One Rank One Pension – Veterans may have to Wait One more Month for Final Notification

Veterans may have to Wait One more Month for Final Notification – Sources add that, taking all this into consideration, the final report is being delayed to weigh all the demands , the Government feels, it wants no more haste move that would add fuel to the already raging fire.

A top defence source clarified today, “A government notification implementing ‘One Rank One Pension’ scheme may take another month”. “It can take 2-4 weeks more easily because it is quite an extensive issue,” the source added. Asked if the government will have to wait till the Bihar Assembly polls get over, he said the announcement has already been made and what is now expected is just a formal notification.

However, some of the veterans have objected to the scheme, the difference between what we wanted and what was offered by the Government far wide and they are continuing their protest insisting that many of their demands vis-a-vis OROP have not been met with.

One of their main demand and grievance is the ‘Non-functional upgradation’ (NFU). The IFS and IPS officers, as also those from organized Group A civil services, now get NFU after the 6th Pay Commission like IAS officers. But the armed forces have been kept out of it, and they demand, ‘Give us NFU or remove the anomaly’.

Despite an assurance from the PM, they claim that the government has created avoidable confusion by including VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme) in their announcement as it does not exist in the defence forces and those who have taken premature retirement must come under OROP.

The veterans want the base year for OROP to be financial year 2013-14, in place of 2013 announced by the government. They want the date of implementation to be April 2014, instead of July 2014 as announced by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The veterans also want the one man judicial commission to be replaced with a five member committee with their due representation.

Sources add that, taking all this into consideration, the final report is being delayed to weigh all the demands , the Government feels, it wants no more haste move that would add fuel to the already raging fire.

Source: The Times of India