NEW DELHI: A double proposal from the Defense Ministry to raise the retirement age for officers and cut pensions for those seeking early retirement has sparked another major 15 lakh controversy. strong armed forces.
The measure of the Ministry of Defense comes in the context of the urgent need for a restructuring of cadres in the Army, Navy and IAF amid the growing pension bill that negatively impacts military modernization. “The goal is also to retain skilled labor for longer periods,” said an official.
But it has also led to widespread criticism from the 65,000-strong officer cadre on the grounds that it will undermine measures taken over the years to keep the armed forces “young and fit.” It will also be a “strong disincentive” for replaced officers to seek a second career on “civil street,” they said.
According to the October 29 letter issued by the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) headed by the Chief of Defense Staff, General Bipin Rawat, the retirement age for ranks up to colonels in the Army and equivalents in the Navy and IAF will rise to 57 years from the existing 54.
In the same way, it will be 58 years for the brigadistas (of 56) and 59 for the generals of division (of 58). Lieutenant generals will continue to serve until age 60, and military chiefs until age 62 as before.
The retirement age for Jawans and JCOs (junior officers) in non-combat weapons like logistics, technical and medical branches will also be raised to 57.
Regarding retirement benefits, officers will get only 50% of the pension they are entitled to if they retire prematurely (PMR) after 20-25 years of service, 60% after 26-30 years and 75% after 31-35 years. Today, both military officers and their civil counterparts be eligible for the pension (half of Last Salary drawn) after completing 20 years of service.
“The draft GSL (government sanction letter) must be processed for the reading of the secretary DMA (Gen Rawat) before November 10,” says the letter, to which TOI had access.
After the implementation of most of the provisions of the Ex-Military One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme in 2015, the pension bill has been vastly expanded. The defense pension bill for retired military and civilian personnel for this prosecutor, for example, is a staggering Rs 1.33 lakh crore.
But the new move to cut pensions for PMR takers, which comes after several controversies ranging from taxation of disability pensions and “monetization” of defense lands to restrictions on CSD purchases and the former military contributory health plan (ECHS), has led to an uproar among many serving and retired military officers.
They maintained that the DMA “does not have jurisdiction” to alter the pension formulas. “Salaries and pensions are approved by the Cabinet after being decided by pay commissions and expert committees. Any such move will be challenged in court, ”said a senior official.
Furthermore, the proposals go against measures taken to reduce the “graying profile” of the armed forces. “Most of the officers are replaced in the steep pyramid promotion structure of the military. Many of them take PMR for a second career after being eligible for the pension after 20 years. If these measures are implemented, they will be forced to comply until retirement to obtain the full pension, ”said another official.
Unlike civilian government employees, military personnel retire by rank at comparatively younger ages. All Jawans retire in their mid-30s and JCOs in their mid-40s, while most officers retire in the early 50s, with the goal of ensuring the military remains young and fit.
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