Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Thursday that there were one lakh ex-servicemen facing problems in getting pension as per the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme and their issues would be resolved within two months.
“Only one lakh ex-servicemen are not getting pension as per the OROP scheme due to some technical difficulty or documentation problems. We will resolve these problems in the coming two months,” he told a gathering of Army veterans.
The Minister, accompanied by Army Chief General Dalbir Singh, paid homage to Major Somnath Sharma, the first Param Vir Chakra recipient of independent India, and other soldiers who laid down their lives while pushing back an offensive by Pakistani troops in 1947.
“We did it. Every year Rs. 7,500 crore [will be incurred] and Rs. 11,000 crore arrears have been paid. There has been 23 to 24 per cent average increase in pension,” he said.
Vows to end their problems After interacting with the ex-servicemen, Mr. Parikkar said, “Whatever [problems] have been conveyed to me today will be resolved by the time I come again. Today, I was given 10 minutes for an interaction with you but I extended it to 40 minutes. Next time, I will spend half a day with you.”
He said, “Several of these [problems] will be resolved at the local level. I know that the reservation [benefits] and facilities of the State government have not been fully extended to you. I will seek a report from the State governments on this issue. The facilities of Central government will also be extended to you. I will look into it. I will find a solution to the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) problem also.”
