One Rank One Pension row: Ex-servicemen to go on relay hunger strike from today

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, June 15, 2015: Angry over the delay in implementation of ’One Rank One Pension’ (OROP), hundreds of ex-servicemen are expected to go on a relay hunger strike at Jantar Mantar here on Monday.

 

Hundreds of ex-servicemen on Sunday protested in the national capital against the delay in implementation of the OROP policy.

The protest was organised by Indian ex-servicemen Movement (IESM). The IESM had warned last week that if their demands were not met, they would agitate and go on a hunger strike.

In an extreme step taken to ratchet up the pressure on the government, the ex-servicemen were said to have signed a ’petition in blood’ and will hand it over to the President Pranab Mukherjee and PM Narendra Modi.

The protests comes after talks -- both formal and back- channel -- with the government failed as the ex-servicemen were not given a specific timeline for the implementation of the long-pending OROP.

In Jaipur, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday sought to assuage their concerns, saying the promises made will be kept and that they should be "patient".

"I assure you whatever we have promised that all would be done... But some people need to be patient," Parrikar said addressing a conference on challenges and solutions regarding border safety.

PM Modi, while addressing the nation in his eighth edition of the ’Mann Ki Baat’ programme, had assured ex-servicemen that his government would soon resolve the OROP issue.

The OROP scheme has been a long-standing demand of ex-servicemen’s associations and relates to payment of uniform pension to defence forces personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement.

OROP policy is expected to benefit 25 lakh ex-servicemen and widows of defence personnel.

 

Courtesy: Zeenews