India’s 2.5 million plus military veterans are both anxious and angry. For over a decade they have been told they will be granted the ‘One Rank One Pension,’ scheme meant to ensure that a uniform pension is paid to all defence personnel who retire at the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement.
Rank Injustice
Throughout the UPA I and II, the government simply ignored their demand thanks to its proclivity to go with the advice of the civilian bureaucrats who opposed the scheme tooth and nail. However, towards the fag end of the Manmohan Singh government it was agreed in principle to clear the scheme, keeping the bulk votes that the ex-servicemen bring in. The last-minute ruse did not work for the UPA though.
Realising the importance of correcting the wrong, the Narendra Modi government and the prime minister himself gave renewed hope to the veterans by announcing the implementation of the OROP scheme “as soon as possible.” That promise is now nearly a year old and if several associations of military veterans are to be believed, the government is nowhere near putting the money where the mouth is.
For months, the file for OROP is shuttling between the defence and the finance ministries over minor issues. Initially, officials of two ministries differed on the amount required to fulfil the demand. The finance ministry cited a Supreme Court observation in a case filed by a veteran to raise further queries.