NDA Government committed to implement OROP, says Jaitley

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said that the NDA Government is committed to implement the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme for ex-servicemen.

In an interview given to a private television channel on Saturday, Jaitley said the implementation of the scheme has to be based on some principles and the gap has been narrowed down.

Jaitley's comment on OROP came on a day when Major General Satbir Singh, the chairman of the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM) said that the government would be solely responsible if anything unfortunate happened to hospitalised army veterans Havaldar Major Abhilekh Singh and Colonel Pushpendra Singh.

Talking to ANI here on the sidelines of an ongoing protest for implementation of the one rank, one pension scheme (OROP), Major General Satbir Singh said, "Havaldar Major Abhilekh Singh is hospitalised. If something happens to him, then this government will be responsible."

"Col. Pushpendra Singh is still in hospital, and if something happens to him, then also this government will be responsible," he added.

The medical condition of Havaldar Major Abhilekh Singh took a turn for the worse on Saturday, and he was rushed to the nearest hospital. As soon as the health condition worsened, Havaldar Abhilekh Singh was taken to the Army Research and Referral Hospital.

The hunger strike has been going on to demand for One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme. It has been demanded for nearly three million ex-servicemen. The issue was also brought to notice by the retired military personnel who boycotted the 50th anniversary of India's 1965 war with Pakistan.

On the passage of the Land Acquisition Bill through Parliament, Jaitley said that the Land Act 2013 needed a serious relook, as it was one of the worst drafted legislations in independent India.