Returning Awards and Medals

December 14, 2009

Lok Sabha

In protest against non-acceptance of their demand of One Rank One Pension, some of the ex-servicemen surrendered their medals. Nine cardboard boxes full of medals have been received.

A Committee was set up under the Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary to look into the issue of One Rank One Pension and other related issues. After considering all aspects of the issue, the Committee did not find it administratively feasible to recommend One Rank One Pension, as such. However, keeping in mind the spirit of the demand several other recommendations to substantially improve pensionary benefits of Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) and Commissioned Officers have been made, which have been accepted by the Government:-

i) Bringing parity between pension of pre and post October 10, 1997 PBOR pensioners.

ii) Inclusion of Classification Allowance of PBOR from January 01, 2006.

iii) Further improving PBOR pensions based on award of GOM, 2006.

iv) Removal of linkage of full pension with 33 years from January 01, 2006 in respect of Commissioned Officers.

v) Revision of pension of Lt. General pension after carving out a separate pay scale of Rs. 69000 - 79000.

vi) Broad banding of percentage of disability/war injury pension for pre January 01, 1996 disability/war injury pensioners.

vii) Removal of the cap on war injury element of pension in the case of disabled pensioners belonging to Category E, which have also been accepted by the Government.

Two of the recommendations at SI. No. (ii) and (iv) have since been implemented through a Govt. letter dated October 10, 2009. Other recommendations are at different stages of implementation. Since the issue on which ex-servicemen have been protesting has been substantially addressed by the Committee, the Government expects them to honour their hard earned medals.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Shri MM Pallam Raju in a written reply to Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh Alias Lalan Singh in Lok Sabha today.