Defence budget hike not for OROP, veterans cry foul

CHANDIGARH: A day after Union finance minister Arun Jaitley presented the Budget in the Parliament, defence veterans' hopes for 'achhe din' turned into sheer ache. Hoping for an announcement from the FM on the one rank one pension (OROP) scheme, they were an anguished lot on Sunday as they realized that the increase in defence allocation was just good enough to take care of the inflation factor.
Those who had pinned their hopes on minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajya Vardhan Singh Rathore's tweet on Saturday that Rs 8,300 crore for OROP was included in the Rs 22,000-crore increase in the defence allocation were also disappointed to know that the hike would only defuse the inflation element.
Experts in defence accounts department said the Budget announced 10.95% hike in the defence allocation as compared to the previous year, which would be spent on ration, salaries, allowances and procurement of equipments and weaponry. They claimed that the hike has nothing to do with the implementation of OROP, which requires around Rs 8,000 crore.
Also, in 2014-15 Budget, the increase in allocation was 12.75% more than 2013-14.
"It seems the politicians are doing a 'double speak' to hoodwink the gullible faujis," said defence veterans.
The statement made by the finance minister after the Budget that the issue of OROP is pending as the method of calculating pension is stuck between the armed services and the defence ministry has added to the retired personnel's woes.
Brig K S Kahlon (retd), President of All India Defence Brotherhood (Punjab), said the "entire drama" since Saturday shows that the government has not taken OROP issue seriously and it is making another attempt to delay it. "Pulse of the veterans is that they should unite together again and protest on the roads against the government till the OROP is not implemented," he said.
"I have never seen such ambiguity on an issue even the Prime Minister had promised. If they don't have any funds, they can issue bonds but maintaining silence frustrates and demoralizes the veterans," said Air Marshal Randhir Singh (retd). http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ 

The great betrayal on OROP front

During his interview after the Budget speech, the Union finance minister, when asked about the fate of “one rank, one pension” (OROP) for the defence personnel, remarked that modalities were being worked out between the defence services and the Ministry of Defence (MoD). He went on to say that he had given an additional 12.5% to the defence budget, giving the impression that he had done great personnel favour to the defence services. He does not appear to know how far removed are the Indian defence forces from the state-of-the-art weapon systems and how long has it been crying for modernisation.
Surely he would know that this additional amount for the defence budget, as such, has no link with OROP, because pensions for the defence personnel do not flow out of the defence budget. This additional allocation barely covers inflation in the cost of defence equipment. In the remaining Budget, there is no allocation of funds for OROP.
Soldiers at disadvantageThe demand for OROP has been pending for well over two decades. The rationale for this demand has been articulated umpteen times. More than 80% of the soldiers retire between the age of 34 and 36, and the remaining 20% at varying ages, with only 0.2% retiring at 60, when all the central services employees retire. Early retirement and extremely limited avenues for career advancement (promotions) place the defence personnel at great disadvantage vis-à-vis their counterparts in the civil services.
This early retirement places defence personnel at great financial disadvantage and takes its toll on them in way of shortening their lives: of both officers and soldiers, notwithstanding the fact that on retirement, they are physically much fitter in every respect compared with their civilian counterparts. The average life expectancy of the officers is 72.5, of the JCOs is 67, and of the soldiers is 64. These are figures from the Institute of Applied Research and Manpower (IARM). The life expectancy figure for civil servants is 77 years. The Railways, in their study, arrived at a figure of 78.
This issue of the shortening life of soldiers was raised in Parliament and the-then defence minister (the present President and supreme commander of the Indian forces) had stated that it would be examined in detail. Those were his famous words!
Babus flummox defence ministerThe demand for OROP became all the more strident when the civilian counterparts granted to themselves what is called non-functional upgrade (NFU). Simply stated, it implies that that their pay and allowances will have no relation to their job content but only to the length of the service; and that their advancement in career will have no bearing on the availability of higher posts and performance.
Political parties have repeatedly been promising the grant of OROP. Narendra Modi, as prime ministerial candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), during his election rally at Rewari had promised that on coming to power, his party would announce OROP. Later, speaking to the troops in Siachen as Prime Minister, he said he had granted them this benefit.
More recently, the defence minister has been giving all manner of assurances to veterans, assurances which include specific dates when the case would be finalised and forwarded to the Finance Ministry: well before the Budget date.
Now it appears that the MoD has not been able to resolve the modalities for working out the details. Obliviously, the babus in the MoD have flummoxed the defence minister successfully and made him cut a sorry figure before the nation’s veterans.
Today’s soldiers tomorrow’s veteransNeither the PM and nor the DM appears to realise that there exists a very strong bond between the veterans and the serving troops. Today’s soldiers are tomorrow’s veterans, and this betrayal on part of the government cannot go unnoticed by them, and will impact their morale surely.
The government’s general lack of sensitivity to the disadvantages of military service and the consequent disinterest of suitable youth in joining the defence services has led to both fall in standards on one part and a huge shortage in the officer cadre. The nations that do not send the better lot to the defence services will one day suffer the consequences.
Finally, a quote from Phillip Mason, ICS, would be appropriate in the present setting. While commenting on India’s dismal war record, he notes in his book, “A Matter of Honour”, that: “Indian disadvantage lay in the nature of organisations of armies and, in the end, in politics and the kind of governments that had grown up in India.” One may venture to ask, if the state of affairs are any different today?gen_harwant@hotmail.com
(The writer is a former deputy chief of the army staff and an expert on defence matters. The views expressed are personal)
http://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/the-great-betrayal-on-orop 

