One Rank One Pension Scheme for Armed Forces still on paper
New pension scheme for armed forces still on paper: Deccan Herald
Though the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has allocated Rs 1,000 crore for implementing the one rank-one pension scheme for defence personnel, a working group chaired by the Controller General of Defence Accounts has failed to provide a roadmap for scheme implementation.
Under the scheme, soldiers of the same rank and same tenure of service are entitled to get same pension, irrespective of the retirement dates. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ,in his first visit to the high altitude forward post of Siachen on Deepavali, had told the soldiers that the scheme was an “emotional subject” for him. He had chided the United Progressive Alliance regime for dragging the issue.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had promised the ex-servicemen the implementation of the scheme during Lok Sabha elections. A parliamentary standing committee on defence, headed by veteran BJP leader B C Khanduri, has suggested roping in an Indian Institute of Management for conducting a study to suggest measures for welfare of the ex-servicemen. The parliamentary panel, that scrutinised the defence ministry’s budget for 2014-2015, will submit its report on Monday.
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