Now paramilitary personnel on warpath for OROP

Retired paramilitary forces personnel on Monday launched their agitation at Delhi's Jantar Mantar demanding parity with defence forces whose demands of One Rank One Pension (OROP) has been principally accepted by the Modi government. "We have formed our coordination committee today that will take a decision what course we need to take after three days of dharna," said vice chairman of the coordination committee, SPS Malik, who retired as second in command rank from BSF. Retired paramilitary forces personnel on Monday launched their agitation at Delhi's Jantar Mantar demanding parity with defence forces whose demands of One Rank One Pension (OROP) has been principally accepted by the Modi government. "We have formed our coordination committee today that will take a decision what course we need to take after three days of dharna," said vice chairman of the coordination committee, SPS Malik, who retired as second in command rank from BSF. Though the All India Central Paramilitary Forces and Ex-servicemen Welfare Association does not boast of membership of all retired paramilitary forces personnel, it claims that the stir is being supported by most retired personnel belonging to the six paramilitary forces – CRPF, BSF, CISF, SSB, ITBP and Assam Rifles - as well as those in service. "We are doing duties 24X7 the year round unlike the Army that gets ample time to rest. It is because of us the Army gets time to recuperate and maintain high degree of training. We fight shoulder to shoulder with Army in times of war and during peace keep deployed in dangerous counter insurgency operations against Naxals, insurgents and terrorists. We lose more men than the Army then why we should be given parity?" questioned Malik. "Our major demands to the government are granting of OROP to paramilitary veterans on the lines of Army personnel, exemption of serving troops from contributory pension scheme and extending full benefits to these forces under the ex-servicemen category," said Association's national general secretary, PS Nair. Serving a warning to the government, President of the Association, RB Pathak said that the agitation will intensify in the coming days and they will hold a big rally early next year if there was no positive communication from the government. Asserting that there was no difference between the Army and them as organised forces as both are recognised as "Armed Forces" under Article 246 of the Constitution, the association has also demanded keeping their original nomenclature central paramilitary forces (CPMF) that was changed under a "design" to central armed police forces CAPF) during the tenure of UPA government.