Wednesday, September 9, 2009

A NEW THOUGHT AND LOGIC ON OROP

From: ramantn sarma colram40@yahoo.com

To: DELETED

Sent: Tuesday, 8 September, 2009 4:45:05 AM

A NEW THOUGHT AND LOGIC ON OROP -

Dear Veterans,

A new thought on OROP, projected by Maj Gen VK Singh is worthy of consideration, by the Armed Forces & the Govt, for the new crop of retirees, post 2006. Our Movement started with the sole aim of protecting the interest of more than 2.5 Million Veterans, who are pre 2006 retirees, who cannot be offered any lateral absorption or promised employment up to the age of 60 years. For them OROP is the best bet, since they have already retired. That also as per the existing definition of equal rank, equal length of service & equal pension.

Pre 1970 Military Personnel were pensioned off based on their Substantive Ranks. There was no worth while compensation for their truncated service. This meagre payment of gratuity was also based on the length of Service physically rendered by them without taking into account the truncated portion of their balance of service. Because the 60 years of age concept for retirement was not there. Further, their pension was rank based & not the length of service, which the author claims the real OROP.

The length of service clause was specifically introduced to ensure a degree of compensation to the loyal military personnel, by the third CPC.From 1970 onwards, the pension for the Armed Forces Personnel have been fixed based on the criteria of Rank cum Length of Service. Three generations have gone through this system & have benefited. To suggest that we should roll back to the 1970 era & discard the Length of Service criteria is like shooting at our own foot.

Notional fixation ordered by the Court in the case of Maj Gens, is a new concept. But no where, any Court has over ruled the concept of OROP. The Court pointed out of creating Class within Class of pensioners when for a group of retirees their pensions were fixed based on the average emoluments of ten months & for others it was worked out on the basis of 36 months. The court had also come down heavily on the petitioners, when they mis- interpreted the earlier ruling given to mean the grant of OROP.

The idea given by the author, as pointed out by me, in the beginning itself, may be explored for those who are in service today & likely to retire 10 years hence.

Veteran Raman

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