify, review, approve with variation or repeal recommendations of selection boards’. In other words –“we are the bosses”! Jai Ho!!! 

In no democracy in the world, has the so-called ‘Civil Supremacy’ manifested itself in this manner. The ignorance and arrogance of the politico-bureaucratic combine had now reached its zenith and one witnessed, with shame, even flag rank officers who had not been recommended for promotion by the selection boards, queuing up in front of the concerned joint secretary’s office like supplicants, but with cash in their pockets!!
The authority of the military hierarchy and the impartiality of Selection Boards now lay in tatters, but the Chiefs for unknown reasons remained mum and shackled with their penchant for not ‘rocking the boat’! Another Jai Ho!!! 

Let me now highlight the second fiat issued by our learned RM recently. Most newspapers had a headline last month that stated: Parrikar raps service HQs for taking action against personnel who complain to him directly”. In elaboration, it was stated that the Defence Minister expressed his anger for the service headquarters taking action against personnel who had made representations to him directly. The Minister also directed that henceforth service headquarters shall restrain from taking action against complaining personnel and if any action needs to be taken, the same shall be first furnished to the MoD for seeking approval of the RM!?! 

The Minister may be under the wrong impression that it is a welfare measure. In actuality, it will result in subverting the loyalty of military personnel and will adversely affect discipline, which is the bedrock of all militaries. Are the brownie points that may accrue to the Minister worth it? 

This move in actuality undermines the discipline of the Indian Military and amounts to gross interference in the chain of command; letting down the hierarchy of the Chiefs; and encouraging serving personnel to violate good order and military discipline that is a fundamental precept of all militaries. 

This is populism of the worst kind as it interferes with laid down norms of dealing with aggrieved personnel. Aggrieved personnel already have avenues of Non Statutory and Statutory Complaints available to them, which they can invoke if they feel that they have not received complete justice. Besides the overall negative implications of this order, the Minister would be opening the proverbial Pandora's Box, which will bog down both him and the MoD with a spate of ill conceived and ill perceived complaints of even trivial nature. 

The bureaucracy has its own personal and institutional agenda to try and dominate the armed forces, whether it is in pay and allowances; lowering of status; or keeping the services starved of funds for modernization; training and administration. For egoistic reasons, they seem to take a perverse delight in showing how powerful they are, even to the extent of confusing a well educated and learned RM. The Minister would be treading on dangerous ground when such diktats boomerang. When that happens, the bureaucrats will conveniently wash their hands off and let the poor Minister fend for himself. 

No one disputes that prompt redress of grievances by the concerned commanders in the chain is a must, and all commanders do give great importance to regulations, procedures, and in going by the legality of issues involved. Commanders are well conversant with the Regulations; they have studied military law; and they rarely, if at all, cut corners, on account of empathy with their comrades in arms. 

Let the armed forces function and execute their command functions, as per the time tested procedures. In democracies like ours, political leaders must not tamper or short circuit the chain of command of the military. The RM needs to reflect on how an interfering Defence Minister – Krishna Menon seriously damaged the professional military by his gross interference and politicisation of the Indian Military in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, despite being cautioned repeatedly by that great Chief Timmy. 

If the minister wants to persist in this folly, not caring for the damage he will inflict on the armed forces; then I suggest that he requests for a change of his portfolio and becomes the Home Minister, as the institutions and departments therein are in any case highly politicized and would welcome him with open arms! 

In a democracy, it is the trust that a Defence Minister has with the heads of the armed forces and non-interference in their internal functioning, which result in the armed forces giving their best. If trust is lost or gets diluted, it is the country that suffers, not individuals. The Indian Military has not only served the nation loyally but has done so comprehensively, through wars; insurgencies; major internal disorders and even in areas where the other instruments of the state have failed miserably. 

