Retired defence personnel are protesting
across the country including at Delhi's Jantar Mantar today against the delay
in the implementation of the long-awaited 'One Rank One Pension'. The
ex-servicemen have also declared a relay hunger strike from Monday.
Farmers' groups like the Bharatiya Kissan Union and students from Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University are expected to join today's protest at Jantar Mantar.
"The PM assured us that they will settle this issue once and for all... However, it has been one year and nothing has been done yet," said Colonel (retd.) Anil Kaul.
The Narendra Modi government has said
that it is committed to OROP, one of its key poll promises, but has refused to
specify a timeline for its implementation.
Prime Minister Modi, in fact, reached
out to retired defence personnel in his radio address 'Mann ki Baat' last
month, assuring that his government will find a solution to the
"vexed" issue and asked them to "wait for some more time".
But talks between Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and ex-servicemen who are seeking a firm date for the rollout of the 'One Rank One Pension' scheme failed earlier this month following which the retired personnel decided to go ahead with the today's protest.
Mr Parrikar had, last month, said that the OROP "was on its way" but he could not promise a date for its implementation. Sources told NDTV that the file on OROP was shuttling between the finance and defence ministries.
One Rank One Pension seeks to ensure that defence personnel who retire at the same rank and with the same length of service, will get equal pension, irrespective of when they retired. Close to 22 lakh ex-servicemen and over six lakh war widows stand to be the immediate beneficiaries of the scheme.
Currently, the pension for retired personnel is based on the Pay Commission recommendations at the time when he or she retired. So, a Major General who retired in 1996 draws less pension than a Lieutenant Colonel who retired after 1996.
Source: NDTV
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