- One Rank One Pension: Know reason why Modi govt is delaying scheme: OneIndia News
- Behind One Rank One Pension scheme delay, worry about small hike for jawans: Indian Express
Behind One Rank One Pension scheme delay, worry about small hike for jawans: Indian Express
MoD sources said that the main reason behind the delay is the minuscule increase that jawans may get if OROP is implemented in its present form.
Written by Pranav Kulkarni | New Delhi | Updated: June 26, 2015 8:31 am
As ex-servicemen steadfastly press for the implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP), top Ministry of Defence (MoD) sources have said that the main reason behind the delay is not funds, but the minuscule increase that jawans may get if OROP is implemented in its present form.
Sources said that the concern within the government is that the jawans may get an increase of just about “few hundred” rupees per month — a raise that may not justify the decade long OROP agitation.
The fear within political decision-makers is that OROP, if implemented in present form, may result in many dragging the government to courts, and may even create a political crisis. “It is no longer a budgetary concern. The formula to arrive at Rs 8,300-odd crores has already been approved. The real worries within South Block are political. Under the present formula, the jawans may just get about few hundred rupees of increase per month in their present pensions. This amount, the political class within the present government believes, is too small to pacify the agitation that has been spread over almost three decades,” a top Defence Ministry official said.
According to the official, the implementation — which is just short of being announced any moment, may trigger dissatisfaction and will result in soldiers dragging the government to courts and become a political issue. Citing the reason behind the small increase for jawans, the official said: “The government, in 2009, corrected the pensions of retired armed forces personnel to parity as per Sixth Central Pay Commission.
The jawans largely benefited out of the correction as the pension amounts increased. So the gap that earlier existed has largely been bridged. Rs 5000 crore has already been spent on bringing about the parity,” the official said. According to Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM) data, OROP — if implemented in its present form — will ensure an increase of between Rs 525 and Rs 1,720 to jawans in their monthly pensions by virtue of percentage of their low basic pensions. Widows will get a hike of Rs 1,500 per month. The officers are likely to get a per month pension increase between Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000.
According to sources, UPA too was worried about the political and legal consequences of these “relatively small” monthly increments after implementing OROP and had carried out “three rounds of equalisation” to work out a solution.
The MoD official said that so far, the present government, though committed, has not carried out any such equalisation. Group Captain V K Gandhi, general secretary, IESM said, “Our present demands have been agreed upon not only by officers but even by jawans. We are not willing to accept any dilution in the demands.”
Read at: The Indian Express
One Rank One Pension: Know reason why Modi govt is delaying scheme
New Delhi, June 26: In the midst of ongoing protest against one rank one pension by Army veterans, sources have revealed the reason why Modi government is delaying the plan. Reportedly, the government is in the favour of implementing the scheme as soon as possible, but there is a major hiccup in the way of the scheme. Read more: One Rank One Pension: PMK slams PM Modi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar Defence sources say that government is apprehensive about the fact that Army Jawans will be at the receiving end if OROP will be implemented in its present form.It is being said that the Centre has sufficient funds for the scheme, but biggest worry is that Jawans will get only peanuts in terms of monetary benefits if scheme will be followed upon.
The defence sources say that the Army Jawans will get a hike of only “few hundred” rupees per month in comparison to the officers and that is why policy makers are not going ahead with the plan. This little hike after a long agitation and protest will give all the Jawans a good reason to hold grudge against government. According to an Indian Express report, the Centre believes that sulking jawans may drag it to the court, leading to a big political crisis.
Expressing deep concern about the scheme, a Defence Ministry official was quoted by this daily as saying, “It is no longer a budgetary concern. The formula to arrive at Rs 8,300-odd crores has already been approved. The real worries within South Block are political. The official further said, “Under the present formula, the jawans may just get about few hundred rupees of increase per month in their present pensions. This amount, the political class within the present government believes, is too small to pacify the agitation that has been spread over almost three decades”. When prodded further why the Jawans will get such a low increment, Defence official told this to the daily, “The government, in 2009, corrected the pensions of retired armed forces personnel to parity as per Sixth Central Pay Commission. The jawans largely benefited out of the correction as the pension amounts increased. So the gap that earlier existed has largely been bridged. Rs 5000 crore has already been spent on bringing about the parity”. OROP in its present form will give a hike of around Rs 525 and Rs 1,720 to jawans while the officers will get increment of around Rs 10,000 to 20,000.
