'Ex-servicemen being misled on One-rank one-pension'

The ex-servicemen are unhappy with the way a hike in the pension has been projected to be an effort from government’s side to bridge the gap towards their demand of 'One-rank one-pension' (OROP).

“Government has misled the innocent soldiers by announcing a rectification of an anomaly which was committed by it during 6th Central Pay Commission as a step to bridge the gap towards the demand of OROP.” said Major General (Retired) Satbir Singh, while speaking to TSI. He is vice chairman of the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM).

The cabinet on Monday approved a Rs. 2,300-crore proposal to raise the pensions of ex-servicemen, their wives and physically challenged children. As told by the ex servicemen, “While the pension of a soldier was to be calculated by keeping the base amount of his pay while he is in service, but due to fault calculations were done on the base amount of the pay band of soldier and this had resulted in a financial loss.” The step taken on Monday called ‘a step to bridge the gap towards OROP was nothing but the removal of this anomaly.

Lieutenant General Raj Kadyan, Chairman of IESM said, “As OROP has not been given we will continue to fight for our demand.”

“Three committees and a pension committee has already approved that OROP be given to the soldiers,” said Major General Satbir Singh. IESM on Tuesday shot off letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister A K Antony and the three Service chiefs explaining how the government decision does not meet their long pending demand to ensure equitable pensions.

“To illustrate, a sepoy, Naik and Havlidar have been given an increase of only Rs 400 per month, whereas a sepoy who retired on January 2012 draws approximately Rs 4,000 more than those who retired prior to 2006," he explained in the letter, adding that similarly disparity exists in the officer ranks too.

In the letter to the Prime Minister, General Satbir has written, “Defence Personnel with the same rank and same length of service must draw the same pension irrespective of the date of retirement and any future enhancement would be automatically granted to them”.

Satbir further added that the discrimnation against us is primarily due to non inclusion of members from Defence Personnel in the committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary, a request which the three Chiefs made to the Raksha Mantri but was not accepted.

For many years ex-servicemen have been demanding implementation of 'One Rank One Pay' under which defence personnel retiring at same rank and giving same period of service should be given same pension irrespective of the year of retirement.

As per the present system, ex-servicemen under the 6th Pay Commission get more pension than their counterparts who have retired under previous pay commissions.

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