SSC is Violation of Human Rights - Veteran Capt Abhishekh Sharma

Short Service Commission is violation of human rights for youngsters who risk their life during young days & kept in doldrums till fresh beginning is made to start another career . A torture of 5+5 years in Defence. It should be banned unless principle of equality is applied in its service conditions in Armed Forces. Let's not exploit unemployment opportunities for sake of National Security. OR either have entire Armed Forces with Short Service Terms & Conditions to balance Human Rights, Economy & National Security . It has saddened that Govt Notification on OROP has not bothered to deliver pension on pro rata basis  in Defence service to SS Offrs. Nation has to consider this violation of human rights & give justice.

Granting of Permanent Commission for Women SSC Officers

Details of the number of women Short Service Commission (SSC) officers in each service of the Armed Forces (excluding Medical, Dental and Military Nursing Service Branches) are as under:-

 

Army (As on 1.7.2015)	Air Force (As on date)	Navy (As on date)
1412	1128	418

 

The number of women officers granted Permanent Commission in the Armed Forces since 2008 is as under:

Year	Army	Air Force	Navy
2008	PC was not applicable	#	Nil
2009
2010	19	41
2011	8	75
2012	12	50
2013	5	64
2014	10	54
2015	10	67

#Permanent Commission to women officers in Indian Air Force has been started from year 2010.

 

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh in a written reply to Shri Derek O Brien in Rajya Sabha today.

DM/NAMPI/RAJ

[PIB]

 

SSC Officers Leaving the Army

  The aims and objectives of Short Service Commission include addressing shortage of officers at Unit level, reducing promotional pressure in the pyramidical structure of the Armed Forces by way of early exit etc. Details of SSC officers released from service during the last three years i.e. 2012, 2013& 2014 and current year (2015) are as under:

Army (upto 1.12.2015)	Navy (upto 30.11.2015)	Air Force (upto 11.12.2015)
306	327	224

Government has already taken a number of steps to make Short Service Commission more attractive. This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh in a written reply to Shri Palvai Govardhan Reddy in Rajya Sabha today. DM/NAMPI/RAJ [PIB]

SSCO: Pilot cadets of the Indian Navy complete training

Sixteen Short Service Commission-Pilot cadets of the Indian Navy who successfully completed their training were given farewell at the Indian Naval Academy (INA) at nearby Ezhimala today.

In a stirring ceremony, the Deputy commandant, Rear Admiral M D Suresh and senior officers fixed the naval epaulettes, popularly known as "Stripes", on the shoulders of the trainee officers symbolizing their transformation from "cadets" into full fledged naval officers, a release from INA said today.

The Deputy Commandant who presided over the ceremony, exhorted the cadets to be professionals to seek to excel in all their endeavours in their naval career.

On completion of the training at the INA, the officers will now proceed to School for Naval Aviation (SFNA) at Kochi, prior to proceeding for their full-fledged flying training, the release said.

 

[Business Standard]

OROP : Young SSRC Officers Letters to Prime Minister

Email: dberry46@gmail.com                               Capt D C Berry

Mob: 9890026470                                                   Flat No 41, ‘A’ Wing
Res : 020-40040150                                                11^th Floor
                                                                                Opp Mahindra Colony
                                                                                Survey No 103
                                                                                Yerwada, Pune-411006

Email: suresh.jadhav22@gmail.com                 Capt Suresh T Jadhav
Mob: 9881723789                                                  B2/103 Ganga Orchard
Res : 020-26709244                                               Pingale Vasti
                                                                                Mundhawa Road
                                                                               Pune-411036

No:DCB,SJ/Pers/2015-16                                          Sep 2015                            

 

To,

Hon Shri Narendra Modi

          Prime Minister of India

South Block,Raisina Hill

          New Delhi-110011

 

SUB: OROP TO YOUNG OFFICERS WHO SERVED IN THE DEFENCE FORCES ONLY FOR A LIMITED NUMBER OF YEARS (INCLUDING SHORT SERVICE REGULAR COMMISIONED /PRE-MATURE RETIREE OFFICERS)

 

Respected Sir,

 

1.       At the outset on behalf of all officers who have served for a limited No of years of service, We would like to Thank you for granting OROP to all existing pensioners.  We are also gratified that during the Press Conference of Defence Minister on 05 Sep 2015, he categorically mentioned that there are only two categories of Ex-Servicemen, firstly War Widows and the other, Ex-Servicemen who have completed their full tenure of service.

