Armed forces pension reform ideas have rightly stirred debate. A modernised HR policy is critical to introducing larger military reforms. But the issues and proposals need to be understood before any changes are made. The rush to reform has now meant that the defence pensions bill exceeds the wage bill.
Punjab crisis over farm laws is dangerous. Solution isn’t a tough response but political reasoning
The crisis in Punjab over farm laws is dangerous. The Centre sees these protests as politically motivated, requiring a tough response. It won’t work. Punjab farmers are entrepreneurial and can be persuaded to see the benefit in agricultural reform, over time. Deft political reasoning, not a sledgehammer, is the answer.
Shri Snehesh Alex Philip could do a comparative study what proportion of the military budget is spent on pensions, for that matter also on salaries and allowances, in other countries. In India, the balance is skewing away from acquisition of military hardware. One trillion on pensions is unaffordable. Some drastic reforms are required. Something worthy of CDS’s attention.
What we need to look for is not how other nations do it but what is the procedure for civil servants.
The civilian personnel are paid out of Dept of Personnel, Pay and Pensions. NOT through the line Ministries. How much was the pension component in Railways? And today only the Fin Min has said PS Bankers will get one rank one pension. So there is money to be spent on Bankers but not soldiers. May I ask how? The IAS would reply that banks produce profits while Services are cost centres.
Yes, the stovepipes that are the three services, have lots of overlaps. But these overlaps arise out of the service conditions. In the Air Force and the Navy there is commonality at bases. But what do you do about the Army? And the contracting out services was prevalent once. That model was abandoned post the 62 war.
The simplest way out would be to have a Dept of Veterans with pensions budgeted for. Out of Def Budget. And all civilians who are concerned about Def expenses should remember that if you pay out only peanuts, you will get monkeys.
Political reasoning, not a tough response … That would have been great advice to heed from May 2014 onwards.