OROP DO NOT FIND PLACE IN BUDGET, ESM CRIES FOUL

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One Rank, One Pension stuck between Services and Defence Ministry

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley arrives in Parliament to present the annual budget 2015-16 in New Delhi on Saturday. (Source: PTI)

By: Press Trust of India | New Delhi | February 28, 2015 5:01 pm

Reinstating government’s commitment on implementing the ‘One Rank, One Pension’ policy, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the issue is pending as the method of calculating pension is stuck between the Armed Services and the Defence Ministry.

“I have already in the last Budget said that we are going to implement ‘One Rank, One Pension’. This need not be stated on every occasion. We are completely committed to it,” Jaitley told reporters here when asked about the delay in launching the scheme.
Explaining the reasons behind the delay, the Minister said: “The methodology of calculating the One Rank, One Pension is an issue pending between the Services and the Defence Ministry.” As and when that idea is formulated, not only it should be implemented, it will be implemented, he added.
“You may only notice that I have today, despite the squeeze, increased the allocation for Defence by almost Rs 25,000 crore,” Jaitley said.

Last month, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said that ‘One rank, One pension’ scheme will be rolled out soon.
The scheme, which seeks to ensure that a uniform pension is paid to defence personnel who retire at the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement, has been a long-standing demand of the over two million ex-servicemen in the country.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/OROP 

PAT for Tarun Vijay MP

Tarun Vijay meets Parrikar, demands 'one rank,       one pension' for forces

Feb 26, 2015, 07.56PM IST TNN

NEW DELHI: BJP MP Tarun Vijay, who is also member, parliamentary standing committee on defence and president, Uttarakahnd's Society to Help Armed Retired Personnel met defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday and gave him a memorandum demanding that the long standing issue of 'one rank, one pension' be resolved in favour of the soldiers.
He said that if the government feels a crunch of funds, please take away the privileges given to the MPs and MLAs and give the funds to the forces so that their legitimate and logical demand to get 'one rank, one pension' is met.
He said that soldiers give their best to the nation but they are forced to die early and run from pillar to post after retirement. Tarun Vijay told the minister that soldiers were disappointed by the UPA, they have great hopes from PM Modi and him, as a minister.
Tarun Vijay told media persons that Parrikar was very sympathetic to his demands and fully agreed that the government must act sympathetically to the long standing demands of the forces. He said, "as the defence minister I stand with my soldiers". Their demands will certainly receive sympathetic consideration.
Tarun Vijay also said that there are more than 3000 cases regarding disability pension pending in courts. Soldiers' basic pension was revised in line with 6 CPC recommendation from 24 Sep 2012 (instead of 1-1-2006) but disability pension has not yet been revised notwithstanding various letters written on the subject by various associations. CAT had given clear verdict but legitimate dues are being denied. Broad banding of disability pension has been denied in spite of AFT/ SC orders.

OROP struggle looks nearing end

The Indian Ex-Servicemen’s Movement (IESM) spearheading the veterans’ one rank, one pension (OROP) demand has correctly applied three of the principles of war albeit in a peaceful struggle, namely maintenance of aim and momentum and concentration of force to set themselves on the road to what could be a victory. The timing of their rally in New Delhi pushed all the right buttons forcing the govt to act. It’s now up to politicians to show some decisive will.The rally itself was attended by 10,000 determined veterans and included war widows. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar invited a delegation of the IESM for discussions even as the rally was underway. 

He assured them that the proposal to implement OROP would be despatched to the finance ministry by February 17 (it has been delayed till the 23rd). In the proposal, there would be no dilution of the OROP, which would be as per the definition approved by Parliament. This is welcome news considering all the confusion created by ministers’ ill-considered statements. General Satbir Singh, chairman and members of the IESM, can rightly claim this as a victory.
In addition, the military pension would be treated as a special pension, different from others, because of the hardships innate in a career in the defence services. Another decision communicated to the veterans was that in cases of personnel of the same seniority being promoted at different times, the highest pension of that year of that rank would be granted. Also, OROP equalization will be done annually. Lastly, the OROP would be applicable with effect from April 1, 2014, irrespective of the date the government letter is issued. Now, we await budgetary provisions. This is not the end, however, and veterans need to keep their powder dry. 

http://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/orop 

OROP OUTLINE BY GEN KADYAN

Dear Colleagues,

           Of late there has been a flurry of emails on OROP. Seeing that it affects all of us, the interest OROP has generated is fully understandable.

          OROP started its journey in the early Nineteen-Eighties. Since then many had been pursuing it. Notable among them is  senior Veteran Col Inderjit Singh, who has been   doggedly chipping away at the government resistance and pushing for OROP in his quiet dignified way. He would be remembered with great admiration by the future generations.

