Delay in OROP Payments.

Dear Vets,
                Best wishes for the new year though belated. Could not post any thing since the the blog remained blocked. OROP payment  is being delayed due to some vested interests bickering. Orders for payments will see the light shortly.Veterans are advised to get their present pension checked from some one knows the knack since most of the old pensioners are being paid less pension than their entitlement.
                     
                                                                                       Veteran Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS (Retd.)

Wait for OROP Payment Order

Dear Veteran,
                      Best wishes. It is after a long time I am able to place  new post on my blog.
OROP, our long awaited demand is likely to granted by present govt. but still there are many hick ups to seen before the govt. issues the order for payment of the same. So we have to keep our finger crossed till then. Hope the day will come soon.
                                                       Vet. Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS (Retd.)

Support the Anti-corruption Movement led by Anna Hazare. Veteran Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS (Retd.)

Tele-fax: 0175 – 5000896. Mob: 098554-09128 Email: prabhjot_singh0@yahoo.com Ex- Soldiers, Sailors & Airmen Association (Regd.) # 3 Guru Ram Dass Nagar, Tripuri Road, Patiala - 147 004. Punjab, India. Patiala-8 April. Executive body of Ex-Soldiers, Sailors & Airmen Association, headed by Veteran Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS (Retd.), in its emergent meeting, held today at Patiala, has resolved to support the Anti-corruption Movement led by Anna Hazare, also an ex-soldier. The movement is fully in consonance with the principle of equality in law and is the need of time to clear the mess created by corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. The association has directed all its state units to lend full support to the movement in their respective places as and when required. Veteran Malkiat Singh Gen. Secy.

Government trying to censor blogging. Vet. Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS (Retd.)

Government trying to censor blogging?
By R Shankar, India Syndicate, 22/03/2011

Is the Indian Government snooping on bloggers? Is a worried and nervous government trying to censor what bloggers write? Will the government snip uncomfortable opinion or comments?
Coming soon after the infamous Radia tapes where the government eves-dropped on corporate communication in hotel rooms and other private spaces, the issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha by Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday during the Zero Hour.
Said Chandrasekhar: "Indian bloggers are vibrant stakeholders of democracy, they represent young thoughts and their initiatives play an important role in the Indian political system. Youth rely on the phenomenon called blogging for news, to exchange ideas, thoughts and there should no censorship or control of thought on the Internet".
He urged the Government "to prevent any form of censorship, any form of control over blogs, bloggers and Internet"
A member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, Chandrasekhar pointed out to media reports that said that the Government was proposing to block or shut down blogs as well as bloggers if the opinions posted in them do not suit Government, institutions or individuals.
He said the move is one sided as the Government was planning to publish new rules in the Official Gazette under the Information Technology (Amendment) Act 2009 without inviting public opinion.
The rules, if they come into force, "will infringe upon the Right to Freedom of Expression of the bloggers and users of the internet - as the internet has become an essential part of our daily life," said the MP.
The new rules are ready to be notified in the Official Gazette and then these rules will come into force, he said.
The rules require intermediaries such as service providers not to host or publish any information, which in the context of the internet, does include bloggers.
Additionally, the rules propose to authorize the intermediaries to remove access to 'infringing' material if they themselves gave actual knowledge or are asked to do so by a mandated authority.
"The execution of these rules in its existing form will be a blow to the vibrant blogging community and bloggers. It could result in a shutting down of the internet, which is the main form of expression for growing Indians, if the information posted is found inconvenient to Government, institutions or individuals. This is certainly against our basic democratic principles," he added.
Chandrasekhar urged the Government to be transparent by inviting public opinion and involve the blogging community before finalizing and implementing these rules.

Source: India Syndicate

Punjab & Haryana High Court passes strictures and imposes a fine of Rs 50,000 on the Govt for misleading the Court in a disability pension case.

A petition filed by a boarded out disabled personnel, Sukhjinder Singh, was allowed by a Single Bench of the Hon’ble High Court which directed the release of disability pension to him.

The Union of India, as expected, however filed a Letter Patents Appeal (LPA) before a Division Bench challenging the order of the Single Bench and also alleging on affidavit that the Invaliding Medical Board had declared the disability ‘neither attributable to, nor aggravated by military service’. A copy of the board was however not produced before the Court.

The Division Bench asked the Union of India to produce before it a copy of the Medical Board which was done on the next date of hearing and which consequently left the Court aghast. The Medical Board had in fact clearly declared the disability as ‘aggravated by physical stress and strain of service’.

Clearly perturbed by the conduct, following are the excerpts of the order finally passed by the Hon’ble Court :

"...The aforesaid record now produced before us would show that on the first date of hearing while obtaining notice of motion, there was active concealment and even misrepresentation of facts from the Bench..."

"...Having heard the learned counsel for the parties and perusing the original record, we are amazed at the conduct of the appellant and its Officers. The instant appeal has been filed through the Secretary, Government of India, Ministry of Defence, South Block, New Delhi; Chief of the Army Staff, Army Headquarters, New Delhi; the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Pension) Draupadi Ghat, Allahabad(UP) and couple of other Officers. A perusal of ground No. 7 of the appeal shows that a false plea has been set out which is simply against the record. In para 13 of the original proceedings of the Medical Board, it has been categorically found that the disease of 'Manic Episode F 30' is aggravated by military service whereas the proceedings of the Medical Board have been misquoted in para 7 of the grounds of appeal to say that the Medical Board had opined that the disease Manic Episode F 30 is not aggravated by military service..."

"...It is well settled principle of law applicable to equitable jurisdiction that when the facts are actively concealed or there is a misrepresentation then the party seeking to hear the appeal becomes disentitled to it. Such a conduct has been repeatedly condemned by the Courts. In the case of a private citizen filing a writ petition, a Full Bench of this Court in Chiranji Lal and others v. Financial Commissioner, Haryana and others 1978 PLR 582 has held that when there has been a mala fide and calculated suppression of material facts which if disclosed would have disentitled such a party to the extraordinary remedy under the writ jurisdiction or in any case would have materially affected the merits on the interim as well as ultimate relief claimed then such a party by their own conduct would forfeit the right of relief which they seek to claim. When such a conduct is adopted by the Central Body and its Officers, as is evident from ground No.7 of the Memorandum of Appeal, it assumes further seriousness. The Public Authority always file pleadings after due verification of the record. However, in the present appeal all that has been completely forgotten. Therefore, the appeal is liable to be dismissed with heavy costs..."

"...There is another aspect of the matter because the instant appeal is an illustration of frivolous litigation initiated at the instance of Union of India and its Officers. The appellant-Union of India has framed the National Litigation Policy which has been reported as (2010) 6 SCC J-17. The aforesaid policy has been completely overlooked by the appellants..."

"...Accordingly we find that the appeal is frivolous and a misuse of the process of the Court. In view of the aforesaid, the appeal is dismissed with costs of Rs.50,000/-. The costs shall be paid to the writ petitioner-respondent by the Union of India but the same shall be recovered from the Officer or Officers, who pleaded a false ground after holding an enquiry and fixing the responsibility..."

Courtesy: Maj. Navdeep Singh.

Benifit For Ex-servicemen On Medical Emergency. Vet. Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS (Retd.)

BENEFIT FOR EX-SERVICEMEN ON MEDICAL EMERGENCY
(Hindustan Times 4-3-2011)

CHANDIGARH: Former defence personnel can get reimbursement for their medical bills incurred while availing emergency medical services abroad equivalent to cost of similar treatment in India, the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) ruled on Thursday in Chandigarh.
A bench of the tribunal made the observation while deciding on petition by Brig TS Sekhon (Retd), who had to undergo emergency treatment for heart disease when he was in Germany with his daughter.
Sekhon had developed triple vessel disease and was advised bypass surgery more than a decade ago. When surgery was to be performed in 2000, he developed acute anterior myocardial with cardiogenic shock, and an emergency angioplasty was done with stenting in one vessel.
He retired in 2003. Due to a worsening heart condition, an automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator was implanted in his heart in August 2003. In 2008, when he was with his daughter in Germany, his condition deteriorated and he had to take emergency medical treatment there.
The tribunal observed that in case of an emergency like Sekhon's, the army should pay expenses of treatment equivalent to what it would be in India.

Veteran Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS (Retd.)
President.
Ex-Soldiers, Sailors & Airmen Association.
Mob. 098554-09128, Tele-fax 0175-5000896.

Fixed Medical Allowance for Veterans & their Widows increased from Rs.100/- to Rs.300/- P.M. Veteran Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS (Retd.)

Dear Veterans, Regards, Find below the link to letter issued by PCDA (Pension), Allahabad to concerned quarters in respect of Increased Medical Allowance to Veterans & their Widows.

http://pcdapension.nic.in/6cpc/Circular-451.pdf

Veteran Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS (Retd.)
President.
Ex-Soldiers, Sailors & Airmen Association.
Mob. 098554-09128, Tele-fax 0175-5000896.