Highlights
1
The government has slashed disability pensions for armymen.
2
The ministry of defence issued notification on September 30.
3
The notification has been given retrospective effect from January 1, 2016.
On September 28, the special commandos of Indian army carried out surgical strikes in PoK crossing the LoC and inflicted heavy casualties on the terrorists. None of the commandos received major injuries in the operation. The entire country celebrated the operation.
Two days later, on September 30 the central government issued a notification slashing disability pensions for the army jawans.
Had any of the soldiers been crippled and invalidated out of army due to an injury received during the surgical strikes, he would have found his pension amount slashed dramatically, thanks to the gazette notification of September 30.
PENSION SURGERY AFTER SURGICAL STRIKE
The government issued a letter, reducing the pensions for soldiers invalidated out of the army due an injury in the line of duty, at a time while it was still celebrating the successful cross LoC strikes at terror launch pads.
The notification was issued by the department of ex-servicemen welfare under the ministry of defence. The document was posted on the ministry's website announcing reduced rates of pensions under head titled, 'Enhancement in rate of disability pension'.
The reduction in disability pensions covers not only those caused in battles, but also medical disabilities including respiratory ailments aggravated by any kind of military service.
The new rule has been put into effect retrospectively from January 1, 2016.
THE IMPACT
According to the new rule, in the case of 100 per cent disability, the monthly pension for a young jawan has been slashed by Rs 18,000. Had a young commando, sent on the surgical strike mission, been invalidated during the operation, his pension would have been reduced from Rs 45,200 to Rs 27,200 per month.
A major- equivalent to the team leader on the surgical strike mission- with ten years of service would face a loss of Rs 70,000 a month in case of 100 per cent disability. Pensions for junior commissioned officers like Naib Subedars with 26 years of service have been cut by Rs 40,000 a month.
The loss in pension amount has happened as the government accepted the recommendation of the seventh pay commission to discontinue the 'percentage disability' system introduced by 6th CPC in 2006. The old system has been replaced with slab system.
Before the September 30 notification, the armymen who had suffered 100 per cent disability were entitled to a pension equal to their last drawn salary. In addition to this, they were also entitled to get 50 per cent amount of their last drawn pay as 'service component' of pension.
SURGICAL STRIKES VS PENSIONS VS POLLS
The army's cross LoC operation has become an election issue in the poll-bound states of UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Goa. Various political parties, including the BJP have put out posters symbolising surgical strikes to drive political mileage out of it.
But, as the news percolating down among the jawans and ex-servicemen, it is increasingly becoming difficult for the BJP to justify cut in disability pensions for the jawans, who fight terrorists and protect boundaries of the country.
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