Letters: Set a time frame

With reference to the column, "A question of readiness" (August 14), the author seems to be in the mould of a soldier-scholar.

I have two issues with the column. One, the whys and whereofs have been skimmed over, when these are, in fact, the crux of the matter. If a problem is no nearer to a solution for a long time - 40 years in the case of 'One Rank One Pension' - surely it cannot be only on account of lethargy, irresponsibility, mischief, red tapism among policy-makers, politicians, bureaucrats, the military, civilians, strategic thinkers and writers.

Conspiracy theories are not enough. Something else must be happening and it behoves us to step back and see what that might be. There are other longstanding issues no nearer to a solution, for example the scheme for interlinking of rivers and the Ayodhya imbroglio. When problems linger for long they get overlaid by other unrelated issues, opinions get hardened and solutions that much more difficult to find.

Two, the author misses out on any discussion on the nature of pension payments. Pensions, especially those disbursed by the government, are essentially payments made from the Budget to those whose productive years are behind them from those who are still contributing to productivity. The two need to be balanced. History tells us the fate of nations which have got this equation wrong, Greece being the latest of the lot.

What this government needs to do is accept the principle of mitigation of hardships faced by soldiers on account of truncated career spans and announce a time frame for its implementation.

Besides, the government must set up a panel of finance and legal luminaries whose mandate would be to frame a constructive and fair proposal. The panel must include a service representative. Members must submit their recommendations within a specified time period, say three months.

Brigadier (retd) J S Oberoi Gurgaon

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