One Rank, One Pension proposal this week – अगले हफ्ते होगा ‘वन रैंक वन पेंशन’ पर निर्णय

Manohar Parrikar

New Delhi, January 31

As retried veterans of the armed forces converge on the national capital to protest non-implementation of the “one rank-one pension” (OROP) scheme on Sunday, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said the modalities will be finalised by next week and the file will be sent to the Finance Ministry for further action.

Parrikar, while speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a defence function, said: “Discussions are on to fix the modalities (for the OROP)… By next week, the view of the Defence Ministry will be formed.”

The OROP issue has been fast-tracked, Parrikar said adding he had already held several meetings on it. The scheme was sanctioned by the previous government on February 17 last year. On February 26, the then Defence Minister AK Antony issued executive orders to implement OROP under the “approved” definition at the earliest.

Parrikar said as and when the exact implementation status for the scheme is finalised by the Defence Ministry, it will be sent to the Ministry of Finance. Parrikar had in December said if he could take the satisfaction level (of the retired armed forces personnel) to 80-90 per cent, it should be “a good enough solution”. This had not been taken kindly to by the veterans who wanted a clarification on what the 80 per cent satisfaction level meant.

The Indian Ex-servicemen Movement (IESM) wanted to know the formula being adopted for OROP saying it would not accept OROP other than the one already accepted by the government.

The definition accepted by the Ministry of Defence is the one the Rajya Sabha Petitions Committee chaired by Bhagat Singh Koshyari suggested in December 2011.

OROP, it said, “implies that uniform pension be paid to armed forces personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement, and any future enhancement in the rates of pension be automatically passed on to the past pensioners.”

    The ‘one rank-one pension’ scheme was sanctioned by the UPA government on February 17, 2014. The then Defence Minister AK Antony issued executive orders to implement OROP under the ‘approved’ definition on February 26

    Under the scheme, uniform pension is to be paid to armed force personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement

Read at: http://www.tribuneindia.com

नई दिल्ली। रक्षा मंत्री मनोहर पार्रिकर ने शनिवार को कहा कि उनका मंत्रालय बहुत दिनों से लटके “वन रैंक वन पेंशन” (ओआरओपी) योजना को लागू करने के तौर-तरीके को अगले हफ्ते तक अंतिम रूप दे देगा। इसके बाद फाइल आगे की कार्रवाई के लिए वित्त मंत्रालय को भेज दी जाएगी। इससे करीब 20 लाख पूर्व सैनिकों को लाभ होगा।

पार्रिकर ने यहां संवाददाताओं से कहा, “सैद्धांतिक रूप से इसकी स्वीकृति पहले ही मिल चुकी है। इसे लागू करने के तौर-तरीके पर चर्चा जारी है… अगले हफ्ते तक रक्षा मंत्रालय अपनी राय बना लेगा।” उन्होंने यह भी कहा कि यह मुद्दा शीघ्रता से निपटाया जा रहा है और वे इस पर कई बार खुद बैठक कर चुके हैं।

पिछले माह पार्रिकर ने कहा था कि इस मामले में यदि वह सेवानिवृत्त सैन्य कर्मियों की संतुष्टि का स्तर 80-90 फीसद तक ले जा सके तो यह अच्छा समाधान होगा। ओआरओपी के तहत 20 लाख से भी अधिक पूर्व सैनिकों के बारे में यह सुनिश्चित किया जाना है कि वह रक्षा कर्मी जो एक समान रैंक और समान अवधि तक नौकरी करने के बाद सेवानिवृत्त हुआ तो उसकी सेवानिवृत्ति की तिथि चाहे जो हो पेंशन बराबर मिलनी चाहिए।

Read at http://naidunia.jagran.com

NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said his Ministry would finalise modalities for the much delayed ‘One Rank, One Pension’ (OROP) scheme by next week and the file would be sent to Finance Ministry for further action.

“In principle, it has been approved earlier. Discussions are on to fix modalities… By next week, the view of the defence ministry will be formed,” Parrikar told reporters here while declaring that the OROP issue has been fast-tracked and he has already held several meetings on it.

As and when the exact implementation status for the scheme is finalised by defence ministry, it will be taken up to the Ministry of Finance, he said.

Speaking on the issue last month, Parrikar had said if he could take the satisfaction level (of the retired armed forces personnel) to 80-90 per cent, that should be “a good enough solution”.

‘One Rank, One Pension’ has been a long-standing demand of the over 2 million ex-servicemen in India. It seeks to ensure that a uniform pension is paid to defence personnel who retire at the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement.

The minister, meanwhile, said it has decided not to fight nearly 4,000 disability pension cases pending against his ministry in courts, a move which will benefit thousands of soldiers waging long legal battles.

Asked about concerns expressed by China and Pakistan over the defence agreement signed during US President Barack Obama’s visit here and whether India was prepared for a two- front war, Parrikar refused to comment.

He, however, said, “From our side we are trying to create an atmosphere of preparedness for everything. You have to assume the worst and hope for the best,” he said.

On a query as to whether the talks being held with the US on controversial agreements like CISMOA, BECA and LSA, he said “more cooperation is good” but did not comment on anything that is in the discussion stage.

He said that if India expands the Defence Trade Technology Initiative (DTTI), it would be advantageous for the country.

The minister said that the next meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council is likely to be held on February 9.

“Wherever procedures are proper, I feel that decisions should be quick. I have been pushing very hard for quick decisions. On the merit of each case, decision will be taken,” he said.

Read at: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com