Indian army soldiers patrol near the line of control. (Photo: Reuters)
India’s 2.5 million plus military veterans are both anxious and angry. For over a decade they have been told they will be granted the ‘One Rank One Pension,’ scheme meant to ensure that a uniform pension is paid to all defence personnel who retire at the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement.
Rank Injustice
Throughout the UPA I and II, the government simply ignored their demand thanks to its proclivity to go with the advice of the civilian bureaucrats who opposed the scheme tooth and nail. However, towards the fag end of the Manmohan Singh government it was agreed in principle to clear the scheme, keeping the bulk votes that the ex-servicemen bring in. The last-minute ruse did not work for the UPA though. Realising the importance of correcting the wrong, the Narendra Modi government and the prime minister himself gave renewed hope to the veterans by announcing the implementation of the OROP scheme “as soon as possible.” That promise is now nearly a year old and if several associations of military veterans are to be believed, the government is nowhere near putting the money where the mouth is. For months, the file for OROP is shuttling between the defence and the finance ministries over minor issues. Initially, officials of two ministries differed on the amount required to fulfil the demand. The finance ministry cited a Supreme Court observation in a case filed by a veteran to raise further queries.
Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar walks past the Indian and Japanese flags as he inspects the honour guard. (Photo: Reuters)
Once those queries were answered satisfactorily, it was believed that all hurdles were cleared. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who has taken a personal interest in the matter, in fact told this writer on April 10:
All hurdles, including a political clearance on the scheme’s financial implications, have been removed. Now the actual calculation and administrative details are being worked out. We are sure to get the scheme rolling in the next few weeks. -Manohar Parrikar, Defence Minister
Admitting that there is huge scepticism over the OROP scheme implementation, Parrikar said: “This time we have ensured that nothing goes wrong.” At that time he had refused to put a timeline, clearly aware of the bureaucratic nitty-gritty that often trips all grand schemes.
Red Tape Hurdles for OROP Scheme
During the last three weeks, the file has shuttled at least thrice between South and North Block (the building that houses the defence and finance ministries, respectively). Each time the finance ministry has raised a query, the defence ministry has worked on war footing to satisfy the finicky finance ministry babus. Defence ministry officials and ‘pay cells’ in the three service HQs now say the final calculations are being worked out and that Modi will himself announce the rollout of the scheme before the NDA government completes one year in office on May 26. Once finally cleared, the move is likely to cost somewhere between Rs 7,500 and Rs 10,000 crore annually. Military veterans are keeping their fingers crossed. They have experienced many a slip between the cup and the lip in the past. But more than their disappointment, it is Modi’s promise that is at stake here. The question is: how close is the government to find a final solution to this long drawn issue?
(Nitin A. Gokhale is an analyst on National Security, Media Trainer and Author)
It appears that Defence Minister has no say in the cabinet, because he could not keep up his words about time frame he had promised to implement the OROP. Hope, it would be implemented by 26th May 2015, the day when NDA Govt is going to complete one year in power
Ashok Mukerjee
They are out to screw the Armed Forces
Santokh Singh Bhatia
It can be very well found out that either Babus in Finace ministry are incompetent to see all faults/observations in OROP file in one go or they intentionally want to raise observations in peace meal to delay and deny OROP to soldiers. Why can`t the accountability be fixed to fix such anti soldier Babus who are suttling the file for the last one year? It is beyond my comprehension to such an incompetent Babu finds faults in file every time it comes back from Min of Def. I openly hold Finace Minister responsible for this delay as he is dead against OROP. He had made it clear to ESM deligation " Lower down your expectations on this issue". Secondly- He is taking a revenge of his defeat from Amritsar seat which he lost to an Ex-Serviceman, Capt Amrinder Singh. The only thing at stake is now Mr Modi`s promises on so many occassions. God only knows if Mr Modi is also serious about fulfilling his promise made to soldiers from siachen on DIWALI.
