Govt. announces OROP, but veterans decide to continue stir

[thesolar65]

Arrears to be paid in four half-yearly instalments; all widows, including war widows, to be paid arrears in one instalment.
Fulfilling one of its major election promises in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections of the BJP, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday announced the implementation of the long delayed One Rank One Pension (OROP) for ex-servicemen.

The avowed aim of this announcement, to end the strike by veterans demanding OROP was however hanging in fire with protesting veterans rejecting the “unilateral” announcement as it “dilutes” several core issues from the accepted definition.

“Despite the huge fiscal burden, given its commitment to the welfare of ex-servicemen, the government has taken a decision to implement the OROP,” Mr. Parrikar while announcing the plan, and said the ministry of defence would soon issue a detailed government order.

Mr. Parrikar said 2013 would be taken as the base year for calculation and it would be implemented from July 1, 2014 the earliest date after the government assumed office. Equalisation of pensions would be done every five years as against the usual practice of once a decade. As per definition OROP implies uniform pension be paid to the armed forces personnel retiring in the same rank and length of service regardless of their date of retirement.

“Under this definition, it has been decided that the gap between rate of pension of current pensioners and past pensioners will be bridged every five years,” Mr. Parrikar said. This has been the key issue of disagreement between the government and the veterans who wanted annual revision in line with the definition. Arrears would be paid in half-yearly instalments, however, all widows would be paid in one instalment.

While OROP would be applicable for the disabled and war widows, those opting for voluntary retirement and not complementing full service will be out of its ambit. This has raised a new point of disagreement between the veterans and the government. Mr. Parrikar said the government would give details on the voluntary retirement in the government order. Asked if the decision would be acceptable to the veterans, Mr. Parrikar said, “I want the veterans on board on all issues”.

Veterans react

Responding to the statement, ex-servicemen while thanking the government for implementing the scheme rejected the modalities. They have been demanding an annual revision and implementation from April 1, 2014. “The government has taken a decision, this is what we can give,” added Minister of State for Defence, Rao Inderjit Singh.

To address complexities and sort out inter-services issues the government will appoint a one member judicial commission which will give its report within six months. The veterans in turn demanded a five member directly under the Defence Minister and the report submitted within one month.

Given details on the cost of OROP to the exchequer, Mr. Parrikar stated that it would cost between Rs. 8,000-10,000 crore at present which would increase in future. The expenditure on arrears alone would be Rs. 12,000 crore. Currently the pension bill of the defence ministry stands at Rs. 54,000 crore.

There are about 2.45 million veterans and six lakh war widows who stand to benefit from the scheme.

All about OROP:



1 Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar announced thedecision to implement the One Rank One Pension, w.e.f July 1, 2014.
2 OROP arrears to be paid in four half-yearly instalments; all widows, including war widows, to be paid arrears in one instalment.
3 The ex-servicemen, who have been agitating for the last 82 days, said they will not accept review of the pension after every five years.
4 It is understood that a draft proposal on OROP was circulated at a RSS meeting on Friday, which envisaged commencement of the scheme from July 2014, besides revision of pension every five years.
5 Veterans have opposed to excluding ex-servicemen, who had opted for pre-mature retirement, from the ambit of OROP.
6 Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar announced the setting up of a One member Judicial Committee, which will give its report on OROP in six months.
7 Veterans have rejected this committee, and instead demanded a committee under the Defence Minister which will include an ex-serviceman too.
8 To begin with, OROP would be fixed on the basis of calender year 2013.
9 Officials said the annual burden on the pension bill will be about Rs. 8,000 crore which would progressively go up with revision in pensions. The current pension bill of the defence ministry stands at Rs. 54,000 crore.
10 Close to 22 lakh retired servicemen and over six lakh war widows stand to be the immediate beneficiaries of the scheme.

@Chanakya's_Chant @Abingdonboy @anant_s @jbgt90 @Water Car Engineer @Gessler @nair @MilSpec @ranjeet @SpArK @Manindra @Rain Man @scorpionx @SarthakGanguly @Star Wars @SrNair @gslv and others

 

[thesolar65]

Whatever it is (good for some and bad for some), the same thing Pakistani soldiers must be watching. Can we use this decision to propagate the advantages to Pakistani soldiers, so that they can put pressure on their Govt. and thereby ......you all know what I mean!!

 

[T90TankGuy]

The Govt is shooting itself in the foot . even if there were compromises to be made they should have taken the veterans on board , watching the TV the veterans say no member of the Govt approached them . just bad communication !!!

