While the Army is all set to get the benefits of the one-rank-one-pension, it is disgraceful that certain elements who served the Army have been busy in running down the performance of the Central Paramilitary Forces and its demand for greater benefits
During the last few months, much has been said, discussed and argued over the issue of the one-rank-one-pension scheme. The issue has been mainly raised by retired Army officers and the impression given is that only the soldiers of the Army deserve OROP, as no such voice has been raised by the Navy and the Air Force. Unfortunately, the retired Army Generals, in their enthusiasm to participate in a race as to who projects first and perhaps with an aim of immediate implied financial gains, projected highly unfounded and twisted facts, particularly about the Central Paramilitary Forces, through the media.
We are not aware whether the retired Army Generals who participated in the fete for OROP, are aware that at one point of time, they inculcated an impression in the minds of the people that they had exceeded their brief. And what is most disheartening is that they started blaming and comparing themselves with the CPMFs.
They never ever projected the most arduous and difficult working and service conditions of CPMFs and never brought out as to what all benefits the ex-servicemen avail, consequent to their early retirement. One General, unfortunately, went on to compare the CPMFs as onions and Army as apple. The other, oblivious of facts, wrote that the CPMFs are sanctioned non-functional upgradations. We are appalled by such ignorance.
Some of the Generals even went on to comment on the training of the CPMFs, unaware of the recorded history that, way back on April 9, 1965, two companies of the Central Reserve Police Force, while working as border police in the Rann of Kutch, repulsed the attack of a Pakistani brigade on the Indian post, inflicted heavy casualty on the rivals, and held on to the post till the arrival of the Indian Army. It is also a matter of record that no fidayeen that entered a CRPF camp, has ever come out alive.
let it be emphatically clarified that the genesis of the CPMFs is the same as that of the country’s defence forces — Article 246, Seventh Schedule, entry two of the Union list to the Constitution of India. The CPMFs have been specifically defined as Armed Forces of the Union in various acts passed by Parliament and through various Government orders. These forces have also been so upheld in various court judgements (including by the Supreme Court of India).
The Central Reserve Police Force, the Border Security Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Central Industrial Security Force, the Special Security Force, Assam Rifles and the Railway Protection Force are defined as Paramilitary Forces. These facts should put the records straight. These forces have worked alongside the Indian Army for a long time and, in fact, a few are even deployed ahead of the Army.
These forces too, are the sentinels of the country and have never let the nation down, be it in fighting the enemy on borders and inside the country by way of countering Maoism, terrorism, militancy, low intensity warfare, left-wing extremism, guarding of airports, metros, public sector units, atomic power stations. They are even involved in disaster management, and in the conduct of free and fair elections across the country to uphold the democratic set-up of India.
Thirty two officers and approximately 1,000 men of the CPMFs have made supreme sacrifices in the line of duty during the last 10 years for the country. More than 7,500 men have sustained serious injuries in various operations. Yet these brave men are not treated as martyrs when it comes to the grant of financial benefits.
Be it the attack on Parliament or the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, the CPMFs have always stood the test of time. Owing to their peculiar working and service conditions, these forces suffer from high rate of suicides, fratricides and all sorts of diseases which lame the personnel for future life. These personnel have to undergo long separations from normal family and social life; there are numerous family discords; and many children, in the absence of proper parental control, hardly do well in life.
There is yet another strange fact: That, inspite of the CPMFs being part of the Armed Forces of the Union, and having made numerous supreme sacrifices for the country, they are treated at par with the civil servants who enjoy all benefits of a normal life. It must be brought out here that before the Third Pay Commission, the CPMFs were appropriately placed and had separate pay scales. After the TPC recommendations, their status was brought down, by ignoring their peculiar service conditions. Today, they are the worst sufferers. Shockingly, the CPMFs are not even entitled to normal pensionary benefits as they have been bracketed with the Contributory Pension Scheme with effect from the year 2004, even though they are members of the Armed Forces of the Union.
Owing to their arduous nature of duty, frequent movements and the difficult terrain they have to serve, most of the CPMF personnel would like to leave the forces as early as possible. In case similar facilities, as extended to defence personnel for early retirement at the age of 35-40 years with benefit of 10 years as added service, is provided to the CPMFs personnel, one can safely anticipate that more than two-third of the personnel of CPMFs would immediately proceed on retirement, as their service and working conditions are unbearably tough.
The CPMFs can have no objection to the personnel of defence forces being given the prime place at the national level as they protect the sovereignty and integrity of the country from external aggression. But at the same time, the sensitive role and sacrifices made by the CPMFs for guarding the borders and maintaining internal security of the country, cannot be overlooked and undermined to unbearable limits, leading to demoralisation, disgruntlement, frustration and demotivation of the CPMF personnel.
In the interest of the nation and to deal with the problems of terrorism, extremism and insurgency appropriately, it would be better to redefine ‘enemy’, ‘security’ and ‘internal security’. Anybody who spreads terrorism and acts against the larger interest of the nation, should be brought within the definition of ‘enemy’ and should be dealt by the special laws, and not the normal laws of the land meant for other criminals. The ‘enemy’ so defined, including the one active ‘within borders’, such as Maoists etc, should be dealt with by the defence forces, who claim to be better trained and equipped to handle such a menace.
The CPMFs, on the other hand, can be better utilised for in-house requirements. The management and decisive utilisation of the CPMFs needs urgent attention of the Government and the politicians at large. The country’s political cannot continue to treat the CPMF personnel as step-children.
(The writers are former IGPs of the Central Reserve Police Force)