Committed to OROP, technicalities being worked out: Government
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, “The government is committed to OROP. Only arithmetic translation of the principle is being worked out.”
The demand for the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) policy took a political turn Friday as about 200 officers of the Delhi Police tried to get former servicemen protesting at Jantar Mantar to vacate the spot, citing security protocol ahead of Independence Day.
As police action evoked criticism, frantic calls were made by ex-servicemen to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Minister of State for External Affairs Gen (retd) V K Singh and Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi, following which policemen left the venue and allowed the ex-servicemen to continue their protests. Parrikar said there were “technical difficulties” in the implementation of OROP, but added, “Welfare measures pertaining to pension, including broad-banding, ex-gratia compensation and OROP, are receiving highest priority of the government.”
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, too, said, “The government is committed to OROP. Only arithmetic translation of the principle is being worked out.”
As the government tried to pacify the protesters, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi made a visit to the venue to extend support to the protesters. Some ex-servicemen, however, asked him why the UPA did not implement OROP during its tenure. “This is a black day in Indian democracy. The guardians of national security have been asked to vacate the venue citing security. We told the policemen, you are teaching the guardians a lesson on security,” said Group Captain (retd) V K Gandhi, general secretary of the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM).
See more at: OROP News at Indian Express
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COMMENTS
These veterans never for a second calculated risks involved when ordered to jump in to the barrage of gun fires by the enemy on the battle field, and now to pay their legitimate pension dues the FM and his babus are counting current and future expenditure. Will they think twice while ordering their own pay/perk increase? NEVER! Never they did in the past and will never think twice in future. If the decision on OROP is not taken, then the country will pay dearly in some other way unpalatable. Anyway the government is bound to give reply to the Supreme Court if it fails to implement by 24 Aug 2015. If OROP is given to veterans under duress on orders from the SC, it is shame on part of the PM and his BJP Government.
I m of the Firm opinion that once the PM has accepted our demand of OROP in Principle,there is no reason to Continue Protest.The Govt.working is different from the culture of Services where Orders are implemented forthwith.We should wait further & give time to the Govt.for correct action on the issue.
On Independence day Mr Modi back stabbed the ExServiceMen dishonourably forcing their agitation to a next level of protest. The indefinite hunger strike by the ExServiceMen is the ultimate humiliation that can happen to the free India. In another a month or so the GOI is going to celebrate the victory '65 IndoPak war Golden Jubilee with the participant veterans on hunger strike unto death. “History does not repeat itself,” it is famously said, “but fools repeat history.” Philosopher-poet George Santayana put it slightly differently when he wrote— “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Accountability from the Armed Forces is being demanded by our political masters and bureaucracy – but are those who are demanding accountability have ever been accountable to people – having betrayed their trust in innumerable instances and now in respect of OROP? To quote What Chanakya said to Chandragupta on an occasion will be pertinent here, he said, "While the citizenry of the State contributes to see that the State prospers and flourishes, the soldier guarantees it continues to EXIST as a State! To this man, O Rajadhiraja, you owe a debt: please, therefore, see to it, on your own, that the soldier continuously gets his dues in every form and respect, be they his needs or his wants, for he is not likely to ask for them himself.” Then he gave his king this blunt warning: “The day the soldier has to demand his dues will be a sad day for Magadha for then, on that day, you will have lost all moral sanction to be King!”
Serving soldiers coming on leave must have seen their parents who are veterans and their anguish. They will carry the stories of the neglect back to their units. Can the generals and the bureaucrats estimate the damage they are causing to the morale of these serving soldiers who in turn will be veterans tomorrow? Earlier the better to come to reality in implementation of the OROP. The past history of the discontentment in certain regiments on issues concerning certain community must not be forgotten. We in the Armed Forces are proud to learn from history to avoid similar mistakes, let us be practical in not antagonising the serving soldier.