The behaviour of ex-servicemen protesting the notification on the one rank, one pension (OROP) scheme is “unlike that of a soldier” and they have been misguided, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Tuesday, a day after the war veterans decided to return their medals. He termed the OROP decision as his biggest achievement in the last one year and said it was the BJP government that had finalised the measure.
This is unbecoming of a soldier. Whoever is still protesting despite the announcement is being misguided
Parrikar said that if there are any grievances, the ex-servicemen can present their case to the judicial commission that will be set up for this purpose.
He said on Monday that everyone has a right to make a demand in a democracy but not all demands can be fulfilled. The government had on Saturday formally notified the OROP scheme for over 24 lakh ex-servicemen and six lakh war widows in the country. The notification is more or less in line with what Parrikar had announced on September 5.
However, it has dropped the contentious proposal to exclude ex-servicemen who had sought premature retirement from the ambit of OROP. However, armed forces personnel who opt for discharge would henceforth not receive OROP benefits.
The notification does not address demands for annual equalisation of revised pension, for maximum pension to current pensioners, and for appointing an expert commission with serving military personnel and ex-servicemen representatives. Ex-servicemen who have been protesting at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi since June have rejected the notification.
Hitting back at Parrikar for his comment that not all their demands can be met, Indian Ex-servicemen Movement said on Monday that the war veterans would be returning their medals to protest the government notification on OROP scheme.
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