 

2.       We were also very happy to note that you mentioned that all those who have served in the Armed Forces for their full tenure of service, or have served for a limited Number of years but had to leave due to unavoidable compelling circumstances, will also get OROP.

 

3.       We the ‘Have Nots’ who have rendered our full tenure of service and have fought all Wars & participated in Counter Insurgency Ops since 1965 till date, have done our assigned duties to the best of our ability & have helped in keeping the National Flag flying majestically. Our comrades have shed their blood for the country & several of our cadre have won gallantry awards.  We would also like to bring to your notice that Short Service Regular Commissioned Officers, despite having done yeoman service for the nation in their prime youth, were released due to prevailing conditions at that juncture, without any security or decent jobs.

 

4.       We are the severely affected officers who request you to consider our case sympathetically & grant us pension, to enable us to live a decent life, to which we are accustomed to, in the Armed Forces.

 

5.       We get released at an age of 30 to 35 years at which time at is difficult to start a new career & also look after our young families. Moreover, the service rendered by us as officers, is not counted for pension in civil jobs.  We are denied healthcare as we are not eligible to join Ex-Servicemen's Contributary Health Scheme  (ECHS).

 

6.       Sir, the plight of Ex Short Service Regular Commissioned Officers is extremely bad & we request that we should also be given OROP, as we too have served in the Armed Forces for our full tenures & have left service due to rules prevalent in the Forces, though we were willing to serve as long as any regular officers.

 

7.       Sir, we are confident that you will consider our case on merit while keeping in view the fact that we have also served with distinction & joined the Armed Forces  when our country was being threatened by outside forces.  We were prepared to face the enemy with determination & we have proved our worth in 1965,1971 & Kargil Operations, besides doing our tasks without fear of life in Counter Insurgency Operations & natural calamities.

 

8.       Sir, we are deserving of the genuine benefits, as applicable to all who served in uniform. While in Reserve list also, we were fully prepared to take on any responsibilities during War/Warlike situations, if called to do so.

 

9.       We await your magnanimous decision for the redressal of our  genuine grievances. 

Thanking you.

                                                                                     

Yours faithfully,

                                                                                               

(Capt DC Berry)    (Capt Suresh T Jadhav)        

 

OROP : Young SSRC Officers Letters to Finance Minister

Email: dberry46@gmail.com                                Capt D C Berry

Mob: 9890026470                                                   Flat No 41, ‘A’ Wing
Res : 020-40040150                                                11^th Floor
                                                                                Opp Mahindra Colony
                                                                                Survey No 103
                                                                                Yerwada, Pune-411006

Email: suresh.jadhav22@gmail.com                 Capt Suresh T Jadhav
Mob: 9881723789                                                  B2/103 Ganga Orchard
Res : 020-26709244                                               Pingale Vasti
                                                                                Mundhawa Road
                                                                               Pune-411036

No:DCB,SJ/Pers/2015-16                                          Sep 2015                            

 

To,

          Shri Arun Jaitley

          Ministry of Finance
          Ministry of Information & Broadcasing
          Room No 134, North Block
          New Delhi-110001

SUB: OROP TO YOUNG OFFICERS WHO SERVED IN THE DEFENCE FORCES ONLY FOR A LIMITED NUMBER OF YEARS (INCLUDING SHORT SERVICE REGULAR COMMISIONED /PRE-MATURE RETIREE OFFICERS)

 

Respected Sir,

 

1.       At the outset on behalf of all officers who have served for a limited No of years of service, We would like to Thank you for granting OROP to all existing pensioners.  We are also gratified that during the Press Conference of Defence Minister on 05 Sep 2015, he categorically mentioned that there are only two categories of Ex-Servicemen, firstly War Widows and the other, Ex-Servicemen who have completed their full tenure of service.

 

2.       We were also very happy to note that the Hon’ble Prime Minister mentioned that all those who have served in the Armed Forces for their full tenure of service or have served for a limited Number of years, but had to leave due to unavoidable compelling circumstances, will also get OROP.

