<div>Despite huge financial burden, the government has taken a decision to implement the One Rank One Pension, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar announced on Saturday (05 September).</div><div> </div><div>Benefit of OROP will be given with effect from July 1, 2014, a date immediately after the present government assumed office, Parrikar said.</div><div> </div><div>OROP arrears to be paid in four half-yearly instalments; all widows, including war widows, to be paid arrears in one instalment.</div><div> </div><div>To begin with, OROP would be fixed on the basis of calendar year 2013, he said. Pension will be re-fixed for all pensioners retiring in the same rank and same length of service.</div><div> </div><div>The government is considering appointing a committee under a judge to go into the issue of equalisation of pension, a leader of the ex-servicemen group fighting for One Rank One Pension said after a meeting with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Veterans react</strong></div><div>It is good what govt has announced on OROP, we are satisfied, Major Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh said after Parrikar made an onnuncement on OROP.</div><div> </div><div>"We do not accept the decision not to give OROP benefits to those who have taken voluntary retirement," Singh said.</div><div> </div><div>Ex-servicemen however, disapproved of setting up of one-member judicial committee. "It should be under Defence minister and not given more than one month," Singh said.</div><div> </div><div>They have sought clarifications on issues like pre-mature retirement benefits and averaging of pension. According to us, govt has only accepted one of our demands and rejected six, Singh said.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Pension equalisation, an issue</strong></div><div>Maj Gen Satbir Singh (Retd), Chairman of Indian Ex-Servicemen said the government while accepting the concept of the OROP, was still insisting on pension revision every five years and that is why it was thinking of constituting a committee.</div><div> </div><div>Singh said after the meeting that in that case a representative of the veterans and one from the services should also be in the committee. He said the committee should not take more than one month.</div><div> </div><div>Ahead of government’s likely announcement of OROP, Singh said government has broadly accepted the concept of the scheme and that they will study the details after it is made public.</div><div> </div><div>The delegation, he said, presented their views on the sticky issues including pension equalisation.</div><div> </div><div>“Government has accepted the OROP concept broadly,” the Chairman of Indian Ex-Servicemen movement told reporters after the meeting.</div><div> </div><div><strong>'No junior should get more pension than senior'</strong></div><div>He said it was conveyed to the Defence Minister that no junior should get more pension than senior and that there is nothing like Voluntary Retirement Service in defence forces.</div><div> </div><div>Sounding a conciliatory note, Singh said the government has accepted 60 per cent of the demands of the ex—servicemen.</div><div> </div><div>He, however, said the “bone of contention” — revision of pension — still remains.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Parrikar meets Amit Shah</strong></div><div>After the meeting Mr. Parrikar met BJP president Amit Shah.</div><div> </div><div>Later a BJP leader said all demands of the ex-servicemen have been accepted except the pension revision demand.</div><div> </div><div>BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who was present at the party chief’s house, said government is close to announcing a solution that will cost the exchequer at least Rs 10,000 crore.</div><div> </div><div>The ex-servicemen have been demanding that the pension revision should take place at least in every two years while government has proposed a five-year revision.</div><div> </div><div>(PTI)</div>