Let me end this epistle with a quote from a great politician, a great statesman and a great soldier, albeit an imperialist to the core: 
“The army is not like a limited liability company; to be reconstructed, remodeled, liquidated and refloated from week to week as the money market fluctuates. It is not an inanimate thing, like a house, to be pulled down or enlarged or structurally altered at the caprice of the tenant or the owner; it is a living thing. If it is bullied, it sulks; if it is unhappy it pines; if it is harried it gets feverish; if it is sufficiently disturbed it will wither and dwindle and almost die; and when it comes to this serious condition, it is only to be revived by lots of time and lots of money”. 
                                                                    - Winston S Churchill, 1905 
(The writer is a former Vice Chief of Army Staff)
--------
25/04/16, 20:41:08: Chaturvedi RP:
Here is a post recd from Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi today from US.
Landed at Chicago Airport in the AN Yesterday,on my first trip. All passengers entering USA were cat in 2 lots, one who were on a visa and the other who were the residents of USA and those on green cards etc and also included the MILITARY,as the finger prints and the photograph is taken at the immigration counter before approving the ENTRY into USA.While doing that the lady official forgot to mention the Military. I stood in the visa line for 45 mins before I saw a board in which Military was mentioned in cat other than the visa one. So I walked upto the official and stated that I too am from the Military but INDIAN Military. She said proceed  right ahead for the immigration. The official at the other end saw my I Card for retired officers, escorted me directly to the immigration counter and not through the zig Åºag line and that saved me cool 3h that would have taken me to reach the immigration counter in visa line.
That is how the USA respects THE INDIAN ARMED FORCES VETERANS which our NATION is, yet to learn.
I share this experience for all those who may be planning a trip to the USA.
Thanks for reading and will appreciate you sharing this with our fraternity.
As received. RPC
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From: nkbalan col [mailto:nkbalan.col@gmail.com
Sent: 25 April 2016 20:07
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Fwd: My article
Hi All,
Here is a mail from my course mate , Veteran  PS Sangha Vrc . Once you read the article, you will realise why the Tribune refused to publish it . Because, it speaks of the false promises made by the Govt ( read netas andbabus ! ) - warts and all .
Bala
---------- Forwarded message ----------
I sent this brief article to the Tribune Chandigarh but they have declined to publish it. However I think you folks should have a look.
Sangha
--
Colonel  N K Balakrishnan ( Retd ) ,
SINHGARH",Pulleppady,
Chittoor Road,Kochi-682018
Phone- ( 0484) 2380987
WALKING THE TALK
BY
COL P S SANGHA
There is a registered organisation called ‘ The War Decorated India’. It represents the winners of Param Vir Chakra ( PVC ), Maha Vir Chakra ( MvC ) and the  Vir Chakra ( VrC ) gallantry awards which are given for display of gallantry in armed action against the enemy.It has been functional for the last 25 years and has done a lot of good for the gallantry award winners and especially for the widows and old parents of posthumous award winners. Basically it interacts with the central and state governments to get benefits for the awardees.
In the first week of March this year a 2 day seminar was organised in Chandimandir to celebrate the SilverJublee of the organisation. This event is held once every three years and all the awardees are invited to attend. Widows and parents of posthumous awardees form a big part of the gathering. This year too it was a very well organised event with great cooperation of the local Army authorities as also by the Punjab Government. The last major war was fought in 1971 although there were awardees in Op Pawan in Sri Lanka and Op Vijay in Kargil. Hence most of the awardees were aged 65 years and above. There was one who was 94 years young walking about briskly without using a stick. The President gave a briefing on all the happening over the last 3 years as also what all was in the pipeline. Thereafter it was open house wherein many of the present expressed their anguish over the unfulfilled promises made by the various governments. There was a very senior officer from the IAF who is a MvC Bar which means that he had won the award twice. There have been only 6 such awardees and he is the only one still around. He is close to 90 years of age and had won his awards in the 1962 and 1965 wars. He was invited by the President to address the audience. He spoke with great dignity and said that he had been promised agricultural land by the Haryana government for both his awards. Yet, some 50 years after the event, he had not got anything. He further said that he had no personal needs and as such he requested the President that if by any hook or crook he could get this land then it should be used for the benefits of the widows and old parents of the posthumous awardees.
The President gave a wry smile and thanked the gentleman. However he said that it is very difficult to make the government to ‘ Walk the Talk’. Whenever there is an armed conflict, especially against Pakistan, the various states and the central government are quick to announce grandiose cash and land awards. Basically they want to score brownie points with the public when patriotism is sky high in the country. However, they are quite clear in their mind that once things cool down they will not ‘ Walk the Talk’. That is what happened to the grand old air warrior and many others who were made big promises but given peanuts. After the 1971  war the Rajasthan government gave Rs 5000/- in lieu of 5 acres of irrigated agriculture land and the Punjab government gave Rs 25,000/- in lieu of 5 acres of land. The excuse given is that no land is available. One might ask that was this not in the knowledge of the government when they were making the grand promises. Some also say that their party was not in power at that time. That goes against the principle of a government honouring the promises made by the previous incumbent. There was a Bollywood film based on the story of an old couple who lost their son in war and their struggle to get the petrol pump which had been promised to them .It was a heart rending experience to watch the struggle on screen but it is also a reality of life.
A soldier goes to battle because it is his contract with the nation to be ready to lay down his life, if so required, to protect and safeguard the nation. He does not do it to get any monetary gains but it is the vote seeking politician who brings in this factor when the national emotions are running high. For the politician, right from the lowest to the highest level, this is what they call a ‘Jumla’. They never have the intention to ‘ walk the talk’.
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From: YR Raghavan [mailto:raghavan_yr@yahoo.com
Sent: 26 April 2016 20:20
Subject: UNDERGROUND OASIS
WISH YOU THE BEST
YR.Raghavan
The Times of India

