Plans To Increase Retirement Age, Cut Pension = Further Degradation Of Armed Forces, Say Veterans
Mubarak Ansari
Pune, November 5, 2020: In a serious deliberation about increasing the retirement age of the officers and jawans in the armed forces, the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) under the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat has suggested 57 years for officers (upto Colonel rank its equivalent in Indian Navy and Air Force) and jawans from logistics, technical and medical branch (including EME, Army Service Corps (ASC) and Army Ordnance Corps (AOC).
For Brigadiers and equivalent, it will be 58 years, and for Major General and equivalent ranks in other services, the retirement age will be 59 years. There will be no changes from Lt Gen onwards. At present, most of the jawans retire before 45 years of age, Colonels at 54 years and Brigadiers at the age of 56 years.
The DMA secretariat has also come out with ‘staggered pension payments’ based on years of service. The DMA office has sought a government sanction letter (GSL) by November 10 for review by DMA Secretary who is CDS Gen Rawat.
“The proposal for an increase in ages of retirement is presently under consideration. Based on the feedback from the environment and the deliberations/presentations on the subject, it is directed that a draft GSL [in two parts] be processed for changes in retirement profile and pension entitlements,” the letter states.
Pension entitlements for Premature Release (PMR)
There are a large number of personnel who are boarded out in view of lesser vacancies and some service restrictions. At the same time, there are several specialists/super-specialists who are trained for high skilled jobs in the services that leave the service to work in other sectors. Such loss of high manpower results in a void in the services skill matrix and is counter-productive to the armed forces. In view of this, it has been decided to review the pension entitlements as under:
(a) Pension entitlements for the PMR of personnel will be as under – (i) 20-25 years service – 50 percent of entitled pension
(ii) 26-30 years service 60 percent of entitled pension
(iii) 31-35 years service – 75 percent of entitled pension
(iv) Above 35 years service – full pension
(b) There will be no change of pension entitlements of Battle Casualties.
It may be recalled that CDS General Rawat has suggested raising the retirement age for defence personnel to address the issue of increase in pension items. The retirement age of nearly four lakh Army personnel engaged in technical posts and non-combat roles will be raised. It will also benefit thousands of Air Force and Navy personnel. “This decision will benefit about four lakh jawans in the first phase. Right now, roughly a young man stays in the army for 17-18 years. The government gives him a pension for 34-35 years. Under the new scheme, the jawans will get a chance of 34-35 years of service and will get a pension of 17-18 years,” Gen Rawat had said earlier.
Benefit to both the government and the youth
Increasing the age limit will benefit both the government and the youth. According to General Rawat, Army personnel at present retire before they are less than 40 years of age. The employment they get after this is not in line with their respect. Their children are also studying in school. While the government also suffers from this. The cost of government pensions is rising. In the defence budget, Rs 1.33 lakh crore has been given for pension. It is increasing year by year and accounts for about 30 percent of the defence budget.
First phase includes non-combat role personnel
Rawat said that in the first phase, the process has been initiated to raise the retirement age of one-third of the servicemen, similar to the retirement age of officers. Soldiers working in technical positions, medical services, non-combat roles (services) will be brought under this ambit. Many studies were done in this regard and this decision has been taken on their report.
Veterans Calls Move As Degradation of Armed Forces
However, many veterans have called this move of the DMA as degradation of the armed forces.
“The proposal has some positive and mostly negative things for the soldiers. The government will save money as they spend 1.5 times more on a new person after a soldier decides to leave the service. The number of officers is less but jawans are in large numbers. It will create difficulty in cadre management as there will be no avenues for senior officers,” said a veteran officer.
“A 57-year-old man cannot perform duty with the same enthusiasm in high altitude areas like Ladakh. Gen Rawat has spoken about senior persons being posted in plains (peace locations) and more young soldiers will be posted in high-altitude, difficult terrain areas. But again there will be cadre/man management problems,” he added.
Col Ajay Singh (retd) said, “The present proposal of reduced pension for those who seek Premature release is not a step in the right direction. As per the terms of service, pensionable service is 20 years, and those who complete it should get their complete pension.
This step may make officers and men linger on in service for a full pension and could lead to a sense of stagnation- more so since there is an increase in the years of service. While increasing the years of service is good – especially for JCOs and NCOs of technical arms, it is not applicable to those of fighting arms – Infantry, Armour and Artillery- who make up the bulk of the army. It may not be possible for them since a young profile is required, but perhaps they can be catered for by being laterally absorbed in other sectors.”
