Centre opposes revision in One Rank One Pension formula

Centre said it has done more than it could and if there is interference the financial burden will increase on the government.

New Delhi: The Central government on Friday told the Supreme Court that it will not reconsider the One Rank One Pension (OROP) formula as it has already decided on the scheme. Maintaining its stand on the decision on the OROP scheme for retired military personnel, the Centre said that it has done more than it could and if there is interference the financial burden will increase on the government.

The apex court will next hear the case after four weeks.

The statement comes at the backdrop of a petition filed by the Association of Ex-Servicemen in the Supreme Court expressing dissatisfaction over the government's OROP formula. The petitioners said that the OROP scheme implemented by the government isn't based on the recommendations of the Koshiyari committee. It also alleged that the government has softened the recommendations of the Koshiyari committee. 

It has also said in its plea that the recommendations of the committee have not been fully agreed upon. They want that the One Rank One Pension scheme should be entirely based on the Koshiyari committee. 

The Narendra Modi government had in September 2015 announced the One Rank One Pension scheme for soldiers of the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement.

Announcing the scheme, the then defence minister Manohar Parikar had said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fulfilled his commitment... I would like to mention that the contribution of military veterans in nation-building in the past 67 years has been immeasurable. Now that OROP is hopefully behind us, I urge the veterans to contribute to the vital task of nation-building and development."

The estimated cost to the exchequer for the scheme was announced at Rs 8,000-10,000 crore. "Pensions will be re-fixed for all pensioners retiring in the same rank and with the same length of service as the average of the minimum and maximum pension in 2013," Parrikar had said.