India’s Ex-Servicemen to Sit On Strike

A group of ex-servicemen have decided to go on relay-hunger strike from June 15 demanding implementation of ‘One Rank One Pension’, notwithstanding an appeal from Army chief Dalbir Singh Suhag to postpone it.

The group led by Maj Gen Satbir Singh (retd) met Suhag at the Army headquarters.“We met him requesting to use his good office to convey to the government that there is no multiple definition of OROP as as been said by various people from the government,” Singh said.He said that the Army chief is not only responsible for the welfare of the serving personnel but also the ex-servicemen.Singh said that the ex-servicemen will hold a protest rally on June 15 and will undertake a relay hunger strike from next day.

“The Army chief suggested if we could postpone it. We told him that we will go ahead with our plans as it is not against any government or person but only to highlight the injustice being done against us,” he said.One rank, one pension scheme has been a long-standing demand of nearly three million ex-servicemen in the country.It seeks to ensure that a uniform pension is paid to defence personnel who retire at the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement.

Vowing to address the “vexed” issue of OROP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on May 31 sought “some time” from the ex-servicemen. Modi said the issue is not as simple as he had thought but much more “vexed” as “problems” have been added to it over the years. Modi during election campaign had promised to get OROP implemented that was passed by previous UPA government after 31 years.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the issue of OROP is progressing very rapidly but some patience is required.