Veterans at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar demanding for implementation of one rank, one pension. (File photo)
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet headed by the prime minister, Narendra Modi, has approved the revision of pension armed forces’ pensioners/their family pensioners under “one rank, one pension” (OROP), the government said in a media release, on Friday. It said the new pension will be effective from July 1, 2019.
The release said the pension of the past pensioners would be re-fixed based on the average of minimum and maximum pension of the defence forces retirees of 2018 calendar year in the same rank with the same length of service.
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It said the arrears that will be paid from July 2019 to June 2022 will be ₹23,638 crore, which will be paid in four half-yearly instalments. However, the arrears of all the family pensioners, including those in receipt of special/liberalized family pension and gallantry award winners, shall be paid in one instalment.
The government further said the estimated additional annual expenditure for implementation of the revised pension is calculated to be approximately ₹8,450 crore at the rate of 31 per cent dearness relief.
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Rank-wise likely estimated increase (in rupees) in service pension under OROP with effect from July 01, 2019:
Army rank and its equivalent in Air Force and Navy | Pension as on January 1, 2016 | Revised pension with effect from July 1, 2019 | Revised pension with effect from July 1, 2021 | Likely arrears from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2022 |
Sepoy | 17,699 | 19,726 | 20,394 | 87,000 |
Naik | 18,427 | 21,101 | 21,930 | 114,000 |
Havildar | 20,066 | 21,782 | 22,294 | 70,000 |
Naib Subedar | 24,232 | 26,800 | 27,597 | 108,000 |
Subedar Major | 33,526 | 37,600 | 38,863 | 175,000 |
Major | 61,205 | 68,550 | 70,827 | 305,000 |
Lieutenant Colonel | 84,330 | 95,400 | 98,832 | 455,000 |
Colonel | 92,855 | 103,700 | 107,062 | 442,000 |
Brigadier | 96,555 | 108,800 | 112,596 | 505,000 |
Major General | 99,621 | 109,100 | 112,039 | 390,000 |
Lieutenant General | 101,515 | 112,050 | 115,316 | 432,000 |
Interestingly, this comes a week after the government moved the Supreme Court seeking extension of time until March 15, 2023, for the payment of arrears under OROP.
