No confirmation on meeting with Parrikar: Ex-servicemen

As protests over delay in the implementation of the promised 'One Rank, One Pension' scheme continued for the 23rd day in the national capital with a relay hunger-strike by 75 ex-servicemen on Tuesday, an expected meeting with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was yet to materialise.

"Our strike has entered the 23rd day today (Tuesday). We are expecting an appointment with Manohar Parrikar today or tomorrow... but nothing has been confirmed yet. We don't know what to do, but our strike will continue (till then)," Group Captain V.K. Gandhi (retd), Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement general secretary, told IANS.

Parrikar had last week called the protesting ex-servicemen and told them that the file on the 'One Rank One Pension' (OROP) scheme had come back from the union finance ministry.

The minister had said complications around implementation of the OROP scheme have been sorted out now. However, no date for the implementation of the scheme was given.

The ex-servicemen are demanding that the central government give them a definite date for OROP implementation. The veterans started their protest in the national capital on June 14, and began a relay hunger strike from June 15.