WHY ARE EXSERVICEMEN (ESM) A FRACTURED COMMUNITY? IS THERE A WAY TO SET THIS FRACTURE The sanctity of our battlefields, monuments, and veterans institutions is of utmost importance to preserve military history and pay respect to those who fought. - Henry Waxman I also believe our country made a promise to veterans and their families. Veterans have kept their end of the bargain, and now, the VA is looking to pull out the rug. - Ellen Tauscher The above quotes are for the US veterans. The same could apply to us, if the content in the quote by Ellen Tauscher is altered to replace, “VA” by “DESW” in the MoD. The recent decisions of fighting cases with its own personnel are a case in point. Admirably, the COAS has announced his intention of taking up the cause with the RM, the question however remains as to why and how did this come about.On the heels of this comes another bombshell, The Indian Navy sailors who mutinied and actually began the countdown to Independence and subsequently nomenclature as, “freedom fighters” are dejected as well as angry that the two union ministries have failed to comply with three judgments of the Kerala High Court - in 2006, 2011 and 2012 - directing payment of pension. The serving personnel being bound by their respective disciplinary acts of parliament can at best complain of such issues to their immediate superiors, who may or may not pass it up the chain as in most cases they are overruled by the mandarins of their collective destiny, the beaurecrats of the MoD. The point to note is that the ESM as a whole, besides passing the word around in private have not come out publicly and vociferously to oppose these rather draconian missives. Not to mention issues relating to pay, awards, health care, canteen facilities, Vir Nari’s as also the down gradation of its ranks both in terms of precedence and more importantly being copied by all manner of uniformed personnel ranging from flight stewards in private airlines to ordinary untrained security guards of private security companies. Even if some have, it has not been in a unified voice and since they give the impression that they are pulling in different directions, the powers that be manoeuvre to either put them at loggerheads with each other or at best ignore their plaintive cries. It will be endeavoured to analyse why have it has come to such a pass. ESM has been defined as “a person - (a) who has served in any rank whether as a combatant or non-combatant in the Regular Army, Navy and Air Force of the Indian Union, and (a) who either has been retired or relieved or discharged from such service whether at his own request or being relieved by the employer after earning his or her pension; or (b) who has been relieved from such service on medical grounds attributable to military service or circumstances beyond his control and awarded medical or other disability pension; or (c) who has been released from such service as a result of reduction in establishment; or (d) who has been released from such service after completing the specific period of engagement, otherwise than at his own request, or by way of dismissal, or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency and has been given a gratuity; or (e) Gallantry award winners of the Armed forces or (f) Ex-recruits boarded out or relieved on medical ground and granted medical disability pension. As off 2007, after careful consideration the Government has accepted the above definition recommended by the High Level Committee. However, it may be observed that in the new suggested definition certain categories of personnel which have served in the Armed Forces of the Union have been excluded for consideration as ex-servicemen, whereas certain additional categories of Territorial Army Personnel have been added in the revised definition. The Notification containg the revised definition was issued on 27 Oct 1986 and published in the official Gazette on 15th Nov 1986. The Notification gives effect to the new definition from the date of its publication, but since some of the categories were excluded without adequate publicity. The effect of the earlier notification of 27 Oct 1986 has been stayed by issuing another Notification dated 27 Mar 87 in which the date of effect has been indicated as 1.7.87. The net effect is that the following two categories of personnel, who were included in the pre-revised definition of ‘Ex-Servicemen’ will now cease to be treated as Ex-Servicemen w.e.f. 1/7/87 as will be seen from the following provision, namely. “Any person who has been released:- (a) at his own request after completing five years service in the Armed Forces of the Union; or (b) after serving for a continuous period of six months after attestation, otherwise than at his own request or by way of dismissal or discharge on account of mis-conduct or inefficiency or has been transferred to the reserve pending such release; shall also be deemed to be an Ex-Servicemen for the purpose of this clause.” (c) The Territorial Army personnel will however be treated as Ex-Servicemen with effect from 15/11/86. Please note that these definitions and the eligibility of the retired Defence personnel to the status of ex-Servicemen is governed by the definition as laid down by Department of Personnel and Training, and not by the Ministry of Defence, further, it may or may not have been in consultation with the service HQ or even as things stand today without their concurrence. To add insult to injury, quote, “The eligibility of the person to the status of ex-Servicemen will be governed by the definition in vogue at the time of his discharge and will not be affected by the changes in the definition subsequent to his discharge.” Unquote. Implicitly implying the fact that that any improvements/changes/amendments to the rules for the better will be applied prospectively and not retrospectively. A sheer penalty kick to the demand of OROP, various committees/tribunals/court rulings notwithstanding. The reasons for the fracture seem rather obvious. Any layman would be able to observe that these rules simplify the meaning of divisiveness. Firstly the rules are framed by a department of the Government far removed from the Ministry of Defence as regards routine functioning, Secondly that the service HQ have obviously no say in the matter, and if these rules have been framed with their concurrence than all those in the decision making loop can be accused of sacrilege. Finally the acceptance of these diktats meekly by the affected Diasporas smacks of their ignorance, naiveté and indifference to the plight of those affected by the same. To compound the above legalese meted out by some wise guy desk officer in some corner of DOPT, the divisions stem from a life time of competition on various counts between the services as a whole and within them between various arms/services/branches and departments of the three services with the aim of outdoing each other in some ludicrous manner. This is more evident in the Army as compared to the Navy and Air Force due to the typical service conditions obtaining in each on this score. While such competition may be healthy for the serving soldier/sailor or Air warrior to bring out the best in them though contrary to the spirit of Jointness, it spells a recipe for