Letter to Brakha by RDOA

From: RDOA India [mailto:rdoaindia@gmail.com]
Sent: 14 September 2010 00:07
To: barkha@ndtv.com; feedback@ndtv.com
Cc: DELETED
Subject: NDTV PGMME ON OROP

Dear Barkha,

The views of RDOA follow:

The NDTV telecast on OROP was a big ‘Façade’ missing the main objective of ‘One Rank One Pension’. The debate spiraled to a tangent to issues like honour, izzat, compensation package, disability pension, to downgrading of armed forces to the level of fire fighters and men working in mines. Are the armed forces headed that way ?

Disability pension and compensation package are by themselves major separate issues which need independent debates. Within disability pension there are number of issues/concessions which have been given to central govt civilians employees but not extended to the armed forces. The armed forces personnel are defenitely at greater risk of disability than their civilian counter parts.

As of now the compensation package does not cater for early retirement and alternative employment till the age of 60 yrs nor adequate pension to compensate for loss of earning due to early superannuation.

The concept of one rank one pension which in simple terms means “ that two persons retiring in the same rank with same length of service should get the same pension irrespective of the date of retirement”. Nobody raised questions as to why OROP is not administrativelyfeasible as said by the committee of secretaries or why OROP cannot be given?.

In a system which is rank based how can a Brig who retired after 2006 draw more pension than a Maj Gen who retired prior to 1/1/2006. It amounts to undermining the rank of Maj Gen. Will the babus accept a Jt Secy/Dir drawing more pension than a Addl Secy? The answer is a big NO then how come for the armed forces the pensions are forced down. The pensions are not being implemented inspite of the Supreme Court orders. The Ex Defence Secretary should have answered that.

Capt Dawar should have been asked as to why OROP has not been implemented inspite of it being recommended by the Standing Committeee on Defence since 1983 and forming part of the political manifesto of all political parties with assurances both outside and inside the parliament that OROP would be given. There should have been Power point slides to educate the people of the nation as to what really OROP means, what are the pension differences in ranks pre and post 2006 and not comparing a soldier to a fireman entering a building on fire. For those who have doubts, 26/11 is a stark naked reality. One can see who enters in line of ‘fire’

A valuable 30 min were wasted on irrelevant issues not pertaining to OROP. The show was totally unlike Barkha.

Thanking you
With regards
Secy RDOA
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