One Rank - One Pension, the due of a soldier
Updated: 03 April
Satyam Pathak
The term 'One Rank One Pension' refers to the distribution of equal pension to the armed forces personnel holding same rank and same length of service, irrespective of the date/year and place of their retirement. It also means that any future hike in pension rates will also be automatically passed to past pensioners.
Pension of the retired servicemen is based on the last salary drawn by them at the time of their retirement. Owing to regular changing of pay structures due to different pay commissions (which comes in every 10 years), currently there are discrepancies in the sum which retired armed force personnel of same rank are getting. Successive pay commissions have widened the gap in the pension of those who retired earlier and those who retire later. For instance, pension of all the retired military personnel who retired pre-2006 is lesser than not only to their counterparts but also to some junior ranks who retired post-2006.
Also, as compared to other civilian services whose employees retire at the age of 60, the military personnel retire much earlier. Military personnel starts retiring from the age of 35 and its becomes difficult to find a second career option when the family liability is maximum.
This is leading to anger in the whole ex-servicemen faction of Indian armed forces.
OROP has been a very much awaited old demand of more than 25 lakhs of Indian military personnel which can be traced from the days of Indira Gandhi. It came into the focus of public attention when in the month of Feb, 2009 more than 300 retired servicemen of different ranks marched to the Rashtrapati Bhawan, Delhi and returned their medals they had won in combat and for their distinguished service to nation as they sought a uniform pension system for all military veterans. They were demanding OROP which is expected to benefit about 1.2 million pensioners. The UPA government in their interim budget had sanctioned 500 crore rupees for it. After the change in government recently, One Rank One Pension scheme was accepted by the central government and 1000 crore rupees was allocated for the implementation of this scheme.
Government is facing certain problems in its implementation. Rs 8,300 crore is the total estimated amount for full scale implementation of this scheme which is seemed to be very hard to digest for the finance ministry. Owing to the large number of veterans and with no cut off date, its a huge task to pass benefit to all. Also, giving OROP to armed forces will also raise the demands from different para military forces which if fulfilled would spell a fiscal doom for government.
There are more than 6 lakh war widows in India and most of them are the widows of sepoy. Our pension system has left them with a nominal amount of around 3000 rupees per month. How they will take care of their children in this amount?
About 70% of the total strength of Indian armed forces are those who are either child or grandchild of those who were/are a part of armed forces. What message with be passed to civilian society if those people will remain not satisfied with the post retirement benefits of the services?
Military life as compared to careers in other sectors is very harsh where soldiers are supposed to live in hostile conditions under physical and mental pressure far away from their family. Moreover, it is not only 8 hours job, it is a 24 hour duty and life commitment which each and every soldier make to protect the unity and sovereignty of the country. The armed force personnel are the most disciplined and committed people towards their country.
Because of such reasons if retired people are asking for OROP, it is because it is their due.
Satyam Pathak
The term 'One Rank One Pension' refers to the distribution of equal pension to the armed forces personnel holding same rank and same length of service, irrespective of the date/year and place of their retirement. It also means that any future hike in pension rates will also be automatically passed to past pensioners.
Pension of the retired servicemen is based on the last salary drawn by them at the time of their retirement. Owing to regular changing of pay structures due to different pay commissions (which comes in every 10 years), currently there are discrepancies in the sum which retired armed force personnel of same rank are getting. Successive pay commissions have widened the gap in the pension of those who retired earlier and those who retire later. For instance, pension of all the retired military personnel who retired pre-2006 is lesser than not only to their counterparts but also to some junior ranks who retired post-2006.
Also, as compared to other civilian services whose employees retire at the age of 60, the military personnel retire much earlier. Military personnel starts retiring from the age of 35 and its becomes difficult to find a second career option when the family liability is maximum.
This is leading to anger in the whole ex-servicemen faction of Indian armed forces.
OROP has been a very much awaited old demand of more than 25 lakhs of Indian military personnel which can be traced from the days of Indira Gandhi. It came into the focus of public attention when in the month of Feb, 2009 more than 300 retired servicemen of different ranks marched to the Rashtrapati Bhawan, Delhi and returned their medals they had won in combat and for their distinguished service to nation as they sought a uniform pension system for all military veterans. They were demanding OROP which is expected to benefit about 1.2 million pensioners. The UPA government in their interim budget had sanctioned 500 crore rupees for it. After the change in government recently, One Rank One Pension scheme was accepted by the central government and 1000 crore rupees was allocated for the implementation of this scheme.
Government is facing certain problems in its implementation. Rs 8,300 crore is the total estimated amount for full scale implementation of this scheme which is seemed to be very hard to digest for the finance ministry. Owing to the large number of veterans and with no cut off date, its a huge task to pass benefit to all. Also, giving OROP to armed forces will also raise the demands from different para military forces which if fulfilled would spell a fiscal doom for government.
There are more than 6 lakh war widows in India and most of them are the widows of sepoy. Our pension system has left them with a nominal amount of around 3000 rupees per month. How they will take care of their children in this amount?
About 70% of the total strength of Indian armed forces are those who are either child or grandchild of those who were/are a part of armed forces. What message with be passed to civilian society if those people will remain not satisfied with the post retirement benefits of the services?
Military life as compared to careers in other sectors is very harsh where soldiers are supposed to live in hostile conditions under physical and mental pressure far away from their family. Moreover, it is not only 8 hours job, it is a 24 hour duty and life commitment which each and every soldier make to protect the unity and sovereignty of the country. The armed force personnel are the most disciplined and committed people towards their country.
Because of such reasons if retired people are asking for OROP, it is because it is their due.
Comments
Post a Comment