Mail to Prime Minister by Lt Gen SK Bahri

From: Satish Kumar Bahri
Subject: ONE RANK ONE PENSION
To: "Manmohan Singh"
Date: Friday, 10 July, 2009, 2:52 PM


Dear Prime Minister,
I enclose herewith an email received from a Sargeant on the above subject.
The announcement by the FM in the Parliament about the Govt having decided to accept the longstanding demand of exservicemen for OROP is a cruel joke on us. Firstly, to give something under pressure of the Supreme Court,to only a few JCOs & OR and not the entire fraternity is totally inadvisable. Secondly, the effort to divide officers and personnel below officer rank (PBOR) by not announcing it for the former, is fraught with danger.

I enclose below an email from an Air Force Sargeant to show your bureaucrat advisors that bonds forged while facing common hardships are stronger than those forged due to common interests eg corruption. Anyone trying to break these links is doing so at his own peril.

We had a lot of hope in you Mr Prime Minister. Do not disappoint us.
With warm regards.

Yours sincerely

Lt Gen SK Bahri (Retd)
............
On Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 11:38 AM, Vasudevan S wrote:
Venerable Veterans,

It is really heartening to know that the struggle of the ESM has borne fruit in the form of announcement of OROP, albeit for the JCOs and the PBORs. It is a true example of what a united fight for justice can yield.

While it is a welcome windfall for the JCOs and the PBORs that the Govt. of India has partially announced implememtation of OROP with effect from July 2009, it is really disgusting that the Govt has utterly disappointed by leaving out the Officers under the scheme. The immense contribution of all the officers to the Services is thereby totally neglected.

It is stated that about 12 Lakh JCOs and PBORs would be the beneficiaries of the scheme. As already known, the JCOs and the PBORs form about 98% of the veterans. HEnce, leaving out only 2% of the Officers out of the scheme of OROP is totally not justified. Financially, it would not have been a burden on the ex-checker also. May be some veteran statician could work out the financial implication.

It is very well known fact as to how much struggle the officers from all the defence forces have put in to motivate the ESM and bringing them all under one roof and taking to the streets, conducting peaceful dharnas, meeting the Hon'ble President and returning the Medals of Honours rightfully earned by them all. They have all really led from the front, in true spirits. The nation-wide movement was highly succesful.

Therefore, as an Ex-Sergeant of the Indian Air Force, I believe that it is time for us, the JCOs and the PBORs that we support the Officers in fighting back with the powers that be, to include them also under the Scheme of highly deserving OROP.

Till such time, we could give a wake up call to all the JCOs and PBORs to defer / forego the benefits of the recently announced OROP, which may fetch us only about Rs.2000/- per month or so. But the support which we may extend to the officers in their further course of action is much more valuable.

JOIN HANDS VETERANS.

JAI HIND

S.VASUDEVAN
EX-SERGEANT.