PM Modi's Balm for Protesting Army Veterans: Books Starring Soldiers as Heroes

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose government is on the back foot for the delay in announcing One Rank One Pension or OROP, is set to reach out to the armed forces with a series of books celebrating their valour.

On September 4, the Prime Minister will release a first-of-its kind illustrated book on the recipients of India's highest award for valour, the Param Vir Chakra. Titled Veer Gatha, the books will target young readers with easy-to-read text and will include sketches, much like comic books.

"Our future generation will know about the sacrifices and the courage of our soldiers," BJP leader and union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said to NDTV.

The inaugural book in the series, a collaborative effort by the ministries of Human Resource Development and Defence, will highlight stories of six of the country's 21 Param Vir Chakra recipients.

The government has asked the National Book Trust to publish the Veer Gatha series in multiple Indian languages so that it can be read in every part of the country.

Army veterans fighting for One Rank One Pension have welcomed the move. Retired Indian Air Force officer, Wing Commander Vinod Nep, told NDTV, "It's a very good move. Let them come out with a book and the nation will know what the armed forces have done and they will have some portion of the history which has been missing when India was growing up."

Ex-servicemen have been demanding the implementation of One Rank One Pension or OROP for many years now. A protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar escalated after the government failed to resolve financial details of the package in time for  PM Modi's Independence Day speech from the Red Fort on August 15.

Ex-servicemen who retired years ago want the same pension as those of the same rank retiring now. Currently, an officer who retired earlier gets less pension than another several ranks junior retiring now.