Indian Ex Servicemen Movement

Indian Ex Servicemen Movement (IESM) is a "All India Federation of Ex Servicemen's organizations" and individual veterans of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.[1] IESM was established in August 2008, in the wake of the UPA Government decision to implement Sixth Central Pay Commission, which depressed military pays and pensions, and ranks, relative to civilian Government employees, especially in the Ministry of Defence and Police led security services.[2] It has been at forefront in identifying, and advocating veteran causes, principally issues affecting veteran honor and izzat, and the implementation of One Rank One pension for the armed Forces of India.[3] Its founder member is Lt Colonel Inderjit Singh, former Commanding Officer 14 Grenadiers, who retired from the army in 1978.[3][4][5]

Indian Ex Servicemen Movement
AbbreviationIESM
FormationAugust 2008
FounderLt Colonel Inderjit Singh, former Commanding Officer 14 Grenadiers
TypeMilitary veterans organization
HeadquartersGurgaon, Haryana, India
Region
India
Membership
20455 (Veterans of the Army, Airforce, Navy, and civilians supporters of veteran causes)
Chairman
Major General Satbir Singh, (Retired), Indian army
Vice Chairman
Maj Gen PK Renjen, AVSM,
Staff
Executive Committee
Websitewww.iesm.org

Goals

The stated aims of the IESM are: to serve as an umbrella organization for all Ex Servicemen of India; provide a unified veteran voice on issues of national interest; serve as a forum for raising and discussing challenges faced by veterans; play 'constructive role in nation building activities; promote and support IESM causes, including those affecting ESM Widows, war wounded, and injured; and render assistance and advice to veterans on matters of pension, health coverage and benefits, and legal issues.[1]

Organisation

Governing Body (GB)

IESM has a federal structure with units at National, State and District levels. The highest decision making body is called the governing body, for which elections are held every three years. The last election were held on 16 November 2014 in Pune, Maharashtra. The Election were conducted by election unit headed by Brig HSN Sastri. Soon after the election of the Governing body, it elected an ecommittee for the day-to-day running of the organisation.[1] The current composition of the GB is as follows:

Name and designationDistrict, CityStateRemarks
Maj Gen Satbir SinghGurgaonHaryana
Gp Capt VK GandhiNoidaUP
Commander SS Ahuja, INNoidaUP
Wg Cdr CK SharmaDelhiDelhi
Cdr Ravi PathakPuneMaharashtra
Col Pronoy SenguptaPuneMaharashtra
Maj Gen PK RenjenGurgaonHaryana
Col Anil KoulGurgaonHaryana
Brig CS VidyasagarSecunderabadAndhra Pradesh
Maj Gen AJB JainiGhaziabadUP
Hony Lt Kameshwar PandeyBihar
Col Kirit JoshipuraGujarat
Hony Capt Jai Singh RatheeJhajjharHaryana
Sub Maj Markandey SinghGhazipurUP
Hav Dina NathVaranasiUP
Col RP ChaturvediNoidaUP
Mrs Anuradha Deo w/o Maj SM DeoNagpurMaharashra
Sgt Prakash Narain PandeyKanpurUP
Brig Harwant SinghMohaliPunjab
Col Vijay GaekwadKolhapurMaharashtra

Executive Committee
NoRank and nameappointmentremarks
1Maj Gen Satbir Singh, SMOffg Chairman
2Maj Gen PK Renjen,AVSMVice Chairman
3Wg Cdr CK SharmaTreasurer
4Gp Capt VK Gandhi VSMGeneral SecretaryFlat no 801, Tower N5 Narmada Apartments Pocket D6 Vasant Kunj Nelson Mandela Marg New Delhi. vk_gandhi@yahoo.com
5Brig CS VidyasagarJoint General Secretary

Divisions

Indian Ex Servicemen Movement to render assistance to veterans, and its members, is organised into three units. These are the Pension Division, Ex-servicemen Contributory Health scheme, and Legal Division, which includes Veterans Anil Bakhshi, Col Ramath, and Maj Navdeep Singh

Membership

IESM has a full-time member ship of 20455, including army 15820, airforce 3032, navy 1527, and civilians 52. Its active members belong to all Indian states including Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab,[6] Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Chandigarh, Mizoram,[7] Chennai, Tamil Nadu,[8] Odisha.[9][10] The headquarters of IESM is located at 543, Sector 23, Gurgaon, Haryana, Pin 122017.[1] [11]

Funding

IESM runs on small budget. Members of the governing body works on pro bono basis. For its operating expenses it is dependent on membership fees, and donations. The year after it was formed, for the period 1 April-30 Nov, 2009, its otal receipts from Membership Fee (5,72,100.00) and Donations (Rs 4,23,869.00) was Rs 9,95,969.00. In addition it had Fixed Deposits of Rs 19,00,000.00.[10]

Advocacy of OROP

In June 2015, IESM, as major component of the umbrella organization United Front of Ex-Servicemen (UFESM), participated in nationwide protests, spread over 80 towns and cities of India, demanding implementation of OROP. On 5 September 2015, after 84 days of protest, which included relay hunger strikes and 24 days fast to death, by the IESM members and their supporters, the government announced unilaterally, a scheme which it called OROP,[12][13] which IESM dismissed, saying it was not OROP, but "One Rank, Five Pensions".[14][15][16]

IESM advocacy of OROP and other ESM causes has wide popular support. 14 Former Chief of Indian Defence Forces have endorsed its stand on OROP.[17][18] Shekhar Gupta, editor Indian Express, in September 2015, criticized IESM for resorting to public protest and dharnas. He called the ex servicemen's protest an unedifying spectacle.[19]

On 15 June 2015 in New Delhi (India):Angry over the delay in implementation of 'One Rank One Pension', ex-servicemen on Sunday launched a protest at Jantar Mantar. Signing a petition with blood[20] they prepared to return gallantry medals to the president. Ex-servicemen was gone on an indefinite relay hunger strike to put pressure on the government to implement One-Rank, One-Pension (OROP) scheme. The hunger strike was led by Lt Colonel MBS Ahluwalia (retd) and many others joined while hundreds were set to participate in the protest. Day before 15 June, the retired servicemen took out a massive rally in the national capital and across the country to express their displeasure in the delay of OROP implementation.

