OROP stir: Army veterans hopeful of breakthrough soon

Army veterans on Thursday expressed the hope that a breakthrough will be reached soon over implementing the 'One Rank, One Pension' scheme for them.

A central government team led by Nripendra Misra, the principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is holding negotiations with the representatives of ex-servicemen, informed sources said.

"We are hopeful that a breakthrough will be reached soon," Col Anil Kaul (retd), the spokesperson of the ex-servicemen's front, told IANS.

A statement from the ex-servicemen said: "We at Jantar Mantar feel very positive each day and are convinced that the mission OROP will be successful."

The sources told IANS that the government wants 2011 to be the base year, while the veterans said it should be at the 2014 level, along with a three percent increment every year, which the government was not agreeing to.

Besides, the government wants payments to begin from April 1, 2015 as against the agreed date of April 1, 2014.

If the date of implementation is 2014, the government will have to pay arrears of over Rs.12,000 crore.

As negotiations with the government and talks continued, two more army veterans, who are on fast-unto-death, were evacuated from Jantar Mantar on Thursday after their medical condition deteriorated.

"Major Piar Chand (retd) and Havildar Saheb Singh (retd) have been evacuated and are being taken to a hospital," Kaul told IANS.

Saheb Singh joined the indefinite fast on Monday replacing Col Pushpender Singh (retd), who is still in hospital. Major Piar Chand (retd) joined the indefinite fast on Tuesday.

Col Pushpender Singh and Hav Major Singh on Thursday entered the 12th day of their indefinite fast while Hav Ashok Kumar Chauhan entered the 10th day.

In addition, four more soldiers and the father of a martyred soldier Sunil Kumar Yadav were sitting on indefinite fast, the statement added.