Saturday, August 22, 2015

Disparities in pension make implementation of One Rank One Pension necessary

Facing an apathetic bureaucracy and a self serving political system, hundreds of defence veterans and war widows are out on the streets to build pressure on the Narendra Modi government for the early implementation of the One Rank One Pension scheme. Since June 12, the veterans including many war heroes and highly decorated former defence personnel, their families and even some youngsters are peacefully protesting at Jantar Mantar for their right and pride.

 
The One Rank One Pension system means a retired soldier of the same rank and same length of service will get the same pension regardless of when the person retires.
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"It is not about money but it is our right. The government must give it. Now, it has become a fight for our pride. If the government says it has no money for us, we will stop our protest," said Chairman of Indian Ex-servicemen Movement Major General (retired) Satbir Singh, one of the leaders of the agitation.

It was during former Indira Gandhi's tenure (1966-1977) that major changes were made in the pension scheme of the soldiers and those in the lower ranks of defence forces were affected the most. The Third Pay Commission, which came into effect from November 1, 1973, decided that a soldier from the rank of Sipahi to Subedar Major will get 50% of his salary as pension vis-a-vis 70% that was given earlier but with a condition that he has to complete 33 years in service.
But the irony is that to ensure the youthful profile of defence forces a jawan can be in service only till the age of 35-37 years and so he cannot fulfil the given condition and gets lesser pension. Moreover, the 20% of his due was given to the civilian employees who never ever undergo the hardships that a soldier faces during his career.

But the Third Pay Commission did not affect the pension of officers and hence they never raised any objection. "It was Colonel Inderjeet Singh who raised his voice in 1982 for the implementation of One Rank One Pension," said Naik Subedar (retired) Gurucharan Singh Sidhu, General Secretary of Armed Forces Veterans Association of India.

The government has already made it clear that the scheme will be implemented with effect from April 1, 2014 but it is yet to see the light of day. The total amount for implementing OROP stands at Rs 8,252 crore and will benefit around 25 to 27 lakh war veterans and 6 lakh widows.
"I do not understand where the confusion is. Everything is clear - Parliament has passed it twice, the Supreme Court has asked to implement it. The Defence Ministry has cleared it and the Finance Ministry has to provide the fund now. It is the bureaucracy which is a major roadblock," said Naik Subedar (retired) Sidhu.

If a soldier dies, the beneficiary of his pension will only be his wife, his daughter until she's married or his differently-abled child.

"Our fight is majorly for war widows and lower ranks who suffer the most," said Colonel (retired) Pushpender Singh, who is sitting on fast-unto-death since August 16.

As the scheme will come into effect from April 1, 2014, veterans will not get arrears from when they retired and only their pension will be equal to that of a soldier retiring today holding same rank and having put in same years in service. They will get their dues for last one-half-years.

A proposal was also made to the government to give cash to war widows and soldiers upto the rank of Subedar Major immediately and the rest can be given bonds for one-two years. But it is to be seen whether government will accept their proposal or come up with a fresh one.


Modi ji....this call is yours.......I am a big fan of yours but this episode has hurt your image....please do it immediately......remember all who have died for this nation and have protected us all...even came out to take out our children from bore well. We can never afford to forget the supreme sacrifices made by these selfless patriots. Defence forces admire you but some disgruntled people have created a fog around you.......Please roar and put these defence forces baiters in place. You are capable and will do it is my faith.
Govt's proposal also looks good...being a huge number of soldiers, implementation from 2014 (atleast) sud be allowed as that will benefit coming generation personnel and motivate people to join defence...in private we get increments, no arrears, so sameway if salary increases for soldiers from now, that will also benefit them....so veterans should come on consensus....demanding arrears should be jyadati....it will put unnecessary hurdle...though widows & soldier/subedar rank people must be given the arrears...it will solve their real problems.....a clerk sitting in tehsil can makes crores, but soldier gets only what he is paid...so soldiers should be given the benefit....they deserve it....if govt does not have fund, they should create an account where we civillians could put money of our capacity, and also allow to put the all money seized from scamasters in that account...if not atleast create account in the name of widows...i am sure there will be no dearth of money for them...
if asked many retired veterans will leave the pansion for these widows, becuase they only knows what hardship these widows face in life in absence of husband......if i get to see a widow sitting in bus while going to collect pansion, during all journey i keep on thinking for them, ..i can see their helplessness

Disparity arises due to qualifications, designations, posts and duties and responsibilities.. if OPOR is accepted, to serve in army no body requires to go to school at all. It is only fighting job street rowdies are enough to do the job

what an simple minded ignoramus.

Dear Priyanka Rathi, did you drop here from a pre-historic age or some other dimension? The government has already agreed that OROP should be implemented. It's just working out the money factor with the various commissions that is causing the delay.

what about you, you who call yourself bharatputra! If you had an inkling of pride in your nation, you would know how badly this nation has treated its own soldiers for so many decades. The money factor is something that the govt has calculated down to the last penny. Come on, you think 1.25 lakh crore for Bihar, 64000 crore as tax benefits, 300,000 lakh crore as NPA are acceptable amounts, but the 8500 crore needs to be factored in? Wake up, sir.

