The armed forces veterans of Uttarakhand are convenening a meeting on Monday in which future course of their action on the issue of One Rank One Pension (OROP) would be decided. The spokesperson of the United Front of Ex -Servicemen of Uttarakhand -the umbrella organisation of different ex-servicemen associations of the state for OROP- Colonel P l Parashar said that the implications of the Union Government’s announcement on OROP would be discussed at the meeting.
The veterans of the state are also keeping a close watch on the developments in national capital on the issue.
The union Government on Saturday had announced the implementation of OROP but some of its provisions have not gone well with the ex servicemen. Brigadier R S Rawat (Rtd) said that the veterans are opposed to the term Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) used in the declaration of OROP. The Government had announced that the benefit of OROP would not be extended to those taking VRS. “In armed forces we take premature retirement and not VRS. It is not what the VRS or golden shake hand scheme are like”, he said.
The veterans who were agitated on exclusion of those voluntarily leaving their jobs for OROP were somewhat placated after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi clarified the position of Government on the issue at a rally at Faridabad on Sunday.
A rough estimate reveals that more than 40 percent of ex- servicemen taking premature retirement due to a variety of reasons. Brigadier Rawat said that though 75 percent of the demands of the ex servicemen were accepted it is still far from what OROP exactly is.
His views were echoed by Col Parashar (Rtd). He said that the decision of taking average of difference of pension of highest and lowest pension of same rank personnel serving in different times is actually against the basic principal of OROP. The OROP implies that pension of all those who hold same rank and have equal years of service is same, irrespective of the year when one retires. He said that the decision of Government to appoint one man judicial committee on the issue too is not correct. “The Government should include armed forces personnel both serving and retired in the committee. Further the revision of pension every five year is not acceptable to us,” he said.
The veterans believe that the Government’s contention that it is not possible to revise pensions every year is baseless in the age of advanced computing. One of a retired officer said that the bureaucrats are actually against the provisions of OROP and it is they who are suggesting things like averaging of pensions and exclusions of those retiring early.
Though the veterans are not happy with the Government’s stand on OROP most of them are annoyed at the Congress party for issuing statements on the issue.
“At least this Government gave us something on OROP on the other hand Rahul Gandhi in the year 2010 had expressed his helplessness on the issue.
The Congress party has no moral authority to speak on the issue of OROP”, said one of retired JCO.