Indian Armed Forces Ex Servicemen are Not Satisfied with OROP - Veteran Dilip Hiray

Dear All,

Below are the salient points where Indian Armed Forces are not Satisfied with OROP. These points are handed over to Raksha Rajya Mantri Dr Subhash  Bhamare during his visit at Malegaon on 28 Oct 2016.

1. OROP as per definition given by hon’ble Raksha Rajya Mantri is: Uniform pension to all defence pensioners irrespective of date of retirement for (a) same rank for (b) same length of service and for (c) same group. All benefits conferred on the present pensioners to be passed on to past pensioners.

2. Koshyari Committee Report defined OROP and approved by the two houses of the PARLIAMENT

3. The Definition accepted by the NDA – II Govt is to give same pension to all pensioners of same rank for same length of service irrespective of date of retirement. In simple words a Havildar of 20 years’ service of group Y retired in 1996 is to be given the same pension as another Hav of same length of service and same group who retire in 2016 or 2026. That means unless pensions are equalised every year, it is not OROP.

4. OROP Vs One Time Increase. By giving pension equalisation once in five years NDA – II Govt gave only One Time Increase by making pensions of all those who retired prior to 2013 i.e from 1947 to 2012 equal to pension of those who retired in 2013 in the same rank, same length of Service and same Group X or Y. The UPA I & II Govt also gave One Time Increase to JCOs and OR once in Jul 2009 and Sep 2012. For 11 lakh JCOs & OR pensioners, UPA Gvot gave Rs 10,257 crores i.e.much more than what NDA – II is giving today.

5. Date of Implementation. NDA – II Govt came to power after general elections held in Apr – May 2014. The financial year commences in Apr 2014 but OROP is implemented only w.e.f. Jul 2014 on the specious plea that they assumed power only on 26 May 2016. Did the NDA – II Govt collect taxes from Jul 2014 or from Apr 2014?

6. Base Year. If OROP is to be implemented as per approval given by the Parliament in 2014 then the base year is to be 2014 and not 2013.

7. Average of Maximum and Minimum. The pension of JCOs and OR was always on the Maximum of the fitment table as per approval given by President of India in Circular 430 and Circular 501. Why then pensions have been fixed at Average of Maximum and Minimum thereby depriving arrears to all pensioners?

8. OROP Not Avaialable to Pre Mature Retirees. Armed Forces by structure are pyramidal with few vacancies in the top. Therefore when there are no promotional avenues available the soldiers must be permitted to leave after serving for minimum period to earn pensoin. Then why such Premature soldiers are denied OROP?

9. Pension Fixation in OROP. Pension fixation adopted by Defence Accounts Department (DAD) is absolutely faulty. If they did not find a soldier of a particular qualifying service retired in 2013 but found one with longer service then they took the average of such longer qualifying service and reduced 3% per year to fix pension of junior in that rank i.e Say Naik with 15 years has not retired in 2013 and Naik with 20 years retired in 2013. The average of maximum and minimum of Naiks with 20 years’ service is taken and pension of Naik with 15 years’ service is reduced @ 3% per year to fix pension. Fine. But the same method should have been adopted if Naik of 24 years’ service is not found retired in 2013. They should have taken pension of Naik of 20 years’ service and increased pension of Naik with 24 years’ service @ 3% per year.

10. Lesser Disability Pension. All Soldiers who are disabled are given pension as per the rank they hold. Even if a Sepoy of 3 years is disabled his disability pensions is fixed as if he served for 33 years. But in OROP by linking length of service to the rank, soldiers with lesser service will get much lesser disability pension in OROP.

11. Lesser Special Family and Liberalised Family Pensioners. Earlier if a Sepoy was martyred in war or war like operations, his widow gets pension as per the rank. But in OROP by linking to the length of service widow of Sepoy who put in just 5 years’ service will get much lesser pension compared to another widow of Sepoy who put in 17 years’ service.

12. OROP Arrears Not Paid to 1.5 Lakh Pensioners. DAD personnel do not know ground realities. They directed banks not to pay OROP arrears if the PPO does not contain rank, length of service and Group X or Y. Group X pensioners get higher pension than Group Y. Since pensioners who retired in 1950s and 1960s did not have group endorsed in their Corr PPOs they are not paid OROP arrears by banks. When banks give details of such pensioners to PCDA (Pensions) Allahabad as per Appendix X of Circular 555, the PCDA have not given the group by searching the old PPOs and records held with them. Documents of pensioners cannot be destroyed and are to be kept in perpetuity. PCDAs have also not digitised their records in spite of getting funds since 1986. PCDAs are totally responsible for 1.5 lakh pensioners not getting arrears even after eight months.

13 . While giving orop they have purely considered only Army ranks not all the three services. JWO of y group having completed 32 years of service in IAF . While considering OROP of JCO in Army having 28 years of service maximum. In this way JWO lost 04 year service .It has happened with lot of personnel of this rank . It seems to be purely injustice.

14.  It's not only with JWO rank served for 38 yrs 07 months and retired as Honorary Flying Officer but pension in OROP has been fixed along with 32 yrs length of service.

15. Many Jawans are not getting their Last Rank's pension in spite of 6CPC recommendation and even after the Judgment from Hon. Supreme Court on Pay and Pension from 01.01.2006. How can it be OROP once the government is paying the Lower Rank's pension which is quite less than the entitled normal pension without OROP?

16.  Equal MSP and equal Disability pension for all combat soldiers to be given. All JCO/OR to be given same pension as per x group pay and Pension must be fixed on Last pay of present rank as before 6th CPC.

17. Reinstate 70 % pension for all who left before superannuation.

Above points are compiled based on discussion with Brig. Vidyasagar, Veteran Bir Bahadur Singh and from the internet source.

Veteran Dilip Hiray 
Gen Sec
Malegaon Taluka Maji Sainik Sangh
Malegaon
9372721788, 9767970052

(Source- Sainik Darpan)