Army veterans celebrate following the government's announcement that it will accept OROP reforms (Agence France-Presse Photo)
The government on Saturday announced the long-awaited One Rank One Pension for veterans of the armed forces, who have been protesting in Delhi for 87 days. The announcement was followed by a to-and-fro between the ex-servicemen and the government, after which the veterans said they might call of the indefinite fast on Sunday. However, the retired military personnel have said they would continue with their relay fast until they receive a written statement from the government.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had met with the veterans after doubts persisted over some of the clauses of the announcement. "Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar clarified that soldiers who had taken premature retirement will not be excluded from the benefits of OROP," said Major General Satbir Singh, chairman of the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement.
"The assurance is satisfactory, but we will wait for a statement," he told NDTV.
He added that the protestors would take a call on Sunday on whether the 13 veterans who have been on an indefinite hunger strike for 20 days would call of their fast.
"Despite the huge fiscal burden, given its commitment to the welfare of ex-servicemen, the government has taken a decision to implement OROP," Mr Parrikar had said on Saturday afternoon. The scheme will cost the exchequer between Rs 8,000 and 10,000 crore. Effective from July, 2014, the arrears will add another Rs 12,000 crore.
But despite the announcement, the veterans were unhappy. They said the government has only accepted two out of their six-point demand.
The government will stick to equalising pension every five years and not every year or maximum two years as demanded by the veterans. The base year being 2013, the pension will be equalised next in 2017.
The veterans are also not happy about the setting up a one-member judicial commission for looking into such inter-services issues. "Instead of one-member commission, we want veterans and servicing officers to be part of the committee. Also, instead of a judicial commission, the commission should function under the Defence Minister," Major General Singh told NDTV.