The New Promotion Policy- As tight a slap as can be

This is one positive outcome of the entire imbroglio since the govt dragged the 6CPC and its recommendations in.
http://www.zeenews.com/nation/2008-12-17/491798news.html

There are a number of people who have asked in recent times as to why our top generals did not protest as the babus went about downgrading the status of the forces- Now can you see why?

The brasso was afraid of someone opening the cupboard and the skeletons and the not_yet_completely_ dead officers stumbling out.

I will add on to this on getting to know further details

Shoes Speak Loud

Shoes Speak loud

One can block all logic and stubbornly resist common sense but only for a limited period of time - because one can't avoid listening when shoes speak.
http://www.blinkx.com/video/bush-shoe-attack/EjnYejD-kTAuZB-WH_wowg

We got to hand it to Mr Bush that his physical agility saved his face and that of the great nation. Wonder if Kohli Saab can show similar alertness!!

Anyway, " Mr President, the people of India love you", stated on behalf of this country by a person who cannot get the people of his constituency (in Assam) to vote him in, is perhaps the indicator that Kohli's understanding of India matches Bush's understanding of Iraq.

Size 10, was it?

Together- We Can

It will be foolish to assume that after the happenings of the last couple of months, the GOM will be not clear about any aspect of our pay status vis a vis any other service of the govt. These gents can sell ice to an eskimo and to think that they require any further explanation on this issue will be surely living in a fools paradise.
In the past two months here, we have shown varied emotions to a singular problem- bewildered, scandalised, sanguine, hopeful, in denial, flustered, desperate, rebellious, hapless and even resigned....
I hope, for the sake of our training, we do not approach an operation with this variety. Remember to Vote sensibly and vote together so that we stay relevent to safeguard the izzat and future of services

In the coming general elections service pers have options to

A) Vote at their native place or

B) vote at their place of service

Take a constituency such as Dehradun, Pune, Chandigarh where reasonable No of Sevice pers have settled. Also these stns host large services establishments. Take a station with 20000 service pers posted . All be requested to vote for one common candidate, say 'X'. Now if this major stn is also the native place/ place of settlement to another 20,000 service pers and their families, All to nominate one single Indl as the nominee for their proxy vote. The indl is further instructed to vote for the chosen candidate 'X'.

We shall have a bank of 40,000 votes at these places. This is adequate to make these people sit and listen. Isrealies do it all the time. The question is Can we look ahead together or we expect alms from the ungrateful

PRAGMATIC EUPHONY- The complete posts

Prag has really lost it or what!
He does not fail to cast the armed forces in a bad light at any opportunity, given or concieved. He allows the filthy diatribe from the IDAS, IDES and the other dirt floating around and sanitises/ censures your comment or response to suit his motive.
and that motive surely, don't humour me please, is not the INI (ISI, maybe!!)

I request you to just leave your full comment here for info of others. Add the topic's heading as given at pragmatic and the time and serial No of your comment/ post.

Of course, No personal abuse- but here you can question MOTIVES along with the judgement

PB-4 or Not

PB-4 or not.
army's got to vote
It keeps the leaders tight
It is our democratic right

One of nation's greatest institutions
Groans under sundry insinuations
blokes,get ready to fight
It is our democratic right

Vested Interests, aiming to shame
Maybe our own past antipathy to blame
But atleast now, see the light
It is our democratic right

It is a debilitating game
Don't be a beggar, lame
The future will be bright
It is our democratic right

PB-4 or not.
army's got to vote
It keeps the leaders tight
It is our democratic right.

Guidelines For Proxy Voting by Service Pers

The undermentioned is the procedure for Proxy Voting under the The Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2003 and the Conduct of Elections (Amendment) Rules, 2003.

These have come into force w.e.f. 22.9.2003. .

1. Service voters belonging to the Armed Forces and members belonging to a Force to which provisions of the Army Act applies, have been provided the facility to opt to vote either through proxy or through postal ballot papers.

2. Such service voters who opt to vote through proxy, have been categorised as “ classified
service voters” (CSVs).

3. Proxy- The CSVs are required to appoint a person who is resident of the area covered by the constituency concerned, as his proxy. The proxy should be of atleast 18 years of age and shall not be disqualified for registration as an elector.

4. The appointment is to be made on Form 13F. Download.

5. An appointment once made will be valid for all future elections so long as the person making the appointment continues to be a service voter or till the appointment is revoked or the proxy dies. The CSV has option to revoke the appointment and appoint a new proxy for any reason. The revocation of appointment is to be done in the Form 13G.

