Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Independence Day speech on Saturday, said the government had "accepted in principle" the one rank one pension (OROP) scheme for retired armed forces personnel, but failed to announce a timeframe for its implementation.
It was anticipated that PM Modi would announce implementation of OROP in his I-Day speech but failure to do so has attracted the ire of former armymen who have been protesting at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi for two months.
The Prime Minister too, acknowledged the issue "has been stuck for 20 years".
He added, "OROP was considered by all governments, but there is no resolution yet. Even I have not been able to solve it.”
One rank one pension, if implemented, would provide pension to ex-servicemen according to their ranks and irrespective of the the year of retiring.
Currently, pensions are governed by pay commissions active during the time of retirement.