Two steps forward and four steps backward - this is the status of One Rank One Pension announced by the Narendra Modi government which has been rejected by the "disappointed, disheartened and cheated" community of over 24 lakh defence veterans and 6 lakh widows of soldiers.
Calling the OROP, which was outlined by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday afternoon, a "betrayal", the veterans decided to continue with their protest along with the fast-unto-death and relay hunger strike, pushing the Centre, which was hoping to earn some more goodwill, on the defensive.
The protesting veterans at Delhi's Jantar Mantar were glued to Parrikar's press conference with hopes of a positive news but as soon as it got over the mood turned sombre as most of their demands had been rejected by the Centre.
While thanking the Defence Minister for announcing OROP, the veterans pointed out several anomalies and declared that out of the seven points, only one was acceptable to them.
According to Major General Satbir Singh (retired), chairman of Indian Ex-servicemen Movement, said that some of the biggest hurdles had not been removed and so they cannot accept government's OROP proposal.
The scheduled rally on September 12 will also take place at Jantar Mantar.
Government's OROP scheme and stand of veterans:
1. Government: The benefit of OROP will be given with effect from July 1, 2014, said Parrikar. To begin with, OROP would be fixed on the basis of calendar year 2013.
Veterans: Accept it.
2. Government: Arrears will be paid in four half-yearly installments. All widows, including war widows, will be paid arrears in one installment.
Veterans: They want clarity on its modalities.
3. Pension will be re-fixed for all pensioners retiring in the same rank and with the same length of service as the average of minimum and maximum pension in 2013. Those drawing pensions above the average will be protected.
Veterans: Reject it and want it at the maximum level.
4. Government: Personnel who voluntarily retire will not be covered under the OROP scheme.
Veterans: Reject it. They point out that there is no voluntary retirement from defence forces but premature retirement and want the personnel opting for it under OROP.
5. Government: In future, the pension would be re-fixed every 5 years.
Veterans: Reject it and want it to happen every year or at the most once in two years.
6. Government: One-member Judicial Committee would be constituted which will give its report in six months.
Veterans: Reject this offer. Want a 5-member committee with three retired defence personnel, one serving and one from the judiciary. The timeframe should be one month.
So the two biggest hurdles of pension revision and those retiring prematurely remain with the veterans digging in their heels for another round of battle. Former defence personnel say a large number of soldiers retire because of the highly pyramidal structure of the forces due to which only a few get promoted every year and they are eligible for pension as per the law.
Seeking clarification on the modalities of the implementation of OROP, Major General Singh said that they would continue with their agitation. Wing Commander Vinod Nebb and a few other veterans minced no words in calling it a betrayal.
Havaldar Major Singh, who is on fast-unto-death, said that he would continue the hunger strike while expressing disappointment with the government. “The government did not meet our demands,” he said.
Colonel Kiran Tiwari (retired), who served in the 5 Gorkha Rifles, said, "We did not have much of a hope from the government. They did not have the intention to give OROP as defined by Koshiyari Committee. Contentious points still remain on 5-year equaliser, premature retirement and one-member committee."
Colonel Inderjit Singh, who started the fight for OROP 34 years ago, said that the veterans were still expecting a breakthrough on all contentious issues. “Defence Minister is our only friend, finance minister is troublesome,” he said.
The Defence Minister said Rs 10,000-12,000 crore would be required to pay arrears to the ex-servicemen.
Parrikar said the government had held extensive consultations with experts and ex-servicemen, and decided to implement OROP despite the huge financial burden.
"The previous government had estimated that OROP would be implemented with a budget provision of mere Rs 500 crore. The reality, however, is that to implement OROP, the estimated cost to exchequer would be Rs 8,000 to 10,000 crore at present and will increase further in future," Parrikar said flanked by Army Chief General Dalbir Singh, Navy Chief Admiral RK Dhowan, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Aroop Raha and Defence Secretary G Mohan Kumar.
The Defence Minister said the OROP issue was pending for nearly four decades and though the previous UPA government had made an announcement to implement it in 2014-15, it had not specified what the scheme would be.
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