Another soldier added, “Additional years of service means more increments means more pension & employment for three more years for Colonels. So, except PMR cases (approx 2 %), all those who are not likely to have an alternate career now can serve for a longer time. Also, stagnation is present in all organisations not just in forces. Due to COVID, many have lost their jobs and many have accepted pay cuts unwillingly. The employment situation is going to improve over the next few years. In such a scenario, additional years of service can benefit many. This may discourage some officers from taking PMR but those with skills and guaranteed plans/assured jobs will accept reduced pension to make a corporate career.”
“This is sheer politics to stop the pension. First, they will get a GSL out for 50% pension and then see that every body’s service life is extended so that fewer people retire so fewer people get the pension. Then ensure that people serve till 37 years so that people get covered in the National pension scheme (NPS) and stop pensions after the GSL aid implemented for armed forces and convert everybody to NPS. However, all Flag officers and above get benefitted and then once on NPS pensions policy implemented, regular pensions get stopped”, said a very senior veteran officer.
Veterans denounce the pension cut
The move to cut pensions has also not gone well. “This seems to be an exercise to reduce pension bills” said Captain DK Sharma (Retd), a former naval officer.
“There are already issues related to non-functional upgradation (NFU), one rank one pension (OROP), and this proposal to reduce pension. It will further make the armed forces non-lucrative career for youths as whatever is promised at the time of joining gets changed midway. In the present proposal, no thought has been given about soldiers from the fighting arms like infantry, armoured artillery etc. who form the majority of the army,” said another officer.
Another officer pointed out, “it’s a retrograde initiative. Idea is to remove the pension factor which will be detrimental for new people entering service. The CDS wants NFU scuttled for armed forces; this is a counter to that so that people don’t retire.”
Brigadier Pradeep Sharma (retd) said, “This further indicates two things. Only some ex NDAs and TES entries will be eligible for 100% pension as max DEs and SS officers join at the age of more than 22-23 yrs of age (35 yrs of service + 22 yrs of age = 57 yrs which is also the retirement age of a Col).
Same may not be applicable for jawans in fighting arms. Their pensionable service is being slightly increased. I think 20 years and they will hence be eligible for 50% of their salary is normal pension after 20 yrs of service whereas a Lt col with 20 yrs of service will only get 25% of his last salary (basic + MSP) ( 50% of present pension as per the letter).”
He further added, “What troubles my mind is why is the govt gunning for Armed Forces alone? Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are getting everything and expanding, IAS/ IPS don’t seem to be a burden on the budget, MPs/ MLAs too. Why does the army hurt this Nation so much?”
Another veteran Brigadier added, “Will anyone joins an organisation if you keep changing, terms of reference at whims& fancy of individuals.”
‘Adding problems of serving military personnel and veterans’
Another veteran soldier said, “instead of solving problems and giving relief, they are adding to the problems of serving military personnel and veterans! Instead of giving OROP in full, they are looking for ways and means to cut the entitled pension promised to them at the time of joining the military in the terms and conditions of joining. They are worse than the enemy at the LOC/LAC they are the most dangerous enemy within that is causing immense harm and frustration to all serving and retired military personnel.”
“While retirement age is a factor we can debate, I personally welcome it. The misnomer that we will have an old army is a statement open to the house to ponder. Because the fitness levels are higher today. A brigadier with 31 years of service and 51 years old is as fit as any other officer. But at that rank and age, it’s not physical fitness but mental mobility, decision making capability, indomitable spirit, risk-taking ability, calling a spade a spade, intellectual honesty and the tolerance for ambiguity that is required. Age, therefore, is not the ruling factor for retirement.
However, what this letter is trying to do is create an enigma of insecurity. Deny you alternate careers, you in your wisdom of ACRs being the main and only factor for promotion have already dug your grave, the manipulators, the managers, the yes men are many, yes a few good men exist. But the minority isn’t even worth making a change in our system.
The degree of non-empanelment due to a pyramidal structure is a reality that we aren’t even addressing. What we have done by giving them opportunities in staff and UN are like a laugh riot.
Employment without promotion prospects is a dead horse, we still want to flog it. We have mediocrity in senior leadership which surprisingly addresses itself as the privileged class because they have climbed the ladder while some of the unlucky ones who just happened to have a whimsical IO have been left behind. Our officers constantly beat the system. Take a breather out of the recently conducted NDC list. None of the guys decorated for gallantry or serving in field formations as young officers and company commanders have made it. Maybe a minuscule but hardly worth the reckoning. The guys with two to three tenures in AHQ are surely embedded there. We are just chanting our queens English to a bermudas triangle of in-retractable catastrophe. An Armageddon of the mediocre. While other government establishments secure their cadre, we for a few political brownie points, will SURELY LET DOWN OUR OWN. AS ALWAYS”, concluded an officer.
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