Veterans hold rally, seek changes in OROP

Hundreds of ex-servicemen held a rally here on Saturday, seeking some changes in the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme approved by the central government.

A huge number of veterans, their family members and other people staged a march towards Jantar Mantar. They said there were issues in the scheme that remained unresolved and "the protest will continue".

The protesters demanded that those opting for premature retirement should get the benefits. Also, the financial year 2013-14 should be the base year not 2013.

Families of the veterans also joined the protests saying that the OROP announced by the government was misleading.

"I have come here from Lucknow to protest against the government's offer. It is misleading. The scheme does not meet our demands completely," Laxmi Singh, a family member of an ex-servicemen, told IANS.

Men and women had put black bands on their arms as a sign of protest.

"Government cannot ignore us. We have been on hunger strike since 90 days now. They will have to implement OROP the way we want," Surinder Singh, an ex-serviceman said.