One Rank One Pension – Now, Paramilitary Veterans Gear Up to Hit the Street

Now, Paramilitary Veterans Gear Up to Hit the Street – Para Military Forces are officially known as Central Armed Police Forces.  CAPF consist of forces namely Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Assam Rifles.

Now that the One Rank One Pension (OROP) for the Ex-Servicemen have been finally approved by the Government after a 42 year long struggle by them. The OROP package announced by the Centre for the armed forces is expected to cost Rs 8,300 crore annually, although sections of ex-servicemen are still unhappy. While negotiating with ex-defence personnel, the government had feared that it will have to deal with copycat demands from others too.

The armed forces had argued that their case rested on a different footing because they constituted the country’s main defence, and also because their jawans retired at an early age. However, Paramilitary Veterans are not impressed by this remark.

“It is a known fact that paramilitary forces are the first line of defence in every security operation, whether it is on the border or internal security. Paramilitary forces are in the war field 24×365 days, while the defence forces enjoying ‘peace time’ comfortably in their well secured barracks. The government is pouring all facilities to them and totally neglecting paramilitary men. We need equal status and equal facilities,” AICPMFEWA said.

“The time is ripe to act before the heat of Bihar elections rises,” Nair said in a letter asking fellow retired paramilitary officers to join the agitation.

Nair’s letter said ex-paramilitary men and serving officers were “more frustrated than ever” since OROP was granted to the armed forces, and a campaign has already started on Facebook, Twitter and at district associations of retired personnel. “After seeing the feelings of our members all over the country, we have suggested dharna/strike from November 2,” the letter added.

The retired paramilitary men have nine primary demands — OROP, framing of separate service and pension funds instead of CCS rules, granting ex-servicemen status with all consequential benefits, extending CSD canteen facilities, extending ECHS medical facilities, change of present nomenclature of Central Armed Police Forces used for BSF, CRPF, ITBP, CISF, SSB, NSG and Assam Rifles to Central Para-Military Forces (CPMFs), granting statutory paramilitary welfare board similar to Sainik Welfare Board, granting paramilitary service pay and exempting them from new contributory pension system.

A point to be noted here is, it took 42 years for the Government to accept the OROP demand of the Ex-Servicemen on the apprehension of huge spending on OROP would harm the economy of the country.  Now, if the Government is willing to grant OROP to paramilitary forces, it would further add to huge financial constraint which the govt is already facing.

However, ex-paramilitary men are un-deterred, Nine lakh retired personnel of paramilitary forces will give a final notice to the government on September 26th and have planned to launch an indefinite dharna at Jantar Mantar on November 2, just like the one ex-servicemen took recourse to in order to force the government to speed up the OROP announcement.

Source: The Times of India