MoD calls deaths of WW2 pensioners ‘natural wastage’

Minister of State for Defence, Rao Inderjit Singh | Photo: PIB

The defence ministry on Tuesday displayed a strange command of phraseology when it’s junior minister, Minister of State for Defence, Rao Inderjit Singh referred to the deaths of Second World War pensioners as ‘natural wastage’.

This came about when a prominent campaigner for veteran’s welfare and Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Chandrashekhar asked in Parliament:

Will the Minister of Defense be pleased to state :-

(a) what is Government of India’s policy towards World War II veteran pensioners given that the Government of India has assumed all pension liabilities from the British; and

(b) how many surviving World War II pensioners and family pensioners draw pension from Government?

To which Singh replied:

The pension of World War-II pensioners was granted as per provisions of Pension Regulation for the Army in India (Part-I & Part-II) 1940, prevalent at that time. As per these Pension Regulations, there were provisions of Retiring pension, Ordinary pension, Special pension Family, Disability pension, Children Allowance and Gratuity, which were governed on the basis of different eligibility conditions like rank last held in different arms, qualifying service rendered, attributability / non attributability and aggravation etc. In addition, there was provision of ‘Jangi Inam’ for World War-I & II veteran pensioners which was payable for two lives and one life respectively. At present, the rate of monetary allowance on account of Jangi Inam is Rs.500/- per month.

(b) The number of surviving World War-II pensioners and Family pensioners is dynamic and therefore, keeps on changing due to natural wastage. As regards actual number of World War-II pensioners, no separate data-base has been maintained to distinguish World War-II veteran pensioners vis-a-vis other pensioners.

HR Terminology for Pensioners

Now natural wastage is an actual term in human resources management, apparently synonymous with attrition and a quick Google search throws up meanings that include ‘the process of reducing the number of workers in a company by not replacing people who leave’.

It could be argued that its one way of putting it, but hardly the most sensitive terminology. Certainly not such as would be easily understood by most people. The answer was obviously drafted by one of a shuffle of nameless bureaucrats.

Here’s what Indian Express defense journalist Man Aman Chhina tweeted:

World War 2 veterans waste away, as far as MoS Defence Rao Inderjeet is concerned. Which daft drafts such language? pic.twitter.com/Jw11mmO05P

— Man Aman Chhina (@manaman_chhina) April 26, 2016

But from this answer, we also learned that there is a provision of Rs. 500 (USD 7.5) per month,Jangi Inam (Lit: War Reward) for veterans of the two World Wars. And that we have no idea about the number of surviving Second World War veterans.