OROP: Ex-servicemen to set their medals on fire

The ex-servicemen protesting for the implementation of the One Rank, One Pension scheme have decided to set their medals on fire at the Jantar Mantar here on Wednesday objecting the notification issued by the government.

More than 2,000 ex-servicemen protesting against the government's OROP scheme had yesterday returned their medals in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab.

The chairman of Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement, Major General (Retd.) Satbir Singh, had earlier accused Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar of turning back on his assurance on OROP.

The government had earlier notified the implementation of the OROP scheme that will guarantee equal pension to military personnel retiring at the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of the date of retirement.

The notification, however, failed to impress the veterans as a result of which they are continuing with their agitation.

Veterans have listed seven deviations in the announcement, including annual equalisation, 2013-2014 financial year as the base year for calculating pension, taking the highest pension scale of 2013 as the base for calculation and not the average as announced by the government, not to link OROP with the seventh pay commission and accept that OROP once implemented continue forever and in perpetuity.

Parrikar had yesterday said that while it was the democratic right of ex-servicemen to protest against the government's version of the OROP, they were being 'misguided'.

"It's their democratic right (to protest), but I think they are misguided. If at all they have grievance they (ex-servicemen), they should put it before commission we are appointing. My major job was to get One Rank One Pension notification issued, which I have done. They must approach the Commission to discuss further problem. The demand which was not even considered for last 50 years has been more or less completed," Parrikar said at the inauguration of 'ICGS Samarth' in Panaji.