BSF 1971-war veterans get pension orders

Pension woes of over 50 Border Security Force veterans of the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war are likely to end soon with the BSF finally giving them certificates today.
The certificates were given at a Pension Adalat, held for the first time to redress the grievances of its personnel in the wake of the 6th Pay Commission recommendations. The two-day Pension Adalat ended today.
BSF officers and men had fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the Indian Army during the 1971 war.
Close to 700 cases were settled today.
The step was taken on the directions of new BSF chief Subhash Joshi, who has issued instructions to finish all such cases by organising more such grievance redressal camps in all regions of the country.

"After the implementation of the 6th Pay Commission in 2008, around 85,000 pension cases of pre-2006 were to be revised by pay and accounts division. 55,000 pension cases have already been revised by the division till March 31 this year. Remaining cases could not be revised due to non-availability of vital details of pensioners.

"Through this adalat pensioners got the opportunity to submit their papers and vital information to the force for revision of pension or family pension," the force said in a statement.
Joshi today handed over revised pension payment orders to 52 of the 1971 war veterans.
Ex-BSF pensioners from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi attended the camp today.

The BSF has also decided to observe 2013 as the "Year of the Jawan" and today's event was one such activity under the new scheme.