Those taking voluntary retirement too will get OROP benefit, assures Modi

NEW DELHI/FARIDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he had fulfilled his promise to implement one rank, one pension (OROP) in contrast to previous governments that paid mere lip service to the issue and slammed critics of the decision for attempting to mislead the armed forces while assuring ex-servicemen that residual niggles would be sorted out. 

Speaking at the launch of the Delhi-Faridabad Metro, Modi emphatically reassured the armed forces community that those who opt for premature retirement would receive OROP benefits"If anybody gets OROP, jawans will be the first. Those injured, those who had to compulsorily leave will get OROP. A prime minister who loves the armed forces cannot even think of depriving such people of OROP benefits," he said. 

"The bulk of the Rs 10,000 crore of OROP will be for the jawans and soldiers who have served 15 years for this country. Don't be misled. There is no pay commission that has been set up. It is only a judicial commission to address any shortcomings, to see if any small changes are needed," he said at the meeting where he was greeted on stage by several retired armed forces personnel, many of whom presented flowers to the PM. 

UPA misled ex-servicemen on pension plan: PM 

Sharply targeting Congress, Modi asked, "Do those who did nothing for 40 years have the right to speak on behalf of jawans", getting the crowd to shout a loud "no" in response. Referring to UPA's interim budget before the 2014 election, he said, "Those who allocated Rs 500 crore could not understand the issue. They only misled you and committed sins. They want to score political points ... One-upmanship will not help the nation." 

Addressing a large and responsive crowd, Modi said he began his campaign as BJP's PM candidate in September 2013 at nearby Rewari promising he would implement OROP. "After I became PM, I realized this is a complicated matter. I have separated it strand by strand to reach a solution. It was pending for over four decades. Everyone paid lip sympathy but no justice was done," he said.