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/
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/
