AWARENESS SERIES – ARMED FORCES WIDOWS – PART 3 – DISCRIMINATION IN DEATH

AWARENESS SERIES

ARMED FORCES WIDOWS – PART 3 – DISCRIMINATION IN  DEATH

Under

#SAVITA Sustainable And Valuable Initiative for Timely Assistance

‘Forces Widow’ Ms Snehlata (imaginary) will receive any of three pensions depending on how and where her husband died. She will get Rs 15K OR 25K OR 50K per month.

It doesn’t end there. Lot of grants flow in which again are so different in amounts and depend on whether the soldier was a Battle or Physical Casualty.

I will cover the following in PART 3 – DISCRIMINATION IN  DEATH :

Part 1 & Part 2 – Links

Recap of three different pensions.

Pension on timeline of life of Ms Snehlata-the widow.

Beyond Pension – Financial Benefits

Insurance

AWARENESS SERIES ARMED FORCES WIDOWS – PART 1 & PART 2 : LINKS

In the AWARENESS SERIES – ARMED FORCES WIDOWS, I have so far published two articles

PART 1, WIDOW NOT BY CHOICE https://colsanjaypande.com/awareness-series-armed-forces-widows-part-1-widow-not-by-choice/

PART 2 –WIDOWS – GO DIE A THIRD DEATH https://colsanjaypande.com/awareness-series-armed-forces-widows-part-2-widows-go-die-a-third-death/

RECAP OF THREE DIFFERENT PENSIONS

The widow must suffer despite having no control, so Ms Snehlata gets one of the following from 06 Jan 2020 onwards:

1^st Case –Physical Casualty (death not attributable to military service) Rs 15000.00 for life except from 06 Jan 2020 to 05 Jan 2030 when she gets Rs 25000.00 pm as Enhanced Pension.

OR

2^nd Case – Physical Casualty (death not attributable to military service) Rs 30000.00 for life.

OR

3^rd Case – Battle Casualty Rs 50000.00 for life.

PENSION ON TIMELINE OF LIFE OF Ms SNEHLATA-THE WIDOW.

Put the above on the timeline.

–1^st Case – As soon as the elder daughter enters Class 12  in 2029, the pension REDUCES from 25000.00 to 15000.00, graduation of both daughters at Rs 15000.00 pm., marriage of two daughters at Rs 15,000.00.

2^nd Case – Stable

3^rd Case – Made no difference whether Naik Ram Mohan lived or died.

BEYOND PENSION – FINANCIAL BENEFITS

We will put Ms Snehlata in all three cases. You will see for no fault of hers she will spend the life without husband in all three cases but will be pushed to penury or will have an absolutely five star super rich life.

Physical Casualty- If the death was NOT attributable to military service, she will get the basic grants and will be forgotten in a month. Ms Snehlata will not get any ex-gratia payment, any payment from state govt, no reservations for school / college for children, no travel concessions in fact other than ORDINARY FAMILY PENSION and all monies mandatory (insurance, gratuity etc) she melts into history. State Govt gives her nothing. She slides lower and lower each day since pension remains fixed at 30%.

Physical Casualty- If the death was ATTRIBUTABLE to military service, she will get the basic grants and huge number of benefits from Centre as well as State. The first being Rs 25 lacs from Ministry of Defence. Each organisation pays separately. State Govt pays cash. Overall Ms Snehlata will get at least Rs 50 lacs cash more than if her husband’s death was declared “NOT attributable to military service’. College admission quota, waivers and numerous small benefits are extended. Her life’s needs are taken care of and she gets a pension of 50% right from Day 1 for life.

Battle Casualty. Right from the day of death, the bank account starts filling up.100% pension, Ex-gratia payment of Rs 45 lacs, numerous payments amounting to over 75 lacs, generous state ex-gratia payments of 50 lacs to one crore, job reservations, schemes, War Widow Identity card, reservations in every academic institution, rail, air, state transport, the list is endless. Imagine Ms Snehlata will get Rs 50K each month as pension and nothing less than Rs 1-1.5 Cr in bank.

IN ALL THREE CASES IT WAS Ms SNEHLATA’S HUSBAND WHO DIED OF HEART ATACK.

Is it fair?

Shouldn’t pension and attributability/battle casualty be separated? Doesn’t a forces widow need the basic dignity?