War veterans protest at One Rank One Pension delay
Ex-servicemen have planned a rally on pension issue on June 14
New Delhi: A significant section of ex-servicemen seem to have lost their patience waiting for the government to fulfill their demand for One-Rank-One-Pension (OROP) and have called a mega rally here on June 14, followed by relay hunger strikes.
In another development, reports from Pune said 1971 war veteran and Vir Chakra recipient Wing Commander Suresh Karnik (Retd) was among those who boycotted a gallantry award function on Thursday attended by defence minister Manohar Parrikar. The retired officer boycotted it as he was furious over the OROP delay.
This was despite Navy Chief Adm. R.K. Dhowan advising ex-servicemen to be “patient” on the OROP demand, as the government was seized of the matter and very serious about it. “A lot of progress has been made,” the admiral addded.
Admiral Dhowan stressed that OROP has been a “priority area” and the issue of grant of OROP has been taken up with the Ministry of Defence (MoD). “We look forward to that announcement,” he told reporters in Delhi.
“The Ministry of Defence is very much seized of the problem. To the best of my knowledge, a lot of progress has been made on the OROP. It is up to the government to take a decision on it,” he said.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had recently indicated that the issue of grant of OROP was at the “final stages” and had also advised "patience" on the matter.
The BJP-led NDA Government had earlier promised to implement the OROP which essentially means that all ex-servicemen will get the same pension according to rank and tenure of service irrespective of when they retired.
But Wg. Cmdr. (retd) Karnik was quoted as telling news agencies in Pune, “The Government is paying lip service to ex- servicemen's cause.
Bureaucracy is playing its own game on One Rank One Pension issue,” adding that he was not attending a gallantry award function in Pune that was addressed by Parrikar.
Another retired IAF officer is also said to have boycotted the same event where he was to be felicitated by Parrikar.