E-Paper
PM meets panel on veteran's One Rank-One Pension demand
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met the committee of secretaries, which is considering the long-pending demand of ex-servicemen for parity in pension of personnel retiring in the same rank.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday met the committee of secretaries, which is considering the long-pending demand of ex-servicemen for parity in pension of personnel retiring in the same rank.
In the meeting, Singh is said to have discussed the pros and cons of granting the demand of retired armed forces personnel, popularly known as 'One Rank-One Pension' (OROP).
Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekhar, who heads the committee, made a presentation to the Prime Minister based on the nearly two-month study that the committee carried out on the subject.
"The committee of secretaries headed by Cabinet Secretary on matters related to OROP made a presentation to the Prime Minister today," a PMO release said here, without elaborating.
Others present during the presentation included Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister A K Antony, Home Minister P Chidamabaram and Minister of State (Personnel) Prithviraj Chavan.
The UPA government has already committed itself to taking a decision on the subject by end of June in President Pratibha Patil's Address to the Joint Sitting of Parliament on June 4 after the first session of the 15th Lok Sabha convened. (MORE)
As Lok Sabha polls were in progress, the government had on May 4 announced the formation of the committee, but later backtracked before the Election Commission after it was slapped a notice accusing it of violating the model code of conduct.
However, the President's address had re-ignited hopes among a large number of ex-servicemen, who had vowed to vote for BJP during the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.
The ex-servicemen organisations, which represent over a crore of former soldiers, have been pressing for OROP and they did so during the Sixth Pay Commission too.
However, the Defence Ministry has held to its view that it would be difficult for it to accept this demand.
