One Rank One Pension (OROP)

Key updates-

• The Court has reserved its judgment in a petition claiming that the government’s implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP) for the Armed Forces has been faulty.
• A Bench led by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud completed the hearings on the petition filed by Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement, that OROP has led to the creation of a separate class among the personnel equally situated in rank and length of service.
• The petitioners had also challenged the government’s stand that equalisation of pension would happen periodically every five years.
• They had contended that a gap of five years would leave them at a great disadvantage. 
• The Central Government has told the Supreme Court that both “same rank” and “same length of service” in defence services are necessary conditions for claiming One Rank One Pension (OROP) benefits.

About One Rank One Pension (OROP)-

• OROP or the same pension, for the same rank, for the same length of service, irrespective of the date of retirement, is a longstanding demand of the Indian armed forces and veterans.
• Under the OROP scheme, the uniform pension is paid to defence personnel who retire in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement.
• The scheme has been in force since 1st July 2014.
• OROP implies bridging the gap between the rate of pension of the current pensioners and the past pensioners at periodic intervals. 
• As per the scheme, the armed forces personnel who retired by 30 June, 2014, are covered under it.
• Before OROP, ex-servicemen used to get pensions as per the Pay Commission’s recommendations of the time when they had retired.

Salient features of OROP order were as under-

• Pension of past pensioners would be re-fixed on the basis of pension of retirees of calendar year 2013 and the benefit will be effective from 01.07.2014.
• Pension will be re-fixed for all pensioners on the basis of the average minimum and maximum pension of personnel retired in 2013 in the same rank and with the same length of service. 
• Pension for those drawing above average shall be protected. 
• Arrears will be paid in four equal half yearly installments. However, all the family pensioners including those in receipt of Special/Liberalized family pension and Gallantry award winners shall be paid arrears in one instalment. 
• Pension would be re-fixed every 5 years.