          From 2008 onwards, the IESM put fresh fuel in the fight for OROP. Ours was a mix of presentations and protests, of meetings, memoranda and medal deposits running simultaneously; pressure and persuasion.  Meetings also took place with various political leaders. This included Mr LK Advani, Mr Rajnath Singh when he was BJP President, Mr Nitin Gadkari, Ms Sushman Swaraj, Ms Supriya Sule and many others.

          The Rajya Sabha  Petitions Committee, which itself was the result of efforts by the MP, Mr Chandrashekhar,  came as a shot in the arm. Among others the IESM delegation too made a presentation to the Committee. Some of us also worked behind the scenes. A couple of meetings at the residence of Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who was heading the Committee, helped in inserting the crucial clause that future pension enhancements should be automatically passed on to the past pensioners. As would be seen, with this provision instead of being a one-time benefit, OROP becomes a permanent feature for pension equation. It is  a boon for future pensioners. We also had a few meetings with an influential Committee member Mr Ram Vila Paswan and succeeded in soliciting his support.

           

          The cumulative effect of all these efforts resulted in OROP being announced in the Parliament on 17 Feb 2014. Interaction with Mr AK Antony further ensured that this clause - of future enhancements being given automatically to past pensioners - was inserted in the Note he issued in the fourth week of February 2014. This definition was also later reiterated by the RRM in the Parliament in November 2014. Ever since February 2014, OROP has been only a question of 'when' and not of 'whether' it would come through.

          The bureaucratic hurdles were indeed there. First they wanted 'service in the rank' and not 'total service' as the criterion. This was adequately explained to the RRM and he confirmed that he would overrule the bureaucrats; he did. The second resistance was in the form of a perceived administrative difficulty in implementing the frequent enhancement in pensions. This was again explained to the RRM that pensions could be enhanced once a year and that since the Dearness Allowance was already being enhanced twice a year in the case of all pensioners without any difficulty any apprehension in case of pension is unfounded.  

          The proposal is being sent to the Finance Ministry. With the PM himself having committed grant of OROP repeatedly, it is unlikely that the Finance would even do any pruning of the proposal. After receipt back from the Finance Ministry, tables would be prepared jointly by the MoD and Service HQ. Some of the broad parameters of OROP are  as under:

1.    The definition, as given by the Koshyari Committee stays unchanged.

2.    The existing 'X' and 'Y' Groups would continue. The Service Headquarters had wanted merging of the Groups to 'X' level but   the recommendation was not accepted.

3.    The equation will be with the maximum pensions of past pensioners as explained in my article attached with the Sitrep dated 20 Jan 2015. Extract is given below:

"Keeping the above parameters in mind, a model is suggested here. Let us take the rank of Havildar. The base date of implementing OROP being 1 April 2014, take a sample of the total number of Havildars that retired in the preceding few months or an year. Take the highest pension earned by any Havildar during this period and use that as a benchmark for fixing pension of all Havildars. Since they all retire after a total service of 24 years, the application is simple. In the case of officers, since they retire by age, and the total service varies, take the maximum earned in the chosen sample for different lengths of total service and use these as benchmarks in a similar manner."

4.    At the time of preparing tables, Majors' pension is proposed to be upgraded to Lt Col less the Grade Pay equivalent.

5.    The total estimated annual cost of OROP is Rs 8,200 Crore.

          There are several anxious and even impatient calls being received  daily where ESM keep asking for the progress on OROP.  The Defence Minister in his TV interview had stated that OROP would be implemented by 31 March 2015. There is no change to that timeline. Some queries even pertain to the budget allocation, which should not be our worry/concern at all. A patient wait is required.

    

Best regards,

Lt Gen Raj Kadyan

Chairman IESM

262, Sector - 17A

Gurgaon - 122 001

Will 'One Rank, One Pension' Take A Physical Form In Budget

BENGALURU: The government is likely to fulfill a long standing demand of adopting ‘One Rank One Pension’ norms made by ex-personnel in particular. It may categorize military pension as a different pension category.
One rank one pension (OROP) is a demand by armed forces in order to ensure that the military pension cannot be equated with other pensions. This move is to bring a motivational and inspirational value to the armed forces.
The information collected from The Times of India reveals that an estimation of 8,000 crore seems to be allocated by the government to accomplish its commitment made to the ex- servicemen, who have been stridently demanding one rank one pension for many years.
Predominantly, if an officer is retired in 1990 then he is not entitled to get this enhanced pension if the same is implemented during the later years.
The basic idea of OROP demand is that, the pension for the officers with the same rank must remain same all the time since the cost of living is reaching to the sky. OROP basically implies payment of pension uniformly among the retiring army personnel with the same rank and length of service.
The soldiers, airmen and the sailors retire much earlier than their other civilian counterparts like BSF or CRPF receive aborted pension. The government has taken it into account along with considering other hardship factors like risky and life threatening duties and long hours of efforts.
Being a long standing demand by 2 million ex- servicemen in the country for OROP, the Modi’s budget seems to ensure to bring goods future for army men in the long run.
SOURCE- http://www.siliconindia.com/finance/news/