OROP : Orders issued for pensionary benefits to ex-servicemen

 In a move that will bring relief to over 12 lakh ex-servicemen, the Defence Ministry has issued orders to implement pending pensionary benefits to them involving an annual expenditure of about Rs 2,200 crore.

The decision followed recommendations by a high-level committee and recent assurance in this regard in the Lok Sabha by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

With these orders, the ministry has implemented all the seven recommendations of committee headed by Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar on pensions, which would now be close to the 'One Rank-One Pension' demand of ex-servicemen, senior ministry officials said today.

"The Defence Ministry issued the orders on March 8 this year to implement the remaining two of the seven suggestions of the Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar-headed committee on 'One Rank-One Pension' demand," they said.

Source : PTI 

The two recommendations for which the orders were issued were bringing parity between pension of pre- and post-October 10, 1999, personnel below officer rank, and further improving their pensions based on award of Group of Ministers in 2006.

"With this order, the pensionary benefits of officers and jawans comes to near 'One Rank-One Pension' (OROP) benefits sought by the ex-servicemen," they added.

To queries on the order, Defence Ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar said implementation of the orders would not only significantly reduce the gap between the past and current pensioners, but would also considerably improve the pension of ex-servicemen including disabled pensioners.

"It will benefit 12 lakh ex-servicemen at a cost of Rs 2,200 crore approximately annually," Kar added.

Singh had told the Lok Sabha on March 5, in reply to BJP leader L K Advani's contention that OROP was not implemented, that five of the seven recommendations of the Chandrasekhar Committee were implemented and the remaining two would be fulfilled soon.

Among the other recommendations already implemented were inclusion of classification allowance for personnel below officer rank from January 1, 2006 and removal of linkage of full pension with 33 years from January 1, 2006 (the day Sixth Pay Commission came into retrospective effect).

The government had also implemented revision of pension for Lieutenant Generals after carving out a separate pay scale for them; broad banding percentage of disability and war injury pensions for pre-January 1, 2006, pensioners; and removal of cap on war injury element of pension in the case of disabled pensioners.

Ex-servicemen organisations had held protest marches all over the country last year to press for the acceptance of their OROP demand by the government and had also returned their service and gallantry medals to President Pratibha Patil in protest over the delay in its implementation.

After the committee submitted its recommendation early last year, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had announced in his budget speech on July 6, 2009, that the government had accepted the suggestions and would implement it soon.
Source : ZEE News.
Download the circular