PM Narendra Modi flagging off at the inauguration of the Badarpur-Faridabad Metro line, at Faridabad. (Photo: PTI)
Age Correspondent: PM clarifies jawans who had to leave forces after 15-17 years will be eligible Seeking to set the record straight, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made it clear that armed forces personnel who have had to leave the services prematurely would be covered by the one-rank-one-pension (OROP) benefits. The Prime Minister’s comments came following the government’s OROP announcement on Saturday that had caused some confusion among ex-servicemen. Speaking at a rally in Faridabad on Sunday, Mr Modi deprecated efforts to “mislead” servicemen on early retirement benefits. “Some people feel that those who have to leave the job after 15-17 years of service will not get OROP. My jawan brothers, whether it is a havaldar, a sepoy or a naik, you are the ones who secure the nation. If anybody gets OROP, you will be the first,” Prime Minister Modi said. “Those who have lost any part of their body while fighting a war and had to leave the Army, can they be deprived of OROP? A Prime Minister who loves the armed forces can never even think about it. All such people will get OROP... That is why, out of Rs 8,000-10,000 crore, the maximum will go to those jawans who have to leave the armed forces after serving for 15-17 years,” he added, while noting that such soldiers constitute 80-90 per cent of the armed forces. The Prime Minister contended that in the name of VRS (voluntary retirement from service), “efforts are being made to mislead you (soldiers), which is wrong... This government is clear that we had made a promise to the jawans, who live and die for the nation, and yesterday we made the announcement.” Lashing out at the previous Congress-led UPA government, Mr Modi said, “Even those who proposed Rs 500 crore for OROP could not understand the issue,” adding, “Those who did nothing for 40-42 years, do they have any right to ask questions? They only misled you and committed sins. They want to score political points... One-upmanship will not help the nation... There’s a new fashion that when the government takes a good decision it is questioned by those who do not want development.” “Only lip service was provided. It (OROP) was difficult to implement. For me also it was not an easy decision but I have high respect for the armed forces. Whatever promise I had made is being implemented... The ramifications of it... are yet to be known,” the Prime Minister was quoted by PTI as saying. He noted that he had made the pledge while addressing a
rally of ex-servicemen in Rewari in Haryana on September 13, 2013 as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. “The previous government proposed Rs 500 crore. We thought maybe it could go up to Rs 600-700 crore but while calculating new things came up. While I untangled every aspect of the issue, we calculated that there would be an expense of around Rs 8,000-Rs 10,000 crore.” This decision is inspired by patriotism, he said, telling the armed forces and ex-servicemen that the government “is yours, is there to look into your grievances and will stand by you whenever required”. “The country cannot develop through conflict but by dialogue. Elections will come and go. If there is only one solution to our problems it is development. We are working on only one point, one mantra, one objective, one path and one goal — that is development,” he said. “It would have been better if the work of development had been completed in the last 60 years. A lot of work is pending. But only criticising previous governments will not help. Our responsibility is to look for ways for development,” he said. Mr Modi said in recent times the entire world had faced severe economic turmoil and even countries with very strong foundation were shaken. Economists have held that only one country that withstood such turmoil was India, he said. “Because of policies followed in the last 15 months, the country is standing strong on the economic front,” the Prime Minister said. He, however, said that merely standing strong at the same point is not acceptable and the country should move forward for which the Centre and states should work in tandem. Mr Modi emphasised on the need to develop infrastructure and facilities like railways and roads so that the benefits of growth can percolate to all the people. The Prime Minister, who travelled in the violet line train of the Metro to reach Faridabad, said that the corridor would be extended further till Ballabhgarh. The Prime Minister said that his government has taken up the formidable challenge to provide “housing for all” by 2022 when India will celebrate 75 years of Independence. He said that he had launched the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign from Haryana. The state which was known for high female foeticide rate, is now known for the campaign, he said. Source: The Asian Age
rally of ex-servicemen in Rewari in Haryana on September 13, 2013 as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. “The previous government proposed Rs 500 crore. We thought maybe it could go up to Rs 600-700 crore but while calculating new things came up. While I untangled every aspect of the issue, we calculated that there would be an expense of around Rs 8,000-Rs 10,000 crore.” This decision is inspired by patriotism, he said, telling the armed forces and ex-servicemen that the government “is yours, is there to look into your grievances and will stand by you whenever required”. “The country cannot develop through conflict but by dialogue. Elections will come and go. If there is only one solution to our problems it is development. We are working on only one point, one mantra, one objective, one path and one goal — that is development,” he said. “It would have been better if the work of development had been completed in the last 60 years. A lot of work is pending. But only criticising previous governments will not help. Our responsibility is to look for ways for development,” he said. Mr Modi said in recent times the entire world had faced severe economic turmoil and even countries with very strong foundation were shaken. Economists have held that only one country that withstood such turmoil was India, he said. “Because of policies followed in the last 15 months, the country is standing strong on the economic front,” the Prime Minister said. He, however, said that merely standing strong at the same point is not acceptable and the country should move forward for which the Centre and states should work in tandem. Mr Modi emphasised on the need to develop infrastructure and facilities like railways and roads so that the benefits of growth can percolate to all the people. The Prime Minister, who travelled in the violet line train of the Metro to reach Faridabad, said that the corridor would be extended further till Ballabhgarh. The Prime Minister said that his government has taken up the formidable challenge to provide “housing for all” by 2022 when India will celebrate 75 years of Independence. He said that he had launched the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign from Haryana. The state which was known for high female foeticide rate, is now known for the campaign, he said. Source: The Asian Age