 

[Hindustani78]

OROP implemented: Key points to note | Zee News

New Delhi: The NDA government announced on Saturday that it will implement the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme for veterans. The announcement was made by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Here are the key points you should know:

• The OROP scheme will be implemented with effect from July 1, 2014.
• OROP will be fixed on the basis of calendar year 2013.
• Pension will be refixed for all pensioners on the same rank and with the same length of service as the average of minimum and maximum pension in 2013.
• The pension would be refixed every five years.
• Arrears will be paid in four half-yearly instalments.
• Widows and war widows will be the first to receive arrears and that too in one instalment.
• Personnel who opt for premature retirement will not be covered under OROP.
• Over 25 lakh veterans would benefit from OROP.
• According to Parrikar, the cost to the exchequer will be Rs 8,000 crores to Rs 10,000 crores.
• Those drawing pensions above the average will be protected, said the minister.

***********

OROP row: Points of disagreement between govt and ex-servicemen | Zee News
New Delhi: The government has decided to implement the `One Rank, One Pension` (OROP) scheme for veterans, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said here on Saturday. However, the ex-servicemen, who have been on agitation for 83 days, rejected the key details of the decision.

Here are the key differences:

1. The government has decided to implement OROP under which there would be revision of pension every five years as against one year demanded by the ex-servicemen.
2. The base year would be calendar year 2013 for calculation of the OROP and it will be implemented from July 2014. The veterans had been demanding that the scheme be implemented from April 1, 2014.
3. The government said that ex-servicemen, who have taken voluntary retirement, would not be eligible for the scheme. However, the veterans have demanded OROP benefits for those who have taken premature retirement.
4. The government is setting up a one-member judicial committee to work out details of implementation of the OROP which will file a report in six months. The veterans have, however, demanded a five-member committee under the Defence Minister which will include an ex-serviceman too.

 

[Star Wars]

I support the army and like them but this is getting Ridicules....

 

[Hindustani78]

Govt announces OROP; veterans reject offer | Zee News

Parrikar said to implement OROP, the estimated cost to the exchequer would be Rs 8,000 crore-Rs 10,000 crore at present, and will increase further in future. He added that the previous government had set aside a sum of Rs 500 crores for OROP, but it was "not based on a thorough analysis". The expenditure on arrears alone will be around Rs 10,000 crores to Rs 12,000 crores.

The government has held extensive consultations with experts and ex-servicemen on the issue, said Parrikar, adding that the OROP implies that uniform pension be paid to the Armed Forces personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement.

The minister that the government has decided that the gap between rate of pension of current pensioners and past pensioners will be bridged every five years.

He further announced that the OROP will be implemented from July 1, 2014 and the base year would be 2013.

Arrears will be paid in four half-yearly instalments. All widows, including war widows, will be paid arrears in one instalment, he added.

Pension will be re-fixed for all pensioners retiring in the same rank and same length of service as the average of minimum and maximum pension in 2013, announced Parrikar.

The minister also cleared that personnel who voluntary retire will not be covered under OROP scheme.

Top Defence Ministry sources said interest of those armed forces personnel who had to take VRS due to injuries will be protected.

"OROP is a complex issue. A thorough examination of interests of retirees of different periods and different ranks is needed. The inter-service issues of the three forces also require consideration. This is not an administrative matter alone," said Parrikar

In future, the pension would be re-fixed every five years, added the minister.

PM Narendra Modi has fulfilled his commitment and approved OROP for the armed forces personnel, said Parrikar, adding the Ministry of Defence will issue the detailed order soon.

Parrikar made the announcement in the presence of Army Chief General Dalbir Singh, Naval Chief Admiral RK Dhowan, Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal Aroop Raha, and Defence Secretary G Mohan Kumar.

Responding to Parrikar's statement, Major Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, who is leading the campaign, said while the veterans were satisfied with the government's intention to implement the OROP, they made it clear that the proposed benefits were not acceptable to them.

He said they disapprove of setting up of one-member judicial committee. “It should be under the Defence Minister and not given more than one month.”

He said that the veterans wanted clarifications from the government on issues like pre-mature retirement benefits and averaging of pension.

The agitating ex-servicemen will decide future course of action in response to the Defence Ministry's announcement shortly, said Singh.

He added that the ex-servicemen would not withdraw their agitation and reject the government's decision for revision of pension every five years.

According to us, the government has only accepted one of our demands and rejected six, said Singh.

Close to 26 lakh retired servicemen and over six lakh war widows stand to be immediate beneficiaries of the scheme, which envisages a uniform pension for the defence personnel who retire in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement.