6. The proxy will record the vote on behalf of the CSVs at the polling station to which the CSV is assigned, in the same manner as any other elector assigned to that polling station.

7. It may be noted that in the case of proxy, marking of the indelible ink under rule 37 will be done on the middle finger of the left hand of the proxy.

8. The proxy will be entitled to vote on behalf of the CSV in addition to the vote that he may cast in his own name if he is a registered elector in the Constituency, at the polling station to which he has been normally assigned. (Wonder if someone is already casting a pote (Proxy Vote) for us !!!0

Important- For using the facility of proxy voting at the next earliest election, intimation of appointment of proxy should reach the Returning Officer concerned by the last date for making nomination at that election.

Action by the Returning Officer
9. On receipt of intimation of appointment of proxy by a CSV, the Returning Officers are
required to mark the letters ‘CSV’ against the name of the service voter in the last part of the electoral roll to indicate that the elector has appointed a proxy to cast vote on his behalf.

The Returning Officer is also required to maintain a separate list of CSVs and their proxies with their complete addresses in the form and manner specified by the Commission.

After the last date for making nominations, the Returning Officers are to prepare polling station-wise sub-lists of all CSVs and their proxies. These sub-lists are to be added at the end of the part of the electoral roll pertaining to the polling station concerned and the part of the electoral roll alongwith the sub-list will be the marked copy of the electoral roll for that polling station.

Authority

Nirvachan Sadan, Ashoka Road, New Delhi .
No. 3/1/2003/JS-II Dated:- 23rd September, 2003.
To The Chief Electoral Officers of all States and Union Territories.

Where a few votes matter

I wondered, if the armed forces had two assured votes in the Lok Sabha (very much in the realms of possibility), and the govt was surviving on a razor edge, as this one does, would it have dared to be so insensitive and moreover, unjust.

I have listed a few constituencies where we can make a significant impact. These are not necessarily the closest fought (Which Incidently is Lakshdweep where the difference was a mere 71 Votes) but from where we can expect a sizable no of Service Voters and Veterans and their families.

Closest Lok Sabha Results- 2004

Tumkur (Kar) Mallikarjunaiah S(BJP) Jagadeesh D L(JD(Secular)) 2351 Votes

Raichur (Kar) Venkatesh Naik A (INC) Raja Madangopal Nayak(JD(Secular)) 508 Votes

Hindupur(Andhra) Nizamuddin (INC) B.K.Pardhasarathi (TDP) 1840 Votes
Katihar (Bihar) NK CHOUDHARY (BJP) SHAH TARIQ ANWAR (NCP) 2565 Votes
Amreli (Guj) VIRJIBHAI THUMMAR (INC) DILEEP SANGHANI (BJP) 2030 Votes
Dohad (Guj) Babubhai Katara (BJP) Dr PK Taviyad (INC) 361 Votes
Hamirpur (Himachal) SURESH CHANDEL (BJP) THAKUR RAM LAL (INC) 1625 Votes
Rajmahal (Jharkhand) HEMLAL MURMU(JMM) THOMAS HANSDA (INC) 2974 Votes
Alleppey (Kerala) DR K S MANOJ (CPM) V M SUDHEERAN (INC) 1009 Votes
Muvattupuzha (Kerala) ADV P C THOMAS (IFDP)ADV P M ISMAIL (CPM) 529 Votes
Osmanabad (Maharashtra KR NARHIRE (Shiv Sena) LK DHOBALE (NCP) 1649 Votes
Aligarh (UP) BIJENDRA SINGH (INC) SHEELA GAUTAM (BJP) 2791 Votes
Chail (UP) SHAILENDRA KUMAR (SP) VACHASPATI (BSP) 630 Votes
Farrukhabad (UP) CHANDRA BHUSHAN SINGH (SP) LOUISE KHURSHID (INC) 2745 Votes

There are another 20 seats where the difference was less than 20000.

I hope you understand, it is POSSIBLE, only thing is to awaken now. Take the trouble to register yourself and the families.

Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored- Aldous Huxley

And now a time is fast approaching, where a group of citizens of the largest democratic country in the world, who feel that the decision by their democratically elected government is not just, consider taking in their hands, the only weapon allowed to them- a democratic vote at the ballots.

