Nirmala Sitharaman takes over as Defence Minister

Nirmala Sitharaman takes over as Defence Minister

Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman took over charge as Defence Minister, here today. On her arrival at the Ministry of Defence in South Block, Smt. Sitharaman was received by outgoing Defence Minister Shri Arun Jaitley, Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre, Defence Secretary Shri Sanjay Mitra, Defence Secretary (Defence Production) Shri AK Gupta, Chairman DRDO & Secretary Department of Defence R&D Dr. S Christopher and other senior officials. Smt Sitharaman is the first full time Woman Defence Minister of India. Immediately after assuming office, the Defence Minister approved a grant of over Rs 13 crore which will be released for 8685 ex-servicemen, widows and dependants out of the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund. She also approved financial assistance out of Raksha Mantri Ex-Servicemen Fund.

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Chief of Defence Staff

Chief of Defence Staff

Creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was recommended by Group of Ministers in 2001. A decision in this regard was to be taken after consultation with political parties. The consultation process however is not yet complete as all political parties have not responded. Subsequently, Naresh Chandra Task Force on National Security recommended creation of the post of Permanent Chairman Chief of Staff Committee in 2012. Both the proposals are simultaneously under consideration of the Government.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri Ravneet Singh in Lok Sabha today.

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Report of one-man judicial committee on OROP submitted on 26.10.2016

Report of one-man judicial committee on OROP submitted on 26.10.2016

Justice Reddy committee on OROP submits report

The one-man judicial committee on One Rank One Pension (OROP) submitted its report to the Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar, here today. The Central Government had appointed the committee under the Chairmanship of Justice L Narasimha Reddy, retired Chief Justice of Patna High Court to look into the anomalies, if any, arising out of implementation of OROP.

The judicial committee had held hearings at around 20 cities/towns across the country and interacted with cross sections of Ex-Servicemen as well as their associations. The committee also received 704 representations from individuals and various Ex-Servicemen associations and had held extensive interactions with all stakeholders before submitting its report.

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Satisfied with Parrikar’s response on pay commission: Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha

Satisfied with Parrikar’s response on pay commission: Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha

New Delhi: The armed forces today said they have raised “anomalies” in the 7th Pay Commission with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and were satisfied with his response that the issue will be resolved at the earliest.

The statement by the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC) Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha comes just days after the three services issued letters to their formations, saying they have asked the government to hold “in abeyance” the implementation of the CPC in view of the “unresolved anomalies”.
The forces argue that the anomalies lower the status and pay parity of forces vis-a-vis their counterparts in the police and civilian administration.

Raha and Navy Admiral Sunil Lanba had also met with Parrikar on Monday over the issue.
The 7th Pay Commission anomalies in respect of the armed forces were discussed with the Defence Minister in detail by the Service Chiefs and the members of the Armed Forces Pay Commission Cell, a statement by Raha’s office said.

The Defence Ministry is “seized of all the issues and has assured to resolve them at the earliest. The Services are satisfied with the response,” it said.

The statement came amid reports that the forces were not happy with Parrikar’s reply.

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Implementation of OROP

Implementation of OROP

Budgetary provision of Rs.12,456.66 crores is made in the Financial Year 2016-17 for implementation of OROP (Rs. 4,967.96 crores towards payment of two instalments of OROP arrears and Rs. 7,488.70 crores towards annual recurring expenditure for the revised pension at current rates). So far 18,90,635 out of 20,68,292 Ex-servicemen / family pensioners have been paid Rs.3,819.33 crores as arrears / revised pension under OROP Scheme.

A Judicial Committee on OROP headed by Justice L. Narasimha Reddy, Retired Chief Justice of Patna High Court has been appointed vide notification dated 14.12.2015 to look into anomalies, if any, arising out of implementation of OROP. The Committee will submit its report within one year of its constitution.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri MP Veerendra Kumar and others in Rajya Sabha today.

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7th Pay Commission – Armed Forces unhappy with the Govt

7th Pay Commission – Armed Forces unhappy with the Govt

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar admitted that “some” of the recommendations that he had strongly pushed on behalf of the armed forces have “not” been accepted.

7th Pay Commission – Armed Forces unhappy – We are still awaiting finer details to come out but on the look of it there are “not bright spots” as of now, defence sources said.

The armed forces are unhappy with the cabinet approval of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations saying the anomalies that they had highlighted has not been taken care of.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar admitted that “some” of the recommendations that he had strongly pushed on behalf of the armed forces have “not” been accepted.

