COURTESY: R B KISHORE
After days of tussle between ex-servicemen and the Narendra Modi government, an announcement on the implementation of the One Rank One Pension scheme is now likely to happen in the next two days.
After days of tussle between ex-servicemen and the Narendra Modi government, an announcement on the implementation of the One Rank One Pension scheme is now likely to happen in the next two days.
According to sources, the government is likely to brief President Pranab
Mukherjee before taking the final call. Notably, the ex-servicemen had
recently written to the President, seeking his intervention in the
issue. However, the implementation of OROP continues to face some last
minute hurdles with defence veterans refusing the offer from the
government.
Major General Satbir Singh (retired), who is spearheading the protest by
the ex-servicemen at Jantar Mantar in the national capital, held a
meeting in this regard with Army Chief General Dalbir Singh on Thursday.
The ex-servicemen reportedly conveyed to the government that they were
willing to relent on a two-year review and not five years, as proposed
by the government.
Even as protest by the defence veterans over the delay in implementation
for One Rank One Pension continued, the rift seems to have widened
within the United Front of Ex-Servicemen over the stand taken by Major
General (retired) Satbir Singh, who is leading the protest.
Some retired Generals are disagreeing with the stand of Major General
Singh and say why this issue is being decided only by two or three. They
want a general body meeting to discuss all issues and the government
proposal.
The government may announce the implementation of the One Rank One
Pension soon but the time period for revision of the pension remains a
major roadblock. While the government has proposed to revise pension in
every five years, veterans have proposed the revision of pension every
years or at maximum 2 years.
Major General Singh, chairman of Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM),
said no proposal has come from the government which is acceptable to the
veterans. "I doubt government's intention. The government wants
revision of pension ever 5 years but nothing beyond 2 years is
acceptable," he added.
One Rank One Pension scheme has been a long-standing demand of nearly 3
million ex-servicemen in the country. It seeks to ensure that a uniform
pension is paid to defence personnel who retire at the same rank with
the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement.
Several retired defence personnel have been protesting at Delhi's Jantar
Mantar for One Rank One Pension. Some of them are also on
fast-unto-death.