 

3.       We the ‘Have Nots’ who have rendered our full tenure of service and have fought all Wars & participated in Counter Insurgency Ops since 1965 till date have done our assigned duties to the best of our ability & have helped in keeping the National Flag flying majestically. Our comrades have shed their blood for the country & several of our cadre have won gallantry awards.  We would also like to bring to your notice that Short Service Regular Commissioned Officers, despite having done yeoman service for the nation in their prime youth, were released due to prevailing conditions at that juncture, without any security or decent jobs.

4.       We are the severely affected officers who request you to consider our case sympathetically & grant us pension, to enable us to live a decent life, to which we are accustomed to, in the Armed Forces.

 

5.       We get released at an age of 30 to 35 years at which time at is difficult to start a new career & also look after our young families. Moreover, the service rendered by us as officers is not counted for pension in civil jobs.  We are denied healthcare as we are not eligible to join Ex Servicemen's Contributary Health Scheme (ECHS)

 

6.       Sir, the plight of Ex Short Service Regular Commissioned Officers is extremely bad & we request that we should also be given OROP as we too have served in the Armed Forces for our full tenures & have left service due to rules prevalent in the forces, though we were willing to serve as long as any regular officers.

 

7.       Sir, we are confident that you will consider our case on merit, while keeping in view, the fact that we have also served with distinction & joined the Armed Forces  when our country was being threatened by outside forces.  We were prepared to face the enemy with determination & we have proved our worth in 1965,1971 & Kargil Operations, besides doing our tasks without fear of life, in Counter Insurgency Operations & natural calamities.

 

8.       Sir, we are deserving of the genuine benefits, as applicable to all who served in uniform. While in Reserve list also we were fully prepared to take on any responsibilities during War/Warlike situations, if called to do so.

 

9.       We await your magnanimous decision for the redressal of our  genuine grievances. 

Thanking you.

                                                                                     

Yours faithfully,

                                                                                               

(Capt DC Berry)    (Capt Suresh T Jadhav) 

OROP : Young SSRC Officers Letters to Defence Minister

Email: dberry46@gmail.com                            Capt D C Berry

Mob: 9890026470                                                   Flat No 41, ‘A’ Wing
Res : 020-40040150                                                11^th Floor
                                                                                Opp Mahindra Colony
                                                                                Survey No 103
                                                                                Yerwada, Pune-411006

Email: suresh.jadhav22@gmail.com             Capt Suresh T Jadhav
Mob: 9881723789                                                  B2/103 Ganga Orchard
Res : 020-26709244                                               Pingale Vasti
                                                                                Mundhawa Road
                                                                               Pune-411036
 

No:DCB,SJ/Pers/2015-16                                          Sep 2015                            

To,

          Shri Manohar Parrikar
          Ministry of Defence
          104, South Block
          New Delhi-110001

 

SUB: OROP TO YOUNG OFFICERS WHO SERVED IN THE DEFENCE FORCES ONLY FOR A LIMITED NUMBER OF YEARS (INCLUDING SHORT SERVICE REGULAR COMMISIONED /PRE-MATURE RETIREE OFFICERS)

 

Respected Sir,

 

1.       At the outset on behalf of all officers who have served for a limited No of years of service, We would like to Thank you for granting OROP to all existing pensioners.  We are also gratified that during your Press Conference on 05 Sep 2015, you categorically mentioned that there are only two categories of Ex-Servicemen, firstly War Widows and the other, Ex-Servicemen who have completed their full tenure of service.

 

2.       We were also very happy to note that the Hon’ble Prime Minister too mentioned that all those who have served in the Armed Forces for their full tenure of service or have served for a limited Number of years, but had to leave due to unavoidable compelling circumstances, will also get OROP.

 

3.       We the ‘Have Nots’ who have rendered our full tenure of service and have fought all Wars & participated in Counter Insurgency Ops since 1965 till date, have done our assigned duties to the best of our ability & have helped in keeping the National Flag flying majestically. Our comrades have shed their blood for the country & several of our cadre have won gallantry awards.  We would also like to bring to your notice that Short Service Regular Commissioned Officers, despite having done yeoman service for the nation in their prime youth, were released due to prevailing conditions at that juncture, without any security or decent jobs.