We are still awaiting finer details to come out but on the look of it there are “not bright spots” as of now, defence sources said.

They said that the fact that the government has set up a committee to look into anomalies arising out of implementation of the Commission’s report is itself an indicator that their concerns have not been taken into account.

Sources said the demand for uniform pay matrix has not been taken into account and that the allowances have not been brought at par with civilian employees.

Non implementation of common pay matrix means that defence pay matrix will be restricted to 24 pay levels even though the bureaucratic pay level is 40.

Another issue of concern is the non-implementation of Non Functional Upgradation (NFU) which would have allowed armed forces personnel to get upper grade of salary even when not promoted like their civilian counterparts.

One of the main grudge that the armed forces have is with regard to risk-hardship matrix. The officers say that a soldier posted in Siachen Glacier, which has the highest degree of both risk and hardship, gets an allowance of Rs 31,500 per month.

In contrast, a civilian bureaucrat from the All India Services draws 30 per cent of his salary as “hardship allowance” when posted anywhere outside the comfort zone.

Under the new scale, a senior IAS official posted in a city in northeast will draw much more as “hardship allowance”, compared to the Rs 31,500 per month drawn by military officers in Siachen.

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Indian Army faces shortage of 9,106 officers

Indian Army faces shortage of 9,106 officers

There is a shortage of 9,106 officers in the Indian Army and 1,265 officers in the Navy, the government said Tuesday.

“In army (excluding Army Medical Corps, Army Dental Corps and Military Nursing Service), as on July 1, 2015, against the authorised strength of 49,631 officers, held strength of officers is 40,525 with shortage of 9,106,” Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in a written response to a question in Lok Sabha.

The Navy, as on January 31, 2016, faced shortage of 1,265 officers. As of November 1, 2015, Air Force did not show any shortage of officers, Parrikar said.

The expenditure incurred on salary and allowances in financial year 2014-15 was Rs 94,233 crore for defence personnel and 35,458 crore for para-military forces.

Replying to another question, he said the strength of woman officers in the Indian Coast Guard is 27, which includes 17 pilots and 10 observers. The woman officers, employed for aviation duties, are involved in operations like prevention of illegal activities at sea and maritime surveillance.

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Command Hospital (Eastern Command), Kolkata gets Raksha Mantri’s Trophy for Best Service Hospital

Command Hospital (Eastern Command), Kolkata gets Raksha Mantri’s Trophy for Best Service Hospital

Ministry of Defence

The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar presented the Raksha Mantri’s Trophy and citation for the Best and Second Best Service Hospital in the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) here today. The trophy for the Best Service Hospital went to Command Hospital (Eastern Command), Kolkata, which was received by its Commandant Major General TS Ahluwalia. The trophy for the Second Best Hospital was presented to INHS Asvini, Mumbai, which was received by its Commandant Surgeon Rear Admiral AA Pawar.

Speaking on the occasion, the Defence Minister praised the yeoman service being rendered by the AFMS over the years both in war and peace. He complimented all the members of Command Hospital (Eastern Command), Kolkata, INHS Asvini, Mumbai and the entire AFMS for their excellent work in provisioning of contemporary and comprehensive healthcare.

The Director General AFMS and Senior Colonel Commandant Lt Gen BK Chopra in his opening remarks highlighted the modernisation programme of the Medical Services and reassured that the AFMS is fully prepared to meet any challenge.

The Raksha Mantri’s Trophy was instituted in 1989 to create a healthy competition among the Command Hospitals of the Army and its equivalent hospitals in the Navy and Air Force. The Best and Second Best Hospital are adjudged on the basis of a number of objective criteria by a Committee headed by Director General Health Services (Armed Forces). The Joint Secretary (O/N), Ministry of Defence is also a member of the Committee.

The function was attended by all the three Service Chiefs, Defence Secretary and other senior officers from the Services and the Ministry of Defence.

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One Rank One Pension – Payments Expected to Start in January

One Rank One Pension – Payments Expected to Start in January

The Ministry of Defence, meanwhile, is rethinking whether it should debar officers and men who go home before completing their tenure from the benefits of OROP.

About 25 lakh armed forces veterans get their first enhanced pension under the One Rank One Pension Scheme, or OROP,  in January, top Ministry of Defence officials said. The enhanced pensions will cost the exchequer around Rs. 7,000 crore.

The Ministry of Defence, meanwhile, is rethinking whether it should debar officers and men who go home before completing their tenure from the benefits of OROP.

