AN APPEAL

TO ALL MILITARY VETERANS TO JOIN THE RELAY FAST AT MAHATMA GANDHI STATUE ON MG
ROAD, BANGALORE, FROM 20 TO 24 OCTOBER 2008

1. There is tremendous resentment amongst the MILITARY VETERANS*, on account of

their pain & anguish brought about by years of neglect & apathy by the Govt. of
the Union of India, in not addressing the various issues relating to their pension
& resettlement. [*MILITARY VETERANS means Retired Officers, JCOs, NCOs & Jawans of
the Army and their equivalents in the Navy & Air Force]

2. The recommendations of the 6th Central Pay Commission (6th CPC), are grossly
unfair & discriminatory to the personnel of the Defence Services. They have
devalued & debased the IZZAT & Standing of Officers of the Army, Navy & Air Force,
vis-à-vis Officers of Central Civil Services. JCOs, NCOs & Jawans of the Army and
their equivalents in the Navy & Air Force have also been similarly affected.
Consequently, joining the Defence Services is no longer viewed as an attractive /
worth while career option by the YOUNG. A large number of seats / vacancies, both
at NDA and the IMA are under-subscribed, course after course, adding to the
existing woe of a huge shortage of Officers at the Junior level. To add to these
woes, after the announcement of the 6th CPC, there is almost an exodus by Officers
of the three Services, to quit prematurely; as most see no merit in continuing to
serve the Nation, which far from treating them fairly, has in fact lowered their
IZZAT (Prestige) and refuses to pay for their worth. This year as many as 15
Senior Officers of the rank of Colonel, considered the 'Cream' (who would in due
course become Brigadiers and Generals) have refused to attend the Higher Command
Course. With the announcement of the 6th CPC Report, the hearts of Military
Veterans cry & bleed to see the Profession of Arms being devalued & debased by the
present Government; and the Military Veterans can not be idle spectators to the
wanton humiliation of the Armed Forces, in which they have served with pride. The
fall out of the 6th CPC Report, has adversely impacted the Morale of the Defence
Services and Military Veterans alike; giving rise to grave security implications,
which the Nation can ill afford and ignore at its own peril. It is indeed shocking
that the Government has shown scant regard in dealing with the problems of pay,
pension & resettlement of serving soldiers & Ex-servicemen, despite a number of
retired Chiefs of the Three Services writing to the Hon'ble Prime Minister and
also personally meeting him to highlight the concerns of the Soldiers in Uniform
and the Veterans. It would thus be apt to recall -
Kautilya's sagely advice to Chandragupta on the Mauryan Soldier."Pataliputra
rests each night in peaceful comfort, O King, secure in the belief that the
distant borders of Magadha are inviolate and the interiors are safe and secure,
thanks only to the Mauryan Army standing vigil with naked swords and eyes peeled
for action, day and night, in weather fair and foul, all eight praharas (round the
clock), quite unmindful of personal discomfort and hardship, all through the year,
year after year. To this man, O Rajadhiraja, you owe a debt: please, therefore,
see to it, suo motu, that the soldier continuously gets his dues in every form and
respect, be they his needs or his wants, for he is not likely to ask for them
himself. The day the soldier has to demand his dues will be a sad day for Magadha;
for then, on that day, you will have lost all moral sanction to be King!"

3. In order to seek redressal of their grievances by the Government, the MILITARY

VETERANS all over the Country, launched a movement: MILITARY VETERANS MOVEMENT FOR
JUSTICE earlier this year. To draw attention of the Government towards their
problems relating to pension & resettlement they organized following four
country wide events. All events were attended by large number of Military Veterans
including retired Generals, Admirals and Air Marshals.

(a) A silent Memorial Service paying Homage to Martyrs at War Memorials, in a

large number of cities & towns, all over the Country,on Sunday, 27 April 2008.
(b) A FAST FOR JUSTICE in over 100 cities & towns, all over the Country, on
Tuesday, 27 May 2008.
(c) A silent MARCH FOR JUSTICE in over 100 cities & towns, all over the Country,
on Sunday, 06 July 2008; where in a MEMORANDUM addressed to the Hon'ble Prime
Minister, listing Demands of the Military Veterans (as enumerated below) was
handed over to respective Chief Ministers / Governors / District Commissioners; at
the end of the MARCH. (d) A FAST FOR JUSTICE in over 100 cities & towns, all over
the Country, on Tuesday, 01 Sep 2008.

