Widow of 1962 war hero still lives on 1986 pension

On November 18, 1962, amid India’s disastrous retaliation to the Chinese offensive, Major Shaitan Singh stood as a rock defending Rezang La in the Chushul sector of east Ladakh. Led by Singh, a small band of 120 soldiers of the C company of the 13 Kumaon regiment fought to the last man, engaging in hand-to-hand combat when their guns ran dry.

They pushed back waves of Chinese invaders before being wiped out. A grateful nation honoured Singh with the Param Vir Chakra (PVC).

Decades on, the widow of one of India’s greatest war heroes makes do with a measly pension of about Rs5,000, far less than what the spouse of a war hero decorated with PVC is entitled to. For the last 15 years, she has remained stuck in the fourth pay commission scales of 1986, drawing less than what a junior commissioned officer of the Indian Army draws today.

She is not getting the special family pension as per the latest sixth pay commission recommendations and is yet to receive the arrears under the fifth pay commission recommendation
of 1996.

An upset army brass has decided to raise the issue at the ongoing Army Commanders’ Conference in New Delhi. The issue is serious and it will be resolved at the conference, army sources told DNA.

 When DNA contacted the Controller Defence Accounts (CDA), Allahabad, which is responsible for the PVC martyrs’ pension and arrears, an officer put the blame on the bank concerned.

“The bank from which the pension is drawn is responsible for the goof-up. All banks have a chart of the revised payments as per the pay commission recommendations. CDA steps in only when there’s a change in entitlement,” the officer said.

As the widow of a major who died in action in service, she should have drawn special family pension of Rs7680 (DA and other allowances extra) under the fifth pay commission since January 1, 1996. Under the sixth pay commission, she should have drawn Rs28,928 (plus DA and other allowances) per month since January 1, 2006. The pension Shaitan Singh’s widow is entitled to excludes the cash allowance given to PVC winners - the sixth pay commission had raised it from Rs1,500 to Rs3,000.

Liberalised family pension is calculated at the rate of emoluments last drawn by the officer, at 100% of his basic salary. Special family pension is granted when death is attributable to, or aggravated by, service while liberalised family pension is granted in case of deaths which are declared as battle casualties.

Highly placed sources in the army told DNA that the station headquarter in Jodhpur, where Major Shaitan Singh came from and where his widow is presently based, is said to have got in touch with her and explained the faux pas. The army’s 12 Corps is based in Jodhpur.