Farmers find 'springs' in Thar desert

TNN | Apr 26, 2016, 08.03 AM IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/thumb/msid-51987994,width-400,resizemode-4/51987994.jpg
Jaisalmer: Seven years ago, farmer Arshad Ali started digging a tube well in Charanwala village in theNachana area of Jaisalmer district, about 50 km from the border with Pakistan. At the depth of 560 feet, he struck water - so forcefully did it flow out that it was impossible to stop it. Today, his fields remain flooded and he has been draining water into nearby fields too.

Ali says his experience is not unique. Across a 60sq km area in the district, water seems to be flowing in abundance, he said. The pressure of the flow has not diminished with time. Pipes would burst if attempts were made to control the flow. A similar gush of water flowed into the fields of Ismail Khan, who also lives in the same area.
At least 10 tube wells have been dug in the area, and water has been gushing out with great force. At PoonamNagar in Jaisalmer, villagers have decided to build a temple at the spot. However, at a time when 33 crore people in the country reel under drought and water is enormously scarce in many parts, the government has done little to test or harness the water gushing out of such 'springs'.
A year ago, former Jaisalmer district collector Giriraj Singh Kushwaha had requested the state government to plan for utilisation of this water.
In October 2005, the ONGC Board had approved Rs1.7 crore for a pilot study to uncover the course of the Saraswati, the "mighty river" mentioned in the Rig Veda. By 2007, the ONGC had dug some wells and water was found in parts of Jaisalmer, at a depth of over 550 metres, the deepest level at which wells had been dug in this region.
While many historians and scientists contest claims that Saraswati was ever more than a mythical river, there are those who claim the sacred texts are corroborated by imagery from ISRO satellites.
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From: Prafulla Paralkar [mailto:prafulla_paralkar@yahoo.com]
Sent: 26 April 2016 12:30
To: Chander Kamboj
Subject: PETITION TO HON. PRIME MINISTER
Petition to  Hon Prime Minister supported by Hon. Raksha Mantri
Please Sustain Faith In Armed Forces - Mr Prime Minister !
Morale and Motivation of Armed Forces is responsible for their dedication  to the duties ! Hence Mr Prime Minister please read and act with the utmost  sincerity and priority!
I urge the Hon. Prime Minister to understand / realize / hoist in his head that when dealing with Kisans and Jawans of this country remember famous Gujarati saying - "Jenu Kaam TenuBijaa  Kare' to Gotaa Khai" meaning let the person who is assigned a job - let him do it well without interference of others ,without undermining  his authority/ questioning competence and responsibility , otherwise you will be in trouble! Please support KISSANs and JAWANS who strive throughout their lives  for the Nation !
I am of the  sincere view that let the Arm Forces do their job of securing the national borders! But let this be done  without interference. Let the Police Force look after the internal security issues. Recent incidences in the Northern states gives an impression Armed Forces were made to be subservient to the Police Forces. On the other hand ,we have ample examples to demonstrate that the Armed  Forces  have always bailed out the Police in their efforts , during  internal security / national calamity  issues like floods, earthquakes, terrorist attacks .  Each of these forces have their independent  roles to  play and as such their identity should be distinct from each other, be in terms of their “Look” ie  Uniform or the  Service conditions .Please treat each of these forces on their own merit.
Secondly, the English proverb  "As you sow, so shall you reap!" should never be forgotten ! As the Prime Minister of this country you are responsible for the safety and security of its people and land. Hence the "morale and motivation" of the Armed Forces who are assigned this prime job  is very crucial. These men ,  you are supposed to, command, their morale  should come First, Always and Every time! After all, you receive a salute from the Guard of Honour  from the Armed Forces Commander  on the Independence Day parade at the Lal Killa !
If you do not invest well in the security of the country  , as a citizen  I need to worry! 
Don't let us down Mr Prime Minister! Jai Hind  !!
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From: nkbalan col [mailto:nkbalan.col@gmail.com
Sent: 25 April 2016 08:53
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: On UPA's loot -- Ashali Verma on the Congress and some interesting info
Colonel  N K Balakrishnan ( Retd ) ,
SINHGARH",Pulleppady,
Chittoor Road,Kochi-682018
Phone- ( 0484) 2380987
---------- Forwarded message ----------
The Times of India
Ishrat JahanKarti Chidambaram and the UPA loot 
is causing a Congress implosion
March 5, 2016, 5:19 PM IST Ashali
Varma

