Welfare is an important aspect of ex servicemen’s retired lives. We draw focus on a few concern areas, yet again.
If you are looking at any information for COVID 19 grievances, following are details of nodal officer for Ex-servicemen grievances related to COVID-19 in the Department of ESM Welfare, Ministry of Defence: Mr Sarvjit Singh, Dy Secretary (PG), Mobile: 9868868244 and E-mail ID is ds-pg@desw.gov.in
Provision of Invalid Pension to Armed Forces Personnel before completion of 10 years of qualifying service
The proposal to extend the provisions of Dept of Pen & Pensioner’s Welfare OM No. 21/01/2016- P & PW(F) dated 12 Feb 2019 to Armed Forces personnel has been under consideration of GoI, MoD, Dept of ESM. It has been stated that invalid pension would henceforth also be admissible to Armed Forces Personnel with less than 10 years of qualifying service in cases where personnel are invalided out of service on account of any bodily or mental infirmity which is neither Attributable to Nor Aggravated by Military Service and which permanently in capacitates them from military service as well as civil re-employment.
The provision of this order shall apply to those Armed Forces personnel who were/are in service on or after 01 Jan 2019. The cases in respect of personnel who were invalided out from service before 01 Jan 2019 will not be re-opened. This issue with the concurrence of Ministry of Finance Division vide their UO No. 10(08)/2016/FIN/PEN dated 29 Jun 2020.
Processing of Mercy Petition for grant of service pension under Pension Regulations
The power of competent authority for deciding the aforesaid appeals was delegated to the AG/AOP/COP vide Ministry of Defence, Department of Defence, order No. 4684/Dir(PEN)/2001 dated 14 Aug 2001. Further, Ministry of Defence Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare Order No. 4(24)/2015/D(Pen/Legal) dated 01 Sep 2016, Secretary, Department of ESM Welfare has been designated as the competent authority for deciding aforesaid mercy appeals which are received beyond the period of two years of cashiering/dismissal/removal from service.
The Ex-servicemen, who have been cashiered/dismissed/removed from service are not entitled to pension or gratuity or both as per the provisions of the relevant Pension Regulations, tend to make an application for grant of pension or gratuity or both. It is, therefore, while rejecting such application as per the provisions of the Pension Regulations, such Ex-servicemen may be informed about the provisions of mercy appeals and may be advised to file mercy appeal, if they so desire, with relevant documents in support of their appeal.
Once, such appeals are filed, as stated above, these are to be decided only at the level of Adjutant General/AOP/COP or Secretary, Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare as the case be. These appeals may be immediately forwarded by the lower formations through their relevant echelons for disposal at the level of service HQ by the competent authority. Further, in cases where such appeals are filed after a period of two years of cashiering/dismissal/removal from service, the same may be forwarded to this Department for decision at the level of Secretary (ESM).
A Check List with the relevant documents as indicated in the Department of ESM Welfare letter No. 1(11)/2020/D(Pen/Legal) dated 28 Jul 2020 be sent with such proposal for disposal of such appeals.
