Indicating his unhappiness over politicisation of pension issue of Defence forces, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday has stated that he would not like to discuss the One Rank One Pension(OROP) issue with ex-soldiers with a political leaning or ex-servicemen who had formed political parties.
Addressing a press conference organised by State government in the city on Saturday to celebrate its first rank among smaller States allotted to it by a Delhi-based media house in its annual State development awards, Mr. Parrikar said that only 4-5 per cent of the retired soldiers had not been drawing benefits of OROP, because the pensions department in his Ministry could not trace their records, some of which dated back to the 1962 war.
"Those who have become politicians, those who have formed a political party, I will not discuss with them. Even in our party there are ex-servicemen politicians, as is the case with other political parties. They think like politicians and not like ex-soldiers," Mr.Parrikar said indicating towards the on-going politicization of the OROP issue.
"If the ex-servicemen associations are satisfied, it is important.The rest who indulge in politics, I cannot satisfy them. I can assure you and you can go to the ex-servicemen and ask their reaction to the implementation," Mr. Parrikar said, while adding that he was in constant touch with ex-servicemen and was working actively to overcome obstacles they face.
Reiterating that around 95 per cent retired soldiers had already been receiving benefits of OROP, he assured that the rest that remained, mostly old pensioners who had been drawing a pension from the war of 1962 and whose records were not available with the pensions department would get it in two months.
He said that Defence Ministry was working at alternative ways to help bring these former soldiers under the OROP umbrella by accessing and assembling their service details from other records and by getting them to sign affidavits about their tenure in service. And they should get the OROP benefits over the next two months, he reiterated.
He claimed that the issue was not because of the government, but because of the fact that many of these cases were 50-55-60 years old.
" Because they retire from service early, the life of the pensioners and family is 50 to 60 years," Mr. Parrikar said.
