One Rank One Pension notification cleared by Government

mangaloretoday.com

New Delhi, Nov 07:  The notification for the implementation of the One Rank One Pension scheme for armed forces veterans was issued by the government today.

About 25 lakh military veterans are expected to benefit from the scheme though in first reactions they said the details of the notification would be studied before calling off the protest.

In a statement, the defence ministry said that the pension of past pensioners would be re-fixed on the basis of pension of retirees of the 2013 calendar year and the benefit will be effective with effect from July 1, 2014.

 

Pension will be re-fixed for all pensioners on the basis of the average of minimum and maximum pension of personnel retiring in 2013 in the same rank and with the same length of service. Pension for those drawing above the average shall be protected.

Arrear will be paid in four equal half yearly instalments but all family pensioners, including those in receipt of special or liberalised family pensioners, and gallantry award winners shall be paid arrears in one instalment.

In future, the pension would be re-fixed every five years, the statement read.

Yesterday, the ex-servicemen upset at the delay in the One Rank One Pension or OROP scheme being notified, had decided to return the medals they have been honoured with in the country’s service.

The government had promised the veterans that a notification to effect OROP would be issued as soon as the Bihar assembly election is over, pleading that a model code of conduct prohibits it from notifying new schemes during elections. Votes will be counted on Sunday, November 8.

The government had, after negotiations that went on for months, announced on September 5 that it would implement OROP, which ensures that armed personnel of the same rank will draw the same pension regardless of when they retired.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had earlier said the government was trying to issue the notification before Diwali, which falls on November 11.

Veterans protesting in New Delhi said last week that they have no faith in Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s promise. "The minister has changed the goalposts and hence the veterans have no faith in this statement," Major General Satbir Singh (retd), who has led the ex-servicemen’s protests, said.

Some groups of veterans had also said that the provisions that the government has announced on OROP has shortcomings.