  

4.       We are the severely affected officers who request you to consider our case sympathetically & grant us pension, to enable us to live a decent life to which we are accustomed to, in the Armed Forces.

 

5.       We get released at an age of 30 to 35 years at which time at is difficult to start a new career & also look after our young families.  Moreover, the service rendered by us as officers is not counted for pension in civil jobs.  We are denied healthcare as we are not eligible to join Ex Servicemen's Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS).

 

6.       Sir, the plight of Ex Short Service Regular Commissioned Officers is extremely bad & we request that we should also be given OROP as we too have served in the Armed Forces for our full tenures & have left service due to rules prevalent in the forces, though we were willing to serve as long as any regular officers.

 

7.       Sir, we are confident that you will consider our case on merit while keeping in view the fact that we have also served with distinction & joined the Forces  when our country was being threatened by outside forces. We were prepared to face the enemy with determination & we have proved our worth in 1965,1971 & Kargil Operations, besides doing our tasks without fear of life in Counter Insurgency Operations & natural calamities.

 

8.       Sir, we are deserving of the genuine benefits, as applicable to all who served in uniform. While in Reserve list also we were fully prepared to take on any responsibilities during War/Warlike situations, if called to do so!

 

9.       We await your magnanimous decision for the redressal of our  genuine grievances. 

Thanking you.

                                                                                     

Yours faithfully,

                                                                                               

(Capt DC Berry)    (Capt Suresh T Jadhav)        

 

Not Just OROP. Another Grave Injustice For Army

Shashi Tharoor

 

With all the understandable (and justified) focus on OROP, the media appears to have missed another major development in the Ministry of Defence - a decision to extend Short Service Commissions for 14 years. This is a gross injustice, and it is all the more difficult to understand in light of the Defence Minister's response to a question I raised in the Lok Sabha on December 12, 2014 (verbatim exchange follows):

 

"Madam Speaker, the issue of recruitment and the shortage of officers in our country is now widely known. But the Army appears to be addressing this by extending the duration of Short Service Commissions in a way that is doing an injustice to the officers concerned. In the old days, you would have a five-year commission. You would then leave and you would still be in the prime of your life; you would be able to find a job and move on. Today, they are making these officers stay for 10 years, 11 years, even 14 years. These are people who have no pension; they have no benefits. They leave the Army late and, as a result, they are not in a position thereafter to actually resume life in the civilian sector. I would like the Defence Minister to explain what the policy is now on Short Service Commissions. I would like to know whether the Government has begun extending these unobtrusively at the expense of the civil rights of the officers concerned. If they are going to do so, whether it would not be fairer to give them all the benefits that a normal officer would be entitled to, pensions included? Thank you, Madam, Speaker."

 

The Minister for Defence, Manohar Parrikar, replied as follows (again verbatim transcript from the parliamentary proceedings):

 

"Madam, I entirely agree with the hon. Member. Whatever was the original concept of the Short Service Commission is being totally put upside down by extending it to 14 years. In fact, I had a discussion on this issue. We are trying to address this issue very shortly. We will definitely take care of this concept. There was 17 per cent shortage of officers by the year 2012. As of now, we are recruiting more officers. Every year, we are addressing one per cent. So, we are coming down by one per cent every year. I expect that by another ten years, we should be able to ultimately fill up the vacant posts. As far as the Short Service Commission is concerned, I will definitely address this issue because I am also concerned with the same issue. I have asked for more details. There is some reasoning given by them. Give me some time. I think, in a couple of months, I should be able to address this issue. I understand your concern. The same concern was expressed by me. You are virtually suggesting to convert them into a regular Commission by taking it to 14 years. The original idea was different."

 

That's the point. The original idea behind the Short Service Commission was a good one: it kept the armed forces young, gave men and women in their 20s an opportunity to experience military life, while allowing them to have the satisfaction of serving our motherland in their youth and going on to pursue other careers thereafter. Those Short Service Commission officers who sought it could seek a Permanent Commission, but few got one and the vast majority were supposed to move on to other careers outside the Forces.

 

This is why the Short Service Commission was genuinely short - five years in your 20s added to your experience without making a major dent in your life or career plans. But there has been a gradual extension of the five year period to seven, ten, and now fourteen. As a former officer who brought the problem to my attention observed to me, "The SSC ceased to be short when it was made minimum 7 years. It became exploitative when made minimum 10 years. Now that the minimum service is 14 years, it is just abuse of the youth." As this former officer, Mr Balakrishna, argues, "Anything more than 7 years should be treated as a career option. And a career cannot end abruptly after 10 or 14 years."