Running the finances of an entire nation, that too with a population as big as India, is not easy. If the veterans wouldn't have demanded the OROP as per the new pay commission and gone on with what the old deal was, the scheme would have already been done and dusted on the 15th itself. It's not that all the grants and budgets of whether it be a sop, state aid or a scheme are announced at the drop of a hat...that too with numbers as big as these. It needs a re-working of the finances and adjustment of the national budget and decent time of pre-planning and allocation. These things take time as well as co-operation, which the government has been asking for and which some sides are not understanding.

you need to know sir, OROP was never a demand. It was stolen from the soldiers, when in 1973, the pensions of the jawans was reduced from 70% that they were getting before to 50%, while simultaneously, the civil babus pensions was increased to 50% from 33%, though the civilians work till they are 60 years old, whether they are disabled or not, while the soldiers are forcibly retired at 35, and even less if they are disabled. OROP was offered by the babus and the Netas as a compensation after this reduction in pension.
You speak of running the finances of a nation being no easy, sir, when the FM and the PM is giving away billions as credit, and aid to Mongolia and god knows where else. You mean those funds appeared out of thin air? You think these figures of 8300 crore for OROP are new? There was no old deal. The first person to go on a hunger strike for OROP was the col Inderjit Singh(retd) who went on a 16 day fast unto death way back in 1986, during Indira Gandhi's time, only for OROP. For forty years the govts, whether this party or that, has prevaricated, fooled, and pulled wool over the eyes of the only people who actually care enough for the country to be willing to give up their life so you and I can sit around and chatter away on our keyboards, the only people who do not have any caste, language or religion based system, and where merit is the only criterion for promotion.
This govt promised OROP more than a year ago. You mean that the calculations for the aid package to Nepal, Bihar and Mongolia was decided before they were in power? The figures for OROP have been talked about since last year itself, and the Ministry of Defence has carefully calculated and arrived at the 8300 crore figure, after talking to the ESM and servicemen and going through the requirements carefully. The Fm on the other hand, is just delaying the work, and that is what is irritating the ESM community.
What new pay commission or old pay commission figures are you talking about? The year of implementation has been fixed by two parliaments to be 2014, and now changing the year to 2011 will be equal to your tailor giving you half sleeves instead of full sleeves, and telling you that the cloth wont fit, after agreeing to full sleeves when he started the work.

Research a bit more. Before elections, the cost for this was pegged at ₹500 crore. During the 2014 budget, it was allotted ₹1000 crore. With a roster the veterans prepared, the cost increased to ₹8500 crore, and that too just to initiate it. It will cost around ₹20000-22000 crore to completely implement it. This kind of gross increase, that too almost a 40% increase in the pre-OROP budget is quite significant and needs to be worked out in the budget. Hence, the time.

However, if you are suggesting that this government is troubling the veterans on purpose and wants to demoralise the armed forces, I can't help your thought process.

Sorry, again you're wrong. The cost was pegged at 5000 and odd crore, but the govt sanctioned 500 crore, knowing fully well it would not be enough. This govt also added 1000 crore, knowing that it would not be enough. Those funds lapsed at the end of the year. The 8293 crore amount was not prepared by the veterans, it was prepared by the MOD with inputs from the serving and veterans. The figures now being bandied about are just being put there to scare the ministers and decision makers. The 20K crore you mention is for two years of payments, and includes the civilians in the defence services, who do not need OROP because they already work till they are 60 yrs of age. This amount is also to be paid only the first time, because it includes the payments from 2014-15 as well as 2015-16.
I am not suggesting this govt is trying to trouble and demoralize the armed forces, but that is what will take place when you keep promising and not fulfilling what is supposed to have been given them decades ago, along with the manner in which the armed forces have been repeatedly reduced in their rank equivalency, their stature and their rightful benefits. The way in which the continuous delays, denials, and demeaning of the armed forces, the veterans, the war widows and their dependents has taken place in a sly, ratlike, and disgusting manner by the bureaucracy is what makes it doubly worse than it should have been.
Not I, you need to research more.

Saying the initial amount was not prepared by the veterans but from the input of the veterans and those serving is kind of self-contradictory. Thank you for accepting that the amount is atleast double than what is being claimed.

It's good to know that you have faith still in the government. To be honest, there is not a person in the country who will disagree that the veterans deserve OROP. The tussle seems to be stemming from the delay, not from the lack of political will. Quite a few people are commenting against the veterans haste too. They have waited for so long to get what they deserved and didn't proactively take things into their own hands putting pressure on governments which nowhere were interested in fulfilling their demands and now they are holding fasts unto death against the only government which is actually seriously looking into the issue and willing to fulfil their promise.

Hahaha.....Bharatputra ji.......She is not wrong...she has to be fair as a media woman. Never mind...cheers

Modiji has to stop building roads and highways which will help more people and may have to divert it to pay pensions. This is a monthly commitment, so a lot of money from Modiji will go to this scheme. Also, other government employees from Center and state also may start fast unto death to get OROP. Railways people have already asked for this..Difficult time for Modiji..


yes, right, if they pay this 8300 crore for OROP, the economy will collapse and we will go back to the stone age, while the 64000 crore tax benefit to corporates and the 3,00,000 crore NPA will make us all travel tomorrow to Mars in space ships, with no poverty anywhere.

Bihar ko 1 lakh crore se upar ka package fete waqt funds kha se agayea or jo yehbpending kam hai eskeliyea funds nhi hai wah re modi


modi will do it but one year before election, so that entire pressure will be on next government

It will be Modi sarkar for next 15 years and BJP sarkar for next 60 years. Enough of Pappu and Family. RIP

lol bhakt thinks modi is coming back. beta waise to kejriwal ne aana hai, lekin priyanka uttar gayi to modi gujrat bhi nahi bacha payega

Kejriwal dilli se bahar nikal ke to dheken. Jutte padenge. Priyanka Bhabhi ko abhi Jiju ke saat time spend karne do. kyon ki wo jald hi jail jaanewala hi. Phir usko uttariyo. India mein nahi Italy mein.


(SOURCE- CMN IBN) 

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