About 80% officers and men leave the forces when they fail to make it to the next rank. The benefits of the current scheme are denied to them. For example, a Colonel who leaves the army before completing his tenure as he didn’t make it to the next rung – Brigadier – will not be entitled to OROP.

But sources said Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has ordered a rethink on this and is inclined to strike this provision off.

If done, it would address one of the major concerns of the armed forces.

“If officers who leave their tenure incomplete and quit for not being making it to the next rung are denied OROP, the forces will be saddled with passed over officers. Worse, they will have to work under the command of junior officers,” a source in the ministry said.

Veterans will also get their OROP arrears – the scheme has been brought into effect from July 2014 – before the end of this financial year. It will cost the government Rs. 11,000 crore.

War widows and Gallantry award winners will their arrears in one go – the rest will get it in four equal installments.

The implementation of OROP – a pre-election promise by the BJP – was announced this September after prolonged negotiations.

The scheme could, however, not be implemented immediately because of the Bihar elections and the model Code of Conduct that came into play during elections.

Source: NDTV

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Paramilitary Forces awaiting government nod for One Rank One Pension OROP

Paramilitary Forces awaiting government nod for One Rank One Pension OROP



New Delhi: With the ‘One Rank, One Pension’ (OROP) scheme for military veterans set to be notified soon, officials of central paramilitary forces, too, may be in for good news soon as the government is likely to take a final decision on granting of “organised services” status to them.

New Delhi: With the ‘One Rank, One Pension’ (OROP) scheme for military veterans set to be notified soon, officials of central paramilitary forces, too, may be in for good news soon as the government is likely to take a final decision on granting of “organised services” status to them.

In a significant order by a division bench of Justices Kailash Gambhir and Najmi Waziri on September 3, Delhi High Court had asked the Centre to consider these forces as “organised services” and ensure non-functional financial upgradation (NFU) from 2006 in terms of the 6th Pay Commission.

“Home Ministry, the cadre-controlling authority of these officers, will soon take a final call in this regard as the court had given it eight weeks’ time to issue orders. That deadline will expire in the first week of November,” sources in the security establishment said.

They said the chiefs of these forces have also submitted their respective reports in this regard to the Home Ministry and have indicated that such upgradation should be granted to these personnel.

“Some officials of these forces, retired and serving, have also met Home Minister Rajnath Singh in this regard recently. He has assured them that the government will come out with its final decision soon,” they said.
Sources added that the government may take the final call on the issue post the declaration of Bihar poll results on November 8 as the model code of conduct is in place till then.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had yesterday said that the notification for the implementation of the OROP scheme for military veterans will be made “within days” of the Bihar poll process coming to an end.
“The government also has the option of filing a Special Leave Petition in Supreme Court for challenging the Delhi HC order. But the forces have requested the Ministry not to take this step and instead implement the HC order, as that would be a morale booster,” they said.

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OROP News: Government to issue notification on One Rank One Pension after Bihar polls – Manohar Parrikar

OROP News: Government to issue notification on One Rank One Pension after Bihar polls – Manohar Parrikar

New Delhi: The notification on One Rank One Pension scheme will be issued “within days” of the Bihar poll process coming to an end as the model code of conduct is currently in place, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said today.

Asked if it would be a Diwali gift to the protesting veterans, he said, “I am trying to have it before Diwali (November 11).”

The counting of votes in Bihar will take place on November 8 but the model code of conduct will remain in place till November 12.

“It (notification) will be issued within days after the Bihar poll process ends,” Parrikar told reporters here.
He said the government did not come out with the notification as the model code of conduct has been in place.

The protesting ex-servicemen had yesterday in a letter signed in blood to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanded early implementation of OROP scheme.

On the 133rd day of their relay hunger strike at Jantar Mantar here, the veterans said that the announcement made by Parrikar on September 5 regarding the implementation of OROP had “seven serious shortcomings”.

If implemented without the removal of the shortcomings, it will kill the definition of OROP, the letter claimed.
The letter further accused Parrikar of “changing the goalpost” every now and then.

The protesting veterans asked the Prime Minister to issue notification to implement OROP scheme at the earliest.

Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement spokesperson Col (retd) Anil Kaul said the letter was signed in blood by around 200 general officers and others.

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Small issues in OROP will be dealt in future: Defence Minister

Small issues in OROP will be dealt in future: Defence Minister

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday said there might be a few small issues pertaining to implementation of ‘One rank, one pension’ (OROP) scheme, which over time will get automatically addressed.

