New Delhi: Earlier on Saturday, defence minister Manohar Parrikar, along with the three services chiefs, announced in a press conference that the government has decided to implement OROP under which there would be revision of pension every five years as against two years demanded by the ex-servicemen. The base year would be calendar year 2013 for the calculation of OROP and it will be implemented from July 1, 2014, Mr Parrikar said, while making it clear that ex-servicemen who have taken voluntary retirement would not be eligible for the scheme.
Incidentally the proposal is similar to the draft guidelines for OROP which were distributed during the BJP-RSS coordination meeting on September 4. The government is also setting up a one-member judicial committee to work out details of the implementation of OROP which will file a report in six months, the minister said.
Reacting initially to the announcement, the leader of agitating veterans, Maj. Gen. Satbir Singh (retd), said though they were satisfied with the government’s intention to implement OROP, they made it clear that the proposed benefits were not acceptable to them. Rejecting the provisions for pension revision after every five years and keeping those who take voluntary retirement (VRS) out of the scheme, Mr Singh said, “According to us, the government has accepted one of our demands and rejected six... At this point we cannot withdraw the agitation based on these details.”
However, late on Saturday evening, after Mr Parrikar held another meeting with the veterans, mainly on the aspects related to VRS and PMR, Mr Singh said that he was “satisfied” with the minister’s statement. However, he added: “...there are other issues which are yet to be done but the major issue is premature retirement which unnecessarily got put in. It was not required to be part of the note. How it has come we do not know.” The government is likely to come out with a “clarification” on the OROP proposal’s applicability to those who have opted for premature retirement.
Mr Singh, who met the defence minister along with a few others for the second time in the day, said the veterans would take a call on continuance of the agitation after a core committee meeting. “The defence minister has confirmed that there is no VRS in defence services and so OROP will be applicable in PMR. An official note would be given in a day or two after having a word with the Prime Minister. Mr Parrikar has confirmed that he would give a clarification on Sunday evening or day after tomorrow (Monday). As far as the defence minister and we are concerned, that clause goes,” Mr Singh told reporters after the meeting.
“OROP is a complex issue. A thorough examination of interests of retirees of different periods and different ranks is needed. The inter-service issues of the three forces also require consideration. This is not an administrative matter alone,” Mr Parrikar said earlier in the press conference while maintaining that the estimated cost to implement the scheme would be Rs 8,000-10,000 crore.
Close to 26 lakh retired servicemen and over six lakh war widows stand to be immediate beneficiaries of the scheme. The defence minister said Rs 10,000-12,000 crore would be required to pay arrears to the ex-servicemen. The three service chiefs and the defence secretary were also present at the press conference where Mr Parrikar read out the statement.
“The previous government had estimated that OROP would be implemented with a Budget provision of mere Rs 500 crore. The reality, however, is that the estimated cost to exchequer would be Rs 8,000 to 10,000 crore at present and will increase further,” he said. Congress and BJP were engaged in a bitter war of words with the Opposition party calling OROP provisions “betrayal” of ex-servicemen while the ruling outfit accused Congress of playing a “joke” on veterans when in power.
