LETTER TO PM BY IESM

Sub: ISSUANCE OF GOVERNMENT ORDER FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF ONE RANK ONE PENSION (OROP)

 Hon’ble Prime Minister,

1.  We the ex-servicemen were elated to hear your speeches and your promise to deliver on OROP. May we remind you that UPA Govt had approved OROP in its dying moments but were under pressure from anti OROP lobbies within Government and hence did not issue implementation letter. Three months have passed and one presentation to Raksha Mantri Sh Arun Jaitley on concept of OROP but the file has not even moved an inch from where it was in Feb 14. As usual there are lobbies in South Block who do not want to give full OROP as approved by Koshiari committee and also approved by Parliament in its budget presented on 17 Feb 14. DESW and CGDA are offering bargains on the basic principle of OROP, which have been rejected by the ex-servicemen family outrightly. Any dilution in the definition of OROP will once again result in denying the OROP as per the approved defination and therefore,  is not acceptable to ex-servicemen.Definition of OROP as approved is given below. 

  “OROP implies that uniform pension be paid to the Armed Forces personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service irrespective of their date of retirement and any future enhancement in the rates of pension to be automatically passed on to the past pensioners. This implies bridging the gap between the rate of pension of the current pensioners and the past pensioners, and also future enhancements in the rate of pension to be automatically passed on to the past pensioners”

 It further implies that Pensions of past defence retirees will be equal to that of a person with same rank and length of service retiring wef 01 Apr 2014, and future enhancement in the rates of pensions will be automatically passed to the past pensioners.

  2.  Our hopes of OROP have been rekindled by your statements of Good Governance and delivering on your promises. We also know that you have the courage and conviction to over-rule the anti Defence Forces lobbies.  Over 30 Lac ex-servicemen and widows are requesting your personal intervention and are looking towards an efficient Government which has determination to deliver on all promises made before and during the election. 

Ex-servicemen family is hoping to see the implementation letter before budget. 

 With regards,

Maj Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, SM
Chairman IESM
Mob: +919312404269, 0124-4110570
Email ID: satbirsm@gmail.com
28th June2014