“OROP as a principle has been accepted, full financial requirements have been fulfilled. There might be a few small issues which over a period of time will get automatically addressed,” he told reporters here.

Parrikar said the issue has more or less been resolved.

“According to me the issue is more or less resolved, have you ever seen that 100 per cent things are fulfilled to everyone’s satisfaction?,” Parrikar said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today made it clear that the armed forces jawans who have had to give up their jobs prematurely would be covered by OROP benefits announced by the government on Saturday. Welcoming the statement the agitating ex-servicemen decided to call off their hunger strike but said would continue their protest till all the “sticky” issues are resolved.

Maj Gen (retd) Satbir Singh, leader of the association leading the agitation, said the protest will continue till four specific points raised by the ex-servicemen are not accepted by the government.

One of them was revision of pension every two years but the government has decided to revise pension every five years.

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Government Announces One Rank One Pension Scheme for Ex-Servicemen

Government Announces One Rank One Pension Scheme for Ex-Servicemen 

The Government has announced the One Rank One Pension scheme for the Ex-Servicemen. This was announced by the Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar here today. The following is the statement of the Defence Minister:

“Government of India respects its Defence Forces and Ex-Servicemen for their valour, patriotism and sacrifices. The Government is proud of their devotion to duty and bravery. Our forces, besides vigilantly and gallantly defending the nation, have displayed exemplary standards of courage and bravery in natural calamities, law and order situations and other difficult circumstances.

The issue of “One Rank One Pension” (OROP) has been pending for nearly four decades. It is a matter of deep anguish that the various governments remained ambivalent on the issue of OROP. In February 2014, the then Government stated that OROP would be implemented in 2014-15, but did not specify what OROP would be, how it would be implemented or how much it would cost. An estimated Rs. 500 crore provided for OROP in the budget presented in February 2014 by the then government was not based on any thorough analysis. It is pertinent to mention that the then Minister of State for Defence in 2009 had, in reply to a question, informed Parliament that there are administrative, technical and financial difficulties in implementing OROP. It is for these reasons that the present government took some time to fulfil its promise.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has, on various occasions, reiterated the Government’s commitment to implement OROP for Ex-Servicemen under military pension. As stated above, the previous government has estimated that OROP would be implemented with a budget provision of a mere Rs. 500 crore. The reality, however, is that to implement OROP, the estimated cost to the exchequer would be Rs. 8,000 to 10,000 crore at present, and will increase further in future.

The Government held extensive consultations with experts and Ex-Servicemen. The main argument for OROP is that the Defence personnel retire early and thus are not able to get the benefits of serving till normal retirement age. Despite the huge fiscal burden, given its commitment to the welfare of Ex-Servicemen, the Government has taken a decision to implement the OROP.

In simple terms, OROP implies that uniform pension be paid to the Armed Forces personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement. Future enhancements in the rates of pension would be automatically passed on to the past pensioners. This implies bridging the gap between the rate of pension of current and past pensioners at periodic intervals.

Under this definition, it has been decided that the gap between rate of pension of current pensioners and past pensioners will be bridged every 5 years.

Under the OROP Scheme:

 
The benefit will be given with effect from 1st July, 2014. The present government assumed office on 26th May, 2014 and therefore, it has been decided to make the scheme effective from a date immediately after.
Arrears will be paid in four half-yearly instalments. All widows, including war widows, will be paid arrears in one instalment.

To begin with, OROP would be fixed on the basis of calendar year 2013.

Pension will be re-fixed for all pensioners retiring in the same rank and with the same length of service as the average of minimum and maximum pension in 2013. Those drawing pensions above the average will be protected.

Personnel who voluntarily retire will not be covered under the OROP scheme.

In future, the pension would be re-fixed every 5 years.

It is estimated that the expenditure on arrears alone would be ten to twelve thousand crores of rupees. Apart from the fact that the previous government had provided for only Rs. 500 crore in the budget, it is noteworthy that the Koshiyari Committee had accepted the estimate of Rs. 235 crore as additional financial burden to implement OROP. The present government has accepted OROP in true spirit without being constrained by these inaccurate estimates.

OROP is a complex issue. A thorough examination of interests of retirees of different periods and different ranks is needed. The inter-service issues of the three Forces also require consideration. This is not an administrative matter alone. Therefore, it has also been decided that a One Member Judicial Committee would be constituted which will give its report in six months.

Prime Minister Shri Modi has fulfilled his commitment and approved OROP for Armed Forces personnel. Ministry of Defence will soon issue detailed Government Order.”


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