New Delhi, Sept 5: Putting an end to months of speculation, the government Saturday announced it will be implementing ‘‘One Rank One Pension’’ (OROP) for the armed forces. The veterans initially said they were not satisfied with the scheme, but later, after a meeting with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, accepted the government version.
The defence minister, making the announcement at a press conference called at short notice, said: ‘‘Despite the huge fiscal burden, given its commitment to the welfare of ex-servicemen, the Government has taken a decision to implement the OROP.’’
Parrikar said an order implementing the scheme was likely to come in a month. He squarely blamed the previous Congress-led government for miscalculation on OROP, and said it led to the delay in its implementation.
He quoted a reply by a former minister of state for defence in Parliament in 2009, who had said ‘‘there are administrative, technical and financial difficulties in implementing OROP.’’
Parrikar also urged the veterans to give up the agitation and resume the role they have been playing in nation-building. ‘‘Prime Minister Modi has fulfilled his commitment… I would like to mention that the contribution of military veterans in nation-building in the past 67 years has been immeasurable. Now that OROP is hopefully behind us, I urge the veterans to contribute to the vital task of nation-building and development,’’ the minister said.
While initially the veterans said the announcement made by the government did not satisfy them, later, after a meeting with Parrikar, the issues were sorted out. Maj. Gen. Satbir Singh (retd) told reporters after the meeting they discussed OROP being denied to those who take premature retirement.
‘‘Premature retirement was the one point we wanted to discuss. The defence minister verbally confirmed there is no VRS in armed forces, there is just premature retirement,’’ said the retired major general. ‘‘He will talk with the prime minister and let us know in a few days. Till that time, we will also talk with the core group and decide tomorrow (Sunday) whether to take the agitation forward,’’ he said. Asked if they were satisfied, Maj. Gen. Singh said: ‘‘After this statement, yes, we are satisfied.’’
Earlier, the veterans said they were not ‘‘fully satisfied’’ with what was being given, exclusion of those who take voluntary retirement being a major issue. Parrikar in his press conference said ‘‘personnel who voluntarily retire will not be covered under the OROP scheme’’, even as he later told reporters that those who retire with injuries will be ‘‘protected’’.
The estimated cost to the exchequer for the scheme will be `8,000-10,000 crore, and the arrears will amount to around Rs 12,000 crore.