 

The charge of exploitation or even abuse is not exaggerated. I recently received a heart-rending email from a Navy Lieutenant on a Short Service Commission, who shall remain nameless since he is still in service and I do not want him to be open to reprisals. I am quoting from it in his own language (without editing the English) to convey his genuine anguish: "The charter of duties are same [sic] for SSC officers as of PC officers. If duties are same then why there is a huge difference in benefits. We SSC officers will be out from the service at 10 or 14 yrs. At that stage we will be at critical stage we don't have any further exposure of outside world. We SSC are neither entitled for pension, ECHS and membership of any club. ...All benefits is [sic] only for permanent commission officer and the other ranks who does minimum 15 yrs of service and gets all facilities. If we are also relieved at the same age bracket then why this discrimination. Dear sir it is a sad state of affairs, all veterans are busy in asking OROP, but they left their brothers behind who had also spent their prime young time with them. ... Most of us has [sic] just started our families. Few are about to become fathers. Sir we are also human being and did nothing wrong while joining service enthusiastically but some where it is getting diminished...Our future is at stake."

 

It is time that, as a nation, we thought about the human beings who don uniforms to keep us safe. After 14 years of service, SSCOs would retire at the age of around 36-40 years, the time when job/financial security matters the most. By this age, most would have married and have school-going children; this is likely to be the case also for those released after 10 years. The chances of a Permanent Commission are minimal for most of the SSCOs; indeed the policy on granting Permanent Commission is very vague and decisions are left to the discretion - sometimes the whim - of the senior Officers concerned. Those in the executive branches of the navy and air force are not granted Permanent Commissions even if their performance has been better than their fellow officers who are permanently commissioned. It is a criminal waste of India's human resources that young officers, well-trained, qualified, medically fit, and willing to serve, are simply let go because they were hired under one category rather than another.

 

In fact many choose to extend their service to 14 years because of the uncertainty of a second career. And where can they go? There are no special provisions for them, and the existing rules don't help. Former SSCOs who are 36-40 years old will not be eligible to most of the Group A equivalent positions in the civil services or in public sector undertakings, as the age limit at entry is 30 years (a relaxation of five years is sometimes granted for Ex-Service personnel, but at 35 that prospect also disappears).

 

As young officers who joined the services in the first flush of idealistic enthusiasm wake up to these realities, disenchantment sets in. Our country cannot afford demoralization among SSCOs after a few years of service. Worse, the Government is beset with a large number of ongoing legal cases and representations against the evident discrimination in terms of grant of financial and other benefits on release.
          
The solution is simple. Keep Short Service Commissions short: in and out in five years, no further obligations on either side. But for those who wish to continue further in service - and whom the armed forces consider good enough to keep - they should be converted to a status that gives them the same benefits and entitlements as permanent commissioned officers of equivalent experience. This would make the SSCO both a platform to give motivated young people an opportunity to experience military life, and an alternative route to filling the ranks of military officers and curing the chronic shortages our armed forces are suffering from.

 

Those who quit after five years (typically in the age group of 27-30 years when the pressures of family are much lower and the appetite for risk is higher) will not find it difficult to embark on a second career; indeed the experience will stand them in good stead in landing a job. And these Officers can be ambassadors of Armed Forces in their second career and attract more youth to join the services.
          
As for those who stay on for 10 and even 14 years, the government should pay a pro-rata pension and related benefits, based on the length of service. The government should also consider making arrangements for lateral entry into the Civil Services, the Central Armed Police Forces, or public sector undertakings, relaxing the rules that prevent this from being an option.

 

If the Defence Minister really meant what he said in his impromptu answer to me in Parliament, he should review the decision of his bureaucrats to perpetrate an injustice upon the brave young women and men who protect our nation with their lives.

 

(Dr Shashi Tharoor is a two-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, the former Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Human Resource Development and the former UN Under-Secretary-General. He has written 15 books, including, most recently, India Shastra: Reflections On the Nation in Our Time.)

 

[ NDTV ]