While welcoming the Congress-led UPA Government’s decision to accept its long demand for “one rank, one pension” (OROP), the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM) has expressed its skepticism about the possibility of the OROP benefits reaching the retired service personnel in near future.
“We ex-servicemen (ESM) are happy that the Government has grudgingly provided for `500 crore in the Budget for 2014-2015. Since we have not seen the detailed orders, one is not sure as to what it implies. But, looking at the figure it does not appear to be OROP,” Pune-based Cdr Ravindra W Pathak, Indian Navy (Retd), member of the Governing Body and Pension Cell, Indian Ex Servicemen Movement, said.
Reacting to an announcement made by Finance Minister P Chindambaram in his interim budget for the year 2014-15 that the Centre had decided to accept OROP demand, Pathak said in a statement issued on Monday evening: “Even in the past twice the Government removed a few anomalies arising out of implementation of the 6th Pay Commission as a result of court judgments and called it OROP”
“As such we are skeptical and we feel it is under electoral compulsion that the Government is trying to once again bluff its way through in order to gain mileage in next elections and hoping for ESM votes. I am sure that ESM are wiser to understand the greater good of the country than to base their votes on such political gimmicks.” Pathak stated, adding If the Government was sincere about this OROP issue, it had time since late eighties to grant this demand which was recommended by Brig KP Singhdeo Committee” appointed by the Congress.Also they had enough time since Indian ex Servicemen Movement raised this demand in 2008,” Pathak stated.
“The Government also had recommendations from both lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha committees. Does it take so long for the government 6 years to realize that the ESM exist and they have a demandIJ This looks like a pre-election gimmick,” Pathak said.
According to Pathak, the UPA government has not been sincere about its welfare measures towards the ESM. “There are so many other issues that are pending after favorable judgments that the government needs to address but all that it does is appeals in court even going for curative petitions. Issues of one rank one pension took 26 years and even then it was not correctly implemented and now they are delaying by going in appeals,” he added.