According to a US based think tank, Global Financial Integrity (GFI), $505 billion went out of India from 2004 to 2013 when the UPA was in power. Is it any wonder then that people are still mired in poverty?
 
The Sunday Guardian reported that a 16 member team has been set up by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) to verify this report. The fact that the annual illicit outflow was, on an average, $51 billion is mind blowing. This is more than the $40 billion annual defense budget of India. How many miles of roads could have been built with this money? How many irrigation projects undertaken for farmers? How many children could have been saved from malnutrition? How many more schools and hospitals built? Is there no end to greed? What about India, ­does she not deserve better leaders?
 
I hope the DRI can give us names of who took the loot out because India cannot afford to let the rogues go free. In a press release the GFI claimed it “analyzed discrepancies in balance of payments data and direction of trade statistics (DOTS), as reported to the IMF, in order to detect flows of capital that are illegally earned, transferred, and/or utilized.”

Apart from vast real estate holdings he is supposed to own football teams, luxury resorts and many businesses and illegal bank accounts.  All this has come to light due to documents obtained in the joint raids by the Enforcement Directorate and Investigation Wing of Income Tax in the Aircel-Maxis scam. But Karti says it is all accounted for and taxes have been paid. But one wonders where he got the millions from even if we were to consider for a moment that everything he touched turned into gold.
 
The timing is curious.  Officials have found that all these deals were executed in 2006 after the Aircel- Maxis deal. It seems Karti made a huge amount of money from 2006 to 2014 when his father was Finance Minister, except for a three year break in 2008 when he took over the Home Ministry. Maybe it is all a happy coincidence!  For him not for India.
 
Now other revelations have come to the fore that would have kept Mr. Chidambaram very busy as Home Minister in 2009­such as the so called false encounter in the Ishrat Jahan case. Ishrat Jahan was a 19-year-old,Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT) operative who was killed in an police encounter along with two other Pakistani operatives and another accomplice, in Gujarat in 2004. How do we know she was with the LeT? David Headley, as well as the LeT’s own newspaper and Facebook site confirmed this. She was called a martyr by the organization.
 
In addition, our Intelligence Bureau had enough evidence about this to be really worried as the foursome had been given orders to take out Chief Minister Modi and Amit Shah. This in itself would be enough for any country in the world to gun down potential assassins but for the UPA government it seems Modi was more of a threat then a suicide bomber.  He was too powerful and doing too well in Gujarat and could be the front runner for the 2014 elections.
 
