NEW DELHI: After embarrassing the government by boycotting events, a section of retired defence personnel have decided to ignore all official functions, including those marking the 50th year of the Indo-Pak war of 1965, as it hasn’t implemented the long-pending “One Rank One Pension” scheme yet.
Protesting against the delay, the ex-servicemen in various cities across the country are holding relay hunger strikes, which entered their eighth day on Monday.The Narendra Modi Government has said it is committed to implementing the OROP scheme. In its Lok Sabha election manifesto, the BJP had promised to implement the scheme.
Around 22 lakh ex-servicemen and over six lakh war widows stand to be the immediate beneficiaries of the OROP scheme, which envisages a uniform pension for defence personnel who retire in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement.Currently, the pension for ex-servicemen is based on the recommendations of the Pay Commission of that time they retire.
A Major General who retired in 1996 draws a lower pension than a Lieutenant Colonel who retired after 1996. The ex-servicemen said they were considering approaching Opposition parties, especially in Bihar, to push their demand.