The government finally granted the long-pending demand of the Armed Forces for One Rank and One Pension (OROP), as the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Monday cleared a Rs 2,300-crore package that will benefit around 21 lakh servicemen.
The CCS chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cleared the package following a favourable report from the pay panel, led by Cabinet Secretary, set up by the PM.
The demand has seen a prolonged agitation from ex-servicemen and saw many valiant soldiers returning their bravery medals in protest against the government’s apathy. The demand has been hanging fire for the last three decades.
Confirming this, the sources said the decision would be implemented soon. The decision on pay anomalies is still awaited.
The CCS also cleared the dual family pension and enhanced the family pension to physically and mentally challenged children of Armed Forces personnel. The new measures will incur an expenditure of Rs 2,300 crore annually. The Prime Minister had set up a committee headed by Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth, which submitted its report on August 8 this year.
The committee was also comprised Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Pulok Chatterjee and Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma as members, apart from secretaries of Departments of Expenditure, Ex-servicemen’s Welfare and Personnel and Training.
Retired soldiers have been demanding the OROP as there was huge disparity in the amount of pension granted to two soldiers despite them holding same rank in the service record, but retiring at different time.
Earlier in 2009, the government had partially granted the demand as the government substantially improved the pension of non-officers, who retired before January 1, 2006, and personnel retiring before October 10, 1997, were brought at par with pensioners post-October 10, 1997.
The government had also decided to liberalise certain pension benefits given to war-wounded and disabled pensioners.