So The Congress party went into overdrive in 2009 to try and bring down the Gujarat government by implying that Ishrat was innocent and it was a fake encounter.  Apart from all the evidence, I am simply not ready to believe that an innocent 19- year- old girl would travel with three men, two of them Pakistani’s all over India. I wonder why her mother would allow it.
 
In my earlier blog I had written about Rajendra Kumar, a former Special Director of the Intelligence Bureau who had broken his silence after 12 long years. In an explosive interview to Times Now, he claimed he was victimized as he refused to do the bidding of the CBI­ to implicate the chief minister of Gujarat, who the Congress felt had become too powerful and had to be brought down.
 
Kumar’s interview on television is mind blowing and brings to light the conspiracy that was hatched to bring Modi down while he was Chief Minister of Gujarat. He said that senior most officers became pawns in the Congress game. They were lured by good retirement posts and other such benefits.
 
He clarified that as late as 2013, a senior cabinet minister of the Congress party told the second in command of the CBI to arrest him and give him a thrashing to make him say what they wanted him to say. He said that the CBI official refused to arrest him but said he would charge sheet him. Imagine the CBI trying to bring down the IB. What was the UPA up to? They were ready to compromise our best officers, who keep us safe from terrorism, in order to win an election. Is this the mandate of the Congress Party? Nixon was impeached for less.
 
Kumar said not only he but several junior officers also suffered and were falsely implicated. Institutions were degraded and police officers who had arrested several terrorists were put under a cloud ­their reputations and careers ruined. Kumar says his father has been in depression and his family had to bear the brunt of a political conspiracy.
 
He was blunt about how this kind of degradation not only ruined the morale of the police force but questioned “Why would anyone want to get into such a career when they could be ruined by powerful political forces.”
 
G K Pillai, home secretary also confirmed that the affidavit in the Ishrat Jahan case was reworded by then home minister P Chidambaram, even though he knew full well that the evidence given by the intelligence agencies and the L-e-t among others could not have been wrong.
 
But perhaps the saddest interview I saw was of RVS Mani.  Mani, in an interview to Times Now, seemed a broken man. He was the Under Secretary of Home at the time and alleged he was tortured with cigarette butts to implicate senior IB officials to make the Ishrat Jahan encounter look like a fake one. Mani said that the order came from the very top and that then Union Home Minister P 
Chidambaram was behind the decision to file the second affidavit.  To what lengths would the UPA government go to get at Narendra Modi? It seems they would even sell out to the LeT.
 
As the evidence comes in and the story unfolds I do hope the mainstream media will not take this lightly, because if they do they will be letting down the nation and over a billion people who want the truth to come out.
 
The fact that institutions were degraded under the UPA regime we know from Vinod Rai’s CAG report. But the extent to which they were degraded is now coming out. This as they say is just the tip of the iceberg.  I wonder what Rahul Gandhi has to say about all this. I guess he is worried about the National Herald Case and mourns for the ache din that was had by many in power looting the country.
 
 
Ashali Varma
Freelance journalist Ashali Varma has authored the biography of her father, late Lt. Gen. PS Bhagat ­ ‘The Victoria Cross: A Love Story’. 
She was executive producer with the International Commentary Service Inc, New York in 1990. She was the executive publisher of The Earth Times, New York (1992- 98). She has also worked as the editor of Choices Magazine, United Nations Development Programme. 
She writes on various issues including human rights, population and sustainable development.
It is indeed  unfortunate that in our context this fact has been forgotten ,or perhaps more appropriately a deliberate effort is being made to change this maxim.As I had earlier stated in my write up in some media , this effort started at the period when Mr Nehru was the PM and  Krishna  Menon was the worthy Def minister . The then Chief Gen Thimaya (spelling error ) submited his resignation on some  issue  and Mr N ehru was able to able to persuade him to withdraw it .It was here then that some unwritten direction was issued to suppress the AFs  lest they follow in the  mode of our neighbours .It may be clearly seen that it  was from that time that lowering of the status of the AFs started .Our worthy Chiefs over this long period of time , having full faith in Government of the times did feel the need to take a stand .