Meet This Demand - But One Rank One Pension must be accompanied by cutting armed forces flab

With ex-servicemen threatening to gherao Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his next Independence Day address, the latter sought to reassure them that his government was committed to fulfilling the One Rank One Pension (OROP) demand. Ensuring pension parity for defence personnel who retire at the same rank and with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement, was a BJP election promise during Lok Sabha polls last year. Despite the Modi government completing a year in office, OROP is yet to see the light of day.

The incumbent government isn’t alone in dragging its feet over this key demand of armed forces personnel. Successive governments, including the previous Congress-led UPA, are guilty of kicking the OROP can down the road. As a result, huge disparities exist between pensions drawn by ex-servicemen depending on when they retired from the force. For example, a major who retired before1996 gets 53% less pension than a major who retired after 2006. True, military pensions were reduced and aligned with civilian pensions after the Third Pay Commission’s recommendations in 1973. But this overlooks the fact that defence personnel have much shorter career spans in comparison to civil servants. Plus, the latter enjoy other privileges such as protection of employment under the Disability Act which do not extend to soldiers.

In such a scenario, OROP is a valid demand that has even been recognised by the Supreme Court. But those who defend the country’s borders have to wait for years for their concerns to be taken seriously. That said, given the large payout OROP entails – estimated at around Rs 8,750 crore initially – it must be accompanied by simultaneous streamlining of defence expenditure.

Slashing non-operational flab, such as doing away with the orderly system for officers and curtailing the practice of deploying soldiers for escort duties, is imperative. Hand in hand with OROP there should be a detailed review of armed forces manpower and infrastructure. OROP provides government an opportunity to show it cares for ex-servicemen as well as effect a much needed restructuring of the armed forces. A review of strategy is needed as well, as wars of the future won’t resemble the conventional warfare of the past. The aim should be to create a leaner, cost-effective and well-equipped force with a better teeth-to-tail ratio and greater emphasis on special forces.

during his next Independence Day address, the latter sought to reassure them that his government was committed to fulfilling the One Rank One Pension (OROP) demand. Ensuring pension parity for defence personnel who retire at the same rank and with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement, was a BJP election promise during Lok Sabha polls last year. Despite the Modi government completing a year in office, OROP is yet to see the light of day.

The incumbent government isn’t alone in dragging its feet over this key demand of armed forces personnel. Successive governments, including the previous Congress-led UPA, are guilty of kicking the OROP can down the road. As a result, huge disparities exist between pensions drawn by ex-servicemen depending on when they retired from the force. For example, a major who retired before1996 gets 53% less pension than a major who retired after 2006. True, military pensions were reduced and aligned with civilian pensions after the Third Pay Commission’s recommendations in 1973. But this overlooks the fact that defence personnel have much shorter career spans in comparison to civil servants. Plus, the latter enjoy other privileges such as protection of employment under the Disability Act which do not extend to soldiers.

In such a scenario, OROP is a valid demand that has even been recognised by the Supreme Court. But those who defend the country’s borders have to wait for years for their concerns to be taken seriously. That said, given the large payout OROP entails – estimated at around Rs 8,750 crore initially – it must be accompanied by simultaneous streamlining of defence expenditure.

Slashing non-operational flab, such as doing away with the orderly system for officers and curtailing the practice of deploying soldiers for escort duties, is imperative. Hand in hand with OROP there should be a detailed review of armed forces manpower and infrastructure. OROP provides government an opportunity to show it cares for ex-servicemen as well as effect a much needed restructuring of the armed forces. A review of strategy is needed as well, as wars of the future won’t resemble the conventional warfare of the past. The aim should be to create a leaner, cost-effective and well-equipped force with a better teeth-to-tail ratio and greater emphasis on special forces.

This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India. 

Source : http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toi-editorials/meet-this-demand/