New Delhi: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Sunday that the one rank-one pension (OROP) issue was more of less resolved:
“Issue more or less according to me is resolved. Have you ever seen 100% things are fulfilled to everyone’s satisfaction,” Parrikar said.
“When I became Defence Minister I realized that OROP definition means around 8000 crore of financial burden,” the Defence Minister added, as per ANI.
“OROP as a principle accepted, full financial requirements fulfilled, there might be few issues which we’ll automatically address,” Parrikar pointed out.
At the same time he stated that the OROP was an assurance given by the BJP and the party had kept the assurance.
The Union Minister further said that most of the veterans were happy about implementation of OROP.
Welcoming the government's decision to implement OROP, agitating ex-servicemen today announced withdrawal of their hunger strike but decided to continue their protest till all the "sticky" issues are resolved.
The ex-servicemen said revision of pension after a gap of five years as announced by the government is not at all acceptable to them, besides appointment of a one-man judicial commission to examine various aspects of one rank-one pension (OROP).
Addressing a press conference here, Maj Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, leader of the association leading the agitation, said the protest will continue till four specific points raised by the ex-servicemen are not accepted by the government.
"We urge all those who are on hunger strike to withdraw it as the PM has clarified on the issue of premature retirement. But our protest will continue till the government accepts four points raised by us," he said, as per PTI.
He said ex-servicemen may resume hunger strike again if the government fails to resolve the pending issues.
The veterans, who have been pressing for OROP for four decades, yesterday won a partial victory with the government announcing that it would implement it, but the veterans rejected the decision and decided to continue their agitation.
The issue of whether the scheme would cover ex-servicemen who have taken premature retirement had emerged as a major sticking point.
They met Parrikar yesterday and later said his clarification in this regard was "satisfying".
(With Agency inputs)
