Thursday, August 04, 2011

Peanuts for kin of India Air Force pilots killed in crashes.

NEW DELHI: Life in India comes cheap, especially if it's in service to the nation. First, young rookie pilots are made to fly aging fighters like MiG-21s, which do not have modern flying aids. Or, soldiers are forced to battle heavily-armed terrorists without proper bullet-proof jackets or helmets.

And then, if they are killed, the government gives their families just Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh as ex gratia. Take the case of Flying Officer Suraj Pillai, 24, who was killed on Tuesday afternoon after his MiG-21 went down while on a training mission at the Nal airbase near Bikaner in Rajasthan.

Pillai's family will get only Rs 11 lakh as ex gratia from the Union government. Yes, of course, they will also get Rs 53.5 lakh under the IAF's group insurance scheme, apart from some family pension. "Military aviation is an inherently risky business, and when coupled with old aircraft and poor maintenance, it becomes deadly," said a senior officer.

"There is certainly a case for increasing the ex gratia given by the Union government. Premiums for the group insurance, after all, are deducted from the salary of the officer concerned," he added.

The overall compensation package in the Army, incidentally, is even worse. If an officer dies in an accident during the "course of duty" or in "violence by terrorists", his family is entitled to an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh. The Army Group Insurance, in addition, pays Rs 30 lakh. The ex gratia goes up to Rs 15 lakh if the officer is killed in actual counterinsurgency operations or border skirmishes. It becomes Rs 20 lakh during "enemy action in war or war-like engagements, which are specifically notified".

For "battle casualties", there is also "liberalized family pension", 75% air and rail concessions, and allotment of "oil product agencies" under 8% defence quota, among other benefits.

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