Letter to Narendra Modi PM : IMPLEMENTATION OF ONE RANK ONE PENSION OVER DELAYED

01 Sep 2014

Sh. Narendra Modi
Prime Minister of India
Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)
New Delhi -110001

IMPLEMENTATION OF ONE RANK ONE PENSION OVER DELAYED

Dear Prime Minister,

This is in continuation of Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM) letter dated 14 Aug 2014 and 22 Aug 2014. This is the third letter, I am writing to you on behalf of the Ex-Servicemen and Defence family pensioners Fraternity to request you to fulfil your assurances given to them during your Election Rallies which were also reflected in the BJP Manifesto.

Mr. Prime Minister one of our Ex-Servicemen Maj Gen K M Bhimaya (Retd) visited Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library at Springfield Illinois and came across a priceless peace of tribute to the US Army Veterans by the Decatur Review (May 31, 1893). I would like to share with you the excerpts from the above piece which the General has shared with us. After reading the piece. I am sure you will feel deep inside, the obligation of the Nation towards its Martyrs and Living soldiers both serving and retired and their members of families :-

“Every soldier who placed himself on the deadly altar is as deserving of credit as if he had died there. The truest way to honor the dead is to rightly appreciate the living. The returned veteran who is healthy and beyond need and to whom the nation is largely indebted does not ask charity at the hands of the government he served, but it is not too much to ask that the pension laws shall be so perfected and so administered that none of our worthy comrades and their families shall be left to suffer for the comforts of life.”

Sir, we were very sure that you at the helm of affairs of the Govt will undo the injustice done to the Defence Forces by successive Govts for the past 67 years. Our status and inter-se-equations with other Central Services have been systematically downgraded since 26 Jan 1950. One Rank One Pension as per the accepted definitions ie “Pensions as on 01.04.2014 of defence personnel will be paid to all past pensioners with same rank and same years of service and the future enhancements in the rates of pensions will also be passed on to the past pensioners” as assured by you starting with Rewari Rally, has not been implemented even six months after its sanction. The Defence Fraternity is rather surprised to know that the bureaucrats have as “Red Herring” brought in the hurdle of Finances and are trying to create confusion by giving a twist to the very definition of OROP. At the time of giving approval to the concept of OROP and issuing executive orders for the same, it was clearly mentioned that funds required for the same will be made available. Then, sir, why, the Draft Govt Letter (DGL) prepared by the Service HQs which has been correctly prepared as per the Govt executive orders has, not yet been issued?

May we request you to kindly issue instructions to implement the One Rank One Pension (OROP) exactly as per the approved definition the earliest please? What we understand from your policies and manifesto that your Government will ensure stronger military and would raise the morale of Armed Forces Personnel by respecting them and giving them their dues. Sir, Armed Forces personnel look up to the veterans as their future life and see them as their guide and philosopher. Wellbeing of Ex-servicemen will raise morale of serving soldiers many notches high.

Any further delay, will cause disillusionment amongst the Ex-Servicemen towards the BJP and its Govt.

With regards,

Maj Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, SM
Chairman IESM

(Sourcep Central Govt Employees News)