OBJECTIVES

1.BSF SERVICE PAY(Beneficiaries – Serving as well as retired bordermen)

1. Consequent upon recommendations of 6th CPC, Government of India sanctioned MSP (Military Service Pay) @ Rs. 2,000/- p.m. to PBOR (Personnel Below Officer Rank) and @ Rs. 6,000/- p.m. to officers w.e.f. 01.09.2008. The MSP was counted as pay for all purposes including pension to all pre 01.09.2008 defence pensioners.7th CPC w.e.f. 01.01.2016, increased the MSP @ Rs. 5200/- p.m. for PBOR and Rs. 15,500/- p.m. to officers. This has resulted into huge disparity in pay between BSF personnel and Army Personnel. On adding DA on MSP, this huge disparity is becoming bigger after every six months due to increase in DA. This has also caused huge variation in the pension of Ex-Bordermen and Ex-Servicemen. To address this disparity in pay and pension the case was taken up by DGBSF for the 1st time some time in April 2008 and since than efforts are still in progress, but no favourable decision has been taken sofar by Government of India inspite of very strong recommendations of MHA.
2. Army was sanctioned MSP to maintain parity with civilians with a distinct edge to compensate hardships specific to Army. It is a well known fact and needs no elaboration that the harships of service conditions of BSF are much more harder than Army. 7th CPC even sanctioned MSP @ Rs. 10,800/- p.m. to Nursing Officers and @ Rs. 3,600/- p.m. to Non Combatants (Enrolled) of the Air Force. Hence, needless to say, we have a very strong case to file and fight before the Hon’ble Courts of our country.

Table showing arrears of Basic Pension due to Service Pay from 01.09.2008 to 31.12.2015 (6th CPC) and from 01.01.2016 to 31.12.2017 (7th CPC).

2.OROP (Beneficiaries – Retired Bordermen and serving after the retirement voluntarily or superannuation)

Redressing Grievances of Ex-Servicemen (ESM-means Ex-Army, Ex-Air Force and Ex-Navy) over OROP, the salient features of Government order dated 07.11.2015 on OROP are as under:-

1. Pension of all the past pensioners was re-fixed on the basis of pension of retirees of calendar year 2013 and the benefit was made effective with effect from 01.07.2014. In future, the pension would be re-fixed every 5 years.
2. Pension was re-fixed for all pensioners on the basis of the average of minimum and maximum pension of personnel retired in 2013 in the same rank and with the same length of service. Pension of those drawing above the average was protected.
3. In future, the pension would be re-fixed every 5 years.
4. Hence, pension would be re-fixed w.e.f. 01.07.2019 on the basis of calendar year 2018, and thereafter again will be re-fixed w.e.f. 01.07.2024 on the basis of calendar year 2023.
5. In addition to above, pension has been revised/would be revised due to implementation of 7th CPC (w.e.f. 01.01.2016 / 8th CPC w.e.f. 01.01.2026) respectively.

IEBM plans to work on two options of OROP, OPTION-1 to stake claim for exactly same OROP as granted to ESM as stated above and OPTION-2 effective from 01.01.2016 (after accrual of benefits of 7th CPC).

OPTION-1

1. Pension of all the past pensioners will be re-fixed on the basis of pension of retires of calendar year 2013 and the benefit will be made effective with effect from 01.07.2014
2. Pension will be re-fixed for all pensioner on the basis of the average of minimum and maximum pension of bordermen retired in 2013 in the same ranks and with the same length of service. Pension of those drawing above the average will be protected.
3. In future, the pension would be re-fixed every 5 years.
4. Hence, pension of EBM will be re-fixed w.e.f. 01.07.2019 on the basis of calendar year 2018, and thereafter again will be re-fixed w.e.f. 01.07.2024 on the basis of calendar year 2023
5. In addition to above, pension will be revised due to implementation of 7th CPC (w.e.f. 01.01.2016)/8th CPC (w.e.f. 01.01.2026) respectively.

To know the approximate benefits of OROP of EBM, an attempt has been made to calculate the average pension of bordermen who have retired in the calendar year 2013. Rank wise basic pension is given in the following table. All EBM pensioners may calculate the monetary gain by comparing with their own basic pension, due to arrears w.e.f. 01.07.2014 and also subsequent increase in basic pension per month. Similarly, monetary gain can be calculated w.e.f. 01.01.2016 (after implementation of 7th CPC) and thereafter w.e.f. 01.07.2019 after equalization after 5 years as per col. 5 of table below:-

OPTION-2

We, Ex-Bordermen (EBM), for the sake of simplification of calculation of pension of past pensioners, propose to file WP before the Hon’ble SC and Hon’ble DHC and would pray as under:-

1. Pension of all the past EBM pensioners would be re-fixed on the basis of pension of retirees of calendar year 2016 and the benefit will be effective with effect from 01.01.2016.
2. Pension will be re-fixed for all EBM pensioners on the basis of the average of minimum and maximum pension of personnel (Bordermen) retired in 2016 (after having benefited from implementation of 7th CPC) in the same rank and with the same length of service. Pension of those drawing above the average shall be protected.
3. In future, the pension of EBM would be re-fixed every 5 years.
4. Hence, pension would be re-fixed w.e.f. 01.01.2021 and thereafter w.e.f. 01.01.2026 after having accrued the benefits of 8th CPC.

