The soldiers marched up to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to surrender their medals and gallantry awards which were once handed to them for their exemplary service to the nation.
The country's bureaucracy came in for some serious attacks. "This is all a dirty game by the Indian bureaucracy, who have always left the Army out in the cold,'' said Maj Gen (retd) Satbir Singh. Col (retd) M S Krishna Moorthy, who had served in the World War-II, Burma and Indian mission to Nepal and Congo stressed that the Army should have a bigger say when the problems of armed forces are discussed as the bureaucracy didn't know much about it.
"We are also demanding `one rank one pension','' said Lt. Gen (retd) Raj Kadyan, former Army deputy chief and chairman of the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement, which organised this protest. This principle ensures that irrespective of the date on which a soldier retires, he or she would get the same pension. In the Sixth Pay Commission, government rejected the `one rank one pension' demand citing that it will incur huge financial costs.
Kadyan himself is the recipient of Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), Ati-Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM), all of which he handed over to the President's representative.
"A soldier devotes the best years of his life to the country. When he retires, his medals are his most prized possession. However, due to the government's callous attitude, we are left with no choice,'' said Kadyan. He added that a services commission must be constituted with equal representation from all forces to restore their interests.
As per the present pension scheme, two soldiers who have served in the same capacity but at different times are put in two separate pension brackets for no apparent reason. "If they compute this calculation according to prevalent inflation rate, then they should realize that we too are living in the same world, suffering the same rate of inflation as the people who retired much later,'' said a senior official.
"This system is already enjoyed by many IAS officers, judges, governors, MPs and even the President, then why are we not entitled?'' asked a senior retired officer. "The government has equated the salaries and pensions of an Army jawan with that of a clerk in Central government. How can they equate the pay of a person who is willing to sacrifice his life for the country with that of a clerk or a peon? With this kind of attitude, no wonder the armed forces face such a shortage of soldiers,'' the officer added.
More than 300 retired soldiers from different states marched under the banner of Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement and surrendered thousands of their medals. Shiksha Bharadwaj, mother of Captain Umang Bharadwaj, who died in action after killing several terrorists in Kashmir valley in 2002, led the march, and surrendered the Shurya Chakra that her son was awarded posthumously.
Her husband, Col (retd) Kanwar Bharadwaj also surrendered his own Sena Medal. "A medal does not feed you and neither does pride. The government did not pay any heed to our demand, so we had to take this step. I don't like giving up my or my son's award, but no one listens until you shout in this country. Successive governments have failed us, so we are ensuring that now they take note,'' Bharadwaj said.
Source : Times of India.
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