The Defence Minister said the cost to implement OROP would be Rs 8,000 crore to 10,000 crore and it will increase further.
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Ex-servicemen according to him may resume hunger strike again if the government fails to resolve the pending demands. Have you ever seen that things are fulfilled100% and to everyone’s satisfaction? The base year would be calendar year 2013 for the calculation of OROP and it will be implemented from July 1, 2014, Mr Parrikar said, while making it clear that ex-servicemen who have taken voluntary retirement would not be eligible for the scheme.
India already pays out 545 billion rupees (Dh30bn) a year in pensions to former military personnel. “The successive Governments have done nothing for acceding to the demand of OROP for the ex-servicemen, who have rendered commendable services in safeguarding the nation against the evil and nefarious designs of the enemy”.
“While I untangled every aspect of the issue we calculated that there would be an expense of around Rs 8,000-Rs 10,000 crore”.
Modi addressed a rally – Gati Pragati – on the inauguration of Badarpur-Mujesar Delhi Metro Line here in Haryana and said soldiers who quit their jobs due to medical disability will be able to avail the benefits of OROP.
In an official statement, BJP said that the congress for no reasons is criticizing the OROP scheme and while in their governance they itself did not do anything to solve the deadlock. A Prime Minister who loves the armed forces can never even think about it. All such people will get OROP…
The government is expected to announce its decision to remove disparities in pensions of veterans by effecting a revision every five years.
“We have promised to implement OROP for people who live and die for the country”, he said.
Though the VRS was a major stumbling block, veterans still have some issues that they feel are not resolved, but Gen Singh said a call whether to continue the agitation at a meeting on Sunday morning. But BJP leaders scoffed at the Opposition for having failed to analyse the cost properly and said Congress had set aside only 5 billion rupees in its earlier proposal.
The OROP, expected to benefit three million pensioners, will guarantee equal pension to military personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of the date of retirement.
Terming the Union government OROP move a betrayal, ex-servicemen from Goa voiced their support for the Indian ex-servicemen movement-agitation that is under way in New Delhi. The Defence Minister also said that a one member judicial committee will be constituted to submit its report in six months.
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A major veterans’ group that has been protesting about the issue also objected to the exclusion from the scheme of personnel who voluntarily retired.
