OROP – One Rank One Pension
Congrats to all the personnel of Armed forces and the BJP Govt. Modiji has turned into a reality a 42 year old dream of Armed Forces veterans and this is a herculean achievement and needs to be applauded at all levels!!!
3. Why should OROP be applicable to VRS personnel?
Ans. Firstly there is no VRS in the services. They retire Prematurely i.e after completion of 15 years for jawans and 20 years for Officers. They retire either due to war injuries, disabilities accrued on account of service or due to lack of further promotion opportunities. The last one is particularly good for the country, as it is this exit policy that keeps the Army young. Jawans in the age of 35-40 retire and make way for younger ones in the age group of 17-23. This obviously is to the Nation’s advantage and not to its detriment.
4. Why should OROP be applicable to people who are comfortably employed in their second careers?
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| SIR DOES THIS MAN LOOK COMFORTABLY EMPLOYED TO YOU? |
Ans. Everyone is not comfortably employed in second career. One anchor chose to take the example of airforce pilots leaving to take up a career in the aviation sector as pilots. I would say that it is a rather extreme example – bcoz the % of transport pilots in the entire armed forces is a very miniscule number (probably less than 1%) and within that 1% the number who leave the service and join air india would be about 10 %. Therefore, quoting a case which would apply to less than 0.1% of Armed forces as a norm to force an argument is outrightly unacceptable. I hope it was done only out of ignorance of the facts and not with malicious intent.
5. “Its a lot of money”, “We have to face it, its going to be a huge bill” said another anchor.
Ans. It is a huge bill – no doubt about it. My answer to that anchor would be “Son, that is the cost of War (or the ability to prevent it)”. it is the huge bill on defence expenditure over decades that sustained peace for nearly 45 years (few low intensity conflicts not withstanding). It is not unique to us. The same happens in other countries such as the United States (where it is not even called pension – it is called retirement pay), China, U.K etc. Even they are paying this huge bill of Armed forces.
Citizens over generations have paid this bill – to safeguard themselves from barbaric attacks of the enemy – to preserve their freedom – to keep their Nation’s flag flying high
– the cost is very high, no doubt –
but “Freedom” ladies and gentlemen, does not come cheap!!!
