Letter dated 14 June 2015 from Maj Gen Satbir Singh, SM (Retd), Chaiorman IESM to Hon'ble PM

Dear Prime Minister Narendra Modi

1. Your voice is still echoing in our mind when you roared in ex-servicemen rally on 15 Sep 13 in Rewari and demanded white paper on OROP from UPA Government. You did not stop but declared that had there been BJP Government in 2004 OROP would have been reality by now.
2. ESM pan India believed you for the reasons that they had found a leader who had will to approve the long standing demand of OROP. ESM all over India not only voted for Mr Modi (PM candidate) but also were the opinion makers in rural India where majority of the defence personal reside. Consequently BJP received unprecedented mandate. ESM like any other Indian were elated on your becoming the Prime Minister of India. They were now assured that OROP will soon be announced. Their expectation further got confirmation on your announcement among troops that OROP is destined to be approved by you and that you care and respect the Armed Forces of India and want to make them one of the best in the world.
3. ESM got assurance from Sh. Manohar Parrikar when he told ESM delegations that he is convinced that other para-military forces cannot lay their claim on OROP as their retirement age is 60 yrs as compared to the majority of Armed Forced Personnel who start retiring at 35-37 yrs. He further confirmed that he was convinced that Armed Forces personnel are at double disadvantage. Firstly they lose pay for 25 yrs and secondly they get fewer pensions as compared to others as they retire at the age of 35 yrs. Today, if a 17 yrs boy joins Army and another 17 yrs boy join Delhi Police, both when they reach the age of 70 yrs ie 2068, the constable would draw 7- 7.5 crores Rupees more than the Sepoy. This has been arrived at after a detailed study. The Sepoy would retire in 2034 and the constable in 2058. The constable would have seen three CPCs more than the constable. Inspite of this information being available with the bureaucrats who are supposed to look after welfare of Armed Forces personnel, are busy devising ways to deny OROP to Armed Forces Personnel.
4. Sh Manohar Parrikar confirmed to ESM that he has finalized and renamed pensions for military personnel as MILPEN to ensure that it is treated as separate category and other paramilitary personnel will be excluded from this. He worked out the pension of Military personnel and ESM and calculated a figure of Rs 8296, crores per year in Feb 2015. This case is still under consideration of the Govt; in fact the file is stuck at Finance Ministry since Mar 2015.
5. ESM got a greater shock when you announced on 31 May 15 that even though PM is committed to OROP but it is a very complex issue and needs more time to solve it. In your interview to Tribune you had indicated that your Government is elected for five yrs and Government would find a solution. Do we take it that OROP has got entangled in bureaucratic malaise for another 5 or 10 yrs.
6. Sir the fact is that you are being given incorrect information by the people who are against the interest of Indian Armed Forces. We are getting a feeling that there are lobbies working against Armed Forces Personnel both serving and retired. Any welfare scheme is strongly opposed and rejected. How can it be possible that PM of the country makes a commitment and the bureaucracy rejects it on one pretext or other?
Sir, we the Ex-servicemen of India are jointly requesting you to accord approval to the proposal forwarded by the Raksha Mantri for the implementation of OROP at the earliest without any dilution. We assure you that the OROP definition is very simple and has no complication at all. May we also request you to kindly treat Armed Forces Personnel and Ex-servicemen at par with other citizen of India? At present we are getting step motherly treatment form GOI.
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