Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said his government was committed to implement the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme for ex-servicemen, but sought time to resolve its complexities.
Attacking the previous governments for “playing politics” over the issue for the past 40 years, he said OROP was “a complex issue”.
In his ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio address, Mr. Modi said various departments were working to resolve the complexities as “it is not a simple matter” and added that “running commentary” through the media on the details of the progress will not help.
Lauding the services of the Defence personnel, he said he could understand their problems as he was talking to them “as an individual rather than as a Prime Minister”.
“We are committed to OROP. .... Is it not a fact that for 40 years, this matter has been pending? ... No government in the past has implemented it. Political elements have played games with you on the issue. You have faith in us,” Mr. Modi said in a 25-minute speech.
OROP has been a long-standing demand of over two million ex-servicemen of India. It seeks to ensure that a uniform pension for the Defence personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement.
Referring to the completion of one year of the BJP-led NDA rule, the Prime Minister said the entire country had debated on the positives and negatives of it.
“It is important to known what have been the drawbacks,” he said, adding that many sections have also praised his government’s achievements in the past 12 months.
The Prime Minister also spoke of the recent launch of three social major security schemes — Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Atal Pension Yojana — for the poor, saying that over 8.5 crore people have joined the schemes within 20 days of their launch.
