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This story is from June 7, 2007
War veteran wins pension battle
A 106-year-old World War II veteran's long struggle to get his pension discrepancies rectified has finally borne fruit.
Pune resident Kohli, who retired from the defence services in 1949, was drawing the pension of a sepoy, although he retired as a naib subedar.
In a letter (IO-44062/Corr/SP (T-IV) dated May 29, 2007, the records office of the Army Supply Corps (ASC) in Bangalore has asked Bank of Maharashtra (from where Kohli is drawing his monthly pension) to pay the revised amount with effect from January 1, 1996.
Kohli, who retired from the Indian Army on July 29, 1949, was drawing a pension of Rs 2,373, including a basic of Rs 1,275, which is less than that of a sepoy. Under the revised scale, he will draw a pension of around Rs 5,000 per month, officials at the zilla sainik welfare office said.
Retired Lt Colonel Shirish Karajgi, the Pune zilla sainik welfare officer, who took up the matter with the CDA(P), after Kohli's grand-daughter Gurvinder approached him last year, told TOI that although Kohli's case was listed for the defence pension adalat, scheduled for June 21 and 22, the matter has now been settled.
"This is an unprecedented case," he said, adding that it would be a great motivation for others, including war widows, who have been running from pillar-to-post to get their dues. "The TOI on May 26, 2007 had carried a report on Kohli.
Kohli and his grand-daughter Gurvinder said they were extremely happy that the endless wait was finally over. "I want to thank the Southern Command military officials, Karajgi and all others who helped us," Kohli said, who had first approached the bank, asking for a rectification in his pension amount way back in 1996.
"The correction of the pension amount is secondary. What was more painful was the downgrading of his rank," Gurvinder said. However, she added that her grandpa never lost hope all these years.
Kohli was entitled for a paltry pension sum of Rs 30 in 1949. Gurvinder — a clinical psychologist — said subsequent revisions of his pension amount at par with his rank were left undone. "We believe the discrepancy was due to the unavailability of the pension table for armymen who superannuated before 1953," she said.
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