Currently, the pension for retired personnel is based on the Pay Commission recommendations of the time when he or she retired. So, a Major General who retired in 1996 draws less pension than a Lt Colonel who retired after 1996.

Government has approved OROP in principle: Ex-servicemen | Zee News

Talking to journalists, spokesman of the protesting veterans, Major General (Retd) Satbir Singh, said they have told the government that there is nothing like voluntary retirement (VRS) in defence. Only the concept of premature retirement exists and those who opt it also get pension, added Singh.

Saying that the meeting between the delegation and Parrikar took place in an amicable environment, Singh said that the Defence Minister has understood their point that all those veterans who sought premature retirement should get OROP and those getting disability pension should also get it.

"By the grace of God, OROP has been approved by the government," Singh said at a press conference at Jantar Mantar.

"The third bone of contention is still there, which is when the revision of pension should take place. While the government is saying it should be five years, we have said that this will kill the definition of One Rank, One Pension. The minister has said a committee will be formed on this," he said.

He announced that the government has proposed making one-man commission (probably a retired judge) to look into the demand of veterans. However, Singh said that they have suggested to constitute a five-member committee (which should include three ex-veterans, one serviceman, and one retired judge).

The delegation has asked the government to set a timeframe of 15-30 days to resolve the issue.

With their agitation at Jantar Mantar seeking early implementation of OROP entering the 83rd day today, retired personnel of the armed forces made it clear that they want the concept of OROP to be executed properly, and no senior should get lesser pension than a junior at any time.

The Defence Ministry has called a press conference this afternoon. However, the subject of the press conference has not been disclosed.

It is understood that a draft proposal on OROP was circulated at a RSS meeting yesterday which envisaged commencement of the scheme from July 2014, besides revision of pension every five years.

According to the draft, the basis for the implementation of the scheme would be 2013 and arrears would be paid in four installments.

 

[Hindustani78]

The Union Minister for Defence, Shri Manohar Parrikar announcing the One Rank One Pension scheme for the Ex-Servicemen, at South Block, in New Delhi on September 05, 2015. The Minister of State for Planning (Independent Charge) and Defence, Shri Rao Inderjit Singh, the three Service Chiefs, General Dalbir Singh, Admiral R.K. Dhowan and Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha and the Defence Secretary, Shri G. Mohan Kumar are also seen.

 

[magudi]

The Govt is shooting itself in the foot . even if there were compromises to be made they should have taken the veterans on board , watching the TV the veterans say no member of the Govt approached them . just bad communication !!!

Seriously ? No member of the government approached them ? They were holding meetings like twice a day with officials from PMO even today before announcement RM met them .

Demands like yearly revision are completely ridiculous and holding the government ransom for the same is an overstretch by any measure even for veterans.Though some genuine concerns like that of VRS vets should be clarified

 

[anant_s]

agree with @jbgt90 that there is a communication breakdown and the whole matter especially the veterans on hunger strike could have been handled in better way.
that bit said, approach of veterans too was very rigid and it was clear after police action was tried on veterans, that some sort of compromise is in order with both parties taking two steps towards each other.
In retrospect, given that all government employees get pay revision only once a decade with pay commission reports, revision of pension once every 5 years may not be a bad deal.

 

[lightoftruth]

OROP is a fiscal headache anything beyond what govt has conceded will turn that headache into a migraine with other services asking the same alongside 7th pay commission.

 

[Parul]

It's Impossible to make everyone Happy! Congratulations to NDA for fulfilling one of there election promises.


Mean while in Delhi: Kejri saar will soon announce OROP :Our Raita in Others Plate. j/k

 

[Sam.]

Not all veteran but congress stooges are getting butthurt. Funny thing is media showing those who ae not happy but what about those who are happy ?

I guess nobody cares about happy guys and only give platform to disgruntles ones for trp. In every negotiation you have to meet the half way but army (politically backed few who hijacked this) acting this is a dictatorship and they don't want negotiation but all demands to be fulfilled because they said so.

-1 point for those retired army man who are degrading Indian army image in the public.

It's Impossible to make everyone Happy! Congratulations to NDA for fulfilling one of there election promises.


Mean while in Delhi: Kejri saar will soon announce OROP :Our Raita in Others Plate. j/k

He is attention seeker i guess his mother didn't love him enough.He throw random allegation towards others but when treated same way then talk about tyranny blah blah blah

 

[Hindustani78]

Ex-servicemen celebrate at the India Gate after the government announced the implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, in New Delhi on Saturday. PTI Photo

 

[Parul]

 

[Nicky G]

Detractors notwithstanding, a huge step forward. You can't satisfy everyone but there are plenty of cheering veterans.