To know the approximate benefits of OROP of EBM, an attempt has been made to calculate the average pension of bordermen who have retired in the calendar year 2016 after accrual ofthe benefits of 7th CPC. Rank wise basic pension is given in the following table. All EBM pensioners may calculate the monetary gain by comparing with their own existing basic pension, due to arrears w.e.f. 01.01.2016 and also subsequent increase in basic pension per month. Similarly, monetary gain can be calculated w.e.f. 01.01.2021 after equalization after 5 years as per Col. 4 of table below:-

3. FIXATION OF PENSION BY INCREMENT METHOD (Beneficiaries – All Pre 2016 Retired EBM)

Fixation of pension of all pre-2016 civilian pensioners including CAPF by increment method direct in the 7th CPC pay matrix. 7th CPC vide para 10.1.67 recommended the following pension formulation:-

1. All the Civilian personnel including CAPF who retired prior to 01.01.2016 (expected date of implementation of the Seventh CPC recommendations) shall first be fixed in the Pay Matrix being recommended by this Commission, on the basis of the Pay Band and Grade Pay at which they retired, at the minimum of the corresponding level in the matrix. This amount shall be raised, to arrive at the notional pay of the retiree, by adding the number of increments he / she had earned in that level while in service, at the rate of three percent. Fifty percent of the total amount so arrived at shall be the revised pension.

GOI instead of applying Increment Method fixed the pension by Notional Fixation Method from 4th CPC to 5th CPC to 6th CPC to 7th CPC, which resulted into great loss to all the pre-2016 BSF pensioners. IEBM has designed tables for all ranks in BSF from Constable to Addl. DG, showing the monetary loss per month and loss of arrears of two years 2016 and 2017. By Increment Method pension will be fixed w.e.f. 01.01.2016 and thereafter w.e.f. 01.01.2026 after implementation of 8th CPC.

INDEX OF TABLES

For example, Mr. A retired as HC on 31.03.1992 i.e. during 4th CPC (from 01.01.86 to 31.12.95), for him table 15A is applicable depending upon the no. of increments earned before retirement in the than pay sent of HC (Rs. 1200-1800).

4. CAPF Contributory Health Scheme (CAPF CHS) on the lines of ECHS (Beneficiaries – Retired Bordermen and serving after the retirement voluntarily or superannuation)

ECHS (Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme) was launched by MOD for Ex-Army, Airforce & Navy w.e.f. 01st April 2003. ESM pensioners are entitled for treatment in service hospitals as well as civil/private hospitals which are specifically empanelled with the ECHS.

On similar lines, CAPF CHS can be implemented and as a 1st step all Ex-CAPF pensioners be entitled for treatment in all service hospitals of all CAPF (BSF, CRPF, ITBP, SSB & CISF) irrespective of the CAPF the pensioner belong. DG BSF projected similar demand before 7th CPC for EBM, but not recommended by 7th CPC. The details are as under:-

There is a network of CPMF Composite Hospitals existing across the country. Besides this units and field Headquarters of these forces spread over the vast reaches of the country have presence of hospital with qualified Doctors. Apart from above, a huge network of ECHS, Railway hospitals and postal dispensaries also exist. It is recommended to integrate all these existing networks including existing CGHS dispensaries and treat them as CGHS wellness centers. One of the already available doctors of appropriate level in these hospitals may be nominated as AMA to examine cases and give prior approval to CGHS pensioner beneficiaries for getting treatment from empanelled hospital in planned nonemergency cases. As an alternative, CGHS may, if deemed necessary, place its own staff in these hospitals to look after the functions. Since all these hospital and schemes are centrally funded, there may not be any practical difficulty in their integration.

It is further recommended that facilities in such integrated CGHS wellness centers may be augmented wherever required and these wellness centers may be authorized to provide OPD facilities to pensioners by appointing contractual doctors. These integrated wellness centers shall be allowed to accept medical reimbursement bills of CGHS pensioner beneficiaries to further forward these bills to the appropriate authority for processing and passing the same. These facilities may also be extended to the serving central Govt employees in those areas as an option.

Before filing WP in Delhi High Court on this subject after designing a feasibility report, a legal notice is planned to be issued to Govt. of India.

5. 50% Concession from applicable GST rates on supplies to CPC (Beneficiaries – Serving as well as retired bordermen)

50% Concession from applicable GST rates on supplies to CPC and exemption from GST on supplies made by CPC to Unit Run Canteens and on supplies made by CPC or URC to final customers.

The CPCs were established in 2006 and during 2016-17, their turnover was Rs. 1607 crores. A total of 456 firms are on contract with the CPC to supply items ranging from needle to a car for jawans and officers of CAPFs. At present, there are 119 master canteens and 1625 subsidary canteens at various locations where CAPFs are deployed, be it along borders or the interiors of Naxal violence hit states.

Home Minister of India Shri Rajnath Singh wrote to Finance Minister of India Shri Arun Jaitley but nothing has happened so far and six months of GST regime has already elapsed from 01.07.2017 to 31.12.2017.

A WP will be filed in DHC and before that progress of concession will be obtained through RTI Act. 2005.

Membership Survey

 IEBM is conducting a Membership survey. The aim of this survey is to know the response of all ranks of Ex-Bordermen and to calculate the corpus of funds likely to be collected. Because, for fighting court cases huge amount of money is required. Besides the moral and financial support, all ranks of Ex-Bordermen will have to have high degree of patience because we all know how much time it takes for redressal of grievances from the Judicial system of our country.

Because, all other methods of redressal of grievances such as representations, memorandums, meetings with bureaucrats and politicians, dharnas, demonstrations and hunger strikes etc. has miserably failed and yielded zero results. Hence, in these compelling circumstances, IEBM appeals all Ex-Bordermen to join hands & support IEBM.

TABLE OF CONTRIBUTION