Oscar Peter
MODI GOVT & THE BABUS OF GOVT OF INDIA ARE PLAYING DIRTY TRICKS WITH THE SENTIMENTS OF THE LOYAL,DEVOTED & DEDICATED SOLDIERS OF THE COUNTRY WHO RISE TO ANY NATIONAL CRISIS AT THE PERIL OF THEIR LIFE 24 × 7... Modi is enjoying the oscillation of the promised OROP file between MOD & MOF in accordance with his plans in connivance with the disinterested Babus ..The main culprit of non implementation of OROP for the Armed Forces is none other than the PM himself. He is playing a cool & an evasive game compatible with his political skill & acuemen !!! IESM (Indian Ex Servicemen League) like innocent lambs are eating out of the hands of Parrikar, Defence Minister who is offering them a cup of tea at Kota House at regular intervals & putting up a facade of sincerity towards the OROP implementation. They are all shrewd politicians & chip of the old block !!!! They are those heartless people who can make money even out of the procurement of coffin boxes for the Kargil martyrs. Have no faith & trust on this breed of people in society .... Sad, Pathetic & a shame to the Politicians of this Country. They are anti pathetic & insensate to the justifiable demands of the Armed Forces.Despite promising OROP to the Armed Forces in their Election Manifesto, they have been procrastinating its implementation. On the contrary, the politicians take only a minute to enhance their own pensions by a unanimous vote on the floor of the House. .. What an unethical practice by the Power Brokers !! As long as the nexus of the trio exists (Modi - Jaitley & Parrikar ) against the OROP,it will gradually fade into oblivion due to deliberate procrastination . .. !!! It is high time that the three Services of the Armed Forces gets tough & difficult with the Politicians & Babus. Any Politician or a Babu who puts spokes in the matters of OROP & other military welfare, efficiency & operational capabilities should be tried for 'Treason'.
dy
The manner of the implementation, when and if it comes through, will demonstrate for everyone whether or not such a delay was justified. In case the fine print resolves all related contentious issues and anomalies, such as pension parities for time bound promotions, OROP will have fallen short of the mark. It's going to be a classic case of "Proof of The Pudding".
dy
Corrigendum: Please amend to read "In case the fine print fails to resolve" for "In case the fine print resolves" in preceding comment. Typo regretted.
Govindan Thekkay
Now a way days defence forces are more interested to get more money rather than spending time on better war Strategy to save Human life during war. I read a news that Army is in urgent need of bullet proof jackets, each costing Rs. 50000/-. Its self life is 5 years. The question is will this kind of equipments really save the soldiers from the bullet of AK – 47 rifle, if they wear this jacket. As per the paper report Hemant Karkare was wearing a bullet proof jacket when he was killed by terrorists and he was sitting inside Toyota Qualis. I was given to understand that there is no surety that it will save the soldier. Ceramic shield will help to some extend. But it is heavy and restricts the moment of the soldier. But no bullet proof jacket can save a soldier from sniper rifle. So my feeling is that this will be useful to fight against terrorist and Naxalities and not in real war. Majority of the demand submitted by the defence services are without any study. Defence ministry should be able to ask many questions like whether any study has been made to know how many soldiers life have been saved by using this jacket all over the world.?. What is the make they used and what kind of weapon the enemy used? In the real battle Helicopter Gun ships are using sniper rifles and missiles. Army has to use mechanized infantry. Instead of soldiers marching or fighting on foot. Our army still think about conventional war like soldiers marching or fighting on foot. We should start manufacturing thousand of armored personnel carrier. This will create lot of employment.
Brg Pradeep Sharma
The apathy towards Armed Forces is being viewed by all our Youth! Not only does this lead to resentment amongst the Service community but percolates down to youngsters who in turn choose not to join the Armed Forces. If this rotten approach and attitude continues, what if the demonstrations by ESM shift from Jantar Mantar to the Borders? What if in frustration the guns fall silent? What if I ask the question.."Should I die for an ungrateful country"...seriously should I? Not only this aspect but the need for reviewing the status of Armed Forces to Category A is essential for any degree of future satisfaction.
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