One Rank One Pension – Ex-servicemen launch nationwide stir
Ex-servicemen have launched a series of protests all over the country demanding the implementation of the One Rank One Pension scheme. A massive relay hunger strike began in New Delhi.
In select cities around the country, ex-servicemen gathered in huge numbers to express their dissatisfaction against the government.
Ex-servicemen are being given pension depending on the year of their retirement, their ranks, and the number of years that they had served. Soldiers who had retired before 1996 continue to get very low pensions compared to those who had retired after 1996, leading to a great dissatisfaction among those who belong to the former category. A senior officer who had retired before 1996 draws lesser pension than his junior officers who had retired after 1996. Despite the fact that budgetary allocations were made to resolve this issue, nothing was done.
In addition to Delhi, similar protests are also on in Bihar, Jalandar, and Bengaluru.