IESM's Future by Maj Gen K Khorana

From: Krishen Khorana kkrishen@hotmail.com

Subject:

To: "Brig CS Kamboj" kamboj_cs@yahoo.co.in

Date: Wednesday, 15 July, 2009, 12:08 PM

To All Members IESM,

IESM’s Future

No sooner had the Finance Minster, followed by Defence Minister, announced dispensations towards OROP, some members began questioning relevance of IESM. Such reaction only confirms our propensity to ride on all shoulders for our personal ends and then to quickly dismount the moment the purpose is achieved. We even forget to say a simple thank you.
IESM have given a face to ex soldiers problems, in the shortest possible time and achieved that which could not be in a quarter century. A big thank you is due to those at the helm.
Now, all must help, without nurturing any personal agenda, in IESM’s evolution towards an effective non political organization - an NGO.
It should be understood that OROP has not yet been achieved. Term OROP was artfully and perhaps mischievously adopted by our crafty politicians during recently held budget session of the Parliament. Using OROP as a heading the government inserted a system of parity, as though if parity was a synonym for OROP. Parity and OROP are fundamentally different; former provides for mere adjustment and the latter for equality. However, on the flip side, term OROP has come to stay with its usage by the government, for policy enunciation.
Having said that, the government has taken a bold and courageous step to break out of its own shackles. One needs to thank and applaud them for that. It may have fallen short of fully accepting a principle (OROP), but has gone about lending material effect towards a desired end result. Hopefully, once the debris of its shackles is removed, the government will adopt underlying principle of equality (OROP) for each rank and within each rank, albeit retired. And in due course the principle would find articulation as a rule and regulation for all time to come.
Evolution of IESM into a non political organization (NGO) is absolutely vital; that alone can provide for true and effective welfare of ESM.

K Khorana
Maj Gen (Retd)