News Courtesy: Star of Mysore
Mysore, Sept.15- Thanks to the intervention of city-based VeKare Ex-Servicemen Trust, the disability pension of an ex-serviceman, which was withheld on the grounds that he was re-employed as a security guard, has been restored.
R.R. Chavan of K.R. Nagar, an ex-Naik, was discharged from the Indian Army and diagnosed as suffering from sciatica. Hence, he was sanctioned disability pension. However, the authorities stopped the pension with effect from June 3, 2001, as Chavan failed to attend a resurvey board for medical examination to review his condition.
Disclosing this to SOM, Mandetira N. Subramani, President of VeKare Ex-Servicemen Trust which takes up the cause of ex-servicemen and pension-related issues, said that Chavan did not have a permanent residence and hence did not receive the intimation.
“When Ex-Nk RR Chavan approached Artillery Records subsequently, he was asked to explain the delay for not appearing before the resurvey board, and to produce a non-employment certificate signed by the District Sainik Board and a non-conviction certificate from the Police,” Subramani added.
Subramani, who himself is a retired senior non-commissioned officer of the Indian Air Force and an advocate, questioned the need for the two certificates and pointed out that asking a non-conviction certificate for continuation of disability pension was “absurd and illogical.”
Subsequent to Ex-Nk Chavan attending the Resurvey Medical Boardduring 18.07.2007 to 25.07.2007, the Artillery Records Office sent a letter to him (dated March 25, 2009) stating that he was not entitled for disability pension as he was re-employed as a security guard in the State Bank of Mysore (SBM).
“The letter rejecting the pension cited Para 190 of Defence Service Regulations (DSR) pension part II to justify its decision,” said Subramani adding “what is intriguing is that the said regulations (Para 190) does not exist as DSR has only 105 paragraphs.”
Subramani, who took up this case with the higher authorities said that “within a few weeks of his Trust sending a email projecting the case of ex-serviceman, the disability pension was restored to Chavan. In a letter dated Aug. 7, 2014, the Artillery Records Office said that pension for the interim period when it was withheld has been sanctioned, and that the pension is for life and not to be stopped.”
Nk Chavan has received an arrears of disability pension amounting to Rs. 2,07,812 on 27.8.2014. His present basic disability pension has been re-fixed at Rs. 1,755 pm with 100% Dearness Relief amounting to Rs. 3,510 pm which was denied to him till now.
Continuation of Family pension to unmarried daughter: According to Subramani, the problem concerning the 59-year-old daughter of late Hony Capt. P.S. Chinnappa, Indira Chinnappa’s claim for continuation of family pension as an unmarried daughter which was also taken up with Artillery Record Office along with Nk Chavan’s disability pension issue, has been attended to by army authorities by sending her the required Family Pension Claim form.
However, Subramani claims that the Artillery Record has sought for some documents from the hapless lady Indira which are irrelevant and absurd since all the details regarding the date of death of Late Hony Capt. Chinnappa’s wife and date of birth of his two sons and his daughter Indira has already been recorded in the documents held with the Record Office.
Speaking to Star of Mysore, Subramani said half the problems of ex-servicemen would be resolved if the Officers in Uniform posted at different Army Record Offices apply their mind to resolve the problems concerning pension issues of ex-servicemen and their widows without becoming part of their problem by quoting non-existent rules and policies callously.
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