This OROP Doesn’t Cut It

Indian Military Veterans

Photo: Ministry of Defence

In a major development that was aimed at breaking an impasse between ex- servicemen and the Government on the implementation of One Rank One Pension(OROP), Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on 5 September finally announced the scheme. “The issue of One Rank One Pension has been pending for nearly four decades,” he said during the press conference adding that it was a “matter of deep anguish that various governments have remained ambivalent on the OROP issue.”

Sitting nearly three km away, a congregation of ex-servicemen, who had been waiting for this day since the advent of the protest nearly three months back, held on to their hopes. The long battle finally seemed to be heading to a conclusion; anticipation was at its peak. Though there were reports of mixed responses from the veterans, disappointment followed soon after. According to the ex-servicemen, key demands discussed in the meeting with Parrikar were not addressed. However, the indefinite hunger strike was called off as a ‘mark of respect’ after the tokenist intervention by the government. The common sentiment echoed by the veterans was that of the whole issue being ‘diluted’ by the government from what was discussed in the meetings.

“There is no question of being happy or not happy. It is after 40 years that the demand is being fulfilled. We are thankful to the PM, the Defence Minister,  Chief of Army Staff Dalbir Singh Suhag and all those who helped us in this. It is a step in the right direction, however, the issue has not been fully addressed. Therefore, while we have lifted the indefinite hunger strike, we are continuing with the relay hunger strike and there will be a big rally on 12 September. We will continue our struggle, intensify it and spread our word,” says Major General (retd) Satbir Singh, who is spearheading the protest.

What leaves the protesters dissatisfied, among other issues, is the press statement released by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in which the defence minister said, “Personnel who voluntarily retire from service will not be covered under the OROP scheme.” Voluntary Retirement from Service (VRS) is a scheme which is often offered by private companies wherein, a one-time lump sum amount is given to an employee upon retiring voluntarily as a gesture of ‘goodwill’. However, there is nothing such as a VRS in the defence forces. The term, which army servicemen are familiar with is Pre Mature Retirement (PMR) wherein one can take voluntary retirement after a minimum Qualifying Service (QS) of 20 years.

The veterans were thus left seething with anger as confusion regarding the matter spread. They also criticised the government for an utter lack of transparency and attempts at spreading confusion in addressing the issue.

“There is no such thing as VRS in the defence forces. It is for company laws. This is what they have wanted to do from the beginning, delay the issue as much as possible. Initially we were very happy since we felt that we were making progress but now we are not. Neither Parrikar nor anyone from the government has met us after the announcement. There is also no clarity on the implementation yet. This is why we are still continuing with our protest. It is very clear that they have purposely brought these clauses to delay the issue further,” says Wing Commander (retd) MMS Paintal.

n a bid to clear the air around the scheme, PM Narendra Modi on 6 September said that he will ensure that OROP benefits also apply to those who take voluntary retirement, however, confusion regarding the clause still persists as varying statements have been made by Parrikar.

“The confusion will stay until we get a report from the government. We wantOROP to be applicable to all pensioners,” Maj General (retd) Satbir Singh tells Tehelka. Similar sentiments are echoed by others among the ex-servicemen. Even those in the MOD are unclear regarding the exact structure of the scheme.

A source from within the ministry tells Tehelka that they are equally unsure as anyone else, “Officially, we haven’t been briefed, we will get a clear picture only when the order comes from the higher ups,” he says. Sources within the ministry also say that the term ‘VRS’ was brought in after the file was sent to the Finance Ministry headed by Arun Jaitley. Many ex-servicemen feel that vested interests of bureaucrats have a hand to play in the matter.

The ex-sevicemen also complain that four key demands, which were discussed at length with the defence minister, being excluded from the scheme. The press statement issued by Parrikar states, “To begin with, OROP would be fixed on the basis of calendar year 2013.” However, the ex-servicemen find it difficult to make sense of what a ‘calendar year’ might mean for their pension plan since all such plans operate according to the financial year. Major General (retd) Satbir Singh says that there is nothing known as a ‘calendar year’ for a pension base. He adds, “Going according to this ‘calendar year’ plan might mean that one full increment will be lost. It means that the government wants to save Rs 8,300 crore by manipulating the scheme, which is unauthorised, illegal and unacceptable.”

Being a complex issue, OROP requires a thorough examination of interests of retirees from different periods and ranks.

Therefore, it was also decided in the meetings that a five member Judicial Committee, consisting of three ex-servicemen, one serving officer and one member from the MOD, would be constituted to prepare a report within 30 days. However, the defence minister went ahead and formed a one member judicial committee which would be required to report in six months. The announcement of the committee clearly does not sit well with the veterans.

It was announced that the new pension for all pensioners retiring in the same rank and with the same length of service would be the average of the minimum and maximum pension for 2013. Therefore, ex-servicemen would only benefit on the average amount of pay scales. The five year revision clause is another major bone of contention. The demand was for revising the pension clause annually only then would the OROP scheme be successful. Lieutenant (retd) Kameshwar Pandey explains, “OROP, by definition, means that if a person of a particular rank has retired irrespective of the time, his pension must be the same as the person retiring now with the same rank and year of service. Now the government has kept the base line of the pension as 2013, so if you give us pensions with that as the base year today in 2015 how will it still be One Rank One Pension? It is diluted version, a parody of the OROP. How will it still remain the same if it is revised in gaps of five years?”

Most clauses announced in the orop scheme have been contradictory to the demands of the ex-servicemen. While they have accused the government of playing puppets to bureaucratic hands, the BJP has been on a self-congratulatory spree for implementing the controversial scheme within 15 months. Members of the ruling party have lost no opportunity in taking digs at the UPA-led government for failing to implement the scheme and hailing the bravado of PM Modi for ‘fulfilling’ his electoral promise. “PM Shri Modi has fulfilled his commitment and approved OROP for armed forces personnel,” concluded Parrikar in his speech on OROP. The ex-servicemen, on the other hand, plan to continue their agitation till further clarification is given.

anisha.dutta@tehelka.com