Ex-servicemen to go on hunger strike from June 15 if OROP demand not met

The Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM) on Saturday said that they would agitate and call for a hunger strike, if their demands for One Rank One Pension (OROP) are not met.

A meeting of ex-army personnel to discuss the issue of OROP was also held today.

Major General (Retired) Satbir Singh said that their meeting with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in this regard was inconclusive. He said they will hold a rally in Jantar Mantar from June 14 and

will begin hunger strike from June 15.

"The Chief of Army staff had told us to meet the Defence Minister before holding a meeting. We, the members of Indian Ex-servicemen movement (IESM), met the Defence Minister. He told us that the ministry is

working on it (OROP). We will meet him again, once it is finalised and the date is given to us, we will inform the rest," he said.

"If it does not happen, then we will begin an agitation from June 14, we will hold a rally at Jantar Mantar. We will begin a hunger strike from 15th onwards," he added.

Meanwhile, the NDA Government at the Centre has drawn flak from various political parties, especially from

the Congress, over its delay in implementing the OROP scheme.

Prime Minister Modi, while addressing the nation in his eighth edition of the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme, had assured ex-servicemen that his government would soon resolve the OROP issue.

The OROP scheme has been a long-standing demand of ex-servicemen's associations and relates to payment of uniform pension to defence forces personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of

service, irrespective of their date of retirement.