Ex-military chiefs write to President for OROP

Four retired military chiefs – Gen SF Rodrigues, Admiral L Ramdas, Admiral Arun Prakash and Admiral Sureesh Mehta – have written an open letter to President Pranab Mukherjee requesting implementation of one-rank-one-pension  (OROP) to prevent “denigration and humiliation” of the ex-servicemen.

“The denial of OROP is merely the last straw that has exhausted the veterans’ patience. It appears to be the culmination of a process by which successive Pay Commissions have been used to whittle down the financial and protocol status of the military over the years vis-a-vis their civilian counterparts,” they said in the letter released on the eve of Independence Day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to make an announcement on OROP from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15. The NDA government had stated that OROP would be implemented, once the modalities are decided.

The officials from the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday had a round of talks with the veterans, who are protesting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi for close to two months, demanding early implementation of OROP.