Returning of medals
The veterans, under the banner of Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM), gathered at Shankla Chowk in Sector 2 and marched to the deputy commissioner's office to submit their medals, to be further sent to Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi.

Military veterans returned their war and other medals at various places in Haryana and Punjab on Tuesday to register their protest against the "diluted" notification of the One Rank One Pension scheme. In Panchkula near Chandigarh, the veterans along with the founder of Hunger Strike Lt Colonel MBS Ahluwalia (retd) returned their medals to the Panchkula deputy commissioner to protest against the OROP notification issued by the central government. There were reports of veterans returning their medals in Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala in Punjab and Rohtak, Hisar and Ambala in Haryana. The veterans said that they had rejected the OROP notified by the Narendra Modi government. The defence veterans said that they will observe a ‘Black Diwali’ this time to protest against the Modi government going back on its assurances.

"Unfortunately, the recently issued notification on the OROP gives nothing but a truncated deal and cannot be called OROP either in letter or spirit," the memorandum to the PM read. (HT Photo)

See also

References
  1. "Indian Ex Servicemen Movement". iesm.org. Gurgaon: Indian Ex Servicemen Movement. 2008. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  2. Chaturvedi, RP (16 March 2011). "Khabarnama-Indian Ex Servicemen Movement Newsletter" (in Hindi). Gurgaon: Indian Ex Servicemen Movement. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  3. Singh, Inderjit (15 June 2009). "Presentation on OROP: One Rank Pension". N Delhi: All India Ex-Services Welfare Association. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  4. Oberoi, Vijay, Lt Gen, former Vice Chief of Army Staff (4 September 2015). "OROP: The End Game". Chandigarh: The Citizen. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  5. Rathi, Priyanka (5 September 2015). "Colonel Inderjit Singh, who started the fight for OROP 34 years ago, continues with the war". IBNLive.com. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  6. Khaira, Rachna (12 June 2015). "State ex-servicemen to lead OROP battle 5,000 leave for Delhi to protest". Jalandhar: Tribune. Tribune News Service. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  7. "Mizoram Ex-Service League demands implementation of OROP". Business Standard. PTI. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  8. Sundar, Lt Col, (Retd), CR (28 June 2015). "CHENNAI OROP PROTEST". Ex Servicemen Welfare. Retrieved 29 June 2015.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. "Odisha Ex-servicemen Join OROP Stir". Indian Express. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  10. IESM (13 December 2009). "Annual General Body meeting of IESM 2009". Noida: IESM. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  11. IESM (13 December 2009). "Annual General Body meeting of IESM 2009". Noida: IESM. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  12. Ministry of Defence. "Government Announces One Rank One Pension Scheme for Ex-Servicemen". Press Information Bureau. N Delhi: Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Retrieved 6 September 2015. 1
  13. "Government Announces One Rank One Pension for Ex-Servicemen" (Video). Delhi: NDTV. Retrieved 6 September On 15 Jun 2015, supporting the blood signed memorandum and Hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, the All Assam Ex-servicemen Welfare Association (South Zone)Patharkandi also took a massive rally under the Association`s President Ex Sub Maj Nirmal Sinha. All the ESM, widows and Veer Narees joined the rally to express their agony against govts delay in implementation of OROP and also to express gratitude to all our retd respected offrs, JCOs and OR + others who joined at Jantar Mantar. 2015. 7 min, 15 sec Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  14. Singh, Maj Gen,(Retd) SM Vice Chairman Indian ESM Movement, Satbir (3 Nov 2011). "Defence Veterans Against Injustice". reportmysignal. reportmysignal.blogspot.com. Retrieved 5 June 2015.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. Thapar, Karan (7 September 2015). "Govt announces OROP implementation: to the point with Karan Thapar" (TV: 41: 15). New Delhi: India Today. Retrieved 10 September 2015. Interview Panel: Admiral Arun Prakash,former Chief of Naval Staff, General Ved Malik, former COAS, Maj General Surjit Singh, Lt General Raj Kadian, Ajay Prasad, former Defence Secretary, M J Akbar, BJP Spokesperson
  16. "Govt implements OROP, but deadlock remains: Veterans to continue agitation for five demands". N Delhi: First Post. 5 September 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  17. General Rodrigues, S F; et al. (14 August 2015). "Former chiefs write open letter to President, say 'denial of OROP the last straw". Financial Express. Delhi. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  18. NDTV (17 August 2015). "Full Text of Former Service Chiefs' Letter to PM". NDTV. Delhi. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  19. "One Rank, One Pension: Has government overruled veterans?". N Delhi: NDTV. 3 September 2015. Panelist include Maj Gen Satbir, Gen Shakar Roy choudhry, and Shekar Gupta Missing or empty |url= (help)
  20. "Veterans sign petition with blood, protest over OROP delay". 5 Dariya News. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
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