Govt announces OROP but veterans reject key provisions

Government today announced acceptance of the long-pending demand for 'One Rank One Pension' but the ex-servicemen who have been on agitation rejected the key details of the decision and said their 84-day long stir will continue.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar announced here that the government has decided to implement OROP under which there would be revision of pension every five years as against two years demanded by the ex-servicemen.
The base year would be calender year 2013 for calculation of the OROP and it will be implemented from July 2014, Parrikar said while making it clear that ex-servicemen who have taken voluntary retirement would not be eligible for the scheme.

The government is also setting up a one-member judicial committee to work out details of implementation of the OROP which will file a report in six months, the Minister said.
Reacting to the announcement, leader of agitating ex-servicemen Maj Gen (retd) Satbir Singh said while the veterans were satisfied with Government's intention to implement the OROP, they made it clear that the proposed benefits were not acceptable to them.
Rejecting the provisions for pension revision after every five years and keeping those who take VRS out of the scheme among others, Singh said, "According to us government has accepted one of our demands and rejected six...At this point we cannot withdraw the agitation based on these details.