One-rank one-pension: why veterans still unhappy

Ex-servicemen say now it is one-rank five-pension

Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar have taken credit for implementing the one-rank one-pension (OROP) scheme, the death of a retired soldier who committed suicide  over unfilled expectations regarding his pension has revived questions about the issue.

Ram Kishan Grewal apparently consumed poison behind Jawahar Bhawan — a building that houses the Ministry of External Affairs — on Tuesday evening. The 70-year-old veteran from Haryana’s Bhiwani had come to Delhi with three companions to submit a memorandum to the Defence Ministry on the scheme.

OROP was announced by the Modi government on September 6, 2015, to ensure equal pension to those retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of the date of retirement. It was brought into force with government issuing a notification on  November 7.

However, the protesting ex-servicemen rejected the notification, saying their main demands have not been accepted and it has become “one-rank five-pension.”

Pension would be re-fixed on the basis of pension of retirees of calendar year 2013 and the benefit will be effective with effect from July 1, 2014. The veterans demanded that the period for pension should be financial year 2013-14 and not the calender year. Also, they wanted April 1 as the effective date instead of July 1.

The notification said that in future, the pension would be re-fixed every 5 years. However, ex-servicemen had been demanding revision of pension every two years, if not one.

Maj Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, Chairman of Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement spearheading the protest, said “The notification will not be acceptable to the rank and file. It is not one-rank one-pension but one-rank five-pension.”

But Col (retd) Anil Kaul, Media Advisor to IESM said not all demands were met by the government, but there was a climbdown on the premature retirement.

The notification said 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. It added that pension for those drawing above the average shall be protected. The veterans had demanded to take into account the maximum and not the average.

The government said that the arrears will be paid in four equal half yearly instalments. However, all family pensioners, including those in receipt of special/liberalised family pensioners, and gallantry award winners shall be paid arrears in one instalment.

The government decided to appoint a Judicial Committee to look into anomalies, if any, arising out of implementation of OROP. The Judicial Committee submit its report recently.

On July 12, a Supreme Court bench led by Justice Dipak Misra asked the government to reply within eight weeks after senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani contended that the present government has diluted the policy to the disadvantage of servicemen.