disaster for the ESM. There is yet another divide and that is between the small officer cadre and the larger numbers of junior commissioned officers and other ranks. This divide seems to widen after retirement. While most officers tend to settle in cities and towns of their choice, mostly far removed from their original moorings, the rank and file prefer to return to their roots, mostly in far flung rural areas. Out of sight means out of mind, a cliché, this works both ways in present times. A once healthy and close relationship in uniform lies buried for good. All this while each individual carries on post retirement pursuits on his lonely path. A chance meeting at regimental reunions notwithstanding. A factor to add to the above divide is purely an economical one. While the Officer class struggles to make both ends meet, (Mainly due to their acquired life style and the pressures of urban living conditions) the subordinate lot find a sea change in their surroundings with the emergence of their village in modern terms while they were away. While the Officers take time to come to term with this new phenomenon, the men take the improved changes like a duck takes to water. The chasm widens. The next factor is of educational facilities and their implications to the ESM. While officers retire at a later age the rank and file have a disadvantage in the age factor varying from nineteen years in the case of a jawan to about six years in the case of the senior most junior commissioned officer. Keeping the average age of marriage and arrival of children as common in both categories, it would be safe to assume that when the officer retires his children would be settled or near settlement by ways of career/marriage or both, contrarily in the case of the rank and file they would be far from it. While in both cases the next generation gravitates to urban centres the elders remain anchored to their respective piers, urban or rural respectively. There is yet another dimension to this divide and that stems from the personal qualifications of the ESM per se. This divide can be best identified as that of ESM of pre and post 1980 vintage. It also coincides with the modernization of the armed forces in all spheres ranging from the obsolescence of the ubiquitous personal weapon the .303 rifle to the advent of the multi channel TV sets, internet and mobile phones available and affordable from the senior most General to the junior most jawan. The twenty first century soldier/sailor or air warrior in both categories as compared to his predecessor is more street smart, better educated, technically savvy and most importantly worldly wise. The Jawan almost coming at par with the Officer. Also barring remote localities like the LOC in the North or some far flung areas in the North East, all ranks are co-located in cantonments that are neck and jowl with civilian areas allowing greater exchange and intermingling that was till then taboo. In other words he now questions decisions inimical to him and is fully aware of his rights, privileges and entitlements. Unfortunately our senior leadership particularly in flag rank have not kept up with this change. Riding piggy back on the authority of the respective acts of parliament and the plethora of rules and regulations at their disposal they have distanced themselves with their sworn charge, “The men they Command”. On the contrary they seem to have surrendered to the powers that control their post retirement sinecures. The casualty being the further widening of the ESM fracture. No amount of stage managed ESM rallies would narrow this gap unless the pressing issues are addressed squarely: relief provided fairly and timely. In all of the above it would seem that, though scary but true, the ESM are traversing their individual and narrow paths, sans advice, sans direction and sans relief. A point to note is that more and more young men and women joining the officer ranks are children of the rank and file as against those of Officers. It would therefore be evident to any student of military sociology and psychology, a subject unheard of in any university curriculum that the pressures and tensions of their kith and kin will affect them in more ways than one can think off. A resultant is the fact that ESM join any and every organization that promises them relief. For information of the reader as of today there are close to over three hundred and fifty such organizations pan-India. The Indian Ex-Services League, IESL set up to play the envisaged role has been reduced to that of a Government mouth piece with its charter limited to pinning miniature flags at the annual flag day event held once a year. Championing the cause of the ESM is a strict NO-NO for them. The chasm widens and has now become an abyss. The statement though rather lengthy gives the hard reality of this erstwhile, bold, brave, disciplined, loyal, dependable and determined community reduced to one, that is fractured, disabled, distraught & helpless. It would be most unkind to leave it at that. One would like to summarize the suggested solutions albeit in bullet form rather than one of discourse and platitudes. A clarion call being given by the apex organization as it exists today namely the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM) to all ESM organizations for a Nationwide representative conclave to be held ASAP at a consensual place of meeting say MHOW. Equidistant from all four corners of the country. All organizations to bury the hatchet and come together for the greater cause. The cause being unification of ESM of all hues, colours, ranks & services to project our issues in a unified manner. The conclave to be made conclusive on the following counts: - All ESM organizations to join one platform viz, Alliance of ESM organizations while retaining their own identity. Announcement of an ESM political party to fight the LS 2014 in the 56 constituencies identified as strong bases. Selection of suitable candidates for each constituency as suggested and recommended by the sponsoring organization. Selection of the support team from ESM for the selected candidates. Nomination of a central working group to coordinate activities of all affiliated organizations. Contributions to the general cause by affiliated organizations, its accounting, distribution, audit, and information to all concerned in real time. Acceptance of Aim: Ensure election of 50+ ESM candidates to the sixteenth Lok Sabha in 2014. With this strength we would be able to ensure that the anomalies that beset the ESM will be a thing of the past. In conclusion one can only hope and pray that the suggested solution finds favour with the environment and we can get our act together as time is at a premium. Let us repair the fracture in a natural way rather than having the Orthopaedics use their surgical knives on us. Let us bury our differences, however sharp they may be for the next 95 days. Thereafter we can go back to our calling of fighting each other to a standstill. Col Anil Kaul, VrC Veteran 26 Jan 2014 Disclaimer: These are my personal views. No individual, organization or establishment has prompted me to write them.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 15:18:16 +0000
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