Demands of Military Veterans

4. "One Rank, One Pension"(OROP) be sanctioned IMMEDIATELY. This is a long pending

demand aimed at protecting the interests of older pensioners; and the issue has
become very emotive with the Ex-Servicemen. OROP has been the stated policy of all
mainstream political parties. Even the Congress party had included this point in
their election manifesto by saying, "the long pending issue of 'One Rank, One
Pension' will once again be examined and a satisfactory solution arrived at
expeditiously". The issue was included in the President's address to the
Parliament in 2004. That makes OROP the declared policy of the Government and not
just of any one political party. [For purposes of 'Pension' the term MILITARY
VETERANS includes widows/ parents /next of kin of soldiers who were killed in
battle and also those who died in peacetime, and in receipt of pension from
Defence Dept].
5. Institution of adequate welfare measures for proper resettlement of MILITARY
VETERANS by way of:

(a) Legislation of an Act by Parliament, for lateral induction of Service

Officers, JCOs & Jawans (and their equivalents in the Navy & Air Force) into
Central & State Services and PSUs, at appropriate levels, so that MILITARY
VETERANS too have just, fair & equal opportunities to upgrade themselves and
retire at the age of 60 years, at higher levels & appointments.
(b) Legislation of an Act by Parliament, making it mandatory for all Corporates
and Industries related to supply of equipment, materials & stores to the Armed
Forces, for employment of MILITARY VETERANS to the extent of 10 % of their work
force.

6. Constituting of an Ex-Servicemen Commission with necessary statutory powers at

the national level to look after all the welfare measures of the Ex-Servicemen
community. As is the practice in the case of other similar commissions the Ex-
Servicemen Commission be headed by a retired Chief of the Army / Navy / Air Force
and should have Military Veterans from the three Defence services, as its members;
and also suitable members from Military Veterans fraternity representing War
Widows and the War wounded.

7. Representation of the Ex-Servicemen on all committees and other such bodies

constituted for the purpose of looking into matters affecting the interests of the
Ex-Servicemen.

8. In the light of above, the MILITARY VETERANS had most humbly requested the
Hon'ble Prime Minister to kindly convene a Group of Ministers before 31 July 2008;
for an in-depth study of the adverse fall out / impact of the 6th CPC Report on
the Defence Services and for initiation of positive steps for meeting the Demands
of Military Veterans, as listed in Para 4,5,6 & 7 above. The Hon'ble Prime
Minister had also been requested to consider formation of an Advisory Body /
Board, comprising retired Chiefs of the Army, Navy & Air Force, to assist the
Group of Ministers for consultations on all matters related to service and living
conditions of personnel of the Defence Services.
9. It is unfortunate that, despite the events (enumerated in Para 3 ibid)
organized in over 100 cities & towns all over the Country, were well covered by
the Print & Electronic (TV) media and received overwhelming response from the
General Public; the Government continues to display an Ostrich like attitude by
ignoring the simmering discontent amongst the Military Veterans. Such a callous
attitude by the Government towards its Military Veterans does not bode well for
the well being of the Nation, as the 'Men in Uniform', watch in silence the
injustice meted out to the Military Veterans (a vast majority of whom are their
brothers & fathers), fully aware that what has befallen the Military Veterans
today, would be their plight tomorrow when they retire.

10. With the Govt. of Union of India continuing to ignore the fervent appeals and
pleas of the Military Veterans to ameliorate their sufferings, the Military
Veterans have decided to undertake a relay Fast for Justice, in all cities & towns
all over the Country, from 20 to 24 Oct 2008.

11. APPEAL. Military Veterans at Bangalore are requested to participate in large

numbers, in the Relay Fast at Mahatma Gandhi Statue on MG Road. Military Veterans
are required to fast for only one day- on any day of their choice during the
period: 20 Oct-24 Oct 2008. The Relay Fast would commence at 9 AM on 20 Oct
2008 and end at 5 PM on 24 Oct 2008. Military Veterans undertaking the Fast would
be relieved at 8AM, the next day, by a fresh batch of Military Veterans. Military
Veterans are requested to inform all their friends and give wide publicity to the
undertaking of Relay Fast, by emails/ telephone. All Military Veterans
participating in the relay fast are requested to bring a bottle of water and a
light bedding along with them. Spouses of Military Veterans and War Widows are
welcome to participate in the Relay Fast.
Regards,

Veteran Colonel SS Rajan

Convenor, Military Veterans Movement for Justice
Convenor, All India Military Veterans Association