Whatever is our strength, we are more than a few. George Bush became the president by fewer votes than that which can be cast by a small cantonment.

Together we can be the change.

And PB4 is not central to this,but what is central is our izzat. It is the disdain and disrespect with which the ruling establishment has and is treating us.

No Sir, it is not the lowly baboos- my uncle is one midranking civil servant- but the top honchos and their political godfathers, who are planning this massacre.

I've not felt so disgusted and bewildered.

The POA
We got to exercise our power to vote, this time around. The future generations and our families will be thankful for the trouble we take today. It is Legal, honourable and elegant way of dissent.
So go and get yourself and your wife registered, also children if above 18, your bai and her husmband in your servant quarter. Be ready to cast your vote.
Further, KEEP ME POSTED.
Give me the strength of voters and the constituency these people shall be voting at. We need to develop a statistical database and analyse the constituencies where we can matter.

Also please also give your ideas on how shall this campaign be sustained.

Never give in.. never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.
Winston Churchill


Go ahead, Don't miss it. It may be our only chance.

Lt Cols- The legal Option

Since things are not likely to change for the better for the Lt Cols, we must consider the legal option on priority. It can be safely assumed that about 3000 serving Lt Cols have seriously felt aggrieved due to non placement in PB-4. Another 2000 recently retired officers also would be embittered as their pension has been seriously affected. In addition a few, well meaning senior officers can also be expected to support the cause.
It is proposed that all officers (as above) contribute Rs 1000/- each to a central kitty. We develop a corpus of Rs 50,00,000. Now we file a petition to stay the implementation of 6CPC across the board, till the anomaly is sorted out in favour of Lt Cols.
The petition will be filed simultaneously in all high courts and even if one high court (there should be more) rules in our favor, then we can position our case in detail to the court and defend it in the supreme court.
Since the petition cannot be filed collectively being from the armed forces, the cases will be filed in individual capacity. For the initial stay petition, upto Rs 1,25,000 can be provided for the petitioner at each of 25 High Courts to avail a top advocate and his expenses
The balance amount of Rs 12,50,000 maybe spent for media education and the like.

Some of us may feel that our case is not strong. That is incorrect.
Our basic premise is that a Lieut has a starting pay which is higher than any other Class A officer starting off (Incl IAS). Also, the pay at the apex level, ie the Chiefs v/s the cabinet secretary, is also equal. Furter there is no rank pay for the lieut or the Chiefs and hence any dispute involving rank pay is infructuous. In view of the above, the pay for army officer having put in equal duration of service, should be higher than any other deptt's officer.
If the govt somehow feels that the other depatments have to work harder and thus justify that their pay is higher than the armed forces, then there should be more attrition and scatter in these departments and promotions sould be simpler in the army. But since it is not so, thus proves the fallacy of this befief on govt's end.

The courts are our only option. The time is of essence here.

The MMS Kohli Effect

Does this man realise what is he doing? He can't be doing the Narasimha Rao on this issue.
He has to act, even if in the negative, so that people can take whatever action they need to take. The discipline, esp for Lt Cols, has gone for a toss and I see a lot of problems for the commanders.
Our Cols and above will continue to stay loyal to the book (not to their juniors) and shall not think twice before stepping over your shoulders. They shall be corrupted enormously by the enhanced power of making or maring a career. I foresee moral degeneration of the army and immense strife.
As Lt Cols were drawing a higher pay than those now in PB-4 above them and their continuence at that level would not have made any hulla boo at the first go, makes one wonder if there is a ulterior reason for this public humiliation.
Sinister

Struggle for PB4. Lt Cols

A blog post is needed for the Lt Colonels of the Indian army, who have been left in the lurch due to the steep pyramidical heirarchy of the army despite being fit and able.
Now the Pay commission's recommendations have really delivered a sucker punch.
The chiefs have taken a welcome step to protest the anomaly wherein Lt Cols have been placed in PB3
It is noted that the officers who have been promoted to the rank of Colonel, are found to be least interested in the cause of their brother officers. Whereas, most of them, have acquired the promotion through less than honourable means, or have been plain lucky.
It is in the interest of all junior serving officers to identify the officers of the rank of colonel and above, who are actively or passively opposed to the allottment of PB4 to the Lt Cols.
Their names should be highlighted so that Lt Cols who are not empanelled or are not under these myopic, hare brained colonels can teach them something about the organisational ethos.