Army officers have been protesting for the OROP scheme since long. Modi government has assured them that it will be implemented soon but has not given specific deadline for the same.
Read at: OneIndia News
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COMMENTS
In one way, Mr Modi is giving credit to the UPA government for giving a major chunk of OROP to the Jawans. If he got the facts to that effect he should come up convincing as to how they did it and he is held up. Did he initially promise knowing that the UPA did the needful for OROP but enacted his pre-election drama just to capture a section of vote bank?
the entire structure needs to be looked at, the objectivity of the OROP is lost upon the triviality / comments by individuals with lesser knowledge, We never look at the forgiving nation / politicians and askew judicial proceedings / unaccountability by which the nation year on year suffers in tens of thousands of crores, the scams which are reported are only the tip of the iceberg, here we touting accountability and a mere 8300 crores,
What was the official campaign of the political parties (the unofficial part is even larger) , does anybody ask where these funds come from, the information is firewalled, but this is the nations money, a honest tax payers money, a fauji's money deducted as TDS from his salary, for what???? so that it fills the coffers of party funds, scamsters, ministerial luxuries and hiked pay and allowance of MP's and MLAs where the vast majorty finds food in canteen at subsidised rates and spends lakhs of rupees on fruitless travel, domestic maintenance, upkeep and god knows what?
this is an attempt to focus on what needs to be attended to against the backdrop of a national fabric and not treated in isolation, we are leading on thought processes evolving into more aggressive actions just because a group of babus cant get their mathematics right OR they don't want to?? or a bigger babu has suddenly unearthed a fundamentally flaw after months of deliberation, why cant the government release an interim order amount to 70 % of the calculated amount and ratify things later as they do normally.. if they were serious, hindi mein kahawat hai " niyat acchi honi chaiheya" a statement being used by the Delhi CM.
the present servicemen and exservicemen will know better in times to come whether the BJP alliance is truly what they wanted with likes of Vasundra, Sushma, and others who are waiting to crawl out of cracks and corners …… The greed never ends
Govt led by Sri Narendra Damodardas Modi is on the right track. Reason illustrated by Indian Express dt 26 Jun 2015 if implies truth then it will be a case of name selling for Jawan and JCOs. Officers so interested in OROP should response with sense of oneness whether they need , accept rationality of a leap which seems a differential increase more than 40 times. Should it be given mearly being an officer whose work, profession and responsibility is hardly different from that of Jawan and JCOs?
Well said Mr Ashok
Well said Mr Ashok Nandle
Rightly said by Ashok
GAZAB Ashok …keep it up..
The contention expressed by the government that the jawans are already benefited out of the earlier correction to their pension amounts is not fully understood. The gap that was bridged to bring in parity utilising 5000 crores by the UPA government must be explained/supported with facts and figures for getting lesser increase by the jawans by Rs 525-1720. The officers naturally will get higher increase and this is no reason to stall the OROP as long as the government sticks to the two parameter based definition which will benefit all ranks with justice. Let the government come out with their OROP version with deviations and we will sort it out in the courts.
You still live in Feudal India.How deference between two categories can be more than 20 to 30 times.The Armed forces officers think they should be treated better than IAS cadre and jawans worst than peon of central government. Officers in Armed forces have maintain worst type of pre historic feudal system. Why cant compare our structure with developed word like USA or UK where sergeant gets much heigher than junior officer. Why can't we open DSO institutes for Retried JCO too. Officers other wise like to call them vetern and Jawans ex service man.
Which civilised society can justify difference of 20 to 30 times.Jawans and JCO are not adequately represented in pay commissions and other Forums. Officers who represent still live in feudal British India.Please compare facilities and pay difference of officers, JCO and other ranks in developed world. It is high time to get rid so that we have modern democratic Armed Forces not feudal British force where we still continued orderly system, Officers mess where jawans are serving to ladies and no facilities to JCO and Jawans. Look at DSOP and canteen facilities.
This is shame to us as society and Nation at large.
It is a age old divide and rule policy and delaying tactics for OROP.
Govt should consider increasing the serving jawans pay,so that
They get more pension when they retire.
Very well said by Mr. Ashok Nandle. Totally agree with you not only me but 99.99% Jawans/PBORs will agree. This is the fact.