 EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Apr 27: Sainik Samaj Party (SSP) J&K urged the union government to immediately roll back the freeze on DA hike from Jan 2020 till June 2021. In a press release issued here today, Colonel(retd) SS Pathania, J&K president SSP said that officers cadre, generally retiring at the age of 58, including 4 years of reemployment is certainly better equipped to deal with freeze, but this only constitutes 4% of the Indian army, whereas 96 % of the army constitute of other ranks, out of which a small percentage rises to the rank of junior commissioned officers , who also retires at age between 45 to 47 years. A huge percentage of jawan retires at age of 36 or 37 years, and this is not a voluntary retirement but a forced one, in consonance with the government policy of maintaining young profile of Indian Army. He further said, that concept of DA is primarily based on the inflation and commodity prices, and is discerned through consumer index price, with a view to enable a pensioner to fulfill his obligations towards his family and society. Abrupt freezing of DA hikewith no provisioning of arrears is certainly going to adversely affect the financial management of approximately 30 lacs pensioners and put them in great distress.
Pathania urged the government to release the arrears to veterans due from Jan 2020 till June 2020, if freezing of DA is absolutely unavoidable, provisioning of arrears should be considered as a good gesture towards veterans and their families. |
