The 7th foundation day of Personnel below Officer Rank (PBOR), Purva Sainik welfare association was organised at Community centre of Survey of India estate on Sunday. large number of ex servicemen belonging to other ranks participated in a convention organised to mark the day.
Speaking on the occasion, the Mussoorie MlA, Ganesh Joshi said that being a former sepoy himself he understands the problems of BBOR. He said that the shortcomings in the recently implemented One Rank One Pension (OROP) would be removed soon. He said that he is always committed to the problems faced by the ex-servicemen. He listed relaxation in VAT in army canteens, setting up memorial of Garhwal Rifles (GR) and canteen facilities to the retried personnel of Assam Rifles as some his achievements.
The senior BJP MlA promised that he would continue to raise the demands of PBOR at appropriate forums. The President of the association Para- trooper (PTR), Shamsher Singh Bisht said that the PBOR face discrimination at every level and they should unite to fight prejudice against them. He demanded that the government should bring parity in the allowances given to officers and OR. Bisht said that there is big gap in the allowances like High altitude allowance given to officers and OR which should be corrected. He said that after retirement the OR face problems due to undue favour given to retried officers. The association is of the view that the after retirement the status of officer and OR should be similar. Bisht said that the personnel retiring from the rank of honorary lieutenant or captain are not given treatment at par with the officers in the hospitals governed under ECHS.
The association of PBOR is of the view that the OR should be given respect they deserve for serving the country and they should be given proper political representation also. The association is against the hegemony of retired officers while they account for less than 5 percent of total ex servicemen only. The members of the association also vented their anger on Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam limited (UPNl) for not working as per its mandate.
Ninety six year old Naib Subedar, Chandra Bahadur Tamang (Rtd) and widows of martyrs were felicitated on the occasion.