Friday 5 June 2015

OROP - THE WAY OUT



ALL INDIA EX SERVICES WELFARE ASSOCIATION
 aiewa_association@rediffmail.com 
Web site : 
www.aiewa.org
Blog : aiewa.blogspot.in
(We Were THIRTY YEARS YOUNG On 21 Nov 2011)
 
M 35 Palika Bhawan, 
 RK Puram, Sector 13,
New Delhi 110066.
Ph :011 26110710
Fax :011 241O6144
04 Jun 2015

Respected Parrikar Saheb 

General

We have been pursuing the implementation of OROP ever since 22 Feb 1982 when we first put it up to the Prime Minister.

Our Messiah

When Modi ji on 15 Sep 1913 announced the acceptance of OROP if he came to power, we all thought that this was the end of long and tedious struggle at last. We all got to seeing that he wins the Elections.  

Our First Deadline   

The Modijis Party came to power with an overwhelming majority and the parleys started to interpret OROP into concrete terms so that the Govt letter could be issued for its disbursement. As this exercise was getting prolonged unduly, we sent a letter to PM asking him to please control the bureaucracy and issue the letter by 31 Dec 14 or else we would consider that he wants some more sacrifices from us. To win him over we would gladly do it. 

MOD's Request For More Time

In Dec 14 we received a letter from MOD to exercise restraint as the matter was being resolved and would be settled soon. We accepted the advice of the MOD and fixed 31 Mar 15 as new date for making the sacrifices. The deadline was again deferred to 30 Jun in view of the sincere efforts by the Govt to find a solution.

PM's Commitment

The Veterans were hoping that the  PM will announce OROP  at the Rally to Celebrate one year in office on 25 May. When he did not say a word about it, the whole community of Veterans were seething with anger. Wing Co Suresh Karnik and another officer took it upon themselves to express their anguish by refusing to attend the function organised for you. To control the damage done by those officers the PM had made a statement assuring Veterans that his Govt was fully committed to implementing OROP. He also announced that all his commitments will be fulfilled in five years. That's what the position was as far as the leadership was concerned. 

'Man Ki Baat'

The next he spoke his heart out was in 'Man Ki Baat'' reassuring us about  his government’s resolve to implement One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme for ex-servicemen. The Prime Minister asked the defence community to “have faith” in him and give him some time to sort out the complexities of the issue.He further stated that it is  article of faith with him and would implement it after discussing with all stake holders and working out a formula which satisfies all. He also said that he did not realize how complicated this is. 

Stating that various government departments were working on OROP, the PM said the issue was not as “simple” as he thought it to be. “It is complicated and problems have got added to it during the past 40 years… I have tasked everybody in the government to find a way in which this can be made simpler and unanimous,” he added.

OROP - Simplest Scheme for Implementation     

We admire his sincerity but disagree with his observation that OROP is a complicated issue. This is the simplest scheme to implement. It's implementation would cut down the work load of successive CPC by 25 to 50 %. Further there is only one stakeholder. That is us the Veterans. The other can be the leadership who have accepted to give it. Bureaucrats who have vowed to let it happen n their dead bodies can't by any chance be called stakeholders. 

We are saying this because we are the people who conceptualised this scheme, worked out its minutest details and presented to the Prime Minister first time ever on 22 Feb 1982. Thereafter saw it through the following Committees / Commissions all ending up recommending it strongly :-

a) High Level Committee 1984. We were its author and special invitee.
b) In Apr 1987 after my indefinite fast met and got accepted OROP by RM, two RRMs Committee
c) High Level Empowered Committee 1990 being its initiator and also Member. It was willing to give but could not do so because of poor economic condition when we had to ship country's gold to UK to run the country.
d) Fifth CPC in 1995. It agreed to give but in implementing bureaucrats short changed us by giving modified parity instead
e) In 1997 we carried out an agitational programme which lasted for 107 days. Meeting with PM Mr Gujral held in which he accepted OROP. The bureaucrats did not let the file move for his sanction. in the meantime the Govt fell. 
f) Over a period made, presentation four times to Def Standing Committee of the Parliament and got strong positive Recommendations. One made in 2003 resulted in strongest recommendation for OROP. This Committee was headed by MR ML KHURANA.
g) On 26 Jul 2001 meeting with Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee in which he appointed Committee to do it, headed by the RM.
f) Got GOM headed by Mr Pranab Mukherji appointed and got full parity for JCOs and ORs, which in other words is OROP.

With these credentials we could be expected to talk sense.

Bureaucratic Game Plan

While the leadership wants to give within five years at least, the bureaucracy who for the last 33 years have been  scuttling every leadership initiative have worked out their own plan about giving this a final burial. They are going to delay its award till the 7th CPC is ready to take it over. Once they are ready they are going to tell the leadership, since they have failed to resolve this issue, despite efforts by all, why not give it for working it out to the 7th CPC. A proposal which leadership will gladly accept. Then the CPC which comprises mainly of Bureaucrats will be told to reject it. Once it is rejected by them they will come up to say look it has been rejected by an independent Statutory Body how can it be given. With that the final burial of this issue. Even leadership will agree with this and wash off their hands. 

This trash I have been confronted with during Fifth CPC also.

Conclusion

We submit that let us have a meeting with bureaucrats in your presence. Ask them to raise their objection on each point. We will give its reply. You take the final decision based on what we say. Whatever you  decide will be accepted to us. This  is the way you can kill this problem for all times to come. If you want to linger on with this and let down Mr Modi, let the bureaucrats carry on handling the files in a hush hush manner till they give it the final burial.

I wanted to personally come and make this submission to you despite serious attack of paralyses, but have yet to get an appointment.

Regards

Lt Col Inderjit Singh
Chairman, AIEWA
Mob : 0 9811007629

1 comment:

  1. It is the reason ex servicemen are waiting for one rank one pension. One newpaper published that exservice man devided on agitation Name quoted is Mr sehgal of All india ex services welfre Association does not favour agatation. I think such person can be Vivishan in our community. I think we should unite and protest for justice but not against Govt

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