Delay in implementation of One Rank One Pension

The Odisha unit of the Indian Ex-Services League today blamed the bureaucracy for non-implementation of the grant of One Rank One Pension (OROP) to all the defence personnel despite the UPA government’s announcement to this effect.Indian Army

“All these days, the soldiers have been waiting for the formal orders to originate from the government, but to their dismay, it is learnt that the bureaucracy of this country does not appear to be favourably disposed to honour this commitment. The CGDA, PCDA and DESW have now started carrying out their own interpretation of the definition itself of the OROP, which falls far below the intended pension benefits to the defence personnel,” said general secretary of the Odisha unit Bidyadhar Nayak in a press release.

He said that there is a clear cut definition of OROP which has always been used in all discussions as well as in correspondence including the Report of the Committee of Secretaries on OROP ordered by the government in June 2009.

“OROP implies that uniform pension be paid to the Armed Forces personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement, and any future enhancement in the rates of pension to be automatically passed on to the past pensioners. This implies bridging the gap between the rate of pension of the current pensioners and the past pensioners, and also future enhancements in the rate of pension, to be automatically passed on to the past pensioners,” read the minutes of the meeting chaired by the Defence Minister in February this year.

Nayak said interpreting the definition of OROP in any other way would constitute an act serious manipulation by the bureaucracy. It not only amounts to the blatant disobedience of the government order but also amounts to betrayal of the soldiers.

This attitude of the bureaucracy of denying the soldiers their rightful demand is